Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As this could very well be my last opportunity to have a say in this place this year, I wanted to end 2025 with a bang, which means that we have to talk about the biggest news story of the day. Just hours ago, Queensland's favourite son and Australian tourism icon Robert Irwin was crowned the winner of Dancing with the Stars in the United States of America. Robert Irwin really put the 'win' in 'Irwin'. He was an absolute soldier, performing a stellar routine while pushing through a serious rib injury, and his pain will likely be Australia's gain, because the US television show pulled in more than 72 million public votes, more than the previous record, which means we are now hoping to see a lot more American tourists down under, since Robert Irwin is also the face of Australia's latest international tourism campaign, Come and say G'day.

I was lucky enough to visit Australia Zoo's animal hospital last month, and I recommend making it your family's New Year's resolution to take a visit next year when you can, because a year with a Queensland holiday is always a good year. Just ask the schoolies who are holidaying on the Gold Coast right now. This is yet another story to celebrate, with Gold Coast police and schoolies event organisers giving them an A plus for their behaviour this year. So far, these young adults have exceeded everyone's expectations, which made me think: can we always say the same about the behaviour in this place? Is it better or worse than the schoolies'? I'll let us all ponder on that one.

My next festive thank you is to you, President. Thank you very much indeed for the way in which you have led this chamber this year, especially through some difficult moments. It is my hope for the New Year that some of the more colourful characters of this place will return next year with a new kind of respect for the high office of this Senate—though I only get one Christmas wish and I've got plenty of wishes this year. It is my sincere hope that the people involved in some of the antics we saw at this year's end will return with a new mode of collaboration in 2026, because that's exactly what the Australian people want to see of us. They want to see us working together for the benefit of the community.

In fact, in the five short months I have been a senator, I have been blessed to work with a great number of politicians from all walks of life and all parts of Queensland. I'd like to thank some of the outstanding Queensland mayors who I've found it a wonderful opportunity to work with since coming to office: Sunshine Coast regional mayor Rosanna Natoli, Noosa Shire mayor Frank Wilkie, Scenic Rim mayor Tom Sharp, Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald, Moreton Bay City Council mayor Peter Flannery, and Lockyer mayor Tanya Milligan, just to name a few. They have all been so gracious in inviting me out to their communities to celebrate the opening of some critical local infrastructure funded by the federal government. I think the greatest example of cross-collaboration I have seen is the power trio from the great Whitsunday region of Isaac, Mackay and Whitsundays, who have all worked together for the benefit of their regions.

My final shout-out is to every worker who will be working this Christmas to make the festive season everything we love. I recognise the important work of the SDA to protect retail and fast-food workers from the intense verbal abuse they receive from customers. Eighty-seven per cent of frontline retail workers report being yelled at, insulted or threatened at work. So you will see as part of the SDA's No One Deserves a Serve campaign that supermarket chain staff have been given badges to wear beneath their own name tags simply saying, 'I'm a mum,' 'I'm a dad,' 'I'm a daughter,' or, 'I'm a son.' This is to remind shoppers that the person in the uniform is a human being with a family and a life outside of that check-out. Incredibly, new research published in The Conversation showed that these tiny 20c badges have actually significantly reduced customer abuse. So I encourage everyone working in retail over Christmas to talk to their SDA organiser about getting themselves a badge, and I encourage shoppers to take a breath and think before they say something they might regret. Remember, the person in front of you is someone's family. They take pride in their work. They are doing their best to serve you and their community. No worker should have to brace for abuse when they put their name badge and uniform on, and no-one deserves a serve.