John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call Senator Farrell, I remind honourable senators that this is his first speech. I therefore ask that the usual courtesies be extended to him.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I take this opportunity to once again congratulate you on your appointment. Like all the new senators, I shall be grateful for your assistance and, I am sure, your patience. It is an extraordinary honour to be elected to the Senate. All of us come to this place at a pivotal time in our country’s history. Blessed as Australians are with opportunities and resources, we also face some very significant challenges. We have great responsibilities to discharge, and the way we approach the challenges of the 21st century will determine the sort of Australia we leave our children and our children’s children.

The votes are in, amigos, and, as they have done so many times in the past in times of war and national crisis, last November Australians turned to the Australian Labor Party to find solutions for seemingly intractable problems. I am proud to be able to play a small part in this work. It is a matter of great sadness that my father, Edward William Farrell, is not here today. Dad would have loved to have been here. He was a political aspirant with great passion and optimism. He stood unsuccessfully for the seat of Boothby five times between 1961 and 1972 and for the Senate in 1975. My sister and brother were early campaign workers, helping out and handing out each time Dad stood for election. Dad never lost heart and nearly every May school holidays as we drove to Sydney he would drive us past Old Parliament House here in Canberra, declaring with irrepressible optimism that he would be there after the next election. Of course, he never was. I know it would have given him immense pleasure and pride to see me in this chamber today—as it would have given my mother, Mary Heptinstall. Like so many, Mum was taken from us by breast cancer far too early, but she instilled in me a strong sense of social justice as well as a love for that quintessentially Australian game, Australian Rules football. Today of all days I miss them both very much, but I am delighted that my sister Leonie, her husband, Peter, and their daughter, Erin, as well as my younger brother, Andrew, his partner, Claire, and their children, Elsie and Mabel, have been able to join us today.

Last year’s electoral success to the Senate and my years of work for the SDA owe a great deal to many people. But no-one has been more important or contributed more to me than my wife, Nimfa. Twenty-five years ago, Nimfa made the decision that hundreds of thousands of migrants had made before her. She left her home in the Philippines and everything and everyone she knew to marry me and start a new life in Adelaide. As our family grew in size, much of the child-rearing was left to her. The sacrifices she made to enable me to pursue my career were enormous. I thank her for her love and support and for that of my children. My daughter Mary is hoping—as we all are—that she will finish studying law and international studies this year. My middle girl, Tess, is studying media. She sent me a beautiful email this morning and is currently on her way to work in an orphanage in Brazil. The marvels of modern communication, in which South Australia I am pleased to say leads the nation—yes, that is true!—means that she can watch my speech live in London, and I hope she is doing that at the moment. My youngest daughter is Emily. She is a Jonas Brothers fan and studies at Loreto College in Marryatville. All of its students were here today. Occasionally there is Mary’s friend James, who started a new job recently in Aboriginal health. I say to James that he will be pleased to know that closing the gap for Indigenous Australians is a high priority for this Labor government, and I look forward to playing a part in this as a Labor senator. Two of Nimfa’s nine siblings were also able to come by today—Wilma, who has flown in from the Philippines, and Jess. They are here with Peter.

In these days where small is good and there is a constant drive for centralised decision-making and efficiencies, it is a little bit unfashionable to support a two-tiered form of government. Recently I read Robert Caro’s absorbing book on the Lyndon Johnson presidency. I recall a section about the drafting of the American constitution. A puzzled Thomas Jefferson, who had hurriedly returned from France, asked George Washington over breakfast why he had unexpectedly agreed to a two-tiered form of government. Washington replied with his own question. He asked Jefferson, ‘Why did you just pour tea into a saucer?’ Jefferson replied, ‘To cool it.’ Washington smiled and said, ‘Just so—and we pour House legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it.’ Like Washington, I am in favour of a senate or house of review to cool legislation and provide checks and balances. My guess is that many of today’s opposition members and senators, as well as ex-members and ex-senators, now wish the Work Choices legislation had been considerably more cooled—perhaps cryogenically frozen—in this chamber.

It was, in fact, the Work Choices legislation that encouraged me to run at the last election. As a unionist for 32 years, and like so many other ordinary Australians, I was appalled by the Work Choices regime that the coalition foisted on ordinary Australian families. This was not the Australia I wanted to be part of, and I felt so strongly about it I wanted to have a hands-on role in dismantling it. I wanted to be directly involved in restoring the sort of Australia my parents and grandparents’ generation worked and fought so hard to build and protect. I am delighted to say that one of our first pieces of legislation was the abolition of Australian workplace agreements. Shortly, we will be introducing legislation that restores balance in the workplace. As a nation, we are so much better than Work Choices.

