Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a real honour to be returned to this place. It is not a fact lost on me that the last person to have served two consecutive terms was the wonderful Anna Burke. Her second election was in 2001, so I do not take lightly the privilege and honour that the people of Chisholm have bestowed upon me by returning me here to this place to represent them. I want to use this time to reflect on the wonderful support that I've received from my community in Chisholm and the determination with which I will continue to fight for what our community needs.

Over 500 people in my local area volunteered on my campaign, which is an incredible number of people. We knocked on over 50,000 doors and made over 80,000 phone calls attempting to contact every single person in my electorate. We were focused, as the broader Labor campaign was, on optimism for our community and for our country. We know that it is only Labor governments that build. Our campaign was focused on how a re-elected Albanese Labor government will build Australia's future.

Delivery is really important for governments. We've heard in this place a number of times, and certainly over the last day or so, about how faith in institutions has been declining over the years. It is through delivery—through being a government that says they're going to do something and then does it—that we restore faith in institutions in the government. I look forward to being part of the second-term Albanese Labor government, where we will continue our record of delivery on the commitments that we make to people in our communities.

There are many people that I will thank in a moment, but I want to acknowledge the extraordinary support that I received from the caucus—from colleagues such as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for the Environment and Water and former Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Murray Watt, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Housing, the Treasurer, the Prime Minister, of course, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Minister for Skills and Training, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, the then Assistant Minister for Women, Kate Thwaites. I want to acknowledge all their support because I really felt that I was going into a pretty intense campaign with some of the best leaders in our country on my side. That really encouraged me, and I know it certainly encouraged the volunteers that they spoke to when they came to visit me. I'm very grateful and will always be grateful for their support there.

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