Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, the greatest honour of my life was being elected as the member for Braddon in 2016. In my first speech in this House I said that the people of the West Coast and North West of Tasmania and of King Island are a resilient lot. Ours is a community that genuinely care for each other. We come together in challenging times, we're generous of spirit, we're always willing to pitch in and help one another. I chose to put up my hand for my community because of the need to stand up for workers, for pensioners and for those trying to make ends meet, which convinced me that they deserved a progressive voice in Canberra fighting for them. I'm also here to give my kids and kids right across my electorate the decent, secure jobs that they deserve in the beautiful part of Tassie they know and love. I want to make it very clear to every member of my community and every member of this House that I am not done working and fighting on behalf of those who sent me here.

The citizenship issue has been a difficult time for my family, friends, supporters and staff and of course myself. It's been a character-building experience. But I can hold my head high for being upfront and honest with my electorate. I have nothing to fear or hide, you just need to look at my disclosure for that. I have been criticised for being too honest—a bit of an oxymoron for a politician, perhaps! People have commented that, while I don't have allegiance to the United Kingdom, perhaps I have an allegiance to my family. Well, if they are my flaws, then so be it. I'm a seventh-generation Tasmanian; a town in the Huon Valley bears my mother's family's name. I'm proud of my heritage from both my mother and father, as I would expect all Australians are proud of theirs. I have always been upfront about the fact that before nominating for parliament, I acted on the best available legal advice which indicated that I had satisfied the eligibility requirements under the Constitution as they have been interpreted for 25 years.

Today, the High Court has set a new precedent. This is a new rule and I respect this rule without qualification. As a consequence of today's decision, I will be resigning from my seat as the federal member for Braddon. I will be writing to you, Mr Speaker, to advise you of my resignation. I will nominate for preselection to contest the election in the seat of Braddon. The people in my community deserve a representative that cares about them, respects them and listens to them. This is what I have done and what I will continue to do.

I am proud of the fact that one of the first things I was able to achieve after being elected was to successfully advocate on behalf of local farmers for an inquiry to get to the bottom of the floods that devastated the livelihoods and lives of my local communities. I am proud of the fact that my office has been able to assist hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Braddon. I'm proud of the fact that I have been the first member of parliament in my electorate in generations to take mobile offices to our outlying communities in the far North West and West Coast. I am proud of the fact that I've been able to advocate on behalf of our local fishers, farmers, miners, foresters and industry, our pensioners, and people who feel they don't have a voice. But I also know there is much more to be done. The people of Braddon deserve a government that invests in them and puts them first. That is what a Shorten government will do.

I have been privileged to have been given roles and responsibilities within the Shorten opposition caucus as the deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources and secretary of the Labor caucus's Australian Jobs Taskforce. I want to thank my caucus colleagues for their unwavering support and mentoring, a united and awesome Labor team. I have been supported by a passionate Labor movement in Tasmania, party members, union members, and, of course, my staff, who go beyond what is required to support me and to help the people of my electorate. This has been hard on my family and has taken a personal toll on all of us, but we will keep fighting. This is bigger than us. It is about giving a voice to those who feel they don't have one. It's about helping people; that's why I am here. It's about making our region, as wonderful as it is, better and better.