Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (10:47): I move:

That this House:

(1) notes the outstanding contribution of the men and women of the Australian Defence Force to ensure the safety of our nation;

(2) recognises the support of their families and friends during their service; and

(3) acknowledges the positive social and economic impact the men and women of our defence force have on communities throughout Australia.

Last weekend I again took part—with the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the member for Lyne—in the Pollie Pedal bike ride for Soldier On. I rode from Kin Kin to Brisbane and stopped overnight at the Caloundra RSL in my electorate of Fisher, where we met with veterans at a special reception where we heard Daniel Keighran VC talk about his experiences in Afghanistan and how he was awarded the Victoria Cross. The ride, as I said, what was in support of Soldier On, which is a fantastic charity that is working to support service men and women both past and present.

In Fisher, I also have also instigated, with the support of Australia Zoo and our local RSLs, a Sunshine Coast veterans' day to add to the traditional ways that we recognise our veterans' service. On this day, during Veterans' Health Week, past and present ADF personnel and their partners receive free entry into the zoo. They enjoy their world-class animal experiences and spend some time with other former service men and women at events throughout the day organised by Mates4Mates, among others. It is just another of the many ways that my community pay their respects to the service men and women of the Australian Defence Force.

Why is it so important that we as a nation do as much as we can to support and honour our service men and women both past and present? It is because those men and women make such a huge contribution to our nation, often at a high cost to themselves and to their families that they leave behind. I pay tribute to those members of this parliament who have served our ADF in uniform. They give us so much, and they deserve our gratitude and support in return.

Through the ADF Parliamentary Program I've been fortunate to see the men and women of our armed forces at work. I strongly encourage new members to avail themselves of that fantastic program. I visited the Middle East region and spent time with troops who've been deployed on Operation Okra and Operation Highroad. I've travelled with HMAS Canberra and visited HMAS Cerberus. Recently I spent time on HMAS Melville off Fitzroy Island, where I met with two young Navy personnel: Executive Officer Sara Barnett and Midshipman Darby Langton. I was pleased to learn that Sara went to Maleny State High School, which is in my electorate, and Darby attended Beerwah State High School.

What I have seen has left me with absolutely no doubt of the massive contribution that the men and women of the ADF make to our nation. I've seen unmatched dedication, professionalism and commitment to our country. In the words and deeds of hundreds, if not thousands, of Australian men and women as they quietly went about their work I've seen a willingness to sacrifice and an eagerness to serve. We all know that the ADF keep us safe. With their professionalism and their skill they deter those who would seek to do us harm. They stand ready to defend us if the worst were to happen and our nation were put under direct threat. Across the world they work tirelessly to protect us from terrorism and they patrol the seas to help stop the flow of harmful drugs into Australia. They secure our coastline through Operation Sovereign Borders and they keep shipping lanes safe for our commerce in waters all across the globe.

At home the ADF do a great deal to protect our economy and build local communities. When natural disasters like floods and cyclones hit, the ADF deploy to rescue those who are in danger, to protect property and to repair the destruction. Manufacturing the equipment of our troops requires the support of thousands of Australian workers. Their doctors and nurses work in our health service. In every community where an ADF base is situated they bring fresh and welcome prosperity. But the contribution of the ADