Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before the honourable member for Dawson is given the call, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech, and I ask the House to extend to him all of the usual courtesies.

Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and congratulations on your elevation to office. Colleagues, it is with humility and honour that I stand before you today as a member of the 47th Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. I'm a tomato farmer from Bowen, and I'm pretty happy to be here. I drive a Land Cruiser, I drink beer, I fish and I shoot—not necessarily all at the same time! I'm the first of my community to represent Dawson at the federal level. This is an achievement of which I'm immensely proud. My home sits smack bang in the middle of Dawson. The electorate runs along the coastline from Townsville to Mackay and includes 74 beautiful islands and the Great Barrier Reef. I would like to thank the people of the electorate for putting their faith in me. It is an honour and privilege, and I will not let you down.

I'm a proud National in every sense of the word. I'm a farmer by trade, raised on the land. My parents and grandparents have instilled a high standard of principles in me. We work hard and we believe in reward for effort. We also believe in a fair go for those who have a go.

Growing up I was surrounded by family. Mum and Dad worked long hours on the farm, and I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. They all had a hand in raising me—teaching me right from wrong, the importance of hard work and how to appreciate the value of a dollar. This last lesson came particularly from my dad's mum, whose first house, on a station in the Gulf, had dirt floors and no electricity, and the closest grocery store was miles from the homestead. She often told me the 'good old days' were overrated and that she enjoyed a stove that heated up at the flick of a switch.

My family taught me everything, from basic cooking and cleaning to fixing a broken-down pump to how to wield a chainsaw. I learnt to make a lot out of a little and to never take anything for granted. I learnt that with actions came consequences. I was always loved unconditionally—something I will be forever grateful for. For me, family always comes first, and I hope and pray that my wife, Raylene, and I will pass on the values my parents and grandparents taught me to my three children: Jack, Shannon and Tom.

When Mum and Dad were farming they grew several crops, including tomatoes, capsicums and chilis. We also owned the original Kensington mango orchard. That is a mango that Bowen is famous for. I've had many photos taken in front of the Big Mango, including with our own Leader of the Nationals and agricultural spokesperson, David Littleproud.

The only thing I ever wanted to be was a farmer. Dad, knowing this, had two 'must's. The first 'must' was to learn the business from the ground up. So I did. I worked as a picker, worked as a carter, drove tractors and trucks, planted out—sometimes by hand—and packed fruit in the shed; back then, that was by hand, too. And when the small crop season was over, it was time to pick and pack the famous Bowen mangoes, often in 38-degree heat. We were either out in the sun on the farm or in the shed under a hot tin roof. Picking mangoes was often an interesting experience. I say 'interesting 'in the sense that there was always something unexpected around the corner, like biting green ants, stinging wasps and the odd tree snake. As a young fella, I would often have to climb the trees to pick the fruit—I was a lot skinnier and a bit more flexible back then! Dad's second 'must' was that I get an education, and after completing grade 12 I duly enrolled to study at the University of Queensland's Gatton campus. But I was keen on the practical over the theoretical, so I deferred my studies in order to continue working on the farm.

As is often the case in life, when one door shuts, another opens, and this was true for me. The farm next door came up for sale, so I bought it with a little help from Mum and Dad—actually, a lot of help from Mum and Dad! They were keen to see me get into the business of farming. A short time later my sister and her husband, Wayne, returned to Bowen. Raylene and I formed a partnership with them to buy Mum and Dad's business, so they could put their hard work behind them and move on to retirement. We specialised in gourmet trellis tomatoes, selling them nationally and internationally. We employed 15 permanent staff and provided jobs to hundreds of casuals during the picking season.

I'll be forever grateful for my farming background. The ability to make such an important contribution as feeding our nation is one that I'm proud to boast about. The farmer of today is efficient and resourceful, their practices modernised, with their farm and equipment worth millions of dollars. The costs of fertiliser and pesticides is enormous. Anyone who thinks farmers let their products run down the drain hasn't paid one of their bills. Efficiency is a must, and nothing is wasted. Farmers are heavily invested emotionally and financially in their operations. To work the land, you must love it. Farmers do not wish to harm the environment, the land or the water surrounding them. This is the same environment that provides their livelihoods and in many cases has done so for many generations. Every family needs a farmer, and we need to start giving farmers the support they need, the respect they deserve and the right for them to farm. After all, the livestock and produce we offer is amongst the best in the world.

We need to provide good infrastructure and water security. That's why I'm totally committed to projects like Urannah Dam and Hells Gates Dam, and to raising the Burdekin Falls Dam to the full height of 14 metres. Water is the lifeblood of rural and regional Australia. Water management is more important. When you add water, everything grows—populations, economies, opportunities. To borrow a of quote from my parliamentary colleague Barnaby Joyce, 'Water is the currency and the dam is the bank.' Urannah Dam will provide a secure and affordable water supply for our current farmers and our mining industry, as well as industrial and urban users, and will secure the region's water future. Urannah also includes a pumped hydroelectric scheme, which will provide clean, green, reliable energy that can be connected straight into the north-south high-voltage grid which feeds the national network. Surely water stored at height must be one of the best batteries in the world.

I return to the journey that brought me to this place today. After 22 years of farming, I decided it was time to try something new. It was during that time that my local councillor announced his retirement, so I thought this was the opportunity to give back to the wonderful community that had given so much to me and my family. I threw my hat in the ring. I was fortunate enough to win the election. I served a year as councillor and three years as deputy mayor, and I've held the top job of Mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council for the last six years. I cherished each opportunity and I am forever grateful to the people of the Whitsunday region for putting their faith in me. Local government is the level of government that is closest to the people. That is why I will be pushing to see the federal assistance grants to local government return to one per cent of taxation. This funding is critical to the people of rural and regional towns.

I've spoken about how I got into local government. Let me explain now how I made the leap to federal representation. Well, it's a bit of history repeating itself. When the previous member for Dawson announced his retirement, and knowing how important our region is and knowing all it has to offer, I again threw my hat into the ring. I won the right to represent the LNP as its Dawson candidate, and so began a nine-month campaign leading up to last federal election. I would like to thank the Liberal-National party members for putting their faith in me and giving me that opportunity.

The electorate of Dawson a is a powerhouse region that punches above its weight in terms of export earnings and job creation. We have the largest sugarcane industry in Australia; how sweet it is! The industry is now exploring alternative uses of sugarcane, like bioplastics and biofuels. But there is a lot more going on in my electorate. My home town of Bowen is the famous 'salad bowl' of the north. It is responsible for over half a billion dollars in horticultural products, helping feed our nation and the world. Our fishing and aquacultural industry delivers everything from live fish exports to Hong Kong to some of the tastiest Australian prawns you're ever likely to munch on. We also produce some of the best beef on the planet thanks to my electorate's cattle producers. Mackay also has a large METS sector which services the important mining industry just over the hill in Michelle Landry country, the seat of Capricornia. For anyone who doesn't understand METS, it means mining, engineering, technology and science, so there are plenty of bright cookies in my electorate. We also have other emerging industries, like Top Shelf International's agave farm, located between Proserpine and Bowen. Top Shelf is working with the University of Adelaide to create the first-of-its-kind spirits category: Australian agave. Agave is the plant that tequila is made from, so to the boys at Top Shelf—Aden, Drew, Henno and Chris—I say, 'Cheers!'

This is another great story: two brothers, Adam and James Gilmour, are literally taking on the giants of the space technology sector with their company Gilmour Space Technologies. Their team is working towards launching small satellites from their spaceport near Abbot Point just north of Bowen. The satellites can be used for earth observation and telecommunication. There is even the potential to launch Australian astronauts from this site. There is a sovereign risk if we do not support this project. I am totally supportive. We need to be brave; we need to be bold. Let's get it done.

And, of course, there's our fabulous tourism industry, which boasts Airlie Beach and the 74 beautiful Whitsunday Islands, and we are also the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. Our tourism operators are world class. Come visit. I can guarantee you'll have a good time.

Dawson delivers all of this without some of the infrastructure afforded to the capital cities. Imagine what could be achieved if we were on a level playing field. While I am the member for Dawson, I will unashamedly be pushing for our region's fair share. I will use my time in this role to continue to grow my electorate for a stronger future. I will work towards creating more reliable and affordable water, more reliable and affordable energy and more reliable and affordable communications. I'll work for more investment in infrastructure, particularly in our roads. Roads need to be functional and safe. Roads on which we can get our produce to market and bring our families home safely.

Remember how I said my grandmother loved her modern-day appliances and turning on a stove or a light with a flick of a switch? Well, I don't believe she is Robinson Crusoe. Unfortunately, we're now at a point where it is becoming unaffordable to flick that switch and reliability is in question. I cannot believe that we have some of the highest energy costs in the world. Energy policy must ensure generators from whatever source provide power 24/7. I am a supporter of all energy options, whether it be coal- or gas-fired, solar, wind, hydro or nuclear. We need to provide power to businesses and households that is reliable and affordable. For power generated only when the sun shines or when the wind blows, it should be beholden to the provider to make up the shortfall. Otherwise, the grid will be further destabilised. That's why I support a brand new, high-efficiency, low-emissions coal-fired power station with carbon capture and storage to ensure we keep our lights on.

I also recognise the small businesses owners, the hospitality workers and the retail workers who invest in our small towns. Having been a business owner and an employer myself, I understand the pressures and stress that come with this role. I know the responsibilities of paying your staff wages, paying the bills and just trying to make ends meet or scratch a living. These small business owners are an integral part of my region and are the backbone of our nation. I will strive to ensure that government gets out of the road of small businesses and lets them do what they do best: create more jobs.

I look forward to working with my neighbouring colleagues such as Michelle Landry in Capricornia, Phil Thompson in Herbert, Dale Last in the state seat of Burdekin and Amanda Camm in the Whitsunday state electorate. And, of course, I'll work with our local governments, like the Mackay and Whitsunday regional councils, the Burdekin Shire Council and the Townsville Regional Council. These organisations are essential to providing the services our ratepayers rely on. I know that when all three tiers of government work together, all Australians benefit.

After reflecting on my recent campaign, I would also like to thank my campaign team and the members and supporters who doorknocked, letterbox-dropped, waved signs and stood out in the elements on election day and during prepolling. I appreciate your hard work and your dedication. To the people who voted for me and who have put their trust in me, I say thank you. I could not be here without you. To the people who didn't vote for me: I'm going to work for you, too.

I would like to give special thanks to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Leader of the Nationals David Littleproud, Senator Susan McDonald, Michelle Landry, Keith Pitt, David Crisafulli, Senator Matthew Canavan, Phil Thompson, Shelley Argent, Sarah Jones and Lincoln Folo. And a heartfelt mention goes out to my friends Ian and Trudi-Ann, Carl, Paul, Guy and Mardi, Judy, Clare, Lyn, Warren and Chris Scanlan, and Robert Barty. Thank you.

To my grandparents, who are no longer on this earth but who, I'm sure, continue to watch me from above: you are forever in my heart. To my mum and dad, to Leanne and Wayne, to Donna and John, and, of course, to my loving wife, Raylene, and my children, Jack, Shannon and Tom: words never come easy when I speak of my family, so I simply say thank you. That's why I did it quick!

I'd like to finish off where I began. I'm a proud National in every sense of the word—a farmer, a man from the land. I'll work hard to grow a stronger future for my electorate of Dawson, I'll work hard for our country and I'll work hard for all Australians. PS—go Jeff Reibel and the mighty North Queensland Cowboys. Cheers, and thank you.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the honourable member for Brisbane, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech. I ask that the House extend to them the usual courtesies.

Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land that we gather on here today, the Ngunnawal people, and the traditional owners of the land of my home electorate, the Yuggera and Turrbal people. We stand on unceded land, and I hope this parliament will take powerful steps towards First Nations justice, recognition and sovereignty.

There are often pivotal moments in our lives that drive us into politics, that awaken us, that make us stand up to fight and say enough is enough. My journey to this place has not been a conventional one. I do not come from a wealthy or political family. I have spent my life up until this moment working in frontline retail and hospitality, and I have been a proud member of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union during my time in retail. But there have been two pivotal moments for me that have shaped who I am and what my politics is. My experiences of working poverty wage jobs and my coming out as gay both impacted me deeply and forever changed how I saw the world. But who we are as people is often a product of our family and our community, so I hope you will indulge me as I tell you a bit about my family and myself.

I was born and raised in South London. My dad is a musician and a UK native who taught me the importance of compassion and provided a safe space for me to be myself. My mum moved from Rockhampton to London when she was just 16 to pursue a career in ballet. She gifted me the grit, determination and ambition that has led me to be standing before you all today. This upbringing also taught me the value of the arts to the community and to our country, for without our arts and culture what have we to defend?

I am exceptionally lucky to represent a part of this nation that enjoys a vibrant community of artists. From the powerhouse in New Farm to the festivals of Fortitude Valley and beyond, we are so lucky to have a passionate and inclusive art scene that I will support with every fibre of my being to make even bigger. The arts are an invaluable service to our community and our economy. I saw firsthand how many people's lives were impacted through my parents' work and the work of their colleagues.

