Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Today I'll be reading out a short speech written by young Tasmanian legend Trenton Hoare for Youth Voice in Parliament Week. Trenton says:

As I sit here, taking a break from my studies to answer the question 'What would you like the new parliament to achieve?' I am filled with rage and anxiety. As a 21-year-old, living in the electorate of Clark, trying to better myself by going to university so I can get a good job, own a home and start a family, that utopian paradise seems distant, let alone even real. I am filled with rage because I wake up every day hoping for a better world, but I am barely seeing any progress. Our politicians, with the help of their corporate mates, are destroying our planet, creating a social divide between the rich and the poor, the whites versus the others.

What is the point of me continuing on if the government continues to destroy the only home I've ever had? What is the point of me continuing my studies so I can get a good job, own a home and start a family if the world collapses anyway? You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

So what would I like the new parliament to achieve? Proper climate action. Fix the inequality crisis and tax the rich. Make Australia equitable.

Trenton, thank you. Great speech. I was very proud to give it, and I could not agree more with the content.