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

I asked the youth of Fowler to send through their own 90-second speeches about what they hope this new parliament will achieve as part of the Raise Our Voice campaign. There were many brilliant and insightful speeches, but this particular speech from a student at Sacred Heart Catholic primary school is a strong reflection of how the cost of living is impacting our community. This is her message:

My name is Olivia Nguyen, I am 12 years old and live in the electorate of Fowler. I strongly believe that something needs to be done about the cost of living.

Everyone deserves to have what they need to live, but with the rising cost of living, it is becoming harder for people to earn enough to afford those things.

If the problem continues, it will be harder for kids like me, to grow up, and make enough money to live a good quality life.

My family came to Australia for more opportunities and many people have too. However, the increasing prices of houses make it hard for people like us to be able to buy, build or rent one.

Everyone should have a place to call home and have a roof over their head. I know that things get more expensive when the resources needed are hard to get, and a lot of effort is required to make it.

This is why I hope Australia's new parliament will help people, such as farmers and myself and our families, and help decrease the prices of everything.

I hope to live in a world where my family, my friends and everyone else around me are living a good life, and Australia's new parliament can make this happen.