My early years were spent at Crafers in the Adelaide Hills. We then moved to Forestville, near the family shop where I started my long connection with the retail industry. Subsequently, we moved to Panorama for a couple of years before settling on Goodwood Road, Daw Park. The southern Adelaide suburbs were a different world in the 1960s. At a little Dominican parish school, St Therese’s, I made some friends for life including singer songwriter John Schumann. We both moved to Blackfriars Priory School in Prospect, where I met my great friend Simon Milazzo, who is here today with Josie. I started at Adelaide University, where I studied law, meeting another lifelong friend, Peter Bok, now one of Adelaide’s most celebrated artists. Like lots of students, I worked as a shop assistant during my spare time—for some six years at my uncle Joe’s kiosk at the Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills. Although my mother is not with us today, I am delighted that her brother, my uncle Joe Heptinstall, is here with his wife, Josie.

I joined the SDA in 1976 as an industrial officer under the late Ted Goldsworthy. Ted grew up in an orphanage, was self-taught but, in my experience, there was no better advocate for working families. I owe him much as I do to my subsequent boss, John Boag, and his wife Dulcie. His daughter Rachel is here today. I was elected as assistant secretary in 1980 and became secretary in 1993.

Through the union, I was able to continue my studies at the Kennedy School of Government in Boston, where I got a glimpse of what was soon to be lurking around the corner in Australian workplaces. As federal president, I worked closely with the SDA’s Joe de Bruyn, Jim Maher and many good people around Australia including Chris and Ellie Ketter and Michael Donovan, who when the chips were down could always be relied on for support. There was no day that I did not enjoy my work with the union and the chance it gave me to improve the lives of our members. I look back now and I see one of our greatest achievements, as leaders of the SDA, was the development and implementation of a superannuation scheme for our members, REST Superannuation.

When I first started working, superannuation was a privilege not a right. Married women almost never got it, part-timers never got it and casuals certainly never got it. Until then, super was generally only available to males—mostly professionals—working with a single employer over a lifetime. We fought to change that. We took on the retailers and they fought back. They dragged us all through the courts but, in the end, we won. Now super is a near universal right. We extended it to women, we extended it to part-timers, we extended it to casuals and then the Hawke-Keating government extended it to nearly everyone else. We created a system of savings for retirement for Australian families, established a whole new industry and we succeeded in entrenching a nationwide superannuation system that has now become a world leader. There is still unfinished business, though, and we must ensure that women who move in and out of the workforce for child rearing are fairly treated. We might want to consider accessing pension payments from super accounts through ATMs and, ultimately, the scheme needs to be boosted by higher contributions so that eventually all working Australians can retire with dignity.

It is a function of first speeches that new members and senators outline their key interests and policy drivers. The continual development and improvement of Australia’s superannuation system—however unsexy that might seem to some—is going to be one of mine.

Despite successes like this, much remains to be done and I have left the South Australian branch in the capable hands of secretary Peter Malinauskas, assistant secretary Sonia Romeo—here with Dan—and their very hard-working and committed staff. The union today is big, strong and self-reliant. Over a lifetime in or on the fringes of politics, I have more than most to thank and time simply does not permit me to mention all of them. I appreciate the indulgence of the Senate and the indulgence of many people who will not be named here. The important thing is that you know who you are, as I do too.

Always there to offer sage advice have been Paul Holloway, Michael Atkinson, Michael O’Brien, Carmel Zollo, Trish White and their partners Wendy, Joan, Jane, Lou and Joe. Also there in the early days were Mark Bishop, Steve Hutchins and Gary Gray. Tom Koutsantonis has been a tower of strength in times of trouble as have been Bernard Finnigan, Jack Snelling, Tom Kenyon, Michael Brown, Tung Ngo—the list goes on. Each of you represents a part of the future of the ALP in South Australia. Some of my former work colleagues also won at this election: Amanda Rishworth and Nick Champion, who joined Kate Ellis, Annette Hurley and Dana Wortley.

