Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

It does feel like some time ago that the 2016 election happened, but I have not until now been able to give my address-in-reply speech. While speaking about the 2016 election now may seem odd, it is very important for the completion of history that we document this incredibly important election. I am very pleased to be speaking today about the role that I want to play in this parliament going forward.

I would like to begin by thanking the people of Kingston for re-electing me for my fourth term in this place. I am continually humbled by the support that was, and continues to be, given to me by so many of my constituents. As I have already done on many occasions, I pledge again that I will work hard for you, I will fight for you, and I will not let you down. Importantly, I will represent and work for all the residents of Kingston, irrespective of whether you voted for me. This has been the approach I have taken since first being elected in 2007, and it is the approach I will continue to take. Unfortunately, Labor was not elected to government; however, I will be fighting to ensure that the southern suburbs have a strong voice inside this parliament, and also outside this parliament.

The 2016 election was one where there was a stark contrast between what the different parties had to offer, and a stark contrast between their visions for the future. In my electorate, locals are uncertain about the future. They expressed to me that they wanted a government that would prioritise their children's wellbeing and their grandchildren's wellbeing, now and into the future. They want to see a priority on access to good health care and other government services—access to education, to job opportunities, to affordable housing, to affordable child care and to better infrastructure. They want the government to support connected, healthy and inclusive communities and to provide services that are responsive to the needs of those communities. I will advocate to try and make sure that our community priorities are the government's priorities. I must note that, at this time, that has been difficult. But I will continue to argue for what my locals want.

People in my electorate do not want a government which focuses on just the few at the big end of town. It is for this reason that the Leader of the Opposition's plan—and Labor's plan—for the future resonated in my local community, and it is also for this reason that I was re-elected to the seat of Kingston with a 7.3 per cent swing to Labor, making this the best ever result for Labor in Kingston. In South Australia, Labor focused on the importance of local initiatives to support the creation and maintenance of jobs in South Australia, and access to employment continues to be a source of concern for residents in my local area. Unfortunately, the South Australian community is constantly in a state of shock about the missteps taken by the Abbott government and then by the Turnbull government in awarding the submarine contract, as well as other large procurement projects. Despite the belated announcement by the government, there are workers losing their jobs at ASC now. These are skilled jobs, and ones that we need for the future. We need action from the federal government, as manufacturing at Holden ceases this year. We need to support the many manufacturers of components to adapt and support workers that transition into other jobs. We need the government to support the continuation of steel production at Whyalla. We are entering a precarious situation in South Australia. It is time for the federal government to act.

We cannot afford to have the federal government continue to be aloof and disengaged, with the attitude that they have no role in the future of advanced manufacturing in this country, especially in South Australia. That is why I have been calling for all three levels of government to work together to develop a plan for the south, including the establishment of a southern task force to secure our future. I look forward to continuing to work with all three levels of government, with business, and with other institutions. Not only must we secure our advanced manufacturing future; we must also promote new job opportunities. This must be a priority. So far, we have seen the lack of a plan and a lack of action from this government. We have so many comparative advantages in Adelaide, and we need a government that appreciates these advantages, but also does more than that and promotes them—and not just when they are trying to save a few seats at election time. This needs to be an ongoing attitude and not just a way to save their bacon, so to speak. The approach I am advocating is quite a different approach to the one that the government are taking. The government seem to be saying: 'Give the top end of town a tax break, and cross your fingers and hope that jobs get created.' This is a lazy approach, and not a real plan.

At the 2016 election, health was also a central theme in the campaign. I wish to place on the record my opposition to the claims that Labor ran a scare campaign on the future of Medicare. It has been clear since the election of the Abbott government—since the 2013 election—that the coalition have had an agenda to destroy our universal healthcare system. Need I remind this House of the coalition's first idea, which was a seven-dollar co-payment? A $7 GP tax. And then there was the abolition of the bulk-billing incentives for Pap smears, blood tests, and diagnostic imaging. We have seen the freezing of the Medicare rebate for six years—effectively a GP tax by stealth. There is an investigation into privatising the payment system of Medicare, not to mention the attack on Medicare, the attacks on our health system, the cuts to our hospital system—forcing higher out-of-pocket expenses for medicines—and the privatisation agenda for Australian Hearing. These are all additional moves that this government have taken to cut down our healthcare system. It is for this reason that the Prime Minister and the Liberal Party have been so sensitive about Labor's campaign for a strong Medicare system. Their agenda has always been about eroding Medicare. In my first speech to this place, I said that it was a fundamental belief that your level of health care should not be based on the amount of money you have in your pocket. On my re-election, I have continued to defend this important principle, and I will continue to do that every single day.

A quality education is the best gift we can give our young people, alongside providing opportunities for those who seek a career and reskilling. That is why I will continue to fight to ensure that education is a priority of this government. It is disappointing to see the Liberal Party continue with their excuses about why we must cut early education, why we must cut school education, why we must cut funding to skills and funding to our universities. The government have had three years to make changes to vocational education, but they have just sat on their hands. Education is an investment in the future. It ensures that as a country we can adapt and become more productive and continue to enjoy a high quality of life. The government have continued to engage in distraction in the hope that they can keep cutting funding to our schools without anyone noticing.

Labor and I will continue to hold the government to account on their $30 billion of cuts to our schools. The government will keep making excuses with their mantra that it is not about the amount of money spent but how it is spent. Well, that statement is obvious: it is, of course, how it is spent. But schools need the resources in the first place to get what they need. I have had the privilege to visit schools right across this country to see what a difference the extra investment Labor made when in government—whether it be improvements to consistency and pedagogy, to literacy or to numeracy interventions, or extra support teachers. This money that Labor committed is making a difference. Most importantly, schools know what they need. This is something you often hear from the Liberal Party. Of course, schools know what they need. It is just that the government will not provide them with the resources to get what they need. This is the problem with their funding cuts.

This term I have continued to fight for a decent education for children and young people in my electorate. I will continue to fight to ensure that children in the southern suburbs of Adelaide get just as much opportunity to fulfil their potential as children on the North Shore of Sydney. During the election, Labor made a number of local commitments for my electorate and I will continue to argue that these should be funded by the government. Unfortunately, that commitment has not been forthcoming. I made a commitment during the election campaign that a Labor government would bring forward the investment to build the South Australian Coastal Park trail, linking Hallett Cove, O'Sullivan Beach and Aldinga to the existing Coastal Park along Adelaide's southern beaches. This $3.3 million commitment to link southern Adelaide's pristine beaches would have created approximately 36 construction jobs and boosted recreational use of the beaches as well as tourism opportunities. Creating this local connection is incredibly important for Adelaide's southern suburbs. It would mean that our pristine beachfront is connected and accessible by both foot and bike.

I hope that the Liberal federal government will see the benefit of this project and commit money in its upcoming budget. I have written to the minister to make this request. I hope he pays attention. Equally, I have written to the government to request them to match the $100,000 commitment Labor made to the Hallett Cove Netball Club for the resurfacing of their netball courts. Women's sports often do not attract the same investment as men's sport. After years of temporary repairs, the netball courts are dangerously slippery, and the clubs may be prevented from playing netball matches at home. Resurfacing the courts is vital for the future of these netball clubs as well as the ongoing support and promotion of women's sport in the south.

Government and community services play a very important role in supporting members of the community who find themselves in situations they may not have expected, and that is why I will continue to fight for our local community services to get the funding they deserve. headspace Noarlunga and the Southern Community Justice Centre are just two examples of these types of services that the south needs. These services need support and certainty of funding into the future, and I have recently spoken about there being no commitment—rather, indeed, cuts—from this government.

It is important that these centres are adequately funded so they are able to properly assist those who require help. In the election, Labor made a commitment to the Southern Community Justice Centre for an increase in $300,000, particularly around supporting victims of domestic violence. I hope the government also supports this centre and stops the cruel cuts that are actually going ahead from 1 July this year. It is time the government stopped these cuts and worked to support those who are most vulnerable.