My family moved to the Central Queensland town of Yeppoon in 2009. This was an immense change from South London. We experienced new and abundant wildlife, forests—sun for the first time!—and the pineapples that Yeppoon is so famous for. But the small town life was not to be forever and in 2012 I moved to Brisbane to study at the University of Queensland and have called Brisbane my home ever since.

Halfway through my studies I was offered a job in the United States with one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world. The job was to work in a frontline customer service role at a globally renowned theme park—see if you can guess where it was! The pay was very low and the hours would be very long, but it was an offer and I did not want to refuse. I had no idea just how much my life was going to change. I worked well over 40 hours a week for $7.56 an hour, the federal minimum wage at the time. It was not just the overseas workers who were on these poverty wages; it was the locals as well. Once we had paid the bills, rent and health insurance we were left with nothing and sometimes even less than that. The immense power imbalance between us as workers and the giant company we were working for was staggering. I was a disposable pawn and that was always made very clear to me.

My experience came on a head one day when I walked into the stockroom of the place I worked at and found one of my colleagues crying on the floor. I asked her what had happened, what was wrong. She was having to make the decision between whether she paid her rent or bought insulin for that month. That was a choice. Life-saving medicine or a roof over your head. It hit me all at once. This is not a society that puts people first. It values profit above all else. I could not allow that to happen in my home.

I returned to Australia in 2014 with my eyes wide open. I saw the creep of Americanisation and neoliberalism across every aspect of our society, and we have seen this come to a head in the last decade. We have been told to accept a belief system that puts people last, that tells us we are measured solely in our ability to make profit for others. We have been told to shrink ourselves, to expect nothing from the government. We have been told that somehow the wealth will trickle down. We have been waiting decades for it to trickle down to us, and it is not coming.

Wages have stagnated. Childcare costs are out of control. State schools are not funded properly. The higher education system has been gutted. Our health system is in crisis, as people wait months for access to services that they need just to survive. Climate change has been all but ignored for the existential threat that it is. Housing stress across the country is at an all-time high. In my electorate of Brisbane, over 50 per cent of the community are renters, myself included. We have seen rents increase astronomically and families pushed into homelessness as a result. With the combining stresses of housing, healthcare costs and education costs, and the increasing number of people living pay cheque to pay cheque, we have to stop. We have to say: enough is enough. People are not asking for much. Brisbane is not asking for much. People are simply asking for a government that has their back, that is on their side and that does not sell them and their futures out to the biggest corporate political donation. I am here to say that I am on your side.

As I stand in this chamber today, I acknowledge that I am just one voice and that I have a responsibility to the community of Brisbane, who sent me here; to young people across the country, who expect much of me; and to the queer community, which I am proud to be a part of. I spent my teenage years knowing I was gay and doing everything in my power to hide it. I told myself I would force myself to get married to a woman, have kids and live in the suburbs, because that was what you did. That was what you had to do. That was what was expected of me. I was lucky enough to have a very supportive family to come out to, but I spent years hiding myself because I could not see anyone in my world who was openly gay. This is so much harder than I thought it would be. I made a promise to myself once I came out: that, if I ever found myself in a public role, I would be open and proud of who I am—hence all the rainbow gear. I would be that person that I never saw growing up, because, if I can help even one person out there, my life will have been worth it.

I was lucky enough during the campaign to have received an email from a mother who told me that, after receiving a letter from me in her mailbox that just happened to mention my partner's name—Scott—her 14-year-old son wanted to donate some of his pocket money to our campaign. When she asked him why, he said he had read the letter and wanted me to win, because, if you cannot see it, you cannot be it. It is not enough to wave a rainbow flag when it is politically convenient. Our community deserves tangible legislation that protects us from discrimination and empowers us to be who we are.

I also have a responsibility to those in the Brisbane community who have lost their voices and can now never be heard. We are in a mental health crisis. The fallout from the ongoing pandemic, cuts to our health system, faltering economy and lack of substantial investment in mental health support has created a crisis that can be difficult to talk about.

A couple of weeks ago I met with a constituent, Jason. He came to me during an incredibly difficult time in his and his family's lives. To this day, I have no idea how he mustered the strength, so soon after this event, to talk about his daughter, Maya. I asked to share his story in this speech, and I am honoured to have received his permission to do so.

Maya Birch was a young woman, 24 years old, when she tragically took her life in May this year. Maya had been struggling with some anxiety and mild depression for approximately two years prior to contracting COVID-19 in January of 2020. However, the decline in her mental health following contracting COVID was rapid and extreme, as she suffered with brain fog, lack of energy and lack of motivation about life in general. Maya had difficulty getting appointments with her regular doctor, resorting to telehealth appointments that could not provide continuity of care at a time when she needed it. Her first appointment with a psychologist was conducted on the footpath outside of a clinic due to confusion and poor communication around isolation rules, leaving her feeling demoralised and in tears. It felt like there was no coordinated structure to navigate a path to recovery. Maya so often was only getting appointments through cancellation lists.

Around the beginning of April, the family hoped Maya had turned a corner. She was showing signs of improvement, engaging once again with some friends and contributing to the household responsibilities with the family pets. Maya wanted to continue to pursue work in the field she had studied for, and she applied for various positions in local veterinary practices, ultimately taking a position close to home for 30 hours per week, beginning immediately after Easter. From her first day at her new job, her anxiety level was high, feelings of inadequacies returned, and she had concerns about underperforming or, as Maya said, being an imposter. The family encouraged Maya to continue believing that if she could simply get through the first couple of months she would be okay.

On 2 May, the Labor Day public holiday in Queensland, Maya announced in tears that she could not do her job. Worried about her mental wellbeing, her father, Jason, wanted to get her out of the house. They decided to see a movie together, and then planned to visit a relative for afternoon tea before joining Jason and Jason's partner and her brother for dinner. But Maya decided she wanted to visit her niece and later go to her mum's for dinner. Following the movie, Jason let Maya know that they could work through her concerns about work, that he would support her in her decision—any decision—if she felt she could not return. Always worried, Jason asked if Maya was considering hurting herself. She confirmed that she was not contemplating it. They parted each other, saying, 'I love you.' This was the last time Jason saw his daughter alive.

Maya is just one name in a long list of people who have had their lives cut short because of government inaction. Be it cuts to aged care, health care or income support, the decisions we make in this place impact people's ability to survive. It is my job now to make sure that Maya's death was not in vain. It is my duty as the member for Brisbane to fight for my community and make sure no-one is left behind.

I am so proud to have been elected by a diverse and vibrant community to be their representative in this parliament. In our year-long campaign to win the seat, we knocked on tens of thousands of doors, made thousands of phone calls and spoke to countless people at community market stalls, protest rallies—you name it, I was there. These thousands of conversations told a story about the people of Brisbane—a story about the needs of the community. We heard about the need to address the climate crisis that we are all facing. We heard about the struggles that our communities are going through: difficulties putting food on the table, failing to seek the medical attention they need or finding themselves despondent at the accessibility to the education they want to receive. We heard from residents impacted by bad development decisions and unsustainable flight noise from Brisbane Airport. We heard from young people who didn't see themselves represented in this chamber. We heard from queer people who were desperately upset to see politicians wave rainbow flags in one moment and use their lives as a political football the next.

Eventually we saw our community's tenacity as they struggled to rebuild their lives after catastrophic flooding destroyed huge swathes of the neighbourhoods that they called home. But, when our hundreds of volunteers spoke to the people of Brisbane, we also saw them light up with hope. We saw the passion our volunteers all carried inspire community to ask for more. We spoke to people whose hope was almost lost and we asked them to send a 29-year-old gay retail worker to Canberra to fight for them. We showed them the possibility of a world where the vast wealth of our country could be used for the betterment of all of us, not just those at the top. Our message resonated with our community, and I was elected to be their representative.

I want to make it clear: I would not be standing here today if not for the passion of our volunteers who gave up countless weekends and weeknights out of their own lives to get me here. I would not be here without the people who have been putting in the work for years to build a grassroots movement dedicated to making this world a better place. There are far too many names to list in this one speech. And I cannot give enough thanks to Nathan, my campaign manager. You worked countless hours with me, kept me hopeful, kept me going and created a campaign of positivity and a campaign culture where everyone felt heard and appreciated.

I've heard many times that I'm too young for politics, that I don't seem like a politician—which is a compliment!—but it is these traits that got me here today. This election has shown that the people of this country are done with the status quo. Our parliament is becoming more and more representative of the people who vote to send us here, and I hope that my election can inspire those who are told they shouldn't be in parliament, especially young people, to get involved and to run for office, because our communities are in crisis now. They cannot wait for small targets and incremental change. This parliament needs to be brave. We need to be bold. We need to put people at the centre of policy. We need to live up to the Australia that exists in the minds of many people in this chamber but does not exist for the millions of Australians outside this Canberra bubble, because we can tackle inequality and poverty. We know what the solutions are. We have seen them here at home in years gone by and we see them in successful policies across the world. Expanding Medicare to cover dental and mental health can be done. Building enough public housing to clear waiting lists can be done. Getting to 100 per cent renewable energy by the end of this decade can be done. Making child care free and universal can be done. Restoring free uni and TAFE and wiping student debt can actually be done. The only thing standing in the way of this future is the political will for this parliament to take us there.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the honourable member for Pearce, I remind members that this is the member's first speech and I ask the House to extend to them the usual courtesies.

Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With reverence, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal and the Ngambri people of this region. I also acknowledge the Wadjuk people of the Noongar nation, which is my home. I pay my respect to elders past, present and emerging who have cared for the land, sea, rivers and waterways through songlines, traditional journey ways and a deep spiritual understanding of Mother Nature. I honour your ancient wisdom and culture. I look forward to realising this government's commitment to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart, recognising the First Nations people in the Constitution and enshrining our First Nations voice.

I stand before you in this chamber as the very proud member for Pearce. I remember regularly watching Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating on TV in the 1980s and the early 1990s and being very impressed with their economic reforms and their successes—not forgetting the entertaining, quick-witted delivery of Paul Keating. And here I find myself in the House of Representatives, sitting alongside the member for Bruce.

The electorate of Pearce is named in honour of Sir George Pearce, who was a proud unionist and Labor politician. I also acknowledge the previous elected members for Pearce: Fred Chaney, Judi Moylan and Christian Porter. I am proud to be the first Labor MP to hold this seat since it was proclaimed 31 years ago, and I am deeply humbled that the electors of Pearce have overwhelmingly put their individual and collective trust in me. I thank the community who supported me and who clearly articulated that the Albanese government's plan for our future is the reason we are in government. Without a voice, the community cannot be heard, and I'm grateful for the opportunity that they have granted me to be their voice and partner in Canberra—a dynamic voice to achieve improvements, and to support strategic economic growth, fiscal responsibility and integrity. I am acutely aware of this responsibility.

In thanking the electors of Pearce, I also thank the Australian Labor Party for putting their faith in me. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on the campaign. To WA Labor's Tim Picton and Ellie Whitaker: your considered strategy was a great advantage. Thank you to Dom Rose and team for encouragement and advice. Congratulations to Sue Lines on your election to President of the Senate. My thanks to you and your team for your support.

As a previous employee, many years ago, of the State School Teachers Union of WA, working with the then president Jeff Bateman and vice-president Jacquie Hutchinson, I remember the hard work done to achieve better working conditions for teachers. I thank Dan Caddy MLC for his advice and guidance, and Dianne Guise, former member for Wanneroo and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, for her wisdom. The encouragement from the member for Wanneroo, Sabine Winton, the member for Burns Beach, Mark Folkard, and the member for Landsdale, Margaret Quirk—all current members—is very much appreciated. I thank my good friend the Hon. John Quigley, Western Australian Attorney-General and the member for Butler, for his encouragement. We all share a vision for the future growth of the Pearce electorate—for it to be more livable, sustainable and productive. The reliable support of Patrick Gorman, member for Perth, and Dr Anne Aly, member for Cowan, during the election campaign was significant. Thank you.

To be a member of the House of Representatives is indeed a great honour. I congratulate the 31st Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Anthony Albanese, who is a genuine visionary and who leads our nation with excellence. May your prime ministership be one of superb achievement with integrity.

To the ministers and MPs around me, I know we are here to serve our communities with vigour, to advocate for positive growth and development of our country. I have been a leader in local government, an elected member for many years and mayor for almost 12 years, patron and committee member for many community organisations and board member of eight local schools. Every single member of our community matters, and I stand shoulder to shoulder with them, understanding their challenges and opportunities, and that will be my continued commitment as the federal member for Pearce.

