Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the following address-in-reply be agreed to:

To His Excellency the Governor-General

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY—

We, the Senate of the Commonwealth of Australia in Parliament assembled, desire to express our loyalty to our Most Gracious Sovereign and to thank Your Excellency for the speech which you have been pleased to address to Parliament.

I begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal and Ngambri elders and knowledge-holders who have paved the way for those here now, those following proudly in their footsteps and those yet to come as custodians and owners of country. I acknowledge the lands in Western Australia of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, who I am honoured to represent. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands.

I recognise the resilience and strength of all First Nations peoples of Australia and appreciate their knowledge sharing and stories that influence the lives of new Australians like me. My name is Senator Fatima Payman, and I stand here proudly as a Western Australian, as a dedicated citizen, as a compassionate daughter, as a caring sister, as a fun aunty and as a loyal friend to many. We find ourselves paving the annals of history, taking part in a parliament that is starting to reflect true diversity of our community—the true Australia we know it to be. I welcome this opportunity to move that the speech given by his Excellency the Governor-General at the opening of the 47th Parliament be agreed to.

This nation has an incredible Indigenous heritage that dates back over 70,000 years of tradition, stories and wisdom. The rest of us, who do not identify as a First Nations person, have at some point immigrated here from another country. That is what makes Australia such an amazing place, and this parliament symbolises that coming together of so many different cultures and communities. Australia is a better place, and this parliament is a better place, when we truly represent the backgrounds of the Australian communities that elect us.

I want to wish my new colleague Senator Jana Stewart well for the safe birth of her child in the coming days. It is so great that a senator can now take maternity leave—another symbol that this chamber and this parliament continues to reflect more and more of our community than the mostly male senators that sat in the red benches 100 years ago.

A hundred years ago, let alone 10 years ago, would this parliament have been as accepting? A hundred years ago, let alone 10 years ago, would this parliament accept a woman choosing a hijab to be elected? I will have more to say about this in my first speech in September, but, for those who choose to advise me about what I should wear or judge my competency based on my external experience, know that the hijab is my choice. I want young girls who decide to wear the hijab to do it with pride and to do it with the knowledge that they have the right to wear it. I won't judge someone wearing boardies and flip-flops across the street. I don't expect people to judge me for wearing my scarf.

We have all heard the adage 'it takes a village to raise a child'. This truly hits home for me. I'd like my first gratitude to be expressed to my late beloved father, whose sacrifices will never be forgotten and who I dearly wish were here to see how far his little daughter has come.

Honourable senators: Hear, hear!

I'd like to thank my mum and my siblings, who've joined us here today, for their unwavering support, love and patience. Thank you to all my extended family members, supporters, friends and mentors—those who know me and those who are yet to get to know me.

I want to specifically thank all the officials and organisers of the United Workers Union for being my second family. Carolyn Smith, thank you for taking me under your wing of guidance and support.

And thank you to the people of Western Australia. You elected four new, brilliant representatives in Tracey Roberts for Pearce, Zaneta Mascarenhas for Swan, Sam Lim for Tangney and Tania Lawrence for Hasluck. You also elected a third Labor senator—the first time since 1984.

I am truly honoured to represent my beautiful home state. Who would have thought that a young woman born in Afghanistan and the daughter of a refugee would be standing in this chamber today, knowing the sacrifices that my dad went through as a taxi driver and security guard to ensure that he had saved up enough money to make ends meet to support his family and to ensure that my siblings and I had the future that he wasn't able to secure for himself? I am young, I am progressive and my family were born overseas. I am a representative of modern Australia.

And Australia has spoken. They have elected the Hon. Anthony Albanese as their Prime Minister and the most diverse parliament in the nation's history. In his first speech in 1996, the member for Grayndler and future Prime Minister said:

Multiculturalism provides Australia with a unique opportunity to be a microcosm of the world—to show that cultural diversity and respect can lead to a more peaceful, equitable and fulfilling life for all.

