Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senators, pursuant to order, I now call Senator Blyth to make her first speech and ask senators that the usual courtesies be extended to her.

Leah Blyth (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Stronger Families and Stronger Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam President. I also extend my sincere thanks to senators and members from across the chamber and the other place who have welcomed me with such kindness and wise counsel. It is with great humility and gratitude that I rise to deliver my first speech to this Senate. I am deeply conscious of the immense privilege that comes with representing my fellow Australians in this chamber. The privilege of standing here carries with it an obligation to listen more than I speak, to reflect and consider before I decide, and to act with integrity and transparency above all else. I am conscious of the duty that I owe to all South Australians whom I have the honour to represent.

I come to this chamber not as a career politician but as an ordinary Australian, a proud South Australian, a wife, a mother and a former small-business owner and education executive with a passion to serve my community. I am the daughter and granddaughter of migrants who travelled great distances in search of a better life. My mother came to Australia from Burma, now Myanmar, along with her Burmese mother and Indian father—my maternal grandparents. I understand I am the first person of Burmese descent to stand in either chamber of our federal parliament. This is a source of immense personal honour. My father arrived in this country as a boy from Britain, together with my paternal grandparents—they were 10-pound Poms.

I grew up in Adelaide in a truly multicultural family, embracing all the strands of my heritage. On Sundays at 5 pm we would have tea with my British grandparents—usually a roast dinner, always followed by pudding for dessert; that was my sister's and my favourite. On other occasions, I remember the gourmet curry feasts with my Indian and Burmese relatives. My Burmese grandmother was a brilliant cook who could whip up a banquet for two dozen people at a moment's notice. Our extended family eagerly embraced Australian life while blending it with old traditions. We would even take curries to the park for picnics; it was our own version of the Aussie barbecue. My parents, Robert and Prunella, raised me to work hard, be honest and help others, and I'm deeply grateful for their ongoing love and support. These formative experiences taught me the importance of family and community and gave me an appreciation for the rich tapestry of cultures that make Australia so special. I hope that my presence here today serves as an example that, in this country, anyone with dedication and a desire to serve can aspire to and achieve public office.

My decision to embark on a career of public service comes from a feeling of responsibility to give back to the country that has given my family and me so much. For more than 20 years I worked in education administration, striving to expand access to quality education and to improve our universities. Throughout my career, I have observed firsthand a deterioration in academic standards and a growing institutional hostility to the values that have made our society what it is. The decline in education standards over the last 20 years is inexcusable. Even more worryingly, young Australians are no longer being taught pride in our nation and its story. Our students can recite our country's flaws at length but have little understanding of its democratic ideals and achievements. This one-sided, negative view of our history does a disservice to our students and to our country. As a country, we are failing to equip our children with the knowledge and skills that they need to thrive in the modern world. Worse, we are undermining their confidence in democracy and representative government.

Contrary to these teachings, I believe profoundly in the goodness and greatness of Australia. To be an Australian is to truly have won the lottery of life. We live in a nation that is the envy of the world. Forged out of hardship on a rugged and inhospitable continent, we have grown into one of the world's most stable, peaceful and prosperous democracies. Every person who calls Australia home has contributed to our national story. From the First Australians, who cared for this land for millennia, to the principles, institutions and culture transplanted from Britain that underpin our democracy and rule of law and to the waves of immigrants from every corner of the globe who have woven their own threads into the Australian fabric, we have all built a remarkable nation, and we are all entitled to be proud of our country and its achievements. My goal is to help restore perspective and pride in our national story—not a blind patriotism but a truthful appreciation of how far we have come as a nation and how fortunate we are to be Australian.