Our childhoods and challenges and our experiences, failures and triumphs all shape who we are. They are the threads of our lived experiences that weave together, and we continue to evolve and grow with each lived experience that we encounter. There have been significant and influential experiences in my life that define me. I was born in Manchester, England, to a loving family, some of who served in the armed forces and others who were professional footballers. I was the first-born and only surviving child of four. The deep grief and heartache my parents endured losing three of their children cannot be known unless experienced, and I saw its effect on them. My dad, Wilf, was a champion sportsman who joined the Grenadier Guards as a young man and, from there, the SAS Parachute corps. My mum was a proud Campbell, who sadly lost her dad to cancer when she was a baby. She was a strong, resilient, loving woman who kept her Scottish heritage close to her heart, and even now the sounds of bagpipes give me a warm feeling and goosebumps. Every New Year's Eve saw mum proudly wearing the Campbell tartan, waistcoat, skirt or trews. My parents passed away too early, but not before mum and dad instilled in me the importance of family and community and how the two intertwine.

I arrived in Australia in the early 1980s. With no immediate family in Australia, I took a leap of faith to the land of opportunity. A number of years later, cancer and IVF featured prominently in my life. I thank the community who supported me, lifted my spirits and encouraged me when I felt I had no fight left in me, when I was worried the cancer treatment had not worked. I thank those who gave me a huge warm community hug of love and support when I thought the IFV treatment may not have been successful, a community that was there for me during such physically and emotionally challenging times. It is the community that once again rallied behind me, supported me and effectively put me where I proudly stand today in the federal parliament, the House of Representatives.

As a breast cancer survivor, I'm acutely aware of the importance of the financial investment in good health services and progressive medical research that saves lives, for, without this investment in medical research and services, I would most likely not be here today to experience this moment. I certainly would not have had my two much-loved sons, Lee and Matthew, who are first-generation Australians, nor my adored grandchildren. I cannot imagine life without them or without my amazing husband, Pete, who is here today in the gallery—my confidante, my rock and, above all, my best friend. Thank you for your love, your patience and your unwavering support.

Our grandson Caleb was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, at 10 years of age. His diagnosis has given me a true understanding of the significance of the Albanese government's election commitment for the delivery of subsidised continuous glucose monitoring products to the 130,000 type 1 diabetics, under the National Diabetes Services Scheme. This will mean so much to many Australian families.

The reason I have spoken about my experiences is that they are a reminder that we are nothing without our health. I am proud that a Labor government created Medicare, our universal healthcare system for all Australians, decades ago and that this government is protecting Medicare. Improved Medicare funding and strong support of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will help ease cost-of-living pressures by reducing out-of-pocket experiences.

As I shared with you, my parents are sadly no longer with us. My mother-in-law and father-in-law were not able to travel to Canberra to be here today, due to their own health battles. My mother-in-law, Terri, a retired nurse, is a fierce advocate for awareness of myositis, a condition that she was diagnosed with some years ago. My father-in-law, Doug, is one of my strongest supporters. I thank them both for their unconditional love. They and many others have expressed concern about aged care and consistently talk about medical services for our seniors, who deserve respect, good food, nutrition and skilled, quality care. I am proud that this will be supported by Labor's $2.5 billion aged-care plan.

As we care for our seniors, we also care for those living with disabilities. I am a passionate patron of many community groups, including those supporting people living with disabilities. I see firsthand the positive impact of much-needed support. In the window of my office, room RG.51, is a painting by Robert Sully, a man who struggles to hold a paint brush due to his disability. His painting has come with me to Canberra. As Robert said, he always feels happy and cheerful when he sees me because he knows I care. That painting will be a daily reminder of the importance of our decision-making and its effect upon people such as Robert. By protecting the disability safety net under the National Disability Insurance Scheme, we can ensure appropriate support is provided and restore faith and trust in the NDIS. I have provided you with a snapshot of my life to enable you to understand what drives and inspires me. Purely and simply, it is supporting people to live their best life possible. It is easier for people to be their best when the fabric of our society is strong through advocacy, support and nurturing of families and communities.

The electorate of Pearce is one of the largest and fastest-growing areas in Australia, taking in 783 square kilometres. It is a population built on the values of resilience and of those who worked the land when there was no running water, no electricity and no roads. Inspired by our past, the hard work and investment of our First Nations people, pioneers and market gardeners have helped create a progressive city and have enabled our agricultural industry to prosper and be recognised as the food bowl of the north. In addition, many of our beautiful landscapes and residential gardens are a result of the local James family business, Benara Nurseries, which supplies industry, retailers, trade and wholesalers throughout Western Australia and Australia. The family owned and operated business was established in 1963 and is a key employer of many local residents. Their success story is exemplary.

I acknowledge the freemen of the City of Wanneroo: Margaret Cockman, Nick Trandos, Bill Marwick—and his wife, Bernice—Ruth Reid and also freeman Graham Edwards AM, a veterans advocate who represented the electorate of Cowan in the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2007.

The seat of Pearce is diverse and includes urban, rural and industrial land uses. Key industries include construction, manufacturing, retail trade, agriculture, education and training. Our population is diverse. The median age is 33. On average, eight babies a day are born to our local residents. Twenty per cent speak a language other than English. Forty-one per cent of the community were born overseas. During my time as Mayor of the City of Wanneroo, I was very proud to officiate at the swearing-in of over 18,000 new Australian citizens in some of the largest citizenship ceremonies in the country. These residents are among those who bring global perspectives and solutions to benefit us all.

As a country and a community, we warmly open our doors to newcomers. We welcome them as part of our neighbourhoods and extend the hands of friendship and kindness. This is the fabric of our community and the country that we support and champion. We value and respect inclusion, diversity, equality and difference. The continuing work of the many local service, charity and sporting groups in the Pearce electorate provides life-changing opportunities. These important groups can exist only with the generosity of spirit and time of volunteers. These volunteers are the engine room, the fuel, the cogs and the heartbeat of community. These formidable advocates for their neighbourhoods deserve recognition for their enduring commitment.

I acknowledge the volunteers from our local bushfire brigades, the State Emergency Services and sea rescue. They turn out whenever called to duty, with little notice, day and night, at the worst of times and in the worst of conditions. They do so willingly and repeatedly to serve and protect the safety of others. It was during a heatwave in December 2019 that we experienced the worst bushfires in the local area's history. The bushfires challenged our security, razing buildings and a national park, forcing the evacuation of homes and devastating wildlife and vegetation. While the fires were highly destructive, they could not and did not destroy the sense of community and camaraderie among us—quite the opposite: the bushfires brought out the best in people, who reached out to neighbours and offered accommodation, clothes, food and support.

This is the type of neighbourhood we live in. I am so grateful to be a part of it. As a federal government, we are funding an emergency management precinct in Pearce in recognition of the important work of emergency services and their volunteers.

Prior to being elected mayor, I worked at a local kindergarten-to-year 12 school as foundation registrar, working alongside the visionary foundation principal, Allan Shaw. At Peter Moyes Anglican Community School, in my home suburb of Mindarie, I learned so much about shared values and beliefs. I learned how the attitudes and actions of individuals can form a major element of culture. This includes reputation and how actions can impact upon it. I learned about the modelling of values to demonstrate high personal standards of behaviour. We are judged by our actions. I have learnt the explicit and conscious use of shared values and beliefs that assist with good decision-making. I stand on integrity, dignity and honesty and support the introduction of the national anti-corruption commission, which is long overdue, and Australians deserve integrity in parliament.

As the immediate past president of the Western Australian Local Government Association, deputy chair of the National Growth Areas Alliance and vice-president of the Australian Local Government Association, I thank my good friend Linda Scott, President of the Australian Local Government Association, who is here today, for her focus and hard work in local government and her personal support of myself. I acknowledge the influence that these leadership roles have had on me through time. They enabled me to advocate for judicious and tailored solutions to meet the needs of a growing area across local, state and federal forums. It is this knowledge, experience and advocacy, together with the support of the community through the Wanneroo Connect campaign, which realised $1 billion in state and federal infrastructure investment in the seat of Pearce during my time as mayor.

We acknowledge the importance of road and rail infrastructure. However, the Pearce electorate has only one 25-metre swimming pool, built more than 30 years ago, to service a large community. Local primary schools struggle to hold swimming lessons for their pupils due to congestion in swimming lanes, and for some schools there is a two-hour return journey to use existing facilities, which is totally unacceptable as it negatively impacts upon their education. I worked tirelessly with the state member for Butler, Councillor Nat Sangalli, and with the residents and our local school representatives for a number of years for the much-needed Alkimos Aquatic and Recreation Centre. Petitions containing thousands of signatures were presented as a result, and I am proud that this federal government and the WA Labor state government will help deliver this much-needed facility for the health and wellbeing of our community.

We have the emerging 1,000-hectare Neerabup Industrial Area, planned to become a leading innovation hub in addition to the established industrial area of Wangara. Neerabup will be the home for the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct, one of the biggest development and testing facilities in the world for remote operations. It will support a range of industries, including defence, mining, agritech and space logistics. Technology moves so fast that some of the jobs people will be employed in at Neerabup have not even been invented yet. Based on current projections, this site is expected to employ more than 20,000 people. Neerabup Industrial Area will contribute significantly towards achieving WA's targets of employment self-sufficiency in the region. This will ensure our economy is future-ready and primed to be at the forefront of industries and technology, including cybersecurity, freight logistics and alternative energy. We have many greenfield development sites that will allow Pearce to lead the nation in innovation, creative place-making and economic development.

The value of local employment cannot be understated. Creating the conditions and environment for businesses to thrive so that there are more local opportunities will result in less time commuting to work and will provide the social benefit of more time to spend with families, looking after our health and enjoying our lives. The Powering Australia plan will create jobs and reduce emissions by boosting renewable energy. We should not, cannot and will not ignore climate change. The threat and reality of climate change demands decisive action. I am proud that our government has a strategy and target of achieving net zero by 2050. It is an investment in our local and global futures.

There is a lot to be proud of in the electorate of Pearce: the 32 kilometres of coastline and a natural wetland system that meanders through the electorate, the beautiful national park and lagoon, Neerabup National Park and Yellagonga Regional Park. However, we face many environmental challenges, including mitigating coastal erosion, and managing and protecting our local biodiversity. Strategic planning, foresight and innovation are required to achieve sustainability and protect our environment while our urban growth continues at such a rapid pace. Food security is a global challenge highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is a challenge we can rise to meet through effective planning and innovation to support the agribusiness industry. Ensuring a secure water supply to enable the agribusiness sector to continue to flourish will support food security, industry and maintain local jobs.

I acknowledge that our collective needs and challenges can change. That means we need to be agile and poised to act. There is enormous benefit in striving to think strategically to anticipate change, so that rather than being reactive we are proactive as we govern. Actions speak louder than words, and as leaders we look forward. Decisions made and overseen resonate, but it is the focus on the future that matters.

I have had a number of significant, life-changing moments. I am kind. I care, but I am not weak. A good leader has the strength to ensure communities and organisations thrive and succeed. Those values are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to live by all those traits and to function with passion and compassion for making people's lives better. I stand before you as a very proud member of the Albanese federal government, affectionately known as 'Team Albo'. I make this commitment to the people I represent in the electorate of Pearce: I will strive to work hard on your behalf. I will listen to you. I will advocate for you, your family, your business, health, education, environment and future. I promise to serve with all the passion, prudence, integrity, energy and resolve that I possess. To the community of Pearce: I thank you for putting your trust in me.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the honourable member for North Sydney, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech and I ask the House to extend to them the usual courtesies.

Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I acknowledge that we are gathered here today on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri, the traditional custodians of Canberra, the ACT and surrounding areas. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging, and I look forward to being part of the parliament that finally enables voice, treaty and truth for our First Nations.

I would also like to thank the many people who have made the special effort to be here today and this afternoon. To the extraordinary Team Tink, who supported my campaign to be elected as the Independent member for North Sydney; to my family; to my friends; and to all the members of parliament who are here today: thank you. To those watching from afar: please know I feel your love and support, and I will endeavour to do you proud. I also want to acknowledge the people who are no longer here with us in body today but who have played significant roles in both my life and this campaign. These people have shaped who I am and how I approach things, and I am forever grateful for their wisdom, love and guidance. It is truly reassuring to see so many familiar faces in this room today, and it speaks volumes to the reality that getting an Independent member to Canberra is very much a reflection of the community's commitment and passion to see politics done differently.

When people first see my name, many of them find it hard to pronounce. Often they call me 'Ky-leah', but it's literally plain 'Kylie' spelt in a way that only young, optimistic parents in the seventies could ever have considered. It's not a traditional spelling, particularly not in the business circles where I've spent the majority of my career, nor here in Parliament House, but my name suits me. It's quintessentially Australian with a quirk—much like me as a current parliamentarian.

I may not be what you would traditionally expect to see in this House. I don't have party heritage and I did not aspire to be in politics as I moved through my career. But, when the community organisation North Sydney's Independent approached me to run in the recent federal election, I said yes—not because I thought we were certain to win, nor because I thought I had all the answers or any visions of grandeur; rather, I was drawn to the idea that the democratic outcome for North Sydney and our country could only be stronger if people—communities—had a genuine voice in the political debate, so their concerns and ambitions might be truly reflected in the government decisions that follow.