Alex Gallacher from the Transport Workers Union was one of the people who convinced me to run again. I received a heap of support from other union officials, including John Camillo from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Debbie Black from the Finance Sector Union and Bob Geraghty from the ETU. In addition, I want to mention the new member for Port Adelaide, Mark Butler, who was prepared to fundamentally change the confrontational way in which factional politics had been played in South Australia.

I also want to thank my staff: Sevi, Matt, Aaron, Dani, John, Brigitte and Kate. I want to also acknowledge former senators John Quirke, Geoff Buckland and Linda Kirk, whom I thank for her contribution to this chamber. I wish her all the best for the future.

I am a proud South Australian. I am very conscious of my responsibilities in this place to my home state. I was born in the river town of Murray Bridge and, as such, the plight of the river affects me deeply. There is an extremely urgent need to rally to its aid—one that transcends state borders. The problem of the Murray-Darling Basin is a national problem demanding a national solution. The coalition’s response to this most critical national challenge was—and I am not sure I can say this charitably—less than effective. So yet again it is left to Labor to develop and implement the solutions. The Rudd government is giving this issue priority and has committed meaningful funds to buy back water as well as funds for an expanded and fast-tracked desalination plant to secure drinking water long term.

As Sandra Postel, the Director and founder of the Global Water Policy Project, said:

For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports. We have been quick to assume rights to use water but slow to recognize obligations to preserve and protect it ...

This is one of the truly great challenges I mentioned at the outset of my speech. I pledge today to work as hard as I can to help restore the river of my early years. Failure is simply not an option.

In closing, I am reminded of the words of the American labour leader the late Walter Reuther. He had been a leader of the United Auto Workers union and a supporter of the New Deal. He was a socialist in his youth but later became a fierce anticommunist. Reuther said:

There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow men. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well.

I pledge to heed that calling with all my energy and determination in the certain knowledge that there is no greater calling than that of public service to the families of our great nation.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Before I call Senator Arbib, I remind honourable senators that this is his first speech. I therefore ask that the usual courtesies be extended to him.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, first, may I pass on my belated congratulations on your election as presiding officer. I wish you sound and wise judgement in your guardianship of the Senate. I also take the opportunity to pay tribute to my New South Wales Senate predecessor, Kerry Nettle. I have always known Kerry to be a decent, passionate and hardworking senator. To her credit, and the betterment of this chamber, she expressed herself with resolve. I wish her well.

It is with immense pride and humility that I enter the parliament. There can be no greater honour in our democracy than serving the Australian people. This position provides an individual with such enormous opportunities: the opportunity to improve the lives of all Australians; the opportunity to help our great country advance economically, socially and culturally; and the opportunity to give back to a country that has given each of us so much. It is an opportunity I will never take for granted, and I thank the voters of the great state of New South Wales for their support and trust.

Without question, the election of the Rudd Labor government heralded a new direction for Australia. Inspired by Kevin Rudd’s education revolution, by climate change and by Labor’s plan for a fairer workplace, the Australian people voted for positive change. Positive change is something that has always characterised the Australian Labor Party. Labor is a progressive, forward looking party—the party working for the common good, the party of reform and the party of the future. I draw inspiration from the words of Labor’s first Prime Minister, Chris Watson. These days, he is rarely quoted, but more than a century ago, in 1904, he said that Labor was ‘the spirit of humanity, the spirit of those who care for the poor and the lowly’. He said that Labor’s approach was ‘of those who will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to benefit humanity’. That is our history. That is our responsibility, and it is towards these ends that my time in this chamber will always be directed.

I enter this parliament having held many occupations. These have included a position as a metal trades assistant—I am really sorry, Doug; I was never a member of the metalworkers. I have been a lifeguard, a restaurant cook and, most recently, worked in the finance sector. But the majority of my working life has been dedicated to the Labor movement. It is indeed a great pleasure to have served the trade union movement as an organiser with the Transport Workers Union. I am extremely proud of my contribution and that of my colleagues in the fight for social justice and workers rights.

In my 11 years serving the Australian Labor Party, I have had the pleasure of working with thousands of like-minded, passionate and dedicated local branch members, best described as the heart and soul of our great party. For party members living in regional and rural Australia, it is not unusual to drive countless hours to stand at polling booths all day in seats where there may be little or no hope of winning. They participate because they believe. They believe in the party; they believe in our ideals. This sort of dedication is inspiring. That is why I say, with no exaggeration, how proud I am to have these members as my friends, how thankful I am for the tireless work they perform and how grateful I am for their endorsement.

Mr President, last week, on your election, you explained that no one senator comes to this chamber alone, that we all have a team of family and friends who have helped us to reach where we are today. I wholeheartedly agree. There are so many people who have assisted me along the journey, but to single out a few for thanks would be unfair to all those I have leant on for support over the years. It would also take up the remainder of this speech. So I simply give my supporters, staff and friends in the public gallery the deepest thank you for your support, for your sacrifice and for your respect. I am here because of you. I carry with me the sum of our joint experiences, and I will try and do justice to your expectations but, above all, thank you for your friendship.

When I sat down to write this speech, I realised how much of my life has been shaped profoundly by my family. There have been five great women who have shaped my life, and tonight I honour them with my first speech. My grandmother, Dorothea Weight, was born in 1916. Her story is so similar to so many other senior Australians, a story of trying times and sacrifice to provide a better life for her family. By the time she turned 14, the Great Depression had devastated economies all around the world. I remember my grandmother telling me how terrible the Depression was. Time and time again, she told me, ‘Find a job, work hard and save for a house.’

I still remember my grandmother’s great disappointment when I told her I was running for the Senate. She questioned why I would take a job that lasted only six years and suggested I consider taking a more secure job as a bank teller. Unfortunately for my grandmother, I did not take her advice. My grandmother always showed great compassion and respect for working people. When I look back at the reasons I joined the Labor Party, it is hard to go past the ideals and principles that she instilled in me. Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away a few months ago after a very long illness. I thank her from the bottom of my heart. I miss her dearly.

My mother, Lola Arbib, has had the biggest impact in shaping my life. She met my father, Enrico, in 1968. He had immigrated to Australia from Italy five years earlier in search of a better life. In 1968 my father and mother were married, and within five years they had two young boys. The migrant’s dream had been realised. However, it was not to last. My father’s life was cut short at the age of 43. Upon my father’s death, our extended family rallied around us, helping my mother with the difficulties of raising two boys on her own. The circumstances of my upbringing have allowed me to truly appreciate the wisdom of ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. I will always be thankful to those who helped our family. However, it is my mother who is owed the greatest debt, as it was she who sacrificed so much for her children. Mum, I thank you today, and continue to thank you every day, for all you have done for me and my brother. We will always be indebted to you.

The other three women who have been instrumental in shaping my life are, of course, my wonderful wife, Kelli, and our two beautiful daughters, Alexandra and Charlotte. Kelli is my friend, my greatest supporter and, most importantly, the most loving mother imaginable. Many of my friends delight in regularly reminding me that Kelli is the more intelligent half of our marriage. But tonight I respond with this: that may be true, but I was still smart enough to convince her to marry me. Kelli, without your love and support I would not be here. Thank you.

The birth of my children has been the most profound and defining moment of my life. I am proud in the knowledge that my greatest achievement now and in the future will always be the development and care of my daughters. If you asked me what would be the guiding principles for my time in this chamber, the answer is simple. As a senator, my children and the welfare of all our children would be my compass. It is being a parent that has taught me most about the pressures families face, in particular the stress that mothers face each day.

Watching my wife struggle with emotional and physical exhaustion while trying to rear our children and re-enter the workforce has made a significant impression on me. In today’s society with a greater proportion of women in employment I believe that we must do much more to assist parents to cope with the stresses of parenthood, particularly in the early years. Paid maternity leave, better support services and child care that is more equitable and flexible must be part of this parliament’s future program. I say this not as a senator but as a father who takes the greatest satisfaction in being involved in my children’s upbringing and who wants to play an even greater role. And I am not alone. The majority of fathers I talk to at playgrounds, at the local swimming pool and at the shopping centre would like to spend more time with their children.

The time has come for our institutions to truly recognise the values of parenting and make the changes necessary to enable parents to enjoy a more rewarding family life. Indeed, what is required is a new definition of success, one that champions the balance of home and work life, because there is no benefit in forging a stellar career if it is at the expense of your children. Although there may be a short-term cost for these measures, the benefits in terms of childhood development welfare, along with the increased productivity gained through greater worker satisfaction, can never be calculated.

The next 20 years will be critical in Australia’s history. How will the leaders of today face the challenges of tomorrow? What strikes me most when I see the monumental challenges facing us on issues such as climate change, water security, our ageing population and Indigenous inequality is that, while these challenges seem so daunting, we have never been so well placed economically or scientifically to make the changes necessary. The question for Australian policy makers is: how can a country so endowed with natural resources and prosperity use our great assets to build and progress our nation? How can we harness this good fortune and invest it in the future? I believe the answer lies in embracing science and technology. There is no doubt that the 21st century will be one where scientific advances will be the driving force of economic, social and environmental changes.

