Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the honourable member for Fowler, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech. I ask the House to extend to her the usual courtesies.

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

Mr Speaker, thank you for welcoming me into this place. I feel blessed that I am able to stand here today in the 47th Parliament of Australia.

Before I begin I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, the traditional custodians of the Canberra region. I pay my respects to the elders past and emerging and to all of Australia's Indigenous peoples. I also wish to pay my respects to the Cabrogal people of the Dharug nation as the first inhabitants of the electorate of Fowler.

My name is Dai Trang Le. I'm an Australian of Vietnamese heritage and a refugee who escaped war-torn Vietnam with her family in April 1975 as a child.

Toi ten la Dai Trang Le, toi la mot nguoi Uc goc Viet, va mot nguoi ti nan, da vuot bien voi me toi va hai dua em sau gia phong vao thang 4 nam 1975 khi toi con nho.

I'm humbled that my community has chosen me to represent them. It will be hard to express in words how grateful I am for this unbelievable opportunity and tremendous responsibility, but I will try. I never set out to be a politician. I only want to be a strong advocate for a community that has been neglected and abandoned by the major parties. Mr Speaker, I started that journey nearly 14 years ago today and I'm ready to make sure that the people of Fowler have their voices heard.

My electorate of Fowler is named for Elizabeth Lilian Maud Fowler MBE, 1886 to 1954, for her contribution to local government and in recognition of her role as the first woman mayor in Australia in 1938. She was a trailblazer in local public service, a woman ahead of her time. As someone who comes from and deeply believes in local government I couldn't be more proud to represent Fowler.

Many of my colleagues in this chamber will attest that one of Australia's greatest prime ministers, the honourable Gough Whitlam, proudly represented the people of Fowler, as I do today. I'm sure he would have agreed that, while it is a privilege to represent the people of Fowler, we are not a privileged people. We are the forgotten people, and yet we are the backbone of Australia.

Fowler is an amazingly rich area in culture, talent, people and landscape. We are one of the most culturally diverse electorates in the country. Our residents and families come from more than 130 different cultures around the world and have called Australia home. More than half the population, 52 per cent, were born overseas, and almost 70 per cent speak another language other than English. Nearly 10,000 refugees were resettled in our region, particularly in the Fairfield City Council area, between 2012 and 2017—more than any other city in Australia. Many come seeking opportunities, possibilities and freedom.

We are a settlement city, and proudly so since the Second World War. But a settlement city has its own challenges. We have the third-highest unemployment rate in the country, at almost 10 per cent, which is about three times the national average of 3.5 per cent. Our median income is 20 per cent less than the rest of the nation. Almost 77 per cent of our population live in a family household and at least 20 per cent in a lone household. Forty-two per cent of our residents rent, compared to the New South Wales average of 32.6 per cent.

Our low socioeconomic profile eclipses our resilience, grit and determination. Our people and our families play a critical role in elevating Australia's economy. We are the backbone of the New South Wales economy, if not the country's economy. This was evident during the COVID pandemic, when almost everything came to a halt because our tradies, truck drivers, retail workers, nurses, teachers and office workers were locked down. We weren't allowed to travel beyond the five-kilometre radius from our homes. We were told to get travel permits. We were forced to get tested every three days. We had helicopters flying around our area as well as police on horseback and men in uniforms knocking on people's doors. While the intention was good, we are a city made up of people who have fled tyrannical regimes and war zones, like my own home country. The last time I looked, a government that takes away an individual's liberty to choose how they want to live, work and raise a family was called a communist dictatorship, a political system that my family and I and many other refugees escaped from, especially the Vietnamese Australian community.

But, despite what has been thrown at us from mainstream media over the years, despite the lack of investment in our great city and despite the lack of resources to make life better for our hardworking citizens, our people soldier on, placing their hopes and dream on their children to study well, to do well, to live well and to give back to the community. Not only are we the most resilient, embracing and courageous community, since COVID, we are the most vaccinated and the most tested.

I am so proud to have grown up in this amazing place amongst these amazing people. I have witnessed its growing pains over the years and I am now witnessing its maturity as a cohesive, embracing and accepting multicultural community. Our Fowler electorate stretches from the wonderful Western Sydney Parklands, covering the suburbs of Abbotsbury, Edensor Park, Greenfield Park, St Johns Park, Prairiewood and Bossley Park—where the great Marconi club was born—to the west of the electorate, with families in the suburbs of Bonnyrigg, Mount Pritchard, Cabramatta, Canley Vale, Canley Heights, Fairfield East, Villawood, Carramar and Lansvale enjoying the diversity of cultural cuisines and religious places of worship as well as the Georges River, which connects it to the Chipping Norton Lake.

Like many in the electorate of Fowler, mine is a refugee settlement story. I was seven years old when Saigon fell during the Vietnam War in April 1975.

My mother was forced to flee with my two younger sisters, escaping communism. It was a time of chaos and confusion. I remember running with my mother and two younger sisters, scrambling to make our way onto a boat and pushing through the cries and screams of women and children. I had no idea what was happening. All I can recall are the cries, the panic, the chaos and the one moment on the boat when I turned around to look back at my birth country to try and comprehend what was happening and just saw a big black smoke in the distance.

I remember the moment when I thought we would die, when a huge storm hit our boat. I remember my sister Vi and I hanging on for dear life while my mother held my other sister tightly in her arms, praying with her rosary beads. I remember being soaking wet, lying under the tarp as the ocean hit us and the rain poured down. I remember how my face almost hit the ocean as our boat rocked so hard from the storm. And I remember my mother warning that I had to hold onto my sister and a plastic canister, just in case the boat tipped over, until we could find one another.

Trying to peer through the tarp, all I could hear was the storm, and I was terrified we wouldn't survive because none of us could swim. My mother kept praying, rosary beads in hand, as the boat continued to rock. The ocean was pitch-dark, and all I could think of was that I was going to fall into this black abyss. I kept praying in my heart that, should the boat tip over, I would still be able to hold onto my sister and find my mother. The storm subsided the next morning, but everyone was exhausted. I remember seeing bodies lying on the boat like dead corpses.

I remember the years in refugee camps, dreaming of being able to lie on a proper bed, to have a proper home and to go to a proper school. I remember the moment when we were accepted to be resettled as refugees in Australia, known to many back in refugee camps as the island with the best education system in the world, and I remember, as we stepped out of Kingsford Smith Airport, the feeling of gratitude and freedom. We were filled with hope as we looked out onto a horizon of endless possibilities.

Australia, you welcomed my mother and my family with open arms. You gave us comfort, food and a warm bed to sleep in. I will never forget the love shown to us by Aunty Claudia and Don Smith, who helped my family integrate into the community, and their children, Kylie, Maleea and Matthew, who kindly shared their books, clothes and toys with us. I know that Aunty Claudia is in the public gallery today with her daughter Kylie Williamson and Kylie's husband, Neale Williamson. I want to thank them for their kind and generous hearts, for being there for my mother and sisters as we struggled to rebuild our lives. There weren't any refugee or settlement services around to hold our hands back in those days. It was the kindness and support of people like Claudia and Don Smith and the St Vincent de Paul ladies society that helped us embrace the Australian culture and way of life.

I remember the Feras, who gave my mother her first job cleaning their house and helped us to get settled in. Mr Jim Fera has since passed, but his and his family's was a migrant story—from Italy, he came to Australia, worked hard to build his shoe business and later helped people like my mother. And I remember the Wards, of Scottish ancestry, who introduced me to anzac biscuits and made me feel like I belonged to this new country. This migration story belongs to all of us. It's our story, and we can all be proud to share it. I also want to take this opportunity to pay tribute and acknowledge all of the Australian service men and women who fought for our freedom in Vietnam and who continue to serve us today.