And so, today, I stand before you, not as a politician per se but as a proud parliamentarian elected by the people of North Sydney to ensure our community's voice is heard loud and clear. To paraphrase Sam Mostyn AO, President of Chief Executive Women:

Being a woman leader is quite different from being a male one … there are far fewer of us—and our paths tend to be different … we encounter obstacles and challenges that are often invisible to men.

Yet we are all shaped by our experiences and our values, and I wanted to share some of mine with you. In particular, there are four values that I believe have drawn me to the path I see ahead. They are community, curiosity, compassion and courage—values that have been instilled in me since my earliest days.

Reflecting on my first community: I was born and raised in the small country town of Coonabarabran in north-western New South Wales as the eldest of four children. In those days, my parents, Dell and Colin Tink, did not have much, but what they did have, and continue to have, was an extraordinary commitment to community. To many people, Coonabarabran is the place you pass through on the inland highway between Melbourne and Brisbane. But, for the first 18 years of my life, it was my world, and much of who I am today was formed in those early years—the open spaces, the clean skies, stars like you've never seen, the heat off the ground during summer and the frost that cakes your windscreen in winter. People who know me will tell you, 'You can take the girl out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the girl.'

In a small place like this, nothing happens unless people pull together to make it so, and some of my earliest memories are of my family chipping in to help others. It was just what you did. If someone needed help, you gave what you could. If something needed fixing, you did it, never expecting anything in return. My parents raised me to have a strong sense of right and wrong and drummed into me the importance of saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Compassion, respect, reliability, personal responsibility and persistence were all things that were expected of me, and my parents modelled these behaviours daily. It wasn't about horse-trading or negotiating something better for yourself; it was about creating opportunities for everyone, and, if you happened to benefit, all the better.

When I look at the impact my parents have had on my home town from supporting everything from the local tennis club to the aero club, school canteens, pony clubs and other local community organisations, there is no doubt they have given far more than they ever looked to receive. So, today, I want to thank my mum and dad for teaching me that anything is possible, that you should never stop asking why and that being told no or, 'You can't do it that way,' is just another opportunity to find a way around a perplexing problem.

Over the last 35 years, I've worked in a number of roles across a variety of industries with all kinds of people, and I've experienced the highs and lows of pushing for positive change. Whether it was my earliest experiences advocating for tighter controls on tobacco or the work I did for better treatments for those living with HIV/AIDS, in every case, I always finished with a great sense of hope for humanity and an enduring belief in people's capacity to do amazing things when they are united behind a common purpose. Nowhere did I see this more clearly than in my work with the McGrath Foundation, where one woman's vision—that of Jane McGrath—inspired me to fight to see every family in Australia have the support of a breast care nurse to help them navigate the devastating experience of a breast cancer diagnosis. From the seed of the McGrath family's experience, in the space of six years we grew from having four nurses working in the area to having over 100, and we saw the Sydney Cricket Ground turn pink every January for the Sydney Pink Test in what has become an iconic international sporting event.

Since then, my attention has turned largely to areas related to youth, whether that was advocating to get hundreds of children released from Australian immigration detention centres or working to provide opportunities for kids living with cancer to just be kids again at Camp Quality. More recently, my focus has been on trying to build greater support for vulnerable young Australians facing mental health challenges.

I moved to Sydney early in my career, and the community of North Sydney has been my home for the past 15 years. My children have gone to school there and still go to school there, I have built and managed businesses and not-for-profits there, and I am proud to say that North Sydney is where I belong. Traditionally under the custodianship of the Cammeraygal and Wallumedegal people, the electorate of North Sydney hugs the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. It extends from Gladesville, Woolwich and Hunters Hill in the west, to Cremorne in the east and Chatswood in the north, and includes all the incredible communities in between. It is a thriving urban centre.

On the surface, North Sydney and Coonabarabran may seem like a world apart, but look a little deeper and the reality is we have the same community at our heart. From our small businesses to our sporting clubs and community groups, to our vibrant business centres, our tertiary facilities and Royal North Shore Hospital, North Sydney is a community that recognises the value of pulling together to reach better outcomes for all.

It is by no accident that the North Sydney electorate has long been a centre for environmental advocacy. Indeed, the 1916 poem, 'The Sacrifice of Balls Head', by acclaimed Australian poet Henry Lawson, is one of the earliest articulations of a conservation ethic. Written in protest against the leasing of part of the foreshore to, of all things, a coal bunkering company, the poem reads:

And strings of grimy trucks shall run

In everlasting trains

And on the cliffs where wild trees are

Shall stand the soulless cranes

To dump their grimy loads below,

Where great brown rocks are grand;

And the deep grass and wild flowers grow—

And boating couples land.

It is not lost on me that, over a hundred years later, I stand before you today and North Sydney is still facing extraordinary loss through major infrastructure works, and what seems to be the never-ending desire to see our foreshore and green spaces sacrificed to urban sprawl. Resident groups have long argued for greater protections for our green spaces. North Sydney's parks and reserves not only enhance the beauty and liveability of our area; they are also crucially important to the local wildlife populations and air quality. For too long these concerns and others were overlooked as our community's voice took a back seat to the priorities of two-party politics. Our community's concerns and ambitions were written off as the ramblings of 'pure, enlightened, woke, capital-city greenies' or, my favourite, 'inner city raving lunatics'—criticisms that we found curious initially, but which we ultimately realised were indicative of a far greater level of disconnect and basic disdain for our community.

Hear me when I say that the people of North Sydney want politics done differently. I stand before you today as the elected representative of a vibrant and diverse community that draws in people from all backgrounds and ages. We are the thinkers, the doers, the feelers, the leaders, the believers and the achievers. We see enormous challenges facing our society, our economy and our environment. We recognise that we are at a tipping point on climate, integrity, equality and—fundamentally—in politics. And we can see the potential to do better. We want our parliamentary voice to be heard for its individuality, not because we think we have all the answers or because we think we have a greater right to be heard than any other but because we believe we have something to add to the national public discourse and that something will add value. We are an electorate that values reason and consensus. We want to look at our federal parliament and see a space that reflects everything we believe we are as a country: diverse, vibrant, resilient, responsible, responsive and optimistic, a place where people listen as often as they speak and always remain open to working together to come to a point of consensus which leaves us all the stronger.

We want to see integrity restored to politics and an end to the corruption, dishonesty and discrimination that have eroded Australians' trust in democracy for over a decade. I firmly believe that, as some of the highest office holders in our land, federal parliamentarians must be held to the highest possible standard so that others may aspire to do the same. We want transparency in grant allocations and greater accountability in how our public funds are spent, including insight into how decisions about investment in major infrastructure projects like the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link in Sydney are made and how the cumulative impacts of these projects on our natural environment are being justified. According to a study undertaken by Infrastructure Australia in 2019, the four kilometres of the M1 between the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Artarmon are the most congested road in Australia. While we know we need solutions to this issue, our community does not simply want more freeways generating pollution around our schools, aged-care facilities and homes. In the 21st century, we know we are capable of better transport solutions than ones conceived in the 1970s.

Like many other forward-looking communities across Australia, North Sydney wants innovative, smart, transparent investment in sustainable and renewable energy, and we will advocate for faster access for all to cleaner fuels and more efficient vehicles. We want faster action on climate change, led by facts, not politics. We will act on our ambition and work together across all levels of government to make the electorate of North Sydney one of the first net-zero urban energy zones in the country. On a federal level, we want our government to guide our nation to the outcomes we are desire by providing clear and reliable leadership, national coordination and support. I look forward to working with this 47th Parliament to set a vision that our nation can get behind and ensure the signals that are being sent to both the domestic and international markets show that Australia is in the business of leading a sustainable and renewable energy future. Federal government is uniquely placed to see our country from a position where no other organisation can. That oversight and power must be used to move us forward, not hold us back because of fear or a lack of bold ambition.

While North Sydney is unapologetically ambitious, we are also deeply concerned about who we are to become as a nation and believe that we must always act compassionately. The North Sydney and Lane Cove local government areas are both refugee welcome zones, and across the wider electorate there is a great deal of community support for greater equality for women, First Nations Australians and those who have sought refuge on our shores in times of immense distress. You see, we believe everyone deserves a fair go, no matter their background, and we're prepared to work hard to ensure that people have the support they need.

It is not enough to continue to spruik the idea of Australia as the lucky country—not when 30,000 people continue to reside here as part of an appalling illegal immigration legacy case load. Our current laws are preventing these people from planning beyond five- or three-year intervals. They cannot be reunited with the families they may have left behind, and yet the children who came with them know nothing of life in any other country. Indeed, they are Australian in every way, yet, because of the decisions of past governments, they are currently told they will never qualify for Australian citizenship. We've heard so much talk about the extraordinary gift that is Australia's multicultural reality and about the courage it takes to run with your family from imminent threats. I would challenge us as a parliament to strive to truly do better in the area of human rights. True refugees deserve our compassion, not our disdain.

With over 42,000 families, 185 childcare centres and schools and 25 aged-care facilities in the North Sydney area, we are also deeply aware of the need for a holistic and coordinated vision for Australian families and communities, particularly in the wake of the past two years. We need to reform and recharge our health services so that we are better equipped to adapt and respond to challenges like COVID-19 in the future.

We must look beyond what has been done to date to identify the underlying systemic issues driving phenomena like the unprecedented levels of mental distress across our country. Recent studies indicate that approximately one in five teens suffers from at least one diagnosable mental health disorder and that the teen mental health crisis continues to grow. I've spoken with experts like Professor Pat McGorry AO, Professor Ian Hickie AM, Amanda Riedel and Stephen Lewin. And I say to our parliament that this is an issue that cannot be solved by simply throwing money at it from the top down. We must do everything we can to build resilience in our children from their earliest ages and teach them how to ask tor help.

At the same time, we must build up support for those who are currently seen as the missing middle, perhaps struggling but not acute We can and must do better. I look forward to engaging further with North Sydney's young Australians, as well as the organisations that support them, to ensure that they have the building blocks they need to thrive as individuals and as community members so that they, too, may participate in working towards a better future for all.

North Sydney has long been a hub for technology, and innovation and we will work with other communities across our country to help build a strong, diversified economy for Australia, powered by well-educated and highly trained Australians. To do all this we must have courage. As a nation we need to be smart and to move beyond the dig-and-ship mentality towards one that sees us take our place as a smart and efficient manufacturing hub and a sovereign power, not only within our region but in the world.

We are living through a period of immense geopolitical turbulence, and our region needs us to focus on forming healthy relationships with those around us, based on the recognition that, while we may not always agree, we must seek to foster mutual respect and constructive dialogue with those who occupy this planet with us. This might seem like a lot of work to do, but it's the least that the people of North Sydney are looking for this federal parliament and myself as their representative to deliver.

During the last election, people working within the traditional two-party political system touted the rise of community independents as a risk to stability and predictability. They argued that we lacked ideology and that without a party structure we would descend into chaos. But that's simply not true. I don't lack ideology. The ideology that drives me now is, in fact, what fundamentally led to the creation of our Constitution. When the Australian Constitution was written, its creators were people from disparate communities spread across a vast continent who recognised that for our nation to grow and evolve we needed a framework and a common meeting place, where representatives from each community could negotiate and, by consensus, come to an agreement on the best way for us to move forward. It took eight years for our Constitution to be drafted and two more for it to be ratified, on 6 July 1900. And as the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act came into effect on 1 January 1901, what was notable at the time was that nowhere in that document was there any use of the word 'party'. Our Constitution was written by the people for the people.

As North Sydney's Independent member of the 47th Parliament of Australia, I am driven by the beliefs espoused by the strong and capable people who have come before me—people like Ted Mack and Genia McCaffrey in North Sydney, whose work and advocacy we all continue to benefit from today. I'm also grateful to Cathy McGowan for reinvigorating the independent movement and, closer to me, the member for Warringah, Zali Steggall. Both have been eternally generous with their experience and advice. Only yesterday, at the opening of the parliament, the table that sits at the heart of this chamber was encircled by a formidable group of strong female Independents, each of us being sworn in as MPs and vowing to take this work forward for our communities. While we were unknown to each other prior to this experience, I cannot be prouder to be counted among you today as part of a history-making crossbench.

Ted Mack, arguably the father of Independents, said:

… government should be open to public scrutiny. That elected representatives should enable people to not only participate in all decisions that affect them but ultimately find ways to have people make decisions for themselves. That the very basis of democracy is that a decision taken by the public as a whole will be right more often than decisions taken by an elite group …

As North Sydney's Independent, I will have just two masters: my community and my conscience. My presence in Canberra will ensure our community's true voice is heard. I commit to standing for integrity, accountability and transparency, because that's what the people of North Sydney want. As I said earlier, I did not enter politics because I believe I have all the answers; I'm here for everyone who believes we can and must do better for our children and their children. I am confident that, in reclaiming our voice, North Sydney can make a compelling case for the changes and progress we want to see.

