Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

It is humbling to stand here again, returned by the people of Fowler for a second term as their Independent representative. In a sea of red, the people of Fowler stood firm. Despite the resources, the machinery and the odds, they sent me back to this place to continue doing what I have always done—to speak for them, fight for them and ensure they are not forgotten. That speaks volumes about my community.

For decades, Fowler was considered one of the safest seats in the country. It is a seat once held by former prime minister Gough Whitlam, a seat built by working families and shaped by wave after wave of migrants and refugees who, like me, came here in search of freedom and stayed to build a life. In 2022, everything changed. They chose an independent voice. This year, the people of Fowler showed that choice wasn't one-off or an accident. It was a lasting shift. They have seen how an independent voice can better represent their concerns, free from party politics. They have someone who listens, lives among them and puts community above party.

Since my election in 2022, my team has assisted over 8,000 families. We brought our mobile office into the streets of Fowler with our Bring Your Bill Day forum. We helped people navigate the NDIS, reconnect with loved ones overseas, secure emergency accommodation and access food hampers. We did all of this with empathy and urgency, because that is what representing Fowler means to me.

When I made my maiden speech in 2022, my mother sat in the public gallery alongside members of my community. She may not be here physically today, but I know her spirit is with me. I will never forget where I came from. I was a refugee, a boat person—someone who was given a chance to rebuild her life in this peaceful country I now call home. I believe every Australian, no matter where they come from, their postcode or their income, deserves that same chance.

In this second term, my mission remains unchanged. I will continue to push this government to deliver for Western Sydney and south-western Sydney and for families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis that is pushing them to the edge. I hear it everywhere—families asking what this government is doing to bring down petrol prices, to cut tolls, to make energy and housing affordable, to reduce the burden on small businesses drowning in red and green tape. Child care remains out of reach for many parents, despite claims of affordability. Parents work two or three jobs just to get by. Centres can't find enough staff and have been forced to raise prices because of heavy regulatory costs. Local businesses—many family-run and migrant owned—struggle to survive under rising expenses and policies crafted without them in mind.

Despite 500,000 free TAFE places being announced, critical courses such as baking and meat processing are not available locally to meet our workforce needs. Students and local workers in Fowler still face toll roads, congested roads, overcrowded trains, and watch as infrastructure dollars go elsewhere. Yet, through all these challenges, my community continues to show up. They work hard, keep businesses open, volunteer for Meals on Wheels, pack sleeping bags for Vinnies, coach local kids, care for elders and contribute in every way they can, against all odds. The people of Fowler aren't asking for handouts. They want fairness—investments that match the contributions they make every single day. In my first term, I called for the reinstatement of the low- and middle-income tax offset because families in Fowler were struggling, and they still are. This term, I will continue to urge the Labor government—a party with roots representing working Australians—to honour that legacy. Bring back this tax relief for low- and middle-income earners.

I will also call for the tax-free threshold—stuck at $18,200 since 2012—to be lifted to reflect rising inflation and living costs. This is genuine relief for workers and small businesses alike. I will stand firm for the right to use cash, because not everyone in Fowler has a smartphone or trusts digital banking. I will push for real student debt reform, not just indexation relief but a reversal of the punitive fee hikes from the Morrison era that saw the cost of arts degrees soar from $20,000 to $50,000, pricing many young people out of education. I will continue to advocate urgently for investment in public school infrastructure. For example, Bonnyrigg High School was built for 950 students. It now holds nearly double that, with nearly 40 demountable classrooms. The Commonwealth sets national priorities and funds agreements with states. So I ask: if every public school is meant to be fully and fairly funded, why are schools like Bonnyrigg High left behind?

Being in this place is a privilege I will never take for granted. As an Independent, my job is to bring the voices of my community into the House and hold the government to account. To the Prime Minister and his government: you asked for a mandate, now use it to deliver. Build the east-west metro. Don’t just build an airport—connect it so that people in Fowler and south-west Sydney can access the jobs you promise. Invest in roads, schools, hospitals, and local sporting grounds. Support the small businesses that kept this economy afloat during COVID. The virus may have passed, but the disruption has not. Have empathy for the early risers who clean, cook, build, drive and care. Have empathy for young people with big dreams but little support. Have empathy for multicultural communities that make this country strong. Too many in Canberra have spent too long inside a bubble, far removed from the communities you once fought for. I'm here to remind you: don't forget them now.

The people of Fowler sent me back to keep speaking up, and I will—not for corporations, CEOs or boardrooms, but for the everyday Australians who power this country. I may not belong to a major party, but I belong to a community—a beautiful, diverse, determined community—and I will spend every day of this term doing what I promised: being their voice, fighting for their future, and making sure they are never left behind.

Before I close I want to thank those who stood beside me and made this possible. To my office team—Justin Mulder, Margaret Cheng, Marsha Kozlova, Aileen Khouphongsy, Meryem Abdulrahman, Leonie Le, Valentine Prkic, Mario Compart, Bao Nguyen, Christopher Yates, Ina Holzapfel, Angela Chau, Johanna Roshka and Kimberley Pham: thank you for your dedication in serving our community.

To some of the campaign volunteers have been with me on this journey for years—Julius Emmanuel Ang, Ed Jones, Lith and Holly Khorn, Sue Lee Lim, Evin Yalda, Gary Pham, Jose Miranda Garcia, Trinh Mai Guico, Dennis Suro: thank you for your trust and faith in me. And there are many more volunteers that I have not been able to name.

To my councillor colleagues—Kevin Lam, Charbel Saliba, Marie Saliba, Samir Yousif, Milan Milasovic, Michael Mijatovic, Reni Barkho, and especially our mayor, Frank Carbone: thank you for standing with me. The mayor stood beside me and fought every day during the pre-poll. And thank you to all those who volunteer with me as well.

To my family—my son, Ethan Lambert, who has been handing out how to vote cards since he was seven years of age, and my husband, Markus, who backed my campaign from our family mortgage: thank you for your unwavering belief. To my sisters Vi, Jaycie, Thuy Vi and Mellany, and their families—Alan, Jade, Tara, Anderson: thank you for standing by me at every election.

To the local businesses and community groups who donated, mobilised and shared your belief: I couldn't have done this without you. In those final weeks, every night, as I meditated to YouTube's free meditation channels, I was bombarded by Labor attack ads claiming that a vote for me was a vote for Dutton. Yet I found calm amid the storm, drawing strength from quiet reflection and a deep belief in the work I do for this community I serve. I will keep going, because Fowler deserves nothing less.

I also want to add that I know that the previous speaker, the member for Lingiari, talked about the brethren. During the pre-poll, our experience of the brethren was different. They fed everybody—Labor, Independent and everybody. So there was food every day for us. And the young men and women who came to pre-poll were very friendly. Election time and pre-poll time can be very testing and can challenge our patience. It can draw people into a fighting mode. But we try to be as civilised and as courteous as possible. Our experience in Fowler was that we were overfed with pizza, donuts and meat pies every day.

I just want to take this opportunity to thank my community—those who voted for me and those who didn't vote for me. I will be there to serve them and will continue to be a strong voice, to ensure that we get the resources we need, especially for our local councils—Fairfield and Liverpool city—to ensure that we can deliver the infrastructure that we need for our community.

Once again, I want to thank my councillor colleagues, my team of volunteers and my staff for their continuing service to our community during that very challenging time. I will be in this place and I will continue to shout very loudly and strongly for my community, to ensure that services and resources get delivered eventually for my wonderful community.

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