Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Colleagues, a wonderful thing happened in north-east Victoria last weekend. People were the change that they wanted to see. People said the future is not a determined definition or a place; it's one we're going to create. Colleagues, never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Today I'd like to sing the praises of, to honour, to acknowledge and to say thank you to the people who put their hand up and stood up as candidates in the recent Victorian election.

I'd especially like to say thank you to the five wonderful independent candidates who stood in the four state electorates in my electorate of Indi: Jacqui Hawkins, Jenny O'Connor, Tammy Atkins, Don Firth and Michelle Dunscombe. These community candidates made such a strong approach and won the support of the people of Indi that 22,244 individuals gave them their first preference vote—22,244 individuals said, 'Independents are what we want.' These were grassroots campaigns. These were bottom-up, not top-down. These were oily rag jobs. These were community people all over the place getting out there and saying, 'We want a change and we want independents who report to their communities above and beyond people who play to parties.'

We're now waiting on the preferences in Benambra, and it's going to be really close. A 28-year-old— (Time expired)