I'd like to acknowledge the members who came before me in the seat of North Sydney, including my predecessor, Trent Zimmerman, who served our community in the last two terms of government. To the amazing team who truly were the driving force behind our campaign, my ride or die: Katrina Barter, Suzy Bessell, Eleanor Docherty, Bridget O'Brien, Denise Shrivell, Kristen Lock, Jonnie Kennedy, Ann Sloan, Mary Moss, Aneka Henshaw, Dr Katherine Woodthorpe, Anthony Reed and Andrew and Renata Kaldor, you are the people I turned to almost on a daily basis for advice, support and courage when I thought I was flagging, so thank you.

I would like to especially acknowledge my children, James, Kate and Maeve, who have taught me more of this world than any other life experience. Please know that it is the thought of you, your friends and all future children that has driven me to step into this arena. I could never ask you to face into something that I was not prepared to accept responsibility for for myself. So, while I apologise in advance for what I know may sometimes be torrid times in the coming years, I want you to know I will always face you with the knowledge that I have done and will continue to do everything I can to leave this world a better place than I found it.

Margaret Mead famously said:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

It is my great honour to be the first woman to represent the people of North Sydney within our federal parliament. To the people of North Sydney: thank you. I look forward to working with and for you in the 47th parliament of Australia. Thank you.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the honourable member for Lingiari, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech, and I ask the House to extend to them the usual courtesies. That includes the members in the gallery.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I acknowledge and I pay my respects to the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, the traditional owners and custodians of this land, to their elders past and present and to their young people, who will be the leaders of tomorrow. Awana. Awungana mamanta nee pupani, mudi intha. My Tiwi name is Mangaliliwayu. Awi ngiya-naringa, my mother; ngiya-rringani, my father; ngiya-puwi, my brothers; ngiya-ngilipi, my sisters: I pay my respects and think of you all today. To my children and my grandchildren: this is for you.

It is a great privilege and honour to have been elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament, a privilege conferred on me by voters in the vast seat of Lingiari, which is about 1,348,157.94 square kilometres. It takes in the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas Island and the lion's share of the Northern Territory. I humbly thank everyone who put their confidence in me and the Australian Labor Party by giving us your vote. I also thank the many supporters and volunteers who worked on my campaign. They are too numerous to name, but they know who they are. It was a logistically challenging and exhausting journey—195 mobile booths across the bush—which I could not possibly have completed on my own, and definitely not without the assistance of the mighty trade union movement. I relied heavily on the guidance of my Indigenous Labor Party elders Minister Linda Burney and Uluru Statement from the Heart Special Envoy Pat Dodson, and the frequent companionship and collaborative assistance from my old friend and colleague from our time together in the Territory Parliament, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.

Federal Labor showed the importance it attached to my part of the world through the visits to Lingiari made by an all-star team of frontbenchers and senior members: Penny Wong, Tanya Plibersek, Mark Butler, Catherine King, Tony Burke, Murray Watt, Brendan O'Connor, Jenny McAlister and Tim Ayres. If that's not a line-up, what is? These visits were all time-critical and difficult to arrange, and I am grateful to all involved.

I thank my family for their patience, especially my husband, David. You've been a source of strength for me over nearly 30 years of marriage. Your advice, love and support has kept me sane and balanced. I don't know if I've been able to do that to you! I so wish that my parents could have been alive with me on this day. My parents didn't have much, but they made sure that all my siblings and I—11 of us—had an education. Finally, I thank and acknowledge my predecessor, Warren Snowdon, for his dedicated service in representing the people of Lingiari for 35 years. I thank him for his strong support, advice and guidance to me, and for keeping me sane not just during the campaign but over many years of friendship.

As regards the Christmas and Cocos Islands, I want to carry on that tradition of being a Labor member who has your ear and back. These islands are strategically important to Australia, and it is vital that the Commonwealth works to support their economies and communities, in particular as regards Christmas Island. Critical infrastructure upgrades are needed to navigate the transition beyond phosphate mining. The rest of Lingiari sits in the mainland and in islands of the Northern Territory. It is an expansive land and water which is familiar to me but which still makes me stand in awe of its environmental complexities, its physical beauty across a range of different landscapes, and its capacity to sustain life and human economic activity.

The demographics of the population there are extraordinarily mixed, including in terms of age, religion and ethnic background. In the lead-up to the election campaign, I was honoured to have been invited to many cultural events within the Muslim community, and as a guest of Alice Springs locals who have migrated to Lingiari from the Indian subcontinent. The electorate also has a large number of people who have come from the Philippines, Europe and Africa. There are more, from a wide variety of other countries throughout the world, who have made Lingiari their home. They bring with them their skills and aspirations, and a desire to contribute as citizens.

But perhaps the key demographic statistic for Lingiari is that at the time of the 2016 census the population was 41.7 per cent Indigenous. In the 2021 census, the Indigenous represented 40.3 per cent of Lingiari. That is the highest percentage of any electorate in Australia. Whilst anyone elected as the member for Lingiari must, of course, champion the interests and aspirations of all constituents, the challenges and issues facing Aboriginal people and communities in Lingiari will be front of mind for me at all times. And there are significant challenges and issues to be addressed. Contrary to the way these things are sometimes presented in the media, they are not necessarily the same in each community. There is huge diversity amongst Aboriginal people and communities in Lingiari, consistent with the extensive geographical spread of people and languages, and their respective countries. From Aputula, or Finke, down near the South Australian border, to West and East Arnhem Land in the tropical north; and from Western Australia and the Queensland border, to Groote Eylandt in the gulf, the many tribes and language groups of Aboriginal people are committed to standing strong in their culture and, at the same time, engaging in the modern Australian economy.

Many groups have had the relative good fortune to have benefited from the strongest form of land rights tenure in the country. That is Commonwealth law. The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, or ALRA for short, underpins permanent land ownership in Aboriginal hands while at the same time giving security of tenure for any individual or entity approved by traditional owners to get a lease. ALRA also creates the capacity for binding and mutually beneficial agreements in relation to the use of land by governments and commercial entities like mining companies. Contrary to misinformation which has been peddled by ALRA opponents over decades, the lease based land tenure system which ALRA allows for is sophisticated and robust. Lease-based land tenure systems have been adopted elsewhere in Australia, especially here in the ACT. There are other groups whose country was allocated to settlers as pastoral leases on which to run cattle, and others, again, whose land was engulfed by towns. Native title is their only option for recognition of their traditional interests in the land. There are problems with how that is working out now, but that is a topic for discussion in a different speech on a different day.

Whatever the mechanisms of recognition of traditional interests in land under Aboriginal law, whether it is ALRA or native title, every Aboriginal Territorian—every Aboriginal person from the Territory—as a stake in and a responsibility for country somewhere. In many cases it is the responsibility for two countries, the responsibility having different content and being differently nuanced depending on whether it is father's country or mother's country. As a general rule, Aboriginal people speaking for and about their own country have a greater say about it than other Aboriginal people, even if those Aboriginal people have been living there for a long time. This is the fundamental social and political truth about remote Aboriginal communities, where traditional owners are often substantially outnumbered by people from other groups. It is these kinds of complexities that will inform the establishment and operation of a voice to parliament.

I was lucky enough to have been involved as a facilitator from the start of the dialogues which led to the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart. I know full well that the initiative is not mere symbolism. I am proud to be part of an Albanese Labor government which is going to take long overdue action on this front. I came here, to this place, as a Northern Territorian. I am not just from the Territory; I am of the Territory. I don't have links or ties anywhere else, and there is no plan B or interstate retirement strategy. My mother was Tiwi, and my father, even though he was traumatically separated from his country as a child, was an Anmatyerre man. I say that I am of the Territory not only because I am an Aboriginal Territorian but also because my family history reflects the impact of past government legislation and policies on people whose displacement and resulting disorientation left them with little else but a sense that, if nothing else, they were proper Territorians. You get a sense about yourself if, like my mother, you watched the Japanese planes drop their bombs on Darwin, and then, years later, you realised you had survived being placed in a leprosarium and then raising a softball team of eight young daughters. Suddenly it's 1979 and the Territory is being granted self-government. You say to yourself: 'Self-government is for Territorians—people who come from there, people who belong there. That's my mum and dad, and that's me.'

Before self-government, the Territory was run from here—from Canberra. It was the Canberra government which brought in the Northern Territory Aboriginal Ordinance, which regulated my parents' lives from when they were born up to 1957. It was the Canberra government which brought in the Social Welfare Ordinance, which took over after that and under which they were included in a register of controlled people—or what was commonly known as a 'stud book'. So my pride in commencing in my formal role in this House of Representatives is tinged with some sadness. I'm essentially becoming part of the same government which designated both of my parents as wards of the state, the state being the Commonwealth of Australia. Now that I am here, I want to make a difference for the better life for all Territorians, but, in particular, all Aboriginal Territorians.

The election result in Lingiari was close. Voter registration and voter participation were down—the lowest in the country—especially in the bush. In the main urban areas, some of the issues from the national campaign had traction. There were concerns about crime and about fracking in the Beetaloo sub-basin. In regard to that issue, I was grateful to former shadow minister for the environment and former member for Griffith Terri Butler for confirming that I was able to give a commitment that an Albanese government would amend the EPBC Act to extend existing water rights to shale gas projects; that there would be a federal EPA; and that the scrutiny of water impacts would be independent and rigorous and not delegated to the NT government as part of a one-stop-shop arrangement. With Terri's departure from parliament, we have lost an experienced and capable fighter for the environment.

Out bush there were different issues, including housing, roads, support for arts centres, ranger programs and fallout from the intervention and the supershires local government changes, which followed a year later. There was also unfinished business to do with respecting and resourcing homelands and bringing back the old CDP. There is a common thread which runs through the issue of support for homelands, bringing back the old CDP and building a safe and successful economy in Lingiari. I'll come back to that in a moment, but first I want to say a few things about the economy.

Lingiari doesn't have a manufacturing base, and it may never host the sort of factories and infrastructure which sprang up down south last century. But we have an expansive and valuable pastoral industry, a potential renewables bonanza and a tourism sector which is brimming with potential. All these things rely on a clean environment and access to land.

As regards the pastoral industry, huge areas of the Territory—including the Barkly Region, which is some of the best cattle country in the world—are dedicated to beef production. This pastoral estate includes some Aboriginal land areas, and the building and sealing of roads in these places benefit not just the cattle stations but also the Aboriginal community living areas—communities which are spread throughout the pastoral lands like a patchwork quilt. Many Aboriginal families have had generations of workers in the cattle industry. This pathway to employment for Aboriginal people is rarer these days than it was in the early sixties, but it needs to be encouraged and promoted.

Tourism is a complex and challenging business to be in, especially in this time of evolving pandemic rules and high fuel costs. But the sheer natural beauty and remoteness of our parks and other destinations, together with the opportunity for visitors to experience and be enriched by Aboriginal culture, are enduring drawcards. The main towns—in particular Alice Springs—are experiencing labour shortages when it comes to hospitality workers, which can at times be crippling. In the medium term, I would love to see young Aboriginal people taking and holding those jobs. Who better to showcase their country to the world?

Mining has been a huge contributor to the Northern Territory economy. The large mines that started up in the seventies—uranium at Ranger, bauxite at Gove and manganese on Groote Eylandt—have wound down or are in the process of coming to the end of their working lives. What we are seeing as a likely mining opportunity for the future is the extraction of minerals which are going to be required in the new industries and technologies built on renewables. The Finniss Lithium Project south of Darwin Port is likely to be the first in that regard. When it comes to renewables, nothing could be more exciting than the massive and innovative Sun Cable solar project, which is planning to harvest solar energy from far inland in the Australian continent and then deliver it in Singapore. Taking into account both the construction phase and its working life, the main site at Powell Creek in Jingili country has the potential to galvanise the Barkly economy. I will be keenly interested to do what I can to help maximise jobs and employment pathways for Aboriginal people from Elliott and surrounding communities.

Then there's the contentious topic of gas in the Beetaloo sub-basin. The rules have been stipulated in the Pepper report, and the environmental approval bars have been set very high. If the gas projects can secure environmental approval from both the Northern Territory and the federal EPA, the next thing that will need to be addressed is offsets.

The Pepper report says that any Beetaloo gas project must be carbon neutral and that the requirement to secure this rests not just with the Northern Territory government but also with the federal government. It is a shared obligation. There is a huge opportunity for the two governments to meet this challenge in a way that will turbocharge jobs and ranger programs out bush. I'm talking about the opportunity of working together with land councils and other stakeholders to establish carbon abatement programs run by Aboriginal rangers throughout the Northern Territory. The number of jobs to be filled could be substantial, and the resulting employment opportunities and associated support funding could transform many communities. It could give them an opportunity to be involved in vitally important work—vitally important for their country and vitally important for the planet.

Lingiari is both the heartland of and the gateway to Australia. A defence presence in Lingiari is fundamental to the current and future security of our country. I mentioned previously the bombing of Darwin. It wasn't just Darwin that got hit. The Japanese strike got as far down the track as Katherine. Australia was vulnerable at the time, and the price of preserving our free and democratic way of life is continuing support of and investment in our defence forces and bases.