So after all that, how did I get to this place? I entered politics at the community level, fighting for a car park in Cabramatta in 2008, almost exactly 14 years ago to this day. I had just returned from a reporting trip with ABC's Foreign Correspondent when I heard people at Cabramatta markets complaining about the decision by the then state member for Cabramatta to resign soon after she lost her health ministry. The chatter in the markets was that people had voted for her at every election and now she couldn't even deliver a car park for them. After hearing my outrage, my husband suggested I consider being a voice for the community. With no links to political parties or mainstream politics at all, the idea seemed daunting. How could I, a simple ABC reporter back then, do such a thing? I had no idea what was needed to be the voice of the community of Cabramatta. I'll be honest—it was scary.

In 2008, people of diverse backgrounds, and in particular women of colour and those like me, did not feature in mainstream public life. I had no-one to turn to. I had no-one to mentor me nor to guide me on the journey I was about to take. But I took the leap of faith. I was so driven by the feeling of unfairness in how my community were treated as second-class citizens—the fact that my community weren't given a car park when they had been crying out for one for years, and that people had to pay 50c to use the toilet. I advocated strongly for the car park in 2008, which was delivered a few years after, following my election to the local council in 2012. I started my journey with one small step. As Lao Tzu said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.

For me, the decision to go into mainstream politics was easy not because I knew anything about it; rather, it was because I knew nothing about it. At the December 2021 election, just last year, myself and the first Independent mayor, Frank Carbone, joined forces to run an Independent ticket for the election. While our team had managed a small win in 2016, it was a very slim win—250 votes. But last year we won the majority, with 10 of our 13 councillors elected. It was a very significant result, with the first popularly elected mayor with a 75 per cent margin.

It was against this background that we said something had to be done about the move to parachute in a woman, a former Premier, to be our voice in Fowler. We believed that it was time for one of us with lived experience, who'd grown up, worked, lived and spent most of our life in our community fighting and standing up for it—especially over the past couple of years during COVID and lockdown—to represent us. Conversations started among our small team: could we sit back and let our community be taken for granted again? The people of Fowler wanted and needed a representative who came from their community and who would never forget the personal challenges that they faced every day—who had walked in our shoes and been through what we had been through, not just at election time but every day.

As a breast cancer survivor, I have experienced our amazing health system. I can say that in life-and-death situations our public health system is probably the best in the world. It saved me and my mother, who's had three open-heart surgeries. But often it can fail the many other ordinary Australians for simple treatments and services. We have two hospitals in Fowler: one that is heavily resourced, in Liverpool Hospital, and the other that is hardly resourced at all, in Fairfield Hospital. In 2019 I campaigned for Fairfield to get funding in order to have wi-fi, because the hospital didn't have the electricity capacity to enable wi-fi. At the start of this year, while attending one of our amazing cultural events, the lunar new year, I was approached by two young women, who stopped to thank me for campaigning for the improvement to the hospital. They were both specialists and told me that because of my campaigning they were able to treat patients under the basement of the hospital, because it now had air-conditioning.

As long as I'm in this House I will continually ask that both federal and state governments reassess health funding allocations so that they are equally distributed to our hospitals.

Liverpool Hospital, despite the funding, is also overstretched because people and cases are pushed there. As a result, staff are underresourced and stressed and people are not seen on time and get frustrated because of the lack of care and service. This government can do more for families and communities like mine in Fowler. We need funding restored to Fairfield Hospital so that it can cater to the ageing and culturally diverse population and so that it doesn't put pressure on the Liverpool health system.

We have a large percentage of young people in Fowler. Many children of migrants and refugees are moving back into the area to be closer to their ageing parents and more affordable housing, for those who can afford it, and to set up businesses that will allow them the flexibility to spend more time with their families. Fowler has form in small business. There are 13,190 in our division, according to the recent ABS statistics. Small business makes up 98 per cent of all businesses in Fowler.

While the government recently announced the increase in migration places to 195,000 to assist with the skills shortage in Australia, I ask the government to first look locally to address the skills shortage because in my electorate of Fowler there's almost 10 per cent unemployment. I would also like to ask the government to look at the reason why we have skill shortages. I know of qualified people who were forced out of a job because of the vaccine mandate. We need to rethink this and include them back into the workforce. We must learn to live with COVID. We also have migrants and refugees with professional qualifications who are now working in underqualified occupations. We must work to safely create pathways for recognition of their qualifications so that we can engage their skills in our community. If we are to bring in more migrants, the government has the duty to ensure that there are immediate plans to build more housing, more public transport infrastructure and more local services to accommodate this planned increase.

Our community has seen the settlement of almost 10,000 refugees, with no additional funds to hospitals, schools, waste services, roads maintenance, traineeships or job opportunities. While it might sound and feel good to bring in more people, we must ensure that they are set up to succeed and to be included in communities and provided with housing, education and other opportunities. We cannot simply increase migration and then let these new migrants fend for themselves in a foreign country, leaving them feeling marginalised and demonised. It is the responsibility of government to ensure systems and plans are in place to enable a productive, cohesive and connected society.

I want to see the Fowler community prosper. We have people who are willing and ready to work. So we're looking to the future of technology and IT hubs in Fowler as part of the three cities plan. We want to be the bridge between business and diverse communities to build wealth for our communities and our country.

Our electorate has produced some of the best, diverse talent in Australia. In sports, we have Mark Bosnich, Steve Smith and Michael Clarke. In food, we have Luke and Pauline Nguyen, whose parents opened one of the first pho shops, a Vietnamese soup, in Cabramatta for the Vietnamese community. We have Angie Hong, the founder of Cabramatta's landmark restaurant Thanh Binh, and her son, Dan, an Australian chef, restaurateur and television host of The Streets with Dan Hong on SBS Food. In the creative space, we have the talented Maria Tran, the Asian-Australian woman who started a female action film movement that challenges gender stereotypes.

We must invest in our children. It's our job to plant the seeds of success today for a future Australia that we can all celebrate. I will work towards getting many of our local schools into permanent buildings. Nobody should have to go to school in demountables for years. Our education system should be ready technology-wise so that young children can tap into the future of work. Is our educational system fit for the future of work? My son is currently studying second year at university, and he told me many students are given videos to watch as part of their lectures. There are hardly any student-lecturer interactions. Since COVID, many young people are finding that they're no longer connected to what's presented to them on a laptop. Young people must be supported as they struggle to study, to find work and to figure out their place in this fast-paced, social media driven world that we're now living in. Increasing traineeships, apprenticeships and internships will encourage and provide the platform and resources for our youth to be innovative so that they can add value to solving some of the world's problems. We need funding to build facilities that will care for our elderly, especially those from culturally- and linguistically-diverse backgrounds, who are often forgotten. We need to plan for equitable, accessible and affordable health services for those with special needs and for the vulnerable.

So I'm here to represent the families of Fowler—those who wake up early every morning; the working people; the people trying to juggle a mortgage and pay rent, or work in a factory or run a family business, all while getting their young educated. I am their voice. We have often been misrepresented and misunderstood. But get to know us and you'll see we are more than a headline. We are so much more. I'm here to fight for resources, for facilities and for funds for my community. Fowler, you fought for me and stood up for me, and I will stand up for you so that our children will not be forgotten and overlooked. As long as I have the honour to represent the Fowler community in this House, you will hear me calling out for the funding we need for our children, for our education and health, and for local services that we deserve.

