Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This year we are celebrating 30 years of this new Parliament House and the last sittings in what was always intended to be the provisional Parliament House, which we now know as Old Parliament House. So it is fitting that we recognise the service, now more than 30 years, of the only member of this parliament who also served in the old Parliament House, the Hon. Warren Snowdon, the member for Lingiari. Warren was first elected as the member for the Northern Territory—the Territory only had one seat back then—in 1983. In his first speech, Warren said he would be 'strident' in his efforts to represent the interests of all Territorians—and he has fulfilled his promise.

In his first speech, Warren thanked his partner Elizabeth for her support. Elizabeth had in fact given birth to their first child, Frances, during that election campaign. Warren and Elizabeth now have four children, Frankie, Tom, Tess and Jack. Warren's family knows better than most people the sacrifices that he and they have made with him representing the Northern Territory and now the seat of Lingiari for 30 years.

Warren also said in his first speech that he would work for the formal recognition of Aboriginal Australians and for compensation for their lands stolen and the disruptions to their society and culture. He has worked tirelessly in this place and in his own electorate to ensure that First Nations people are better represented and that the broad disadvantage experienced by First Nations people around the country is confronted and improved. He has worked to ensure that all governments in this place do not forget that we still have a long way to go in this area.

Warren's parliamentary record demonstrates his breadth of interests, his hard work in many policy areas, and his achievements as a parliamentary secretary and minister in a range of portfolios—Transport and Communications; Employment, Education and Training; Environment, Sport and Territories; Defence Science and Personnel;    Indigenous Health and Rural and Regional Health; and Veterans Affairs, including the Centenary of Anzac. Warren did much of the planning for that great representation of our deep thanks for the sacrifices of those Australians in the First World War.

Warren's parliamentary record is a great one, but it's his record as a champion for the Territory and the Northern Territory's people that I want to emphasise here. Warren represents Lingiari, a huge electorate—almost twice the size of New South Wales. The sheer size of this electorate means that it is not like representing constituents in any seat, really, except for save a couple. The travel and commitment this representation takes is admirable.

As a person, Waz is passionate. He's a fierce advocate for those who don't have a voice and a good mate to so many, including myself. He's also a person of great empathy. He understands that people are at the centre of everything we do here. This is so important for the design of meaningful policies and it's why Warren has made such great contributions throughout his career.

Throughout his 30 years of parliamentary service, Warren has given voice to Australians in the most remote parts of our nation on so many issues and given voice to the oldest continuous culture on earth and to some of the most disadvantaged people in our country. Within the Parliament, Waz has been a team player, putting the interests of his friends and colleagues before himself. In this way, he has always embodied the Labor ideals of equity and fairness. Warren has been a mentor to me and has taught me a great deal about serving the people of Darwin and Palmerston, learning about their needs and helping them. We now work together to deliver for Palmerston—some suburbs of which have been added to Warren's electorate—and together we work for the Northern Territory.

There's still plenty that Warren is working on and is so passionate about, including the Indigenous health plan implementation, northern regional development and veterans' affairs. That's always been important to him as the son of a World War II veteran. It's a privilege for me to recognise Warren's 30 years of service to the electorate of Lingiari, the Northern Territory and also our nation. In closing, I just want to say thank you to the member for Lingiari. Thank you, Wazza.