Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 21 May 2022, Australia voted for a better future. For only the fourth time since the end of the Second World War, they voted for the Labor opposition and, in doing so, voted for an Albanese Labor government. The people of Australia voted for a future full of hope over division and for substance over spin; they voted for a future which embraces progress and change and embraces the principle of opportunity for all, not for a few. It was a vote for common sense, compassion and integrity. People voted for a plan to create secure local jobs, to address cost-of-living pressures—something which all Australians are suffering from right now—to bring manufacturing back to Australia, to strengthen Medicare and access to health services—including affordable prescription medications—to make child care cheaper, for action on climate change, to ensure dignity in ageing and aged care—I was so proud our first piece of legislation was about aged care; congratulations to our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and to our ministers—to make access to TAFE and skills more accessible and for integrity within our political institutions.

An Albanese Labor government will embrace the opportunities of the future. As our leader, Anthony Albanese, said on election night, our policies and actions over the next three years will be bettered by the Uluru Statement from the Heart. History is calling:

We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.

The Uluru statement calls for a permanent forum of representation from First Nations people so they can advocate for their people to the parliament and to government. This voice should be enshrined in the Constitution so it cannot be removed by any government of the day. I call on those in this parliament and across the country to embrace this reform. It will forge a strong and united future for a better Australia.

The election victory was a win for Labor values, which I firmly believe are Australian values. These are the values of hard work, compassion and fairness. But let us not be under any assertion that our politics in this country is not fractured; it is. Australians voted for conciliation, cooperation and negotiation. We now owe it to the Australian people to do just that. If our politics is to be more effective, if we are to be trusted again by the Australian people, if we are willing to listen to us more than our politics, then we must be kinder, less toxic and less divisive. If we are to restore that faith and commitment to the people and to our nation's discourse, the nation's starting point must be a national anticorruption commission.

After almost 10 years of inaction from those opposite, and the fact we drifted, I believe our nation's conscience can now be restored with all the hope it first had. We are a lucky country and we deserve a national government that will put the people of Australia first. To serve them to the best of our ability and to serve all their interests must start with strong economic management as the global economy teeters on the edge of recession. People's wages have been kept low by the former Morrison government by design; that was their strategy. That was their priority: to keep wages low. That must change. We have started this with an increase of $40 per week to the minimum wage.

We must embrace the future and react to the global challenges. Australian sovereignty capabilities must be strengthened and we must ensure we are keeping pace with the rest of the world in terms of what we produce at home and what we export across the globe.

Australia can be a renewable energy superpower, and we can lead the world on climate action which pays economic and social dividends for future generations. A target to reduce carbon emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 is a realistic and tangible target we have now set. Business and the Australian people now have a target and a mechanism to work towards this end.

Ultimately, Labor were successful at this election because we were willing to stand up to the former government and say, 'Enough is enough.' Australians deserve better leadership and they will receive it under the Albanese Labor government. We are an intelligent country and everybody has a place in it and a contribution to make. We are at our best when we embrace all Australians, reach for the stars of the Southern Cross and achieve great things as a whole.

Labor has become the natural party of government in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT, the Northern Territory and now the federal parliament. And I hope, in the years to come, that we will follow in my home state of Tasmania and elect a Labor government there. Labor will always be the party of working people, of Australian families trying to get ahead, of inspirational Australians doing the very best for themselves, their families and their communities. We will always be the party of compassion, the party that does not leave people behind, the party of a strong and united and resilient people.

For me, the Australian dream is insuring that regardless of where you are from or who your parents are you can make it. You can dream big and you can achieve your goals. We are all contributors, and everyone has that right and opportunity to contribute to our society in whatever capacity they choose. That is the definition of success. We know that Australia is a lucky country but if Australians can't reach their full potential, out of the fruits of their labour, then we're not so lucky.

We as a people have significant challenges facing this country. The cost of living is on the rise, inflation is on the increase, house prices are some of the most unaffordable in the world and wages flatlined under the previous government. No matter what they say, when they come into this place and try to rewrite history Labor will act decisively, in government, to make Australia the lucky country once more, so future generations will not be worse off than the current generation—because that is currently the case.

This election victory does not come without a cost to the people who have campaigned for a better future for many years. Over the years, we have lost some very good people. Yes, some will come back but others will not. I want to thank each and every one of our true believers across the country who have gone beyond what was expected of them. They helped us campaign, as they always do, and their support and their campaigning was invaluable. That's why we are standing where we are now, on this side, and being part of the Albanese Labor government.

Prime Minister Albanese has much work to do, and you know that job is never complete. It is not complete and never will be, because while there exist barricades to opportunities and success Labor will be there to tear them down. While there are gatekeepers of privilege, the Labor story will continue. We will fight the good fight. We don't divide people or try to control what they think through big donor donations or a one-sided media landscape. We are Labor. We are better than that.

We believe in freedom and aspiration, the right of people to make up their own minds with information based on fact. We engage, in good faith, on the basis that we can talk to as many people—and to listen to those people—as possible. We want to listen to their hopes and dreams and try to align our policies to their aspirations, every single day, to make this country even better. All Australians deserve to live in a country that has decent wages, affordable child care and modern infrastructure, to create the economy of tomorrow, including serious action on climate change and emissions reduction.

I've been re-elected in this place and I hear you, I respect you, and I will continue to fight for you every day that I remain in this place and thereafter. During the election campaign Labor committed to many projects, and as a positive future for Tasmania I plan to embrace that future and I urge those opposite to come on this journey, to move away from their 'born to rule' mentality and cooperate with the government to make this country even better. And the way that we can do that is by working together. We need to change the discourse, in this place, to embrace that aspiration and to be the voice of the Australian people. You will get used to— (Time expired)