To my people—my community of Fowler—I wouldn't be standing here in this 47th Parliament without you. I'm here to serve you with integrity and transparency. I'm accountable to you. Know that I will fight for our rights to celebrate and promote the amazing cultural diversity that this country has afforded us. And I will also stand up to defend our freedom to express our different perspectives and thinking, and to share our ideas with respect for each other. No one human being can be, think and experience life like another, not even in a close-knit family. And know that, of the 151 members of parliament, we have achieved the most unique result. I can say with my hand on my heart that you, the people, delivered me. It was not any major parties, nor any funders. It's you, the community, and my family's mortgage!

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, as well as the many people who have been on this mad journey with me for the past decade. I'm standing alone in this chamber today, but on my journey to this place I have been accompanied by many. I must thank all the people who have been with me on my journey for the past decade: Katrina Le, Sue Lee Lim, Ken Chapman, Julie Tagg, Geoff Davis, Charlie Lynn, Andrew Rohan, Charbel Saliba, Raymond Pham, Thomas Dang, Leonard Sii, Bailey Wang, Anna Duong, Son Brown, Wendy Chuyen and Gwen Riley. And to my current team at the council, Kevin Lam, Ugo Morvillo, Reni Barkho and Milovan Karajic: while we only met in recent years, you have given 150 per cent at each election since we met. And the same to these community members: Ninos Younan, Tiglat Rommel, Monica Falco, Julianna Falco, Bao Nguyen, Thy Ha, Samantha Bun, Julie Dang, Michael Mijatovic, Linh Podetti, Jennifer Cao, Jacqui Ashley, Anderson Chen, Pat Sergi, Lytha and Holly Khorn, Laith Alchino, Samir Yousif, Immanuel Sada, Adem Setinay and Sinilia Radivojevic. And to the numerous volunteers who travelled from all across Australia to support our campaign, I offer a huge and heartfelt thankyou.

Politics is a lonely journey, as many of you in this chamber would attest. Someone can be your closest ally one minute and your enemy the next. It changes like the flick of a switch. Finding someone to trust and work through the political labyrinth with is not easy. There are trials and errors. I'm lucky to have found a great and trusted team in my councillor colleagues, but there's one person who has been on that political journey with me, fighting the enemies as well as delivering for the community since we got on council: my council colleague, the Mayor of Fairfield City, Frank Carbone. Mr Carbone's endorsement of me to the community at the May 2022 election played a key role in my success in Fowler. He has the support of many in our city and region. Thank you, Frank!

To my family—my sisters Vi Le, Thuy Vi Le and Jaycie Le, and to my mother, who all never, ever doubted me and have always been there for me—I'm sorry I've been an absent sister and daughter. To my sister Vi and her husband, Alan Morris, in particular: you've always been there, willing to help, whenever I reach out, without complaint or criticism. Thank you for your unconditional support, understanding and kindness, and for standing by me throughout my political journey since I began in 2008.

Lastly, and certainly not least, to my beautiful and loving family—the most important of all, my darling son, Ethan Lambert. Ethan started to campaign when he was about five years old, and at every election he was there to help hand out his mother's house-to-vote cards. I love you to the moon and back! Thank you for allowing me to work for the community without demands and judgement. The same goes for my loving and supportive husband, Markus Lambert. 'Thank you' is not enough for all that you have done to enable me to pursue my public life and to be of service to the people of Fowler. I am grateful that you have been willing to put up our personal finances and took huge risks to enable me to reach this milestone. I know you have made huge personal sacrifices for the greater good of the community. The almost-weekly and weeknight functions that I have to attend mean that you had to make your own dinner and look after the house and the family, which includes our two dogs, Bella and Clancy. I'm grateful for your unwavering and unconditional support. Thank you for believing in me, thank you for letting me be me; for igniting my passion and never, ever trying to dim my light. I love you both so much!

I began my journey in this place in the same way I began my life in public service: with hope, with passion and with relentless commitment to do what is right for the people who live in the electorate of Fowler. The people of Fowler are my people. Our story belongs to every Australian. Mr Speaker, thank you for your time.

An incident having occurred in the gallery—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would invite members of the gallery to resume their seats. The question is that the address be agreed to. Before I call the honourable member for Cunningham, I remind the House that this the honourable member's first speech and I asked the House to extend to them the usual courtesies.

Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and congratulations on your election as Speaker. Your energy, your kindness and the tone you have set will help our parliament be dignified and respectful. I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal people, and also of the lands of the Cunningham electorate, the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal nation.

Today is a significant day for the Illawarra. It is the day that the late Fred Moore would have turned 100. Fred was a fierce local unionist, activist, teacher, mentor, feminist, miner, musician, boxer, husband, father, grandfather and honorary elder of the Jerringas tribe. He cared about people, social justice and equality. A foundation member of the Illawarra Aboriginal Advancement League, Fred would be so proud that we are enacting the Uluru Statement from the Heart and moving quickly to create an Indigenous voice to parliament. One of Fred's five daughters, Sue, who is here with us today, said to me when I was preparing this speech, 'You have the right principles and sense of social justice; you can't go wrong with that.'

In paying tribute to Fred Moore, I gratefully acknowledge the work over many years of union members and leaders in the Illawarra. Their activism has led directly to changes in policy in response to industrial accidents like the 1887 Bulli mine disaster and the 1902 Mount Kembla mine disaster, battles like the Dalfram dispute in 1938 and the campaign by migrant women to work at the BHP steelworks in the 1980s known as the Women of Steel dispute. I thank Robynne Murphy for her support and for telling the story of these women through the Women of Steel documentary. These events shaped our community and our workplaces, contributing to the Illawarra's unique character.

I thank wholeheartedly my good friends in the Illawarra union movement for their support and friendship over the years: Arthur Rorris and Tina Smith, from the South Coast Labour Council; Rob Pirc and Brad Gibson, from the TWU; Tara Koot and Ellen McNally, from the ETU; Paul Farrow, Chris Newbold, Joe Hutchings and Laurie Gripton, from the AWU; Rudi Oppitz and Mick Jones, from the USU; Bob Timbs and Andy Davey, from the united mine workers union; Mick Cross and Mich-Elle Myers, from the MUA; Rob Long and Lorraine Watson, from the TAFE teachers association; Duncan McDonald, Henry Rajendra, Maurie Mulheron and Angelo Gavrietalos, from the Teachers Federation; Anne Knight, from the SDA; Chris Christodoulou, formerly of Unions NSW and now CEO of Greenacres disability care; and my very good friend Narelle Clay, president of the ASU and CEO of Southern Youth and Family Services, and her amazing team at SYFS.

I also thank Gerard Hayes, Adam Hall, Lynne Russell, Lauren Hutchins, Meri Bosevski and Renee Sheridan, from the HSU, for their tireless support of our local aged-care workers, allied health staff and paramedics. It has been a privilege working with you to develop Labor's aged-care policies—policies we are now implementing due to the hard work of previous shadow minister Clare O'Neil and our new minister, Anika Wells. I would also like to thank Andrew Dettmer and Ian Curry, from the AMWU; Mark Burgess, formerly of the ETU; and Brad Parker, from Mates in Construction, for their friendship and sharing their knowledge of apprentice policy.

My mum, Petronella—or Pem, as she is known to everyone—has a familiar story of the Illawarra. She migrated from Holland when she was in primary school, starting her life at the Scheyville migrant centre before moving to Bondi, where her parents operated a delicatessen, and then on to Coalcliff seven years later. I grew up in Woonona, a typical Australian suburb, and I went to Woonona Public and Woonona High. We grew up in a house that my late father, Ron, was converting from three old flats. Like painting the Harbour Bridge, it was an ongoing project. For much of my childhood we had no proper flooring and no plaster on the walls, and electricity switches hung out of the walls—Dad was a sparky. Dad worked in the mines and was in and out of work, a common experience as the Illawarra suffered the harsh economic winds that blew through coal and steelmaking in the 1980s. Mum and Dad often struggled to keep our home, and Mum would try to convince us that lambs fry was steak when stretching the family budget—not terribly well!