There are many other local projects that I will continue to advocate for, including the rail extension from Seaford to Aldinga, the duplication of Commercial and Beach roads and, of course, the ongoing fight for decent broadband services.

Since the election I have been honoured to be appointed by the Leader of the Opposition to serve as the shadow minister for veterans' affairs and Defence personnel, an incredibly important portfolio. Since being appointed to that role, I have had the privilege of meeting many current-serving Defence personnel, as well as veterans, who serve this country with pride and distinction. I look forward to continuing to work with them.

I would like to extend congratulations—though they are a little outdated, but I have already said this in person—to the Leader of the Opposition, our great leader; our deputy leader; and our whole parliamentary team and all their staff. Big congratulations to our national campaign team, led by George Wright, at the last election. This was a big effort and, while we came close, we did not quite get to government. However, it was a sterling effort by everyone. I would also like to acknowledge all those who ran as Labor candidates. I extend big congratulations to both returning colleagues and new Labor members, while for others: congratulations for a valiant effort. It is the collective work that makes our party so great.

In my patch of the world, the election result in the seat of Kingston on 2 July took a lot of hard work by so many people. Our campaign was a grassroots collective effort where everyone who handed out a how-to-vote card, every door we knocked on and every phone call we made helped us to communicate Labor's message to those residents of Kingston.

I would particularly like to thank my staff who worked through the election campaign—Amelia Peacock, Michael Picton, Adele Lausberg, Tristan Rust, Jemma Slevec and Jason Byrne. You were central to our success. In addition, I give a thank you to the wider campaign team that included Dale Colebeck, Gemma Paech, Sarah Huy and Tom Cicchianni-Jones, who supported me and our office through the campaign.

Special thanks go to our local state MPs in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, who helped on the campaign. To my long-term and good friend, Chris Picton, the member for Kaurna: thank you for your help and support. Thanks to our other state MPs—Nat Cook and Katrine Hildyard—for your friendship and support. We have a great Labor team in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, and we work hard together.

As is mentioned regularly, I cannot name everyone who worked on our campaign, but I wish to mention a few: John and Fran Drew; Phil and Jo Giles; Marisa and John Eitel; Lucy Fordham; John Gauci; Dave Retallick; Thad Taylor; Donna Blieschke; John Secriean—who was the king of corfluting; my dad—who also did a bit of work—and my mum, so I would like to thank them; Anna Syta; Jim and Deb Phillips; Megan Rohan; Cathie King and Adrian Tisato. Thank you for your enormous contribution during the campaign.

I would like to thank Reggie Martin, our South Australian ALP secretary, for his support, as well as acknowledging the support I received from Sonia Romeo and the SDA; John Adley and the CEPU; John Camillo from the AMWU; Nick Townsend from the CWU and Ray Wyatt from the TWU. I especially need to thank Ethne Lange, my office manager, and Honest Lange, her husband and No. 1 sidekick, for their huge support before and during the campaign. I especially thank you, Ethne, for keeping the show on the road during a very long campaign. I am lucky to have you by my side.

To Emmanuel Cusack, campaign manager extraordinaire: thank you for spending every spare waking minute working on delivering my campaign when you could have been out enjoying yourself. You produced a campaign that worked with our community, one that put local issues at the centre. Emmanuel, you have an extremely bright future in the Labor movement. My advice to anyone listening is: if you want to win a campaign, Emmanuel is the person to call.

Finally, I would like to thank the people of Kingston who have put their trust in me. Without you turning up at the ballot box and having your say, I would not be able to do the work I am doing here. During the campaign I was overwhelmed by your good wishes, overwhelmed by your kind words, overwhelmed by the things that you trusted me with. You trusted me with your hopes and dreams. Every time I speak with people, whether they are distressed or whether they have hope, it is moving to know that I can come to this place to represent them and be part of trying to make those dreams and hopes a reality. I promise you, the people of Kingston: I will continue to work hard for you, just as I always have, and be your voice here in Canberra. I will continue to fight for you. I will continue to make sure that the southern suburbs of Adelaide are not forgotten in our nation's capital. I will continue to make sure that those hopes and dreams are realised.

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