In Lingiari this includes the stationing of forces, including visiting US Marines, at Robertson Barracks, Bradshaw Station, Delamere bombing range and the Tindal air base near Katherine. The defence personnel who come to the Lingiari electorate often spend years there, and the maintenance and expansion of the defence force bases is an important driver for our economy. The defence force presence in Lingiari represents a conventional hard power commitment to our national security, but there is an equally important way in which the federal government can commit to our national security by focusing its attention on Lingiari. It is by preparing and implementing a comprehensive upgrade of community infrastructure in the bush and working closely with the Northern Territory government to ensure that Aboriginal communities are safe and successful. Why do I say this? It is because, for many years now, and with increasing intensity recently, the soft power dimensions of regional security rivalry have been played out throughout competing historical and cultural narratives.

There is a narrative deployed against Australia, aimed at undermining our capacity to win friends and influence neighbours in our region, which goes something like this: 'Australia is an artificial colonial construct which subjugates its Aboriginal people, does the bidding of the Americans and consists mainly of cities hugging the coastline of the eastern seaboard. It doesn't really occupy or have an effective presence in its remote hinterland.'

We know those things aren't true, but they gain traction when the public perception of everyday life out bush is recent footage and stories from Wadeye. Addressing what has happened there would be a speech on its own, but, long story short, as a nation we need to be able to present a different narrative, one which demonstrates support and resourcing for remote communities and emphasises success stories and reason for optimism.

Investing in overcoming the infrastructure deficits in central and northern Australia is not just a down payment on securing social justice; it is an investment in our national security. The same thing goes for fully funding a genuine jobs program like the old CDEP. Inculcating a culture of pride in employment in remote Aboriginal communities pays dividends that benefit all taxpayers and can help to integrate young Aboriginal people into employer organisations, including regional local government entities. Embracing a remote community revitalisation plan along these lines will enable our neighbours in Asia and the Pacific to be reassured about our credentials as a modern post-colonial nation which does not merely pay lip service to honouring its Indigenous people but actually takes real action to facilitate their progress and advancement.

Various people, including me, have been talking about the need for this sort of federal funding commitment for over 20 years. During that time many of us have used the catchphrase a 'Marshall Plan for the bush'. You could say that there was a Marshall Plan aspect to the housing and infrastructure dimension of the Stronger Futures legislation which extended it. The intervention was an exercise in bad faith and it is what I opposed. No-one was ever opposed to the extra funding.

Another aspect that continued under Stronger Futures was alcohol restrictions. I just need to quickly touch on this. I have spoken to the federal Minister for Indigenous Australians as well as the Northern Territory Chief Minister about the alcohol restrictions out bush, which were basically a bogus or a gammon recalibration of strong measures under the Northern Territory legislation which had been adopted by community elders many years before that. No significant changes arise from the lapsing of the Stronger Futures, but the application of the alcohol restrictions to town camp communities in our towns, such as Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, was new and modestly transformational.

You can agree or disagree with the town camp alcohol restrictions which were in place. They were put there under the original intervention legislation and continued under Stronger Futures as a special measure under the Racial Discrimination Act, but you need to bear in mind that the special measures were left in place for about 14 years. When a government puts in a protective regime of that kind and leaves it in place for that long, you can't just suddenly pull the pin on it without any protection, sanctuary or plan for the vulnerable women and children whom the original measure was supposed to protect. To do that is more negligent—at the level of impact on actual lives it is tantamount to causing injury by omission. It is like pulling your forces out of Afghanistan but leaving the local workers and their dependants in harm's way on the ground without an escape plan, but that is what has happened.

I'm not saying that the town camp alcohol measures should have continued, but I am saying that, before they were allowed to lapse, many organisations and many Aboriginal people called on the former government to look at harm minimisation and that should have been properly addressed. That is the work that should have been done 12 months ago. The horse has now bolted. The new federal Labor government isn't in a position to reinstate expired legislation, and it shouldn't.

Some commentators have justified the removal of the town camp restrictions by invoking self-determination. I think that this is ridiculous and ludicrous. It is not self-determination to facilitate the non-traditional lifestyle choice of an Aboriginal drinker—usually, but not always, male—to bring takeaway alcohol into a family home even though there is an alternative option available of drinking at licensed premises. It's not self-determination for an Aboriginal family member—usually, but not always, female—to be assaulted in or near their home environment by the drinker, after intoxication turns to anger and erupts in violence. And it is certainly not self-determination for an Aboriginal child to be constantly exposed to alcohol abuse in the home and to the violence which results from it.

What is at least needed is for both governments—and I have been heartened by my conversations with the federal Minister for Indigenous Australians and the Northern Territory Chief Minister—to work out a plan to protect those innocent victims who are being swamped by waves of violence now that takeaway alcohol is getting let back into our town camps. We need to do more consultation about what happens next. It needs to be comprehensive. It needs to include a separately resourced and supported voice at the table for women in particular, victims of domestic violence. And it needs to involve listening to the advice of health experts and taking into account statistics and reporting relating to the incidence and circumstances of relevant alcohol related offending and harm.

I stand here and applaud all of the work of our hardworking and dedicated men and women who are working in the field of domestic and family violence and child protection services throughout the Lingiari electorate. In particular, I have to single out Shirleen Campbell and the other members of the Tangentyere Women's Family Safety Group. I acknowledge the emphasis they place on working with men to change their thinking and behaviour. Moving forward, targeted programs like that have to be part of the solution. It is important not to make men think that they are being pre-emptively labelled and vilified, but, in the meantime, protections need to be put in place. This is an emergency issue which needs urgent attention—not an intervention like in 2007, but for both Labor governments to work collaboratively together in order to maintain community safety and dedicate some time to work out a sustainable plan for the future. Our young people deserve no less. Ideally a consensus outcome could be achieved which will give us a road map to living with alcohol in the medium term but which maintains protection of the vulnerable in the short term.

The Prime Minister's commitment to the nation about no-one getting left behind has given me and many Aboriginal people in the Lingiari electorate hope and inspiration in being part of this Labor team. The way forward in Lingiari is for all Territorians to move forward while not letting Aboriginal families get left behind.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to welcome the member for Lingiari. She is busy being congratulated by all her colleagues. It's terrific to have her as a member of the 47th Parliament. On that note, we will move to the next item of business. I give the call to the member for Bass.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would also like to add my congratulations to the newly elected member for Lingiari and congratulate her on that very fine first speech.

It's a privilege to be standing here myself with the opportunity to give an address-in-reply speech as a second term member for Bass. To have retained the seat known as the 'ejector seat of Australia' is a tremendous honour, and I thank the people of northern Tasmania for putting their faith in me to represent them for another term.

When I stood here as the new member for Bass in 2019 giving my first speech I committed to doing my utmost to repay the trust the community had put in me. I took that commitment incredibly seriously and never wavered in ensuring that I put the community first in every decision I made.

To be standing here today as the first re-elected member for Bass in more than 20 years and the first re-elected Liberal member for the electorate in more than 30 years is, I hope, a reflection in part of my promise to put the community over politics, a pledge that I will take through this term as well.

Of course, you will never please everyone all the time and in today's social media era the feedback can come in thick and fast. But I stand by the decisions that I made in the 46th Parliament, even if at times they came at a personal cost. I have learned that you are absolutely setting yourself up for failure if you try to be all things to all people. It's simply not possible and it's not what leadership looks like.

As elected representatives we should challenge ourselves to have the courage to make difficult decisions, or support difficult decisions, because it's the right thing to do and not look for the answer that is popular, politically expedient or easy.

As a nation, we are fed up with the tribal politics and political dog whistling that has permeated our politics here and overseas for the past few years, and I think that's reflected in the election result. Our communities demand more.

The Albanese government has said that they are committed to a new era of leadership with collaboration at the centre, and I sincerely hope that they will uphold this promise to the Australian people. Trust in politics and elected representatives is an increasing challenge for governments globally. I'm sure we've all heard commentary from constituents in our own communities who feel disengaged from the political process due to their feelings that all politicians are the same and that by the very nature of our job we can't be trusted. This sentiment is not new of course, but one that I feel has grown over the past few years and one which saddens me. We must look to ways to rebuild the confidence of the Australian people in their political institutions.

The establishment of a federal Integrity Commission is a good place to start. A robust commission is one that I've strongly advocated for since being elected and will send a strong message to the public that all politicians can and should be held accountable. Having worked closely with the member for Indi over the past term and consulted extensively with key stakeholders on what a proposed Integrity Commission should look like, I support the member for Indi's model and reiterate my view that the commission should function to positively promote integrity.

However, no matter the final model that is legislated this year, as Labor has promised, it has to be a true multipartisan effort. It can't be my way or the highway. The government should be looking to establish a commission that gives the Australian people no reason not to trust it.

I will also be watching with interest how the Labor government approaches the dismantling of the cashless welfare card. As I said in November 2020, when I abstained from my own party's policy legislation on making trial sites permanent, I abhor the very idea of a government program that inflicts further stigma on individuals who may already feel other or less than due to their circumstances. But, as I made clear in my speech at that time, there's a bigger challenge that lies ahead in ensuring a proper transition is in place when looking to end the program. This was the very basis of my decision to abstain from voting at the time and it's one that I stand by today. I'll be closely reviewing Labor's legislation on how they plan to support communities and how they propose to invest in long-term solutions that create sustainable and meaningful change. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to ensure that we don't just walk away after forcing more than a decade of financial control on communities who have endured these trials.

I also believe that far more work needs to be undertaken to understand and implement trauma informed responses across agencies and institutions to make some headway in achieving better outcomes for those that we're seeking to help. We should be looking to embed trauma awareness and trauma informed responses in government services across health, education, and social security systems, amongst others. It's my enduring view that trauma lies at the heart of many of the challenges Australians face, and it will only be when we recognise and respond to this that we will turn the tide, stop retraumatising people and see results.

It all comes back to communities. As parliamentarians, we should always aim for outcomes that will lift up our communities and the diverse individuals who live within our electorates, not impose limitations that will see them struggle. We often say what an immense privilege it is to be in this House, but we reflect less often on the immense responsibility to ensure that we exercise that privilege to ensure a greater future for those we represent. I will continue to remind myself of that throughout this term to deliver the best outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community, of which I'm so proud. The first time I stood in this place, I said:

Marginal seats speak for the nation and ensure elected members aren't complacent or take their communities for granted.

If the recent election has shown us anything, it is that there is no such thing as a safe seat anymore, which I believe is a good thing for our democracy and for those who elect us to represent them.

From the time I joined local government in 2009 to being elected to the federal parliament in 2019, I've made a conscious choice to listen far more than I talk. And the best way to listen to people's stories is to go and meet them where they are, in the communities where they live. And so, since being elected, I've spent time in all corners of Northern Tasmania—suburbs and towns from Ravenswood to Riverside, Beauty Point to Beaconsfield, George Town to Gladstone, Scottsdale to Summerhill and everywhere in between—to sincerely listen to the challenges, needs, wants and desires of individuals and community organisations. Only by stopping to hear what is said to us, good and bad, can we fight for and deliver what is truly needed, and I never shy away from a difficult conversation.

In my first speech, I talked about wanting to do more to address the issues of family violence, the treatment of women in our society, and the abuse and neglect of children. The spotlight on these issues in the past three years has painfully highlighted that, while much work has been done to try and address these issues, there is still much more work to be done and such a long road ahead. This was borne out in the recommendations from the inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence in the last term of parliament, and I was pleased to participate in that. With some 90 hours of evidence given to the inquiry, including from women in my own community, there has been some effective change put in place, including a much-needed funding injection into specialised women's legal services, recognising the barriers so many women face when trying to leave a violent relationship. After working closely with frontline women's services, including Women's Legal Service Tasmania, I know how necessary increased funding is to meet the ever-rising demand for services. After more than a decade of advocacy from the legal community for a safer Family Court in Launceston, I fought for and secured the necessary funds to move the court and create a safer environment for all those who come through its doors. I note that it should be in its new location by the end of this year.

While I'm standing here today, I feel it's important for me also to acknowledge the victims-survivors affected by the current commission of inquiry into the Tasmanian government's responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings. I commend the government for its action in setting up this inquiry, but I sincerely hope that victims-survivors who have come forward will have their voices heard and we will see necessary changes implemented. I'm determined to do what I can to keep these issues at the forefront of the national conversation, because it's clear to me that this type of abuse will continue until we see it as a systemic cultural issue. This will take sustained action for many years to come, but I'm unwavering in my commitment to use my role in this place to seek meaningful change and to elevate the voices of victims-survivors.

As was also reflected in my first speech, health remains a priority and one of the major concerns raised with me in my community, with both access and affordability to primary healthcare services as one of the biggest issues. The challenges are numerous and complex, and there is no silver bullet that will fix these challenges instantly. It would be fanciful to say otherwise. What it will take is a continued collaboration between state and federal governments, combined with significant engagement with health professionals on the front lines, to bring about the necessary changes. I'm proud to have fought for and delivered our region's first ever free walk-in adult mental health hub, which is already filling a gap for adult mental health services in our region. I'm optimistic that the $2 million in additional funding I secured to assist general practitioners in recruitment and retention of doctors will have some impact.

