I'm proud to read part of a Raise Our Voice speech that belongs to Abby, age 17, from the electorate of Macquarie:

When I was younger, I imagined a future filled with flying cars that would self-drive, jetpacks that would take kids to school, regular holidays to the moon and civilisations beneath the sea. I thought that we would see a society that was constantly moving forwards; however, this is not the case when I think of the future now.

Instead, I think of questions that I believe I shouldn't have to think about just yet.

Will I ever be able to afford a home? Will I be able to buy food without checking the price? Will I be able to earn the income required by the ever-evolving status of our society to support not only myself, but one day a family?

The cost of living crisis in Australia is something that is not only relevant for the adults of today but is also shaping the fears for the adults of tomorrow. At 17 years old, I don't think I should be afraid of growing up, nevertheless, I am.

I am afraid that, instead of wondering what remarkable innovations my generation may make that could create a profound change in our society, I am left wondering whether I will be able to afford to live comfortably in Australia's future.

I strongly believe that with extensive consideration, action, and compassion, parliament has a significant ability to change what the future of my generation, and the ones after, see when they think of the future of Australia.

The reduction of energy costs, the increased affordability of houses, and financial support will help the Australians of today and tomorrow achieve the dream of living a comfortable life. And while I know ideas and actions such as these are in effect, they have yet to seek the desirable target in which change is made.

Thank you, Abby, for articulating the need for change so that young people can feel confident about the future.

Like Abby, I don't think we can tick the box yet and say 'job done'. There is more to do, and it will take more time for our reforms to make the change on the scale that's needed. But there are good signs of hope. Our five per cent home deposit program has already seen 1,525 people able to buy their first home in Macquarie. There are now more than 5,700 solar batteries in homes and small businesses in Macquarie. The gender pay gap is the lowest it's ever been. And tax cuts are continuing to flow through as we make the tax system fairer.

Abby, you have set us some clear and important goals, and we'll keep working hard to deliver the future that our young people deserve. Thank you for taking part in the Raise Our Voice speech competition. To all the entrants: we appreciate that you're thinking not just about your lives but about the future of Australia.

If it is the wish of the Federation Chamber, we will extend constituency statements until after the member for Gorton has spoken—which would mean the member for Parkes and then the member for Gorton.

Twelve-year-old Kian, from the Parkes electorate, has written a speech for the Raise Our Voice competition, and it's a beauty. Before I read it out, I'd like to tell you a bit about the story of Kian Al Habbas and his family as told to me by their friend Al Karanouh, a councillor on the Coonamble Shire Council. Al, who owns the Global Village Restaurant and Cafe in Coonamble, is very proud of Kian and his family. Kian's mum, Janice, originally from the Philippines, married an Australian and came to Coonamble, working to earn enough money to bring her three children all the way out to Coonamble. Unfortunately, Janice's husband died not much more than a year after she arrived in Australia. Janice continued to work hard in Al's cafe, working day and night to save money. Within five years she had earned enough money to buy two homes. She brought her children, Mustafa, Sofia and Kian, to Australia, where they have become a very integral part of Coonamble life.

The family is over the moon that Kian's speech is one of the speeches chosen in the Raise Our Voice competition. There are two other stand-out speeches from young people in the Parkes electorate for the competition. They were from Lilah, aged 12, and Molly, aged 16. Today I would like to read Kian's speech:

Yaama. My name is Kian and I am 11 years old.

I am going to tell you about a big issue that is shaping my future—access to resources. For us to get access to medical facilities we have to travel a long distance.

Dubbo is our closest place for big medical services. It is 160km away from Coonamble. In Dubbo hospital, there are only 210 beds, for 130,000 people in its area.

This is not enough. People have to wait weeks or months for important appointments.

Why would you let thousands of people wait and nearly die when they need hospital support?

The health service in Coonamble is even worse. With only 11 beds and limited doctors, we have to wait over an hour to be seen. This is horrible. We also do not have specialists in town and need to travel to visit bigger towns to see special doctors.

People in country towns deserve stronger government support for better access to medical facilities. Access to medical services is important to make sure that everyone in our town is safe and healthy.

Yes, Kian, it is important, and we—the Liberals and Nationals in a coalition—will continue to fight to make sure that better access to health care is available. Thank you for your speech, and I wish you and your family and the beautiful Coonamble community all the best.

Thank you, Kian. I give the call to the member for Gorton.