Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On 3 May this year I was given the great honour of being returned to this place by the people of McEwen. And as I've said before, in every one of these addresses, I pledge to work day and night to fulfil my commitments to them. I pledge to do all that's within my power and the power of this government to make our lives better. I will always bring their interests to this place and give our communities a seat at the table. It's a great privilege and honour to have this job. In Canberra we each speak with the voice of more than 100,000 people, and we act in their interests. We have spent the past three years in government listening hard and laying the foundations for our nation for the next three years. We see those foundations everywhere in McEwen.

In May 2022 Australia voted for change, after nine years of stagnation, rorts, rip-offs and scandals under those opposite. I'm proud to report that this change has been seen across our towns and our communities in McEwen. Over the past three years we saw essential programs expand their reach in the communities, be that in health, education, cost-of-living support or, importantly, roads and infrastructure. I point that out because one of biggest challenges we face is the road infrastructure in our communities. Under the coalition, our state, which is 25 per cent of Australia's population, received only seven per cent of infrastructure spending. I'm glad to report that Victoria is now receiving the funding it deserves to maintain and develop our state road network, and our communities see these benefits happening.

In the past three years there has been a lot of change and growth in McEwen. We have seen a series of major grants. We secured $1 million to expand the Diamond Creek Mens Shed. We'll deliver the space to expand their operations, supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of men in our community. It's a success measured in mateship, in conversations that would have gone unheard. It's also a chance to talk about their health and wellbeing and a great opportunity for them to have those conversations comfortably and talk about things that we don't normally like to talk about. But it's important that we do that, and it removes the isolation for many people in our towns.

In 2022 we secured disaster relief funding after the Darraweit Guim floods. The government supported locals through this time as they dealt with change and with damage to their homes and to their lives. We invested $7.1 million for the Johnson Road estate in Mernda through our housing support fund to help the city of Whittlesea to meet the growing residential demand. We are delivering on our major commitments, which is something that has been dear to me from day one: to always make sure I deliver what I promise. We secured $900 million for Camerons Lane Interchange and the Beveridge Intermodal Precinct, and I'm pleased to see that the planning is well underway with the state government delivering this project.

We are commencing stage 2 of the Macedon Ranges Sports Precinct, in cooperation with Macedon Ranges Shire. And works are well underway with the $1.5 million investment in the Diamond Creek Pool upgrade. I just spoke to the mayor upstairs, and we're getting reading for a fantastic summer. There's also the Hilltop splash park in Mernda, which is something we've promised: somewhere that's free where families can take kids on hot days and have a great bit of fun. When we announced this we partnered with the state government and Whittlesea Council to develop the $3 million park, with new swings and nature rides and other great things for families to do, close to home—and importantly, as I said, at a time when dollars are tight, it's free. This is something I think will be sensational when it's delivered around October.

We are also sealing Old Sydney Road in Beveridge. Beveridge is an area that has struggled, with one entrance in and one entrance out. When you've got primary schools on both sides of the freeway, sometimes it can take 45 minutes to travel those three kays from one school to the other. This gives a second exit out, which will be great for growing communities but also in times of need. We are duplicating Donnybrook Road at Kalkallo, from around Cloverton onto the freeway; adding a new bridge; removing the roundabout; and putting traffic lights in. Again, having governments working together is so important, and we're partnered with the state government in that to make the lives of so many people so much better. Then there are the upgrades at Greenhill Reserve in Wallan and the works at Wellington Street and Darraweit Road—that's just only naming a few of the many different road projects that we've been doing across our communities.

There's funding of $90 million for Watson Street ramps to the Hume Highway at Wallan, with works kicking off later this year. This is a long-awaited project, a project that was neglected under the previous government. But as soon as we got into government we started the move to get funding in place for planning, and now we see it happening. I know there are going to be many people giving a sigh of relief when the works start. Yan Yean Road stage 2 is now well progressed towards commencement. These are things that need to be done in growing communities to help people get around and to make it easier and a lot safer to get to and from work. We can see that from the recently completed Bridge Inn Road upgrades. Projects like these are game changers; they make our lives safer and easier while delivering important economic outcomes for communities.

In May 2022, the Australian people voted for change. In May 2025, the Australian people voted for positivity and growth. They voted for Australian values: fairness, aspiration, opportunity for all—the values that drive our Labor government. However, nothing good comes easy, and any reflection on my journey back to this place would be incomplete without the story of the last election. We know that every election is tough. When you're in one of the seats most targeted by the opposition, you know it gets even tougher. But we prevailed. We prevailed in a situation where we had these blow-in candidates come in with deep, deep pockets, spending a lot of money and making promises they could never keep. McEwen, for some reason, seems to be a magnet for cashed-up, parachuted candidates. It's a tradition with the Liberal Party. For better or worse, though, our local communities have not forgotten the nine years of squibbed promises and failure to deliver by those opposite. At this election, it was hard to forget them.

One thing that did stand out for me at this election was the abundance of volunteers in blue T-shirts, especially at pre-poll and on election day. But these blue T-shirts weren't being worn by diehard, true believers of the Liberal Party. No, sadly for democracy, those people are almost extinct. They were being worn by members of a third party group trying to use their resources to change the outcome of a democratic election—and I'm not talking about locals here. These were people that were bussed in to do their work for the party they hoped would deliver a quid pro quo. The question has to be asked, 'What did the Liberal Party promise these people to make them come out in such an aggressive, bullying manner?' As in many other places across the nation, the Exclusive Brethren descended on the towns of Gisborne and Wandong for pre-poll. Surprisingly enough, they didn't do the Liberal candidate any favours. With at least 20 of these so-called volunteers there on any given day, they turned the task of people choosing to exercise their democratic right at a pre-poll into a gauntlet to be run, with in-your-face, pushy behaviour and by deliberately blocking people trying to get in. The feedback we received from locals was they did not appreciate being accosted as they made their way into the polling place just to have their say. The presence of the Brethren didn't end at the pre-poll. On election day it was worse, with many of our volunteers subjected to the aggressive methods of these thugs as they harassed people while handing out for the Liberal Party. It's bad enough with Liberals not being honest, but these parasites were openly and deliberately lying to people.

One thing that really struck me was at the pre-poll we had a young female, a first-time voter still in her school uniform. By the time she got to the front of the election queue, she was crying because she had all these people just surrounding her and badgering her all the way through. Luckily, we had Senator Jana Stewart with us. Senator Stewart was very forthright with the Liberal Party in explaining that that was not on. We can't have people who are coming to vote for the first time being forced to tears as they try to exercise their right. It's just not on.

As a member of parliament, I find it concerning that the use of groups such as the Brethren can have a direct impact on the integrity of our democratic process. These groups, with their insular and highly controlled nature, can be used to manipulate the political process in ways that are not transparent or representative of the broader electorate. I would absolutely recommend that this matter be looked into by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and any other authority which has jurisdiction on election interference by these so-called third parties. Predictably, and thankfully, the people of McEwen saw straight through them.

I've always been proud to be a local living and working in the electorate that I get to represent. It's something that I think is important. You make sure that you're down at the shops like everyone else, you drive the same roads, your kids go to the same school—all these things are just so important to what we do. What the Liberals had to offer was a deceitful candidate who was prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars on advertising but, predictably, failed to listen to the needs of our communities or understand them, because he wasn't one of us. We were proud to fend off the multi-failed blow-in, and we had the confidence of the people in our prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Our communities delivered a swing to the ALP in this election, which is so important. It showed the faith and the trust they have in us to deliver what we said we will do. I think that was borne out right across the electorate. That was part of my journey to get back here, and now there is a lot of work to do.

I look at the future of our nation, and it looks bright. It's a privilege to be in the largest ALP caucus since Federation. I just joked about the fact that, at the first caucus meeting, it was so unusual to find that there weren't enough chairs. Luckily, there was a room down the other end that we could borrow some from because that was fairly empty. In this term, our government is committed to doing a range of things. We're continuing to provide cost-of-living assistance with energy bill relief for households and small businesses, tax cuts for every taxpayer and cheaper medicines. We're committed to a stronger Medicare, in which nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by the end of the decade, and an expanded network of urgent care clinics, including the one in Diamond Creek, to take pressure off our hospital emergency departments. We know that Northern Hospital Epping has the busiest emergency department in Australia. The more that we can do to keep people from clogging up that system, the better.

We're slashing the prices of PBS listed medicines and boosting funding for women's health, which is so important. I want to thank Assistant Minister Ged Kearney, who came out and held a women's health forum with me. It was really enlightening to sit there and listen to a great bunch of locals who came and talked about women's health issues and the problems they face. I was pleased that they allowed me to stay in the room to listen to it. It really showed what has been neglected for a long time. It's important to have a direct focus on women's health, like we do with men's health through our special envoy for men's health, the member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi. These things are important to make sure that the focus is strong and consistent and that we deliver results.

One of the other things that we're proud of in one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation—we're always battling up there in the top couple—is getting more people into homes through the five per cent deposit scheme for first home buyers. We're committed to building 100,000 homes exclusively for first home buyers, expanding the Help to Buy scheme and providing incentives of $10,000 for building apprentices to boost the workforce and tackle the critical workforce shortage we have.