At times it was really tough, and it's an experience you don't forget. It is why, throughout my working life, I have stood up and helped workers and vulnerable people. Worrying about the future of your job, paying the mortgage and putting food on the table can become overwhelming. I will always work for more jobs and investment in the Illawarra. I want people to be secure in their work and able to take up opportunities as they arise.

Dad dreamed big. He loved innovation and new technology. When he could afford it, he was an early adopter. Sometimes he got it right. We were one of the first houses in Woonona to have solar panels, in the 1980s, and we had an Apple IIe computer. Sometimes he missed the mark, like choosing Beta over VHS! He argued passionately that Beta was technically superior. Many hits with the occasional miss: it's the story of human progress.

My formative years were a mix of school, surf, sun, work at McDonald's and some standard teenage rebellion. In reflecting on my upbringing, I couldn't help thinking of Puberty Blues, by great Australian author Kathy Lette. It was a coming-of-age story, and I saw myself in it. I could never understand why as a young woman I was encouraged to do sewing and home economics, why when I came first in computer studies in years 9 and 10 the boys I beat were still lauded as computer geniuses. We girls could never understand why we had to wear scungies for school sport, effectively running around in a T-shirt and underwear. When confronted with leaking lights, we organised and forced teachers to teach us outside. We drew attention to the problem and worked together to get it fixed in what would now be described as student activism. At the time, we didn't have a label for it. We were simply looking for fairness.

The determination for a better deal and fairness are things I have pursued throughout my life. I am not willing to see people treated poorly just because they are vulnerable. Socially, my experience was relatively smooth, but not all of my classmates could say the same. I watched the struggles of three of my friends, who were gay and could never dream of coming out in high school. Thankfully, we have made progress. They are all now out and proud and living their best lives. They include Daniel Mahe and his partner, Patrick, who are here in the gallery today.

Others in this place typically left school to go to university. I left school early in year 11. My parents were clear, though: leaving meant going into training or getting a job. I did a business administration course and got my first full-time job as the accountant's assistant for New South Wales Labor. After a year and a half of commuting to Sydney, I was fortunate to obtain a job as an electorate officer with the then federal member for Macarthur, Professor the Hon. Stephen Martin AO. Stephen went on to represent Cunningham, and I also acknowledge Stephen's predecessor in Cunningham, my friend Stewart West, and his wife, Mary Paris. It was in Stephen's office that I learned the importance of good local representation, and I thank him for the opportunities he gave me. They led me here today.

It was also where I learnt the importance of punctuality, a good work ethic and fixing problems. It's been said that I'm like a dog with a bone when it comes to fixing people's problems—sometimes as a compliment, sometimes not! It was that determination which equipped me for the role, being willing to advocate hard for people who needed help from government. Constituents are often angry, distressed or both when they approach their local MP for help, because they have been let down by the system. If people come to me for help or advocacy, they get it in spades. For example, my good friends Professor Justin Yerbury AO, a recent Eureka Prize recipient for his MND research, and his amazing wife, Dr Rachel Yerbury, have fought so many exhausting battle toss get access to decent services and support for Justin, who has motor neurone disease and is manually ventilated and in a wheelchair. These were fights they should not have been forced to have. Or there are Susan, Mark and Sophie Wallis, who I met with their gorgeous Gracie—forceful advocates for a better deal for people with a disability. It has been a privilege to advocate for you. I share your stories to demonstrate our need to fix the system so people can concentrate on caring for loved ones, not bureaucratic battles.

I will work hard to improve the NDIS to make it work for Australians with disability. Minister Bill Shorten has already started this work. I will work hard to implement our reforms to aged care to provide better care for older Australians. I will work hard to improve access to primary health care with an Illawarra Medicare urgent care centre. It will give people a bulk-billed service and help reduce waiting times at Wollongong Hospital ED. I will work to implement our housing policies so that more people have a roof over their head. My motto as a staffer was always 'Apologise for the failure of the system, empathise and act, but never overpromise.' As my close friend Chris Lacey says, 'Be a good human, know your stuff and get good stuff done.'

For the past 17 years, I worked for Sharon Bird in her electorate and ministerial offices. Sharon is one of the most phenomenal people I know. She cares about people, cares about her community and has a unique way of bringing people together. My approach will also be working to bring people together. I thank Sharon for her support, encouragement and being one of my best mates. She hated it when I called her my boss. The opportunity she provided also led me here.

I also thank my former colleague and mate of 30 years Gino Mandarino. Gino is a strong supporter of women, pushing us to do better, aim higher and not take rubbish from people. Your friendship and support are valued and appreciated. I also thank Sharon and Gino's grandchildren, Anton and Sienna, two of my youngest supporters. Gino and my husband, Paul Scully, are my toughest critics but also my strongest supporters, a powerful mix. I have known Scully for 30 years. We grew up in young Labor together and were great mates before we fell in love in 2004 and married in Las Vegas in 2008. I'm sure I'm going to regret saying this, but Scully is one of the smartest, most caring and passionate people I know! He both infuriates me and inspires me, sometimes simultaneously. He is also my best mate, and I am pleased we will work together with our community to help set up our region for the decades ahead.

Now, my very long list of thankyous. As Hillary Clinton said, it does take a village. Firstly, the people I have called on for support daily over the past year and shared adventures with prior to that: Kathryn Conroy, loyal, fun, smart and one of my best mates. I am so very grateful for your advice and friendship. You, your sister, Paula, and your mum, Margarete—or Mrs C—make a very formidable family of strong women.

To Richard Brooks and Nelson Tang—Nelson, like Madonna or Kylie, only needs one name, as everyone knows Nelson: I appreciate your very frank advice, particularly from Richard, who is never shy with his opinion. You are my two fiercest fashion critics but also two great mates.

To Thomas and Libby Moorhead: your friendship and support over many years is so very much appreciated and cemented over problem-solving with bubbles and burgers. I thank Thomas for fighting with me for better pay and conditions for staff and for helping me set up my office.

To Mitch O'Dwyer and Caitlin Roodenrys, my campaign director, field director and great friends: thank you so much for your time, your kindness, your advice and your support. A huge thank you to Monika, Marta and Ellen for giving up your husband and dad to help me and for bringing the fun to the campaign meetings. Caitlin is a fearless young woman with strong ethics and has a great future in front of her.

Thank you to my campaign team: Geordie Horan, Nathan Brown, Kate Pasterfield and Izzy and Sam Cork. I really appreciate the time you invested in me. I especially thank my new office team: Chris Bird, Frances Kerkham, Idalina Guerreiro, Callum Bain, Hanaa El-Bashir and Cheyne Howard. I'm forever grateful to you for all of your work in setting up the office and the long hours and commitment you are already devoting to our constituents.

I also want to thank my local parliamentary colleagues and their teams who stood on pre-poll and street stalls with me: Stephen Jones; Fiona Phillips; Ryan Park, whose wife, Kara, and son, Preston, are here today; Tania Brown, Janice Kershaw, Richard Martin, David Brown, Ann Martin and Linda Campbell. Thank you also to Bianca Goncalves and Adam Devereaux for your friendship, support and encouragement. Bianca has been my best mate since primary school where we were known as 'the shadows' as we were rarely apart. Thank you to Kiley Martin for being another best mate over so many years. Kiley is another provider of full and frank advice. I seem to have quite a few of those in my life!