I'm incredibly proud of ongoing work with community stakeholders, health professionals and the state government over the past three years which led to three major commitments being made during the recent election. These were then recognised for their merit and matched by Labor. The first of these commitments will see the establishment of northern Tasmania's first dedicated medical research and innovation centre as part of the Clifford Craig Foundation. The investment of $4 million will deliver tangible results by securing the future of this iconic foundation and supporting its work in solving complex health puzzles that will have long-term health impacts for generations to come. The centre will be located at the Launceston General Hospital, right near where thousands of cancer patients enter the WP Holman Clinic for treatment each year. Since my election in 2019, I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with its team of passionate clinicians, who, under the care of its director, Dr Stan Gauden, were finalising plans on a new post-cancer survivorship care program. There was an understanding that there was a gap in supporting patients and their families after treatment had stopped. I was determined to see their pilot program come to fruition, and was incredibly pleased to secure over $580,000 as an election commitment to see this program implemented.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I was able to announce $20 million in funding for the establishment of a standalone palliative care facility—one that supporters have been advocating to establish for more than 15 years. While Labor announced $5 million for the facility, it was my work and consultation with the state government which identified that the cost would exceed that amount, and I was able to secure a written commitment from the state to undertake the clinical services which ensured the facility can and will meet the needs of the community. All three of these commitments will make a demonstrable difference to the health, quality of life and end-of-life care for our community, and will speak to the importance of turning up, listening and doing the necessary work to deliver what is required. I'm sincerely happy that Labor has acknowledged that by matching these commitments, and I will be working to ensure that those promises are delivered.

Though I could talk for much longer on the issue of health, I did want to wrap up my focus on this area by thanking the health professionals in my region. They are doctors, nurses, pharmacists, admin staff and cleaning staff, amongst others, who have worked tirelessly to keep our community safe over the past few years. I know it has been, and continues to be, physically, emotionally and mentally exhausting for so many of you, and I want to say a special thank you. You were asked to step up when so much was unknown, at a time of fear an uncertainty. You may not feel it day in and day out, but there is a whole community behind you that is incredibly grateful for your professionalism and care.

Our community of Bass has consistently reflected to me their desire for stronger action on climate change, and I will be reviewing Labor's legislation in more detail before making a decision. I will say this: my view is that we need to stop arguing about the ideology and take a pragmatic approach. I've received commentary by some who view the issue of climate action as 'too left'. However, caring for the environment is intrinsic to Liberal Party values. In fact, in our own statement of beliefs, we say, 'We believe … In preserving Australia's natural beauty and the environment for future generations.' And that's simply what I seek to do.

Like communities across the nation and the world, northern Tasmania has been through so much over the past few years. We have some immense challenges ahead. To my community I say: I will continue to be with you each step of the way, doing my best to represent you in this place. Thank you once again for putting your trust in me. But whether you voted for me or not, I strive to represent our entire community. Your views, needs and aspirations matter to me, and I want to hear them from you. We won't agree on all things, but I will always act with authenticity and integrity.

Finally, I'd like to acknowledge the enormous sacrifice that my family—my husband, Winston, and my five children, Luke, Lauren, Edith, Molly and James—continue to make so that I can do this work. When I stood here three years ago I didn't truly understand just how deep I would have to dig to be both mum and the local federal member. And I know I don't always get it right. But I hope that they know I love them tremendously and that they will be proud of the contribution I make.

When the Speaker was elected to the position yesterday he asked that members commit to better conduct in the House to ensure a better standard of politics, and it's a request that I wholeheartedly agree to uphold. Thank you.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for her contribution and welcome her commitment to improving conduct in this House—an ambition I share.

Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to the member for Bass. It's always a pleasure to follow her thoughtful contributions. It really does feel like a thoughtful and different parliament that we are in, and I have really been enjoying listening to all the first speeches in this place over the past couple of days. The diversity of life experience, the diversity of thought that has come to this chamber can only make us stronger. What's also clear in all our newly elected members is the passion they have for serving their communities and for doing that while they're here. That's been a wonderful experience to be able to be part of, and I know there are still more of those contributions to come.

For me, it's an honour to be back in here, re-elected as the member for Jagajaga, and I say to my community: a very big thankyou for once again electing me and choosing me to represent you. It is a privilege that I feel every day—I will not forget—and I will do everything to work on your behalf and to make sure your lives are enriched by us being here in government in this place.

A lot of stories have come out of this election, but one of the stories I want to focus on in this speech is that story of community, because I think one of the things that people said to us in this election was that they value representatives who are connected to their community. On this I perhaps want to pick up on a narrative that I think has been slightly unfair or perhaps misrepresented in some of our media coverage. It is the idea that those of us from major parties aren't connected to our communities or in fact don't spend time with our communities. I don't want this to sound like I have a major chip on my shoulder; that's not where I'm coming from—maybe a little bit!—but I do want to acknowledge that I am here on behalf of my community and I am connected to that community. I grew up in my community, and I live there now with my children, just like so many people. I use the services. I talk to the people. That is what drives me when I am here every day.

During the election campaign there were so many opportunities for me to talk with members of my community, and I want to thank everyone who took the time to talk to me. It was clear to me that while people weren't happy with where our country was and while they were disappointed in the leadership that they were getting in this place, they did think it could be better and they wanted to engage on how it could be better. I really want to thank everyone to took the time to have that conversation with me—to not just fall into this idea that all politicians aren't that great, that there's not much we can do to make things better. Those people actually chose to stand on a street while I was standing there, on the street corner, and have a conversation with me about how things could be better. When I knocked on their doors they told me about what was important in their lives, and we had a conversation about some of the ways that I and this government might be able to make their lives better. So I'm really proud and really pleased that I'm here once again and have the opportunity to do that as part of a Labor government.

On that theme of community, I want to take this opportunity to also talk about some of the local commitments we made to Jagajaga during the election campaign, because again I think this shows that, as a federal government, we understand that we work at a number of levels and we have a number of responsibilities to communities. My community is one that has a strong medical precinct—we have the Austin Hospital, we have the Mercy Hospital for Women, we have Warringal hospital and we have the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre, so it's a very strong health precinct—and many people who work in health care. I want to say thank you to all of them. I know you are still doing it really tough. I know you are stretched. I know this is a really tough winter, and we've been saying 'thank you' and 'this is tough' for two years now. Please know that I hear from all of you who contact me—who explain to me what it is like at the moment to be working in our health system and the strain that is there—just as I hear from the people in my electorate who talk to me about how hard it is to access healthcare services at the moment. This is an example close to my heart, but people tell me how, when your child has a cough or a cold and needs to be seen by a doctor, the stretch is so great at the moment that the waitlists are too long.

I was particularly pleased that one of the commitments we made to Jagajaga during this election was for a Medicare urgent care clinic in Heidelberg—in that area where our Austin Hospital is currently overstretched and where the emergency department is overwhelmed, despite the absolute best efforts of the doctors and nurses who I know are working their guts out in there. They need more. They need more support. They need a government that is committed to Medicare and to a primary health system that means not all the pressure goes onto our hospitals. And that, obviously, is what a Medicare urgent care clinic is designed to do. So I'm very pleased that we have been able to make this commitment to Heidelberg, and I'm really looking forward to working with the community and with our healthcare professionals to deliver that.

Another important area in my electorate is Heidelberg Heights, which is a growing area with lots of young families moving in and enjoying the proximity to the city and to good services as well. As I said, it's just down the road from a major medical precinct. But, as a growing area, it lacks a community hub, I suppose—a community focus in terms of a place where community groups can meet and that can be used for that sort of purpose. So I was very pleased that one of the local commitments we made during the election was to redeveloping the pavilion at Shelley Park. This park supports local football clubs and it has done so for many years—it has a grand history—but it could use an update to make it a modern, fit-for-purpose facility. So I'm really pleased that we're going to help bring this pavilion into the 21st century and allow it to be opened up to more of those community groups and to the growing community in Heidelberg Heights to strengthen those community connections. The North Heidelberg Sporting Club and their president, Warren Haysom, have been very active over my first term in government in engaging with me about their vision for this community facility. Together with the Diamond Valley Superules Football Club, I'm confident they'll be going from strength to strength.

Further up the northern end of my electorate, I'm pleased to say that we will be supporting upgrades at Eltham Lower Park, again an important piece of community infrastructure in Jagajaga. Our commitment of $2 million there will kickstart the much-needed upgrade of the pavilion, which is used by the Lower Eltham Cricket Club and by the Eltham Lacrosse Club. These are both great community clubs, ably led by Stephen Stanley and Luke Kendall, respectively. I do want to say that I have had the opportunity of watching quite a few lacrosse matches over the past few months, and I never realised it was such a violent game, so I've had some new experiences there.

The funds will also help to deliver a dedicated off-leash dog park on site. I know that will be a space that will be well utilised by many people in Eltham and surrounds who need that. When we look at the infrastructure of our communities, I know in Jagajaga these open spaces—these parks—have been areas that through COVID, through periods when we have been closer to home, have been so valuable. It is one of the reasons why I'm very pleased that we've been able to make this commitment as well. The funds will help deliver some amenity upgrades—seating, revegetation and bathrooms—for people who are enjoying that park, so I'm very pleased to be able to deliver that.

My electorate is also home to the Yarra River; it is one of many electorates in Melbourne that the Yarra River flows through. A major policy that Labor took to this election was our commitment to urban rivers and catchments. That program really recognises that there's a role for the federal government in looking after our urban waterways, that it doesn't all fall on local councils and state governments and that, for the federal government, these are important parts of our infrastructure, of our communities and of our livability as well.

I'm so pleased that we'll be delivering $1.7 million for a critical project in Yarra Flats Park: the rewatering of the Annulus Billabong to support the return of birdlife and other animals and plants to the park. I do want to thank the Friends of Yarra Flats Park, particularly Andrew and Sue Lees, who have spent many years advocating for this and shown great leadership One hundred and fifty thousand dollars will go to the Friends of Edendale in Eltham North, to ramp up their efforts to plant along Diamond Creek and to manage weeds and to help enhance the biosecurity of the creek corridor. Again, I want to thank that group for their hard work on behalf of the environment in our community.

I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of Terri Butler, who was our environment and water spokesperson when we made this commitment and who I know was really passionate about this program. I'm very glad that we'll get to deliver it. I'm sorry that Terri won't be here to do that. I know that the current minister, however, will share that passion and determination.

Here we come to one of the big themes of the election: climate. My community were very clear with me—and they have been for my entire time here in the parliament—that one of the things they expect me to advocate for them here in the parliament is action on climate change. Our government has a big agenda. We've seen some of that introduced today, and that is really important legislation that will end the climate wars and mean that we get on with making this country a renewable energy superpower.

On a local level, I'm very pleased that we will also be delivering a community solar battery in the Bellfield area, as part of the 400 community batteries we are rolling out nationwide. I know people in my community are really pleased that at least one of these will be delivered locally. This battery will store energy generated by solar households during the day, and it'll draw from the stored energy at night when the sun doesn't shine, helping to reduce local power bills and lower emissions by encouraging the switch to renewables. I want to thank Banyule council for working with me on being able to commit to this project and on the work at the Bellfield Community Hub, which this community solar battery will support. I know there's interest across Jagajaga in quite a number of other locations. Rest assured, I will continue to advocate for more support under this project, but I'm very glad that we are starting with one.

I think that interest, that passion that my community is showing in this particular program, shows how ready our community is to make this switch to renewables. They are so far ahead, really, of where we have been previously in this place. They're doing the work on feasibility studies about which might be suitable sites for a battery, and then they're coming and advocating to me. Please continue to do that. I look forward to more conversations about more community batteries.

Other local commitments that are important to me and, I know, will be important to our community are: an upgrade to the Macleod College Music Academy to deliver modern facilities to inspire a new generation of young musicians in our community; an upgrade of performing art spaces at Bundoora Secondary College, which will support new digital equipment in the drama area, lighting and audiovisual equipment and building works so students have fit-for-purpose spaces to use; funding to support the L2P Himilo Community Connect driving program in Heidelberg West to make sure that more young people in my community get the experience and support they need to get their drivers licence; funding to help the Eltham Toy Library reach even more local families with discounted memberships, promotions to boost membership and upgrades to toy stock; and funding for Banyule Toy Library to help them expand their reach into the community and enable local families to access toy stock at a discount. All of these are really important local commitments. I'm so much looking forward to being able to work with our local community, with our state government and with local groups to be able to deliver on that.

Continuing my theme of community, I want to thank all the members of my community who made my campaign possible. We did run a very local campaign of engaging, of being available and of visiting many local groups. The people who did this with me, who were side by side with me in this campaign, were all local people. My state colleagues Anthony Carbines, Colin Brooks and Vicki Ward were all such great supports to me throughout my first term and through this campaign. Thanks so much to you. It's a privilege to really get to work with you on behalf of our communities.