Philosophically, I'm a proud social conservative and an economic liberalist. The strength of any community begins with its most fundamental unit: the family. Families are the first communities we belong to, the first teachers we learn from and the primary guardians of our values and traditions. Social conservatism is, to me, not about resisting change; it is about understanding what works and seeking to improve what does not. We must cherish and uphold institutions like marriage because we know that, when families break down, the entire community suffers. It is incumbent on Australia's leaders to push back against cultural trends that undermine the family unit, whether these be challenges to parental authority and decision-making, the denigration of traditional social values or the excusing of irresponsible or antisocial behaviour. As legislators, we should have the courage to say that family matters. Behind every statistic or policy debate, there are real households trying to raise children, pay bills and pass on their values to the next generation. Strengthening families is not just a cultural or moral goal; it brings tangible social and economic benefits for everyone. Upholding family values is not about living in the past; it is about recognising that stable family structures give children the very best chance in life, and strong community connections contribute to greater social cohesion and stability.

As well as being a social conservative, I am an economic liberalist. Free markets, private enterprise and limited government intervention are the surest path to prosperity for all. As Ronald Reagan famously said:

Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem.

When individuals are free to innovate, create and trade, living standards rapidly improve. Australia transformed itself into a prosperous, modern nation in large part by embracing economic reform and allowing individuals and markets to flourish free from the heavy hand of government.

After the missteps of the 1970s, Australia undertook bold market based reforms in the 1980s and 1990s, and we enjoyed nearly three decades of uninterrupted economic growth as a result. This was not an accident or luck; it was the reward for sensible, liberal economic policies that unleashed the latent Australian enterprise and ingenuity. The lesson is clear: as legislators, we must trust people to make their own decisions and give them the freedom and incentive to better themselves and their families. Economic liberalism, properly understood, is not about helping the rich get richer; it is about creating the largest possible economic pie so that we all may benefit. It is about rewarding effort, ingenuity and risk-taking.

Economic liberalism also means insisting on limited government—a government that knows its proper bounds. As Margaret Thatcher instinctively understood, there is a truth we must never forget: the state has no source of money other than the money it appropriates from its people. Every dollar the government spends is a dollar taken from someone else: a worker's pay cheque, a family's grocery budget or a business's profits. Worse, as Milton Friedman warned, too much government poses a risk to the fundamental freedoms that are vital for a prosperous society. No matter how much we may wish government can solve all of our problems, the reality is it cannot. The role of government is not to try to solve our problems but to create the conditions in which freedom and individual enterprise are encouraged and rewarded, allowing people to better themselves. This does not mean that economic liberalism does not have a heart. I support a strong safety net for the vulnerable: those who lose their jobs and those who live with serious disabilities or medical conditions. We must ensure that every Australian, no matter their start in life, has access to education, medical care and the freedom of opportunity to improve their standing in life.

I stand in this chamber because I feel Australia has strayed from these historically proven principles. Recent political leadership has too often given way to poll driven expediency and short-term thinking. A future vision means making decisions in the long-term national interest, not on what is immediately popular. The current approach is a recipe for short-term thinking and poor public policy outcomes. As elected representatives, we must aim to shape public opinion through principled advocacy and honest dialogue. True leadership in this parliament means making hard decisions in the national interest, not sectional interests, and uniting Australians as one, rather than dividing us into ever-smaller competing groups. Now, more than ever, Australia needs leaders with integrity, courage and conviction as well as the humility to admit mistakes.

Many of today's challenges—surging inflation, energy insecurity, declining trust in institutions and social fragmentation—strongly resemble the crises that many democratic countries faced in the 1970s. History points to the solution, even as we studiously avoid learning it. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan are revered international leaders and landmark historical figures who faced very similar challenges. Both were prepared to confront economic stagnation and social turmoil with unpopular but necessary policy solutions. They reduced spending, reduced tax and regulation, and sought peace through strength rather than appeasement. Likewise, in Australia, prime ministers Bob Hawke and later John Howard made tough choices and embraced economic reform that transformed an overregulated, high-inflation economy into the envy of the world. I fear that many of us have not learnt the lessons of history.