A huge thank you to our local branch members and the mighty Illawarra Young Labor. You phone banked, and you stood in shocking weather on street stalls, pre-poll and that rainy cold election day. There are too many of you to name individually—many of you are in the gallery today—but you and I know who you are, and I'm forever grateful to you.

To a few that have provided strong friendship and support over many years and have campaigned with me almost daily include Nick and Judy Whitlam, Lynne Fairey, Ian Turton, Jim Allen, Paul and Kay Tuckerman, Bob and Ann Bower, Bev and Kev Reed, Neil Barnett, David Campbell, Michael Meurer, Kristen Wall, Carol Martin, Tim Coombs, Elizabeth Osbourne, Graham Kahabka, Chris Lacey, Kerryn Stephens, Naomi Arrowsmith, Ron Watt, Blake Osmond, Elisa Delpiano, Therese Smith, Tom Ward, Bill and Michele Stephens, and Michael and Norma Wilson. And I would particularly acknowledge two of my favourite branch members: Annie Wilcox and her great mate Stella Chapman.

I also want to thank Bob Nanva, Dom Ofner, Alex Costella and Liam Rankine for working hard to ensure that New South Wales Labor is a respectful, ethical and fair organisation—and a winning one.

To Amanda Fazio, Cassandra Wilkinson, Paul McLeay and David Latham: thank you for being fearless and always standing up for what is right.

Thank you to Jessica Malcolm-Roberts and to Kaila Hollywood for sending me beautiful pictures of your lovely baby girls, Alexis Malcolm-Roberts and Ella Hollywood, during the campaign.

I also thank local oncologist and champion for local cancer services Professor Phil Clingan and his wife, Margaret, for their strong support. Also thanks to Fay Campbell and Michele Saunders, whose fight for our hospitals reminds us all about the true nature of care. These champions work hard to try and stop people being taken by cancer too young, like my good friends Toni Neuman, Campbel Giles and Louise Biggs were.

Thank you to my friends at Bellambi Surf Club, including Craig Kershaw, John Hobbs and Tara Robertson; Paul Boultwood, from Corrimal Chamber of Commerce; Renay, Bruce and the whole Horton team from All Occasions Flowers; Kevin Crane and Nat Smith from Broken Glass Hair; Kylie Montgomery from One Cake Down; Wayne and Jane Henderson from Tonnito's Cakes; and Ash and Charlie from Port Beirut for their strong support as well. And I can't forget the support provided by my long-time friends Michael Crowe, Bec Lea and their children Tara and Ewan.

I also thank some of my colleagues who gave me advice and support over many years. Julia Gillard has been a friend and an inspiration. I will never forget her leadership advice and kind messages of support. And I am thrilled that Anthony Albanese, who I have worked with during my entire time in the Labor Party, has become our Prime Minister. Like me, he doesn't forget where he comes from or the life experiences that have instilled the values he brings to the prime ministership.

I also thank my long-term friends Michelle Rowland, Milton Dick, Joanne Ryan, Tanya Plibersek, Tony Burke, Tony Sheldon, Jim Chalmers, Brendan O'Connor, Sharon Claydon, Mike Freelander, Anne Stanley, Amanda Rishworth, Jason Clare, Emma McBride, Meryl Swanson, Matt Thistlethwaite and my new class of 2022.

I also thank former members Chris Hayes and his wife, Bernadette, Gai Brodtmann, Wayne Swan, Laurie Brereton, Leo McLeay, Peter Garrett, Craig Emerson and Tracey Winters, and Laurie Ferguson and his wife, Maureen.

I thank friends from the New South Wales parliament, Anoulack Chanthivong and his wife, Anna, and children Audrey and Christopher, Aaron Rule, Greg Warren, Lynda Voltz, Trish Doyle and Yasmin Catley. I also thank former senator Kim Carr and his fabulous staff who taught me so much with a lot of fun along the way.

I thank Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith, Emily Forrest, Fiona Scott, John Byron, John Angley, Gary Moorhead, Christopher Anderson, Ray Cassin and Ellie Hughes, and also Fiona Bastian and Sam Cardwell and their super cool son Hamish Cardwell. And there's another special shout-out to Justine Elliot and Team Tweed—Craig, Alex and Joe Elliot, Kylie Rose, Reece Byrnes and Gerry Ambrosine.

I would also like to thank my family—my mum, Pem, and late father, Ron. Unfortunately, mum is not in the gallery today but she is watching at home—thank you for your love and support. I also thank my brother Colin, Karen, Kimberley and Caelan, and my in laws, Inta and Ian, Jane, Boyd, Annabelle and Max, and Glen, Rosie and Timothy.

A special thank you to my aunt Edith and cousins Leah Marley and Laura-Jean Gulley, and campaign dog Fabian. Leah has travelled from America to be here today. Edith and I are early risers and our early morning chats are very much appreciated.

I absolutely loved my career as a staffer—all 29 years and 11 months of it. I was proud to represent staff as a USU delegate and staff representative.

I thank USU secretary Graeme Kelly for his support in helping the amazing staff here in the parliament. I have been overwhelmed by the messages of support, good wishes and volunteers from hundreds of current and former colleagues.

It was suggested to me that it would be easier to table this list, but, given the contribution these talented, kind, hardworking and fun people have made to this place, our community and our country, they deserve to be acknowledged and thanked individually: Angie, Michael and Riley Sidonio; Andrew 'Bigtop' 'Topper' Moore; Cora Trevarthen; Andrew Reeves; Ben Rillo; Tania Drewer; Lou Cullen; Bernie Shaw; Christina Valentine; Nimfa Farrell; Koula Alexiadas; Andrew Downes; Owen Torpy; Laura Ryan; Odette Visser and her husband, Andrew Greene; Michelle Fitzgerald; Vicki Fitzgerald; Shannon Threlfall-Clarke; Ryan Liddell; Ann Clark; Denise Spinks; Debra Biggs; Drew Eppelstun; Hayden Gray; Sav Chirumbolo; Liz Bateson; Maree Edwards; Erin Smith; Kylie Jenkins; Anna George; Nina Gerace; Barb Pini; Jennilyn Mann; Samantha Miles; Theresa Lane; Kim Pagan; James Bartlett; Nicole Duffy; Adam Boidin; Mitch Wright; Arley Black; Jennifer Light; Todd Pinkerton; Chris Fry; Meredith Horne; Georgie Slater; Zach Alexopoulos; Brydon Toner; Bryce Wilson; Nick Melas and Poppy Melas; David Voltz; Jane Shelton; Justin Lee; Vicki Meadows and Anthony Cawthorne; Gai Coglan and Greg Sweeney; Simon Zulian; Rose Tracey; Jeff Singleton; Alex Sanchez; Phoebe Drake; Jarrod Delapina; Simon Tatz and Amanda Bresnan; Matt and Elsie Ryan; Jim Middleton; Darrin Barnett; Leigh Heaney; Katana Smith; Polo Guilbert-Wright; Ross Neilson; Dave Britton—I'm nearly there!—Jamie Snashell; Simon Banks; Chris and Antony Brereton; Helen Nezeritis; Kirsten Andrews; Brett Gale; Korena Flanagan; Sarah Michaels; Amber Setchell; Prue Mercer; Sandra Webber; Dimity Paul; Trish Marinozzi; Chris Parkin; Darren Rudd; Jenelle, Rod, Jordan and Cameron Rimmer; Mel and Nick Haskew; BJ Roberts; Dionne Garcia; and Donna Tetley; as well as Tate, Tahlea-Rose and baby Oliver; and Gail Morgan, Jason Smart and Amelia Cossey. I was with Amelia's parents on the night she was born and have watched her grow into a gorgeous, smart and sassy young lady. Her mum and I are both terrified and excited to see what her future holds.