Moore’s law, named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, states that in the future the capacity of the computer chip will double every 18 months. That means in nine years time the capacity of the computer chip would have increased by an amazing 6,400 per cent. That is staggering. The possibilities in areas such as communications, medicine, education and environmental science appear endless.

Australia’s future, I believe, lies in becoming a world leader and exporter of these new technologies. We can all witness the positive changes in countries like Ireland and India where the synergy of government and business has stimulated IT industries to grow and develop. Therefore it is vital that government and the private sector collaborate on policy and incentives to encourage greater research and development, working hand in hand with our universities and research institutions to allow these new industries to flourish.

In order to take advantage of these new opportunities we must build an education system that is world’s best. The Rudd government’s education revolution recognises this and aims to make Australia the best-educated, best-skilled and best-trained country in the world. Education is the way to transform our economy and education is the way to take advantage of new technology. Education is also the pathway to social change creating greater opportunities for Australians to share in our country’s wealth. All children must have access to an education that gives them the opportunity to liberate their talents and to provide the foundation for a productive and fulfilling life. This is nowhere more evident than in the role education will play in closing the gap on Indigenous inequality.

The first act of this new parliament was a decision to further the process of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Today I add my support and my voice to the Prime Minister’s historic apology. It is the fulfilment of the hopes of countless Australians from all political persuasions representing the past and the future, but it is only one of many steps on the pathway to true and lasting reconciliation. What is required now are concrete steps to dramatically improve the lives of Indigenous people—better health care, better housing and safer communities. I am proud of the work and policies that the Rudd government have taken to bridge the gap on Indigenous inequality. But much more needs to be done.

Empowering individuals and communities through education and training has to be at the forefront of our efforts. What I believe is required is an approach that extends opportunities to all Indigenous people by providing skills and vocational support to prepare Indigenous people for work. It cannot be left to just government to find these solutions. The private sector must do its bit by locating these employment opportunities. To this end the work that Andrew Forrest and Noel Pearson have begun with the recently announced Australian Employment Covenant is extremely promising.

However, to achieve real results Indigenous welfare must be reconsidered. The Indigenous welfare model of the past has failed by inadvertently creating a cycle of dependence and despondency resulting in disincentives to Indigenous job seekers. If we are serious about breaking the cycle we must provide real incentives to break through these structural barriers. It is a big task but with the community united and working to a common goal it is possible. Bridging the gap on Indigenous inequality is something I feel deeply about, and today and in the future I commit myself to playing a role in meeting this goal.

Australia faces challenges today that, in a globalised world, extend beyond our borders. Climate change and energy security are issues that have been ignored for far too long but are now thankfully at the forefront of the Rudd government’s agenda. It is unfortunate that some people think the problems are too hard and claim we should wait until governments in other countries act first—I disagree. That is not the Australian way. If there is a fight worth fighting, Australia does our bit. If there is a fight worth fighting, Australia always leads the way, and so it must be on climate change.

We are not the owners of the land, sea or air but mere custodians for future generations. We must not hesitate or fear the future. Now, more than ever, we must show courage and leadership. I strongly believe that the human race relishes great challenges. In 1961 John F. Kennedy challenged the American people to put a man on the moon and, in just eight years, they met that challenge. If we reached a faraway moon in 1969, with computer chips that could not fit in a single house, then maybe in 2008 and beyond we can save our own planet with all of our modernity and advancement. It will be tough, there will be a cost, but what is required, now more than ever, is the political will to stay the course.

My vision of Australia is of a country that is fair and equitable for all its citizens regardless of their background, gender, race or religion. I believe in an Australia where children living in the city or in the country are filled with hopes and dreams, big and small, and can achieve them regardless of the circumstances or environment; a country where mums and dads who coach their children’s sporting teams on the weekend or after work are respected just the same as our Olympic heroes; a country where carers and charity workers are truly valued; and a country where ordinary people are championed for doing extraordinary things.

I am passionate about this country, its people and its future. We face great challenges, but where many see these challenges as obstacles, I see opportunities. It is on these opportunities that my efforts will now be focused. I look forward to serving our great country. Thank you.