Australia is currently pursuing unrealistic and unsustainable policy positions that will continue to reduce our standard of living. Our government is spending too much of other people's money. Overregulation has become the defining feature of our economy and way of life. We are creating and encouraging a culture of dependency and helplessness. We are pursuing a net zero policy that is unrealistic and futile, at substantial detriment to our prosperity and living standards. We seem determined upon a deliberate policy of energy, industrial and agricultural poverty. In our schools and universities, under a disastrous centralised curriculum, our young people are increasingly being taught what to think, not how to think. We are teaching our children to be ashamed of the democratic achievements of Western civilisation. We are encouraging young people to view themselves as helpless prey to fortune rather than as strong, independent actors capable of determining their own destinies.

Australians are increasingly being divided into ever smaller groups, encouraged to focus on their differences rather than what unites them. Those who recognise basic biological differences between men and women are demeaned and ostracised by an elite who believes it can cancel reality for the sake of ideology. We are refusing to properly invest in our own defence forces, despite the acknowledgement that we are living through some of the most dangerous strategic circumstances since World War II, and our policy of virtually open-ended immigration risks overwhelming our social fabric, straining housing, infrastructure and public services without any clear plan for integration or sustainability. These policy approaches risk our shared heritage and jeopardise our future prosperity.

As a society we seem too ready to accept infringements upon our freedom for the supposed protection of government. In response to every issue we are assailed by a chorus of calls for government to do more, despite history showing that the more we rely on government, the more we sacrifice our freedom. It is time to be honest with ourselves and with the Australian people. We are all in control of our own destinies. It is time for government to do less so that individual Australians can do more. As a new senator I see it as part of my mission to help restore our core Liberal and conservative principles to the forefront of public policy. I do this not because these principles might be popular but because they are timeless and they are true. These are the principles that have, time and again, made Australia strong and free. This is my promise to the Australian people.

Before closing, I hope to take a moment to thank some of the many people who have helped bring me to this chamber. Regrettably, I cannot name everyone who has assisted me, but I would like to start by thanking the amazing people up in the gallery who have travelled from all over to be with me today. I'm so grateful for your support and for making the effort to come. It means the absolute world to me.

To my grandparents, Lorna and Hubert, Herbert and Kathleen: though you are no longer with us, your spirit certainly is. Each of you took the courageous step of leaving behind the world you knew to come to Australia. In doing so, you gave your descendants opportunities beyond measure. To my husband, David: thank you for your unwavering support and love. As a former Royal Australian Air Force member and active service veteran, you know what it means to serve something greater than yourself. I'm so proud of you and your service to Australia, and I'm grateful for the sacrifices you have made for our family while I pursue this path. To my children, Lucy, James, and Hannah: you are my greatest joy and my inspiration. Lucy, you light up every room you walk into, and I am so proud of you. James, I hope you always keep your passion for learning and your kindness. Hannah, you are stronger than you know. I want you to grow up in an Australia that offers you every opportunity, keeps you safe and nurtures your dreams. To my sister, Kara, her husband, John, and my nephews William and Alexander: thank you for always being there for us. To David's family, who have travelled in from Ballarat, Jodie, Brendan and Jordan: thank you for everything you do for our family.

To Sam, Claire and Thomas Duluk: thank you for being like family to us. To Senator Antic: thank you for your support, your friendship and your encouragement. To our dear friends Lana and Dom: thank you for believing in me. To Belinda, Thea, Ben, Tony, Victoria, Natasha, Moira, Jana, Jacqui and Alex, fellow travellers in social conservatism and true friends: thank you. To my team: your support means the absolute world to me. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to members of the Liberal Party in South Australia, especially our grassroots volunteers who put in countless hours on the campaign trail and within the party. Our party is a team, and I am here because of that team effort.

Despite the struggles Australia is experiencing, I remain profoundly optimistic about Australia's future. I stand here today as the daughter and granddaughter of people who left everything behind to come to the lucky country. My story speaks to the boundless opportunities this nation provides. In this chamber I will work tirelessly to ensure that Australia remains a land of opportunity and freedom, a country where a young girl from a migrant family can grow up to stand in the national legislature, where every child can dream big and have the chance to achieve those dreams. I undertake this task humbly, resolutely and with optimism for Australia's future. Thank you and may God bless Australia.