We have come a long way since I started here in the 1990s. Staff are having their voices heard—particularly female staff. I am confident that, under Prime Minister Albanese, Special Minister of State Don Farrell and the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Tim Gartrell, this will continue to improve.

For years I have advocated passionately to get outcomes for people. I care about people. I care about their jobs. I care about our environment. And I promise to work hard to kick goals for our community. I will never let the Illawarra be ignored.

Our community is suffering from nearly 10 years of a government that gave up on us. It left us in a terrible state, with debt, inflation and stagnant wages, having failed people and ignored action on climate change. Addressing the gender pay gap and women's workforce participation were reduced to a talking point—if that.

To much relief, the election of the Albanese Labor government has ended that sad era. We pushed for a pay rise for low paid workers. We'll put humanity back into aged and disability care and train Australians for the jobs of the future. And I'll make sure the Illawarra gets its fair share. I support action on climate change, structured to create jobs while reducing emissions.

The Illawarra has long been a place of steel, mining and heavy industry. Our deep-water port and world-class university provide enviable connections to the globe. We stand ready to be leaders in achieving net zero emissions by 2050. We stand ready to use our skills to produce high quality steel in a more sustainable way. It will be used to build the renewable energy and transmission infrastructure we need to power homes and industries. The government's early actions to rebuild Australia's global reputation sends clear signals to business and industry.

Wollongong community, business and union leaders understand the importance of workers and businesses having the skills for the modern economy. We have a skills crisis in renewable energy. Three in four solar companies struggle to recruit electricians. Experience in renewables is the main obstacle. Wollongong can play a major role in supplying that highly skilled workforce.

To support this aspiration and build workforce and small business capacity, I have secured an Energy Futures Skills Centre for the University of Wollongong and a renewable energy training centre for Wollongong TAFE. They will cooperate to put the Illawarra front and centre of our cleaner economy and jobs future. I thank the University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor, Patricia Davidson; Canio Fierravanti; Ty Christopher; and the Executive Director of Business Illawarra, Adam Zarth, for their help and advice.

I also thank Stephen Ferguson from the Australian Hotels Association. He recently came to Wollongong and met with Ryan and Nikki Aitchison from the Illawarra Hotel and saw some of the amazing things our local businesses are doing to repair the environment. They have just employed a sustainability officer at the pub.

We also need to focus on education—from early childhood education to primary and high schools, TAFE and universities. As I said earlier, my educational path was not the traditional one. After a sizeable gap, and with the encouragement of my friends at the university, I completed a master's degree. It was daunting, but I am the better for it and proof that education is a lifelong project.

My commitment is to deliver for our region. I have secured a community battery for Warrawong, a community with low household incomes, allowing those who cannot afford to invest in their own solar panels to share in the benefit. I have fought for our area to become one of six potential offshore wind generation zones, which can help make Wollongong a jobs powerhouse, providing opportunities and further investment. I thank Minister Chris Bowen and his team, including Andrew Garrett and Tom Skladzien, who are setting a cracking pace to get our grid to 82 per cent renewables by 2030. The Illawarra is innovative, tough and clever, and I am optimistic about what we will achieve. Combining renewable energy training centres and our manufacturing skills with offshore wind generation prepares our region to be a centre of energy and economic innovation—a place which attracts, trains and retains the brightest minds.

I have often been asked why I wanted to enter parliament. People thought, having worked here and seen some of the worst elements, I might be turned off. But it is for that very reason that I am here—because we can and should do better, much better. Australians don't expect us to agree all the time, but they do expect us to get on with the job of being decent people and achieving good outcomes. I do not shy away from my history as a staffer or from the things that made me the determined person I am today. Together we can provide better opportunities for workers and their families. We can do so in a way where economic and environmental sustainability are at the heart of our actions and in a way that makes sure people are not left behind. We can elevate our influence on the world stage.

Wollongong has changed since I was born, but our community values endure like hardened steel. They are founded on the need to trust your mates in dangerous workplaces, to understand your neighbour who was born in a different part of the world and to know that fairness should guide decision-making. To continue this, to fix it, to build on it, to harness it and to grow it are the reasons I sought election. When I was elected, my good friends Luke and Renee Toy sent me a quote from President John F Kennedy's inaugural speech. I cannot think of a better way of ending my first contribution: 'But let us begin.' I thank the House.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the honourable member for Chisholm, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech, and I ask the House to extend to them the usual courtesies.

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

I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land upon which we meet today, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, and pay respects to elders past, present and emerging. First Nations people have cared for our precious land and waters for over 60,000 years. I'm proud to be part of an Australian government that knows that it is vital for healing and respect that we recognise First Nations people in our Constitution and implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart, that's working to deliver voice, treaty and truth. I also acknowledge the Bunurong and Wurundjeri people, who are the traditional owners of the beautiful land and waters in my electorate of Chisholm.

When we are in this chamber, we must always remember that we sit here not merely as individuals; we are here as proxies for our communities, to carry the torch for our communities, to champion our communities. We carry the hopes and the fears of our electorates into this place and are charged with ensuring that those fears are eased and those hopes are pursued.

I stand now in this chamber with the hopes and the fears of my community firmly in my mind. I think of Pat and John, who I met just near the Wattle Park shops and who invited me to sit with them on the sun-drenched deck at the back of their house on a beautiful autumn morning. They shared with me their fears for the future of their grandchildren if we do not act on climate change, if we do not do more to make our democratic systems accountable and make parliamentarians act with integrity. I am here because I want to give Pat and John, their grandchildren and everyone in my community hope that an Australian government will act to ensure the wellbeing of our planet and will restore faith in politics.

I stand in this chamber and think of Roger, a proud Australian of Chinese heritage, who worries that communities across the country have become divided, who is passionate about the need to ensure that everyone, no matter where they may have been born or their ancestors came from, is embraced and included in Australian society. I stand in this chamber to assure Roger that diversity is our nation's greatest strength, and I am proud of the rich multiculturalism in Chisholm.

Time spent in my community is time spent celebrating the contributions of the people who have made modern Australia and their cultures. The triumph of multiculturalism, of enterprise, of community is evident in our suburbs when tasting Chinese cuisine in Box Hill, shopping for spices at Sri Lankan grocery stores near Syndal Station, playing cricket in the park with local Indian families in Burwood and enjoying the bountiful supply of zucchinis and figs from Italian and Greek neighbours in Clayton.

I stand in this chamber and think of Angie, an 11-year-old girl from Mount Waverley, whose hope encouraged me. I remember, on a particularly long day in the middle of the campaign, opening a letter with neat, careful handwriting that read: 'I just wanted to say that I support you on your journey of good in this world. Even though I can't vote because I'm too young, can I help and support you?' It was signed, 'Angela, your supporter and proud young feminist.' Angie's letter was one of hope for the future, of a nation and a world that is more equal. Angie's words gave me encouragement when I needed it. Her optimism and her spirit will stay with me for as long as I am in this place, and I will strive every day to ensure her hope for a better future is realised through actions.

We come into this place because of the path that was laid in front of us by those who have come before us. My ancestors arrived in this country to seek a better life for themselves and their families. On my father's side, they came to Victoria in the 19th century, and I am proud of their contributions to civic life and my own. On delicate, ageing paper in the archives in my home state, the names of my ancestors can be found on the petition from 1891 to grant Victorian women the right to vote. I'm honoured to be a descendant of Mary and Edith Garland of North Melbourne, who joined with almost 30,000 others to petition the parliament that women should vote on equal terms with men.

