Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We live at a time when new communication and media technologies have delivered a cornucopia of genuinely fantastic opportunities for elected representatives and for governments to communicate and engage with their constituents. But just as there is something special and distinctive about hearing live music or seeing live theatre, so there is something unique present in the exchange of ideas and viewpoints that occurs face to face; that occurs in a town hall or community meeting room or local park, which will always be more substantial and more real than a thousand tweets or bulk emails, or chats via Facebook or Skype. At the start of a new year I want to take the opportunity to reflect on some highlights over the last 12 months in terms of the high-energy and thoughtful community engagement that I have been fortunate to participate in. And before I do that, I want to cast forward to an annual event that I have been incredibly proud to support over the last five years, namely the Gimme Shelter concert, which is held at the Fremantle Arts Centre in February every year, and which raises funds for the work that St Patrick's Community Support Centre undertakes in providing crisis accommodation and support for the homeless. This year's concert on 25 February will again feature an amazing line-up of local musicians and performers, and I am confident it will draw strong support from the wider Freemantle community.

It is almost 12 months ago, in March 2011, that the Prime Minister and cabinet came to WA and held a community cabinet at South Fremantle Senior High School in my electorate. It was an event with a characteristic Freo flavour, and the moment of engagement that spoke loudest for me was the point at which the members of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition presented the Prime Minister with a thankyou card for taking action on climate change.

Making policy and making decisions for the future is never easy, especially when that future is defined within a policy time frame that steps out to the year 2100 and beyond—a time when the decision makers, and 99 per cent of people alive today, will not be around to benefit or suffer from the consequences of action or inaction. I am not sure that our democracy takes sufficient account of the views of young people, and yet climate change is almost the perfect example of an issue on which young people must be heard. I want to thank the AYCC for their work in expressing a clear message on climate change, and for supporting the government in its delivery of the Clean Energy Future package.

Also in March last year, I was honoured to participate in a number of events to mark the centenary of International Women's Day—a hugely significant occasion. As I noted on the day, it is essential that we reflect with pride on the progress that has been made when it comes to the equality of women; but it is equally important that we mark those areas in which there is still a long way to go. Last week's Fair Work Australia decision on pay equity for 150,000 social and community sector workers, 120,000 of whom are women, is an example of both change that needed to occur and change that has been achieved. By drawing strength from what we have achieved we replenish our resolve to go further and achieve more. I also wish to see workers in the aged care and childcare sectors—again, most of whom are women—appropriately recognised for their important caring work through significantly improved pay and conditions.

Finally, I want to mention the community forum on the proposed national disability insurance scheme that I had the privilege of co-hosting in November last year with Peter Tinley, the state MLA for Willagee, and Geraldine Mellet from the Every Australian Counts campaign. The forum was held in the Fremantle Town Hall and I want to express my gratitude to City of Fremantle for the provision of the venue, and to the Fremantle Herald for their promotion of the event. The meeting was a chance for people to learn about the basic concept and benefits of moving to an NDIS, and an opportunity for those living with disability to have their say on a range of service and funding issues.

In support of the forum I sent a letter of invitation to my constituents, enclosing a survey on the subject of disability policy—and the responses have been quite amazing. Some bring you to the verge of tears; some are angry; many are imbued with incredible stoicism and weariness and suffering. And the responses from carers, which can have all the qualities I have just mentioned, also contain the most remarkable, invincible, fire-tempered strains of love—long-suffering, inexhaustible, unconditional love. It just blows you away. We have to do more to support these people, and I am proud to be part of a Labor government that is intent on that task.

Through all the events I have mentioned—and those have been only a few of the dozens and dozens that I attended—the strong value of coming together to make a contribution to Australian civic life has been reinforced for me, and I look forward to more and greater community engagement in Fremantle in the year to come.