Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm in the Federation Chamber this evening to take part in my first grievance debate. This evening I feel more inclined to speak and reflect on the year that was rather than taking note of grievances and the name of this debate in a literal sense. But knowing myself all to well, and to avoid any possibility of misleading the House, I may air a grievance or two by the end.

A year and two days ago an election was held, in case there was anyone here that was unaware of that fact. This could be entirely possible if they managed to miss private members' business and 90-second statements over the past two sitting days—a difficult feat, indeed, but not completely impossible to accomplish. A year and two days ago the Australian people voted out a government, a government that spanned nine years and three prime ministers, and they did so for a new government, a Labor government, a government led by our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, a government that handed down its second budget a fortnight ago today. No matter what one's opinion of what transpired on that fateful day, 21 May 2022, happens to be, we can all agree that it brought about a tectonic shift in the course of this nation. Any change of government is a defining moment in history, whether it be in Australia or abroad. We are a lucky country in Australia. Not everyone can claim to be in a country with a democratic system of government, one that leads to a peaceful transition of power.

Before I speak a bit more about our government, I'd like to reflect on this past year and two days since I became a member of this place. I am eternally grateful to the people of Spence for putting their faith in me to represent them here in the 47th parliament. There are certainly a number of other milestones that happened not long after, such as the first sitting day of this parliament on 26 July or even when I delivered my first speech on 1 August. But, for me, it all changed on election day last year. The sheer weight of the responsibility of knowing tens of thousands of people from my local area cast their vote to put me down to stand up for them really began to sink in on election night. It happened roughly the same time as the fatigue of the several long months on the campaign trail did as well.

It goes without saying how extremely proud I am of my electorate of Spence. The resilience it's shown to bounce back after the death of Holden is a remarkable achievement. I'm always the first to put the invitation out to the Albanese Labor government to visit Spence and see firsthand what makes this an incredible place to live and to ensure that Spence and the people that live in it remain at the forefront of our government's attention.

Only last week I had the privilege of hosting our Prime Minister and my South Australian colleague the Minister for Health and Aged Care in Spence and then the Treasurer two days afterwards. The Prime Minister was in Spence to talk about our government's policy to ease cost-of-living pressures for thousands of people in Spence when they visit their GP. For many people out there a visit to the GP was becoming not an option even at times when it should have been a necessity. Many doctors up in Spence still bulk-bill despite the cost to their clinics because they know that, at best, some of their patients would wind up in the emergency department to the detriment of others that are then forced to wait longer in addition to stretching the resources of the doctors and nursing staff on call at the time. But that scenario was the best case, as many of their patients drop off completely, ignoring warning signs that they might require medical attention. That's the human cost of policy neglect on full display. I'm glad we can now move the dial back in the right direction.

The Minister for Social Services came from one side of Adelaide to mine in Spence to talk about Labor's plan to make child care cheaper for many families not long after being elected. These are real savings. They are savings that help children reach their full potential the moment they start school. I have also been delighted to receive a visit from the Minister for Skills and Training, who talked to our local TAFE in Elizabeth, and to see many students reaping the benefit of the fee-free TAFE courses that our government has partnered with the state government to roll out. Seeing policies working on the ground is special in so many ways but is even more so in my backyard.

It is one thing to talk solely about policy and the Albanese Labor government's relentless agenda to enact its election commitments within its first year in office. I also want to touch a bit on the human experience of this past year, and I realise that I do so with the risk of exposing a little bit of how the sausage—or, more aptly, the democracy sausage—is made. I must admit that at the start I was somewhat sceptical when I was told that it wasn't unusual for members to work closely and form friendships with those on the other side of the chamber. On Mondays I may verbally joust with the member for Riverina during private members' business, and I shared some of the most rewarding experiences as part of a delegation to Kenya late last year.

This spirit was further reinforced by my involvement with the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties and the House Standing Committee on Agriculture. All too often it is only the rough and tumble of question time that the public gets to see or finds interesting enough to captivate its attention, albeit briefly, which is a shame. Committees perform a lot of vital work in examining and refining policy and legislation. For the most part, committees are an extremely collegiate environment that is propped up by the tireless and learned members of their respected secretariats.

This bipartisanship has extended to my participation in the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program, an excellent program that provides members of parliament, whether or not they have served before, with a better understanding of a variety of activities within the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. It was only in April that I and the member for Flinders spent a week submerged in HMAS Rankin, a Collins-class submarine. After my days as a seafarer, spending time on the seas is not entirely new. But to spend time below the sea was a new experience entirely, and to spend it with a fellow member of this place, along with scores of servicemen and service women, cramped in the claustrophobic confines of a submarine, was an absolute honour. I'd encourage all members to reach out to Lieutenant Colonel Andy Martin of the ADF Parliamentary Program to get involved.

Having a greater appreciation of those who serve goes hand in hand with having a greater appreciation of those who have served. I am a proud co-chair of Parliamentary Friends of Veterans, along with the member for Menzies. We, along with the Speaker, share the honour of having served with the 8/7 Royal Victoria Regiment. This is a friendship group that comprises members and senators from all sides of the chamber and all backgrounds. You needn't be a veteran to champion veterans' causes, but our parliament has 19 veterans amongst its ranks.

Ensuring tripartite unity and purpose amongst this wide cross-section of the parliament is important, for we in all likelihood expect to address the findings of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide—something this government takes very seriously—and I am honoured to have such a good working relationship in this space with both the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs, who have both visited Spence, with the minister speaking with a number of veterans and veterans groups over in Salisbury last year. Spence is home not just to RAAF Base Edinburgh but also to the largest veteran population in South Australia, which is even more reason that we have to right past wrongs and to better serve those who served.

My trip on HMAS Rankin also shone a light on the need for Australia to update our fleet of submarines. Although I was underwater off the shores of Western Australia at the time, the experience brought me back to Spence and the immense value that the build of the AUKUS submarines will bring to my electorate. Our defence industry is strong up here, and I've had the pleasure of speaking to many innovative minds who have set up shop in my electorate and are using it as a staging area, not just for aiding Australia's sovereign capability but also for staging a comeback for manufacturing in the north after the closure of Holden.

Not long after the election we were brought to this building and shown the ropes by senior parliamentarians, chamber staff and other building staff. It was, in a very surreal way, like going back to school. I cannot overstate the support shown to me by some of my fellow 2022 classmates, particularly the member for Tangney, the member for Holt and the member for Hawke, who were my neighbours in this building before we were all moved to more-permanent lodgings on the eve of budget week. It was a surreal feeling knowing that as members of this place each of us is only one of 151 members of the House of Representatives in this, the 47th Parliament. That would be diluted slightly with 152. The number might rise slightly, but it does not diminish the fact that we have been tasked by our constituents to act in their interests and in the interests of our nation. This is a feeling that does not cease with familiarity. It does not cease over time. And this is important: not a single day should ever be taken for granted, and I look forward to capping off this government's second year in office in the not-too-distant future.

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