Truer words were never spoken before. He is the Prime Minister who will bring the country together, end the politics of division and be the exemplar of compassion, integrity and hard work, leading a government that is focused on tackling the spiralling cost of living that is making life tough for too many Australians. We must get wages rising again and make health care, child care and housing more affordable while we grow the economy and maintain its stability.

To those who expect immediate results, please allow me to remind you that the previous government left us an economy a trillion dollars in debt, declining productivity, wages going backwards and the highest level of inflation in 20 years. This was the result of a decade of deliberate decisions and bad policies from a government that lacked vision, was full of excuses and never took responsibility. These problems were a decade in the making, and we won't solve them overnight.

However, may I indulge you in outlining the key achievements of the Albanese Labor government in the last 10 weeks since our election. We have included the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in press conference backdrops. We have restored Australia's international reputation by re-establishing relations with France, rebooting negotiations on the European Union free trade agreement and repairing ties in the Pacific. We have introduced legislation to deliver climate change targets of reducing Australia's emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, aged-care reform, and paid family and domestic violence leave. We acted fast and provided immediate disaster support to flood-affected areas in New South Wales. We are standing up for women. We have established the women's economic equality task force and held the first face-to-face meeting of federal, state and territory ministers responsible for women and women's safety. We have brought a new energy in the fight against COVID by extending funding to support hospital systems. We have also reinstated the pandemic leave disaster payment, ensuring anyone unable to work because they were isolating without paid sick leave is supported. We have seen a much-needed increase in the minimum wage. We released the report on the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, which the former government had refused to release and, of course, we have returned the Nadesalingam family back home to Biloela.

I would go on but I only have 15 minutes. We have achieved more in 10 weeks than the previous government within 10 years. A better future we promised, and a better future we shall strive to deliver. The Albanese Labor government will strengthen Medicare by making it easier to see a doctor. We will restore integrity in politics by establishing an anticorruption commission with teeth. We will create secure local jobs by investing in fee-free TAFE, and make jobs more secure with better pay and conditions. We will make child care cheaper so that it is easier for working families to get ahead. We will make more things here in Australia by working with businesses to invest in manufacturing and renewables to create more Australian jobs. We will implement the Uluru statement in full—voice, treaty and truth—and work towards closing the gap. We will create jobs, cut power bills and reduce emissions by boosting renewable energy.

As mentioned earlier, aged-care reform is very important to me. Organising in aged care showed me how the previous government neglected our elders and workers. I remember Jude Clarke, who has been a carer for 48 years, saying that she still loves her job but she is just exhausted. She recalls stressful nights where she used her tea breaks to spend quality time with residents. Another carer, Emma Bowers, shared with me one of the most horrifying incidents that resulted in blood gushing from her forehead. A high-care dementia resident hit her with an object as she was tending to him all by herself. She believes that if there were more staff rostered on that night, her health and safety would not be at risk. Understaffed, overworked and underpaid, they deserve better—and Australians know they deserve better. That is why they elected an Albanese Labor government—to clean up the mess and return care back into aged care. We will ensure older Australians receive the aged care they deserve, from registered qualified nurses on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to more carers with more time to care. We will mandate that every Australian living in aged care receives an average of 215 minutes of care per day, as recommended by the royal commission—more time for not just essential medical treatment but basic, important things like helping people take a shower or helping people get dressed and helping people eat a nutritious meal.

Labor will also back a real pay rise for aged-care workers at the Fair Work Commission, because, if we want higher standards of care, we need to support higher wages for our carers. Labor has a plan to put security, dignity, quality and humanity back into aged care. If you are watching this from home, from work, from your device or in the years to come, know this: Australia is a land of opportunities—a land of opportunities for all, and under a Labor government no-one will be held back and no-one will be left behind. No matter where you were born, no matter which state or territory you are from, no matter what you choose to wear, no matter who you choose to believe in, no matter who you choose to love, know that Australia is a place where you are welcome and where you can be a part of a united collective.

Whilst today we find ourselves in the most diverse of all parliaments so far, I know—we know—that this parliament, this very Senate, will continue representing Australians with integrity and with a great deal of responsibility—a responsibility I am honoured to have bestowed upon me.

By the way, this isn't my first speech!