To all of my volunteers, who got up early at train stations, who joined me on street stalls and street corners, who walked the streets of Jagajaga to knock on doors, who took time out of their evenings to call voters and speak to them about Labor's plans, who letterboxed so many houses, who set up and stood around on election day polling booths, who spent many long hours at early voting and all the other activities that ensured the campaign kept ticking: thank you for all of your passion. I would particularly like to thank those volunteers who took on leadership roles in the campaign: Jennie, Chris, Rob, Sandra, Rhonda, Gary, Katherine and Scott. I thank you all. I absolutely could not have done it without you.

And, of course, finally, to my family: there is absolutely no way I could have done it without you. To Daniel, who I think at times thought that we may have bitten off a little bit more than we could chew, with two children under four and an election campaign—I think he may have questioned my life choices and his life choices, but I always knew as we came through that he had my back, and I continue to know that and appreciate that. It's not easy to have a job that takes you away from a young family—from a family at any stage—for such a period. It is important that in this place we acknowledge the people who are at home and making that part of our lives continue to function, so thank you, Daniel.

To my parents, who stepped in when it did seem like we might be about to break, and who do all those wonderful things that grandparents do: thank you—and Daniel's parents as well. Daniel's mum is, as I speak, at my house in Melbourne supporting him to look after my children. It really does take a village to be here. My family is a very important part of that village for me, so I really appreciate the sacrifices that they make so that I can be here.

Of course, to my children, who are too young to know what mum does, just that she's in Canberra for work—'Is that your Canberra work?' my daughter asks when I say I'm going out. The election campaign did confuse her a bit because mummy was out so much but not in Canberra. For them I really hope the benefits of what I deliver in this place outweigh the difficulties of having a parent who is away for a considerable amount of time. I thank them for allowing me to do this as well. Thanks.

Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker Claydon, I, like many others, add my congratulations to your elevation to that position. The address-in-reply by Governor-General David Hurley is good reading. It was good to listen to, and I listened to it intently. I'd like to thank him for that contribution. It's obviously a document prepared on government advice on what the government intends to do over the election period.

It seemed to me as though they were very keen to fix a myriad of problems. But I'm not all that confident that they've got all the solutions on actually how to deliver on those problems, because many of them are deep-seated and are not easy to fix. We should not suppose that governments have a magic wand. Largely, they resort to one wand: extra money; more money. But you cannot assume that money is the only solution. There are a number of areas that I'll come to in a moment where, in the past, money doesn't seem to have been the solution. It comes at a cost to the rest of the economy, and I think there are deeper reforms that need to be made in many cases.

If we take aged care for instance, and that features quite strongly in the Governor-General's address, obviously the government are passionate about aged care, and I believe the coalition are passionate about aged care—certainly I am. I am very passionate about the challenge of rural delivery of aged care, which comes at a higher cost it must be said. During our time in government we increased the regional and remote area allowance for residential aged care. I don't think we've increased it enough; I don't think we've met that divide yet, but certainly we put extra money at it, and I hope that the government will continue to address this area.

I have a number of regional nursing homes on my patch that are really struggling to make the sums work. In fact, where we have major statewide institutions delivering in regional facilities, their metropolitan operations are propping up the country facilities at the moment. It's largely a problem with the supply of the workforce, but also with the supply of the materials needed to provide aged care. Construction costs are higher; food costs are higher. All of those things are built into it.

We increased the subsidies in designated areas for registered nurses in Modified Monash Model 4 and above. It all helps, but we still have shortages. This is a very interesting number: when we took government in 2013, we took the number of homecare packages from less than 60,000 to more than 200,000. We more than tripled the number, and yet there is still a demand for more homecare packages. In overall terms, when we came to government in 2013, the budget for aged care was $13.3 billion. In 2022, it's $29.8 billion—well more than double. It comes back to my point that the government cannot just think, because they are in government, that money is a magic wand. Clearly, despite the fact we more than doubled the input into aged care over our nine years in government, it hasn't fixed all the problems. We had a royal commission that told us it hasn't fixed all the problems. I believe there is a case for reform as well as finance.

As for promising higher pay for the aged-care sector, the government are committed to providing higher wages. This is a good thing. I certainly won't argue about that. They're allocating more hours per customer, but it will come at a cost. It will come out of the budget somewhere, and somewhere down the track the Treasurer, I'm sure, will explain how that is going to be paid for.

One of the ones that I am concerned about is the government's commitment to put a registered nurse on every shift in every residential facility. That's what the Governor-General's speech says. I wonder whether the government is aware how many small facilities there are around Australia, particularly in rural Australia, where we have 10 and 12 beds in a nursing home facility. In the seat of Grey, I would have to admit that a number of these were operated by the state government and came about when we used to build hostels in proximity to hospitals. They came under common management, by the good judgement of the community at the time, and then a Labor government—you could have guessed that I suppose—took over all of those hospitals and their facilities and got rid of their hospital boards. And so it inherited this small aged-care system in places. Perhaps the new government intends to make the state governments fund those registered nurses on every shift. But I can tell you, in the small facilities it will be enormous extra cost to their operating systems at the moment. If the government is going to insist on this outcome, I insist that the government finds the money to pay these registered nurses and then explains where it's going to find the registered nurses from. There has been talk of importing registered nurses. Once again I think that might be one of those things that's easier to say than to do, but I look forward to the government's work in that area.

In Whyalla, I have a specific issue. Last year, Kindred Living, a community operated and owned facility, were forced to close one of their three nursing homes, Annie Lockwood, primarily because they couldn't staff it. Some of the costs of its operation are due to its layout at the time it was built, the 1970s. Things are done differently now. It was built for low-care delivery. Kindred Living were forced to close it. They were overwhelmed by the responsibility of running the two remaining facilities and sought someone to come in from outside and take over. I and many others absolutely welcomed the fact that Helping Hand, the Catholic based organisation, came in. They have taken on a 12-month contract, with a view to making that a permanent position in Whyalla and keeping the other two facilities open. We're short of beds in Whyalla as a result of the closure of that one facility. But that's been a good outcome. The previous government provided some millions of dollars to them to bring that facility up to standard. I'm very grateful for that. Now they are in the position of having to make a decision about whether they should continue. We're well aware that we need at least $20 million worth of investment—probably more. We need to build a new wing on the Yeltana facility. We need to get rid of the shared rooms; we certainly need to get rid of the shared bathrooms. In this post-COVID world, the idea of shared bathrooms in aged-care facilities is pretty much last week's newsletter.

During the election campaign I was very pleased to obtain a commitment from the previous government to provide $10 million to Helping Hand to bring about this capital investment and to secure their long-term management of the Whyalla facilities. I'm fully aware that the current government did not match that commitment, so I can't say they're breaking any promises, but I have spoken to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler. This is incredibly urgent. There is a round of designated funding for capital works in November. I have no idea whether that will go ahead or not under the new government. But we can't wait that long. So I'm asking the minister to step in and make the same commitment we did during the campaign to make sure that we secure Helping Hand, long term, to operate first-class services for the people of Whyalla. Without them, we have no management, and without management we have no aged-care capacity in Whyalla full stop—a community of around 22,000 people. I bring that to the attention of the House, and I will continue to bring it to the attention of the Minister for Health and Aged Care.

In the Governor-General's speech, he reaffirmed the government's commitment to implementing the Uluru statement. If the government wants support for changes to the Constitution—and I think they should be required—I think the public will require that it tells them what those changes to the Constitution will do in practical terms. I don't think the public will vote for a pig in a poke; I don't think they will vote for something that they do not understand. If a referendum question is put to me and I don't understand the outcomes of the question, I won't be voting for it either. So I think the government has a lot of work to do to tell us how the voice to parliament will work. How will it be delivered? How will the voice communicate its message to the parliament? I think this will be one of the most difficult issues, as I found when I consulted with Ken Wyatt's committee and those people who were drawing it up. Very importantly, how will the people who provide the voice to parliament be elected or appointed? As someone that has a significantly large Indigenous population and a large footprint of South Australia in my electorate, we are far from reaching a cohesive position between the different Aboriginal nations that sit within my seat. Even within their communities, they do not always provide a cohesive voice. Finding a few individuals who are going to represent the disparate families and groupings around Australia, nation groupings if you like, I think, is going to be one of the great challenges. I think it's one of the questions that the government needs to answer before it puts forward its proposal to change the Constitution.

Finally, what requirement does the parliament have to actually respond to that voice? In fact, I think the government also needs to explain what about the current system is failing where in this parliament 11 members of the 227 are Indigenous. That's 4.8 per cent of the current parliament. The Indigenous population of Australia makes up 3.2 per cent. I think the government should also explain why that is a failing. In fact, I think we should be dancing in the streets, quite frankly. We have reached this point of over-representation in the current parliament, across all parties. Aboriginal people are well represented within this parliament. They won't all agree, but then it must be said that the rest of us don't all agree a lot of the time. Not all the middle-aged white males in this place agree on issues of substance all the time—or any other grouping that you care to pick out. The fact that 11 of the current parliament are Indigenous is something that should be celebrated. It has occurred under our existing Constitution, so the need for the change in the Constitution at all is a case that I think the government will have to make.

One of the other issues raised in the Governor-General's address is climate change and the government's intention to legislate the 43 per cent reduction on 2005 levels by 2030. Firstly, I do not like the inference that sits in the government's claims that somehow the previous government was asleep at the wheel. It's just not right. We've had a 23 per cent reduction on emissions since 2005. Not many other nations in the world can better that. There are a few. We beat our Kyoto 1 commitments and our Kyoto 2 commitments. We're on track to exceed our Paris commitments by 2030, which was the 26 per cent, and, it might be said, well exceed them.

We have the biggest uptake of rooftop solar in the world. We've had construction levels on wind and solar up to, I think, four times as great as the next highest per capita nation in the world. So to somehow say the coalition were asleep at the wheel is just plain wrong.

I'm not opposed to a 43 per cent target. I think it's a good idea. Let's do it if it works. But I think we have to question how seriously many other nations in the world are taking their commitments in this area. I'm amazed at the chasm between the statements that were made in Glasgow last year and the actions since of the nations that made those statements. They've been opening up coal-fired power stations that have been in mothballs. They are building new coal-fired power stations around the world and new gas power stations and other things. It seems to me that many of these nations have made these statements knowing full well that the politicians of the day that make the statements will not be responsible for meeting the time line or the published emission line because they won't be there when that time line is reached. That's why I'm opposed to legislating 43 per cent. I'm not opposed to getting to 43 per cent.

I think we should all be aware that China is increasing its emissions each year by more than Australia's total emissions. Each year they are increasing it. And yet we have a commitment from China that they are going to stabilise on a factor of units per GDP by 2030. But, of course, their economy is going to keep growing and so will their emissions keep growing under that scenario. That is about as clear as mud, quite frankly, and I don't think the general public understand the implications of that.

My question about legislating the 43 per cent is: why would you legislate something that might clearly become the wrong target as we go along if we find that we're losing our manufacturing industry out of Australia? This document here, the Governor-General's speech, actually talks about jobs and skills and expanding our manufacturing base in Australia. I can guarantee you we will not expand our manufacturing base in Australia if our energy costs exceed those of our competitors at an increasing rate. If our competitors are not going to take notice of their commitments and the commitments of the rest of the world, that's exactly what will happen. We can hope for a good outcome, and a good outcome will be if the new renewable energy sources are cheaper than the current fossil fuel sources. That will be a great outcome, and that's when I will be applauding for the target, and we will go for it. Don't hold back! But if we find that we're losing our manufacturing industry and if we find that we're losing our jobs, maybe we ought to have a rethink about where we are, and if it's enshrined in legislation it becomes infinitely more difficult than if it were not. I'm looking forward to that debate in the coming days.

In closing, the other things in the Governor-General's speech that drew my attention are the things that weren't in it. I heard nothing, for instance, of the continued investment in our road and rail infrastructure in Australia. I have to say that the last number of years under the coalition government have been extraordinary in this area. We are cutting the costs for our industries and making them more competitive on a worldwide basis. I would have liked to hear what the new government will do about that, but it was silent. I come from a part of Australia where, sadly, we have one doctor in the area in which I live. That is one permanent doctor for 3,000 people. The complete failure of the system to deliver doctors into regional Australia is killing people. There's not a word on that issue in there.

Agriculture: it's said that Australia rides on the sheep's back. It probably no longer does that, but I could tell you agriculture is a pretty big industry in Australia and it employs a lot of people. At the moment, our people are petrified that the government is not moving quickly enough to keep foot-and-mouth disease out of Australia. I listened to the minister's remarks, and I'm assured by them, but the problem is that people are ringing my office all the time, saying, 'I just walked in from Bali and no-one said boo.' That's our concern at the moment—not what the government has said it will do—but it needs to happen. But that's an aside to the general issue that I was talking about—that this document is silent on agriculture.

I look forward to working with the government on the legislation to come, including legislation on most of the issues I have talked about, and I will be speaking to those when they come up.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the debate be adjourned and the resumption of the debate be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Question agreed to.