An oft-quoted suffragist maxim is: courage calls to courage everywhere, and it is the courage of my forebears to forge change and foster equality that I draw courage from to leave a legacy for those who will come after me. More recently, my mother's family left an Italy brutalised by war for the hope of a better life promised by Australia. They worked hard jobs at a time when Australia was a markedly less multicultural place than it is now, contributing to the post-war reconstruction of our nation as they strove to settle in a strange place.

My nonno loved philosophy and politics. He loved opera, and his talents were considerable. He aspired to use them. It was not until Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister that he was able to when educational opportunities became accessible. He became a much-loved maths teacher at Emmaus in Burwood in my electorate, and this transformed his life, his family's life, my life. This story will be familiar to those who share the postwar migration journey, who experienced the transformation of hope into real opportunity from a Labor government. I want everyone in my community to be supported by their government to pursue their aspirations, just like my own family was. I will always look to open doors, to extend opportunity to my community, so that every single person is able to follow the ambitions they hold for themselves and their families.

My electorate was named for Caroline Chisholm, a remarkable figure through the 19th century who improved the lives of so many in the fledgling European settlements in Australia, especially through her support of women and girls as they forged new lives for themselves in this country. Caroline Chisholm was known as the immigrants' friend, and it is fitting that the electorate which is named for her is home to people who have recent connections to the migrant journey to Australia.

It has been said that Caroline Chisholm's favourite axiom was 'there must be a place for everybody'. This can be taken to mean that everyone has a future in Australia and everybody is valued for their contributions. This example is one I hope to follow—to respect everyone, to recognise the dignity of every person in my community, to work with the community to ensure that there is a place for everyone to learn, to work, to dream and pursue those dreams regardless of where they have come from or who they are. In Australia, everyone should be valued.

Even if you've never visited the suburbs of Chisholm, you might have encountered them for it was in Box Hill in the late 19th century that artists, including Frederick McCubbin, Tom Roberts and Charles Conder, set up camp on a bit of land on David Houston's dairy farm. They painted en plein air there and in surrounding suburbs in my electorate, producing some of the most famous examples of Australian impressionism—the paintings Lost, Down on His Luck and The Artists' Camp. Tom Roberts's Australian pastorals on the land in my electorate show his study of light and shade, and those efforts are evident in his most magnificent work that hangs in the corridors here—Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. And it is the greatest honour to be a member of the 47th Parliament and of a Labor government.

Whilst Chisholm might look a bit different now, the remarkable contribution to cultural life continues in my electorate through the groups that meet at the beautiful Box Hill Community Arts Centre, through the talented locals who show their art at the Track Gallery in Mount Waverley or take classes at Amaroo Neighbourhood Centre, and through the Monash Gallery of Art housed in a spectacular Seidler space in Wheelers Hill. Our electorate is the place the Skyhooks and the Living End had their start and the place where Maton guitars are manufactured. Our electorate is the place my own very first ballet concerts were performed, at the Alexander Theatre—my small contribution to the cultural history of our community.

The arts enrich us, and I am proud of the place my community has in our nation's cultural history and I am sure in our nation's cultural future. I am thrilled to be a part of a government—a Labor government—that will deliver the first cultural policy our country has seen in almost a decade.

Like the arts, education transforms and enriches our lives. I'm proud of the extraordinary contribution my community makes in developing skills, in providing educational opportunities and in fostering the ideas that will keep this nation smart, strong and successful. We are home to two universities—Monash and Deakin—several TAFE campuses and excellent schools. People want to be a part of our community because of the value we place on education, because of the chance a good education offers to build a good life and contribute to a robust democracy. All levels of education are important, from the earliest years onwards. Everyone should have access to the finest educational opportunities at all stages of life.

I am forever grateful for the education—the keys to the kingdom—I've received in this country and for the teachers who cultivated my curiosity, like Mrs Kennedy, my English and history teacher and now one of my constituents. It was so lovely receiving correspondence from her during my campaign and it reminded me that the course of my life may have been very different if it were not for teachers like her. I received my undergraduate education at Monash University, and as I now move through the campus as the elected representative for that part of Melbourne I reflect on my own journey through Australia's higher education system. I studied the humanities and social sciences because critical thinking, the capacity to analyse and to have empathy, matters in a healthy society. I was encouraged in my studies by accomplished academics and was so very lucky to be awarded a scholarship to study a PhD at the University of Sydney.

I hope to bring the skills that I was taught there to this place. I'm passionate about ensuring we have a robust higher education system that values intellectual curiosity and supports people to think, to experiment and to create new ideas, systems and solutions. Intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of ideas have been maligned by some, but I'm hopeful and ambitious for Australia and know that the courage to follow the thread of a new idea to imagine possibilities that improve our lives is to be valued, supported and funded. Researchers and teachers must be offered security in their work, time and space to think and to develop their minds and those of scholars that come after them. If we are not intellectually curious, if we do not protect the independence of research and truly nurture scholarship and academia, society stands still, moribund from a poverty of ideas that demeans us all.

My electorate is home to the CSIRO and to the Australian Synchrotron, and the power of ideas in these institutions to change our lives, to save our lives and to discover previously unknown mysteries of the universe, as well as enrich our minds and our spirits, is immense. I'm not afraid of ideas. I'm not afraid of imagining new possibilities for what our society could be like, spurred on by the chance to contribute to a better, fairer country. The process of learning never ends. It gives me great joy to learn from my community and my colleagues, to hear different perspectives and to listen to novel ideas. It's something I look forward to each day.

The craft of a skilled trade too must be valued, supported and funded. The Holmesglen campuses in my community are exemplars of innovative teaching and excellence in teaching, with the world-class Victorian Tunnelling Centre in Chadstone a source of enormous pride, giving so many in our suburbs remarkable skills, the skills that mean they can build the projects that will define our cities in the future. Whether there's a dream to be a poet, a plumber or a politician the chance should be given for these to be realised. Everyone has contributions to make, and it is our role in government to embrace and support these.

I believe in good government. Governments should lead with vision for the kind of society we want to be, of the types of industries we want to build and of the good, secure jobs we can create. Too many people in our country are left without the sorts of jobs they can count on, that they can build a life on. In almost every industry there are people sitting every day waiting at the end of a mobile phone to find their fate, to know if they have a job and a wage that day. This is a national problem. Our communities are starved when people cannot make the important commitment to their local footy club, neighbourhood house or art group, because they do not have certainty about their hours of work or their income.

I know the ache of insecure work. It has been the dominant form of employment I've experienced. The feeling that everything might dissolve in a moment sticks with me now as it has throughout my working life. The experience of insecure work in academia, in cultural institutions and for some of Australia's largest employers has defined my relation to the world as one where everything is precarious and could slip away suddenly, and I do not want this to be the case for anybody else. I feel a real sadness and an anger when I think that precarity may be the experience more commonly felt than security in work for a growing number of people in this country. One of the reasons I was so motivated to be here is that I can do my best to ensure that everyone can forge a life for themselves and their families built on security, opportunity and ambition. Until we rid our society of the scourge of unnecessary insecure work too many people will be left behind, unable to live the lives they want to live and should be able to live in a country like Australia.

I am proud to be part of a government that is committed to improving people's lives through making sure we have good, secure jobs so that a better future is possible. I thank the Australian Labor Party for their support, and I know that in government under the compassionate, clever, and courageous leadership of our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, we will deliver a better future for all in our nation.

