Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Medicare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A result of the recent federal electorate changes in South Australia is that, after the next federal election, Parafield Gardens will be in the Makin electorate. Parafield Gardens is a suburb that was largely established in the 1960s and 1970s. It became home to people from all walks of life and from across the world. Today it is a wonderful example of cultural diversity at its best. It is a community I know well, having served as Mayor of Salisbury for 10 years. My association with the Parafield Gardens communities has continued through the many Parafield Gardens friends and acquaintances that I have made over the years, and those friendships remain and are as strong as ever.

This is a community of people who work hard. They look to government for a good health system that they can have confidence in; education for their children that results in a rewarding career; secure jobs with fair pay; a social system that recognises the hardships faced by pensioners, people with a disability and those out of work; and an opportunity for young couples to own their own home. These are all core responsibilities of government which I will continue to stand up for, as I always have, and which are being lost today under the present government. Indeed, for many of the families that live in Parafield Gardens, their lives have become even more difficult because of the policies of the Turnbull government.

And I note that being in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, with the closure of General Motors Holden, finding work has become even more difficult for many of them. These are people who, in many cases, come from overseas and don't have the skills and qualifications to be able to get a job whenever and wherever they choose, and so the manufacturing decline and demise in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, as a result of the policies of this government, have deeply affected them. These are people who need a new direction by a government, and one which Labor has already committed to. We have made it absolutely clear that the priorities that I outlined earlier will be the priorities of a Labor government, if it is to be elected.

If I am re-elected at the next election, I look forward to representing the people of Parafield Gardens in the federal parliament and ensuring that their needs are not ignored. I also look forward to meeting more of the local residents over the coming weeks as I interact with them, knowing that I'm standing for election and hoping to be their representative after the next election.