We're ensuring education is available and affordable by making a further 20 per cent cut to student debt, raising the income threshold and capping the indexation rate. That ensures that HELP debts cannot grow faster than wages. It's so important for young people wanting to buy their first home. In addition, we're making fee-free TAFE a key feature of our national vocational education and training system. This will come by funding 100,000 fee-free TAFE places a year from 2027 and fully funding public schools to make sure no child gets left behind. We are helping families with children in early education get ahead by scrapping the childcare activity test and replacing it with a three-day guarantee for subsidised care each week, as well as building 160 new childcare centres over four years.

We are delivering cleaner, cheaper renewable energy, and it's so important for the future of our nation that we do this and get to net zero. And you've got to ask a question: if you just got the biggest thumping in your life against a side that is supporting net zero, why the hell would you go and scrap it? It makes no sense, but that's okay; we're not going to give them any tips. I think the Liberal and National parties can deal with their own shrinking base themselves. But we are delivering this cheaper, cleaner energy because it's so important. We're delivering a 30 per cent discount on home batteries to make better use of solar panels and permanently cut power bills.

This, the vision of Labor, is clear. We are the party of growth, and growth is a big factor at home too. We sit in Melbourne's northern growth corridor, smack bang in the middle, and we need to be ahead of the curve. We know every day the effects of what the Liberal government neglected over nine years. Like other periurban regions across the nation, our communities have a shifting set of needs. What we need from government today is different from what we needed 20 years ago, and I guarantee it's different to what we'll need in 20 years time. But now we're not just catching up; we're building for the future. Our record investment is more than just bitumen and bridges; it's about delivering opportunities safely and responsibly to our communities. We are delivering the change the communities in McEwen need. Communities have waited for far too long for government to see them and understand their needs.

Just in closing, as is traditional and to make sure I get home safely and get that support, I want to talk about the supporters and the help that we got from all those people who contributed to the win in McEwen. I may get the chocolates of being here and delivering this speech, but I know that, without the many, many thousands of people who get in behind us, it doesn't happen, and it's so important that we acknowledge some of those. I know I'm going to miss people, and I apologise for that. But I want to thank my team that I have in my office. We are a great collective of people that work with one goal, and that's to service our community. Thank you to Adam, Cath, Ged, Gareth, Jeni, Sasha, Ella, Gaweshi, Kate—who came out from UK Labour to help and be part of it, and an absolute legend she was—Spiro, Dylan and Carmel—who is just a great sounding board for advice. Thank you to Paul Erickson, Jen Light, Jett Fogarty and Gabriella Dawson. What a team they are! I thank the unions: the TWU, of which I've been proud to be a member for 25 years, and the RTBU, who offered great support and help in sounding out with our multicultural communities.

Thank you to Ged for doing all the coordinating—the 215 volunteers, the 282 shifts at prepolls and the 70 scrutineers that it takes to do these things. I want to also give special thanks to a man who I openly call my brother, Avtar, and to Diego, Casey, Jan Mapleston, Margo Clarke, John Benson, John Frearson and Terry Larkins, who's been the chair of our FEA for a long, long time and is the Yoda of our communities. He is an amazing person. I thank my mate Simon Furey, Kobe Hay, Hailey Emmins, Jarrod Lappin, Kerry Pastras, the HACSU volunteers and all the branch members and supporters in our community that just deliver these things. They make you want to get up in the morning and do your best. They're just great people.

I thank local supporters including Graeme Newman from the Diamond Creek Men's Shed; Michelle Kneale from Northern Pride Netball Association, an amazing lady; Michelle at Romsey Neighbourhood House, who does a fantastic, champion job; and a man who I would say, in all honesty, is one of the greatest human beings I've ever met in my life, and that's Jeremy Scrivens from Love in Action. He is an amazing human. He's going through a rough time, but we're backing him. I thank Neal Langborne from the Wallan Football Netball Club, a great mate and someone who's always there to tell you, right or wrong, what you're doing and do it in a forthright way. I really appreciate that.

To the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Minister for Trade and Tourism and Special Minister of State, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government—I think Catherine King has almost got her own place out there, she's been out so often—the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Minister for Sport and the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care: thank you for your support and being part of this special time we had. And a special shout-out goes to Senator Jana Stewart, who was an absolute rock during the prepolling. To former minister Stephen Conroy—a great mate, a great sounding board—for the frank and fearless bits of advice you get from him. To Tess Baster and, of course, to my family: Lisa and the two greatest hander-outerers on prepoll day, my grandkids, Ava and Lacey. They did a wonderful job, keeping tally of who took the pamphlets and who didn't. It was great to have both of them out there. It really warms your heart to see, and it was just great to have those two kids there. And, of course, thank you to Hawker Britton, who just never let us down. With that, as I said, I'm very thankful for this opportunity again to be here, and I won't waste a day.

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