The Australian Labor Party in government has always led the way in dreaming and realising what is needed to live a good life. This is in no small part also due to the bravery, the imagination, the struggle and the sacrifice of working people coming together in the trade union movement. Ordinary working people coming together through their unions and demanding their ambitions for a good life be supported by opportunity and equity is responsible for so much that we value in this country. We celebrate a superannuation system that means no-one should be left in poverty in retirement. We build our communities around the weekend, a time we can come together and enjoy our leisure time with the people and pastimes we adore. We enjoy these standards because of the union members who had a vision and who fought for and won these achievements.

It has been a great honour to have served with brave and kind people in the trade union movement in my working life. I thank union members, delegates and leaders from trade unions across the movement for their support of my campaign. The power of working in a collective is tremendous, and together we achieve great things. I'm so grateful to the United Workers Union members, delegates and leaders for their support and for the contribution they make every single day to a better, fairer Australia. Thanks to Tim Kennedy, Jo Schofield and Gary Bullock for their leadership and vision.

I had the privilege to work at the oldest continuous trades and labour council in the world, the Victorian Trades Hall Council—the 'workers' parliament'—as assistant secretary. I thank the staff, leaders and affiliated unions at the hall for their friendship, especially Luke Hilakari, Wil Stracke and Amanda Threlfall. There is a neat thread through history and place between the workers' parliament and the suburbs of Chisholm. It was at the Trades Hall School of Design that Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin learned how to sketch, to paint—to be artists—long before that significant summer in 1855 when they came to Box Hill and created the works that have become a defining part of Australian culture. It reminds me: 'Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses, too.'

Standing here is an honour I never imagined and one that could never be achieved alone. I'm here because of the wonderful local supporters and true believers who dedicated their time to my campaign. Thank you. I'm here because of the steady focus of my campaign team: Jo Briskey, Callum Drake, Grace Flanagan, Bofeng Wu, Owen Wrangle, Phillip Danh, Jennifer Yang, Tara Cuneen, Josh Bruni, Peter Chandler, Matt Merry and Michael Watson. Thanks, too, to members here—especially the member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters, and the member for Bruce, Julian Hill—and to Senator Grogan and Senator Walsh for their support. I'm delighted that you are now my parliamentary colleagues.

I'm here because of my family—the sacrifices made for me, the values instilled in me and the belief they have in me. Thank you to my family, and in particular my mother, Pam; my father, John; my sister, Olivia; and my brother, David. I'm thinking of the future, too, and what I owe to younger generations in my country, my community and my own family. To Mackinley and Bonnie: know that I will always work my hardest to make sure the future is bright for you and your generation.

I thank my friends for their patience and understanding of the commitment I have made to Chisholm and for all their support. I'm standing here today because of the trust of my community. I acknowledge my predecessor, Gladys Liu, who was the member for Chisholm for three years. Thanks must go to Anna Burke, who represented Chisholm for 18 years, for her wisdom, her kindness and her support. I'm thankful to my team—Nadia Montague, Liz De La Motte, Ghariza Sujak, Naiyu Wang and Grayson Lowe—for sharing with me a dedication to serving our community.

The first Labor woman elected to this place was Joan Child, and the modern boundaries of Chisholm include some of the suburbs she represented as the member for Henty. In her first speech, Joan reminded her peers:

The basis of election to a seat in Parliament is service to people. We are really public servants. The people made our election possible. They made it possible for us to take our seats in this House. That should be remembered, but it is all too often forgotten.

I will not forget. I will not forget Pat and John and the fears that they shared of what would happen if we refused to act on climate change or restore faith in politics through an integrity commission. I will not forget Roger, and will demonstrate how I remember him in uniting our diverse community, repairing the wounds of division. I will not forget Angie and her bright, hopeful letter, her wish to see more good in the world.

I carry the hopes and fears, the dreams and the disappointments of my community in this chamber. The voters of Chisholm have my deepest, sincerest thanks. But they deserve more than my gratitude. They deserve a representative who will never forget them, who will fight for them and who will show up when life is tough, not just when things are easy. I will do everything in my power to make you proud.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We still have a few first speeches to go in the class of 2022, but I know I speak for all members here who have perhaps been here for some time when I say it is difficult to rise to your feet to follow the class of 2022—such wonderful speeches, inspiring all of us and reminding all of us of those first moments in the chamber, and reminding us of our responsibilities to our communities. It is with great joy that I rise to make my contribution to the address-in-reply with that memory, that reminder, so fixed in my mind.

I represent the people of Lalor, in Melbourne's outer west—an electorate centred around the old country town of Werribee that has grown into a thriving city of 300,000 people called Wyndham. I'm really pleased to stand here, after three terms in this place representing the people of Lalor, as a member of an Albanese government. I say that, in this first 100 days of government, to reflect and to think about what has already been achieved, and to reflect a little about the journey we were on during the worst parts of COVID—the long winter lockdowns of the two years. As a collective, the members now sitting on this side of the chamber put their heads together, their minds together and their skills together, and listened to their communities, listened to Australians and did some deep thinking about what an opportunity it was for us to reset the way we think about our country and the way to move forward.

We learnt many things in the first two years of the pandemic. We learnt what it really is to be essential. We learnt that the most essential workers in our community are not those who are paid the most; in fact, in many cases they are those who are paid the least. And together we set our minds, from opposition, to doing something about that. It is with great pride I note that, in the first hundred days since the election, the Albanese Labor government has already changed lives and taken action to address the pay rates of our most essential workers—those in aged care, child care, health, education and transport—who were on the front line during the pandemic and took the most risks.

I'm reminded of the times I've been here and talked of the aged-care centre that I can see from the car park in my electoral office. I watched aged-care workers change their clothes at the boot of their car so as not to take contaminated clothes home to their families. I heard from people whose children were coming home from shifts in retail—at Macca's, for example—who were, similarly, putting their clothes into a garbage bag at the back door before entering their home so as not to contaminate others they lived with. So it is with great pride that I stand here, as a member of the Albanese Labor government, knowing that we have taken action already—that we wrote to the Fair Work Commission and told them we supported a pay rise for the lowest-paid workers in this country, and that the Fair Work Commission, respecting that, delivered it in their outcome. It's a small thing, a dollar an hour, but symbolically it's a huge thing, and it inspires and reminds us on this side of the House that the work is not finished, hence the Jobs and Skills Summit.

I held a jobs and skills summit with my friend Sam Rae, the member for Hawke, across Melbourne's outer west a little over a week ago. We brought 40 critical people together in the room, and I know how much they appreciated the opportunity to tell us what life was like and give us their ideas about a better future. Of course wage stagnation was part of what they told us about. They also told us, for instance, that if you live in Melton there is no TAFE to attend in the region. It's a real reminder for us that our work's not just about announcing TAFE places—as good as that is and as welcome as it is in my community and across Melbourne's outer west—but about looking at the fine detail, suburb by suburb, region by region and community by community, and asking: Where do we need the support? Where are the gaps? It's about ensuring that every community get the support and opportunities they need.

I want to thank the member for Logan, the Treasurer, for his timely article last week, which reminded us that, although the unemployment rate has a three at the front of it, in electorates like mine and electorates like his that is not a reflection of reality. It is patchy, and we have work to do in various communities across this country, including in regional Australia, to make sure not just that we support the vulnerable and get wage increases but that we create appropriate opportunities for every single person we represent in this place.

So it is with great pride that I stand here, as the member for Lalor, to recommit, on the back of listening to the wonderful speeches from the class of 2022 across the chamber, to fighting to ensure that everyone in my community and communities like mine across this country gets their share of opportunity; that everyone is given the kind of support they need. That's what we need to take this country forward and to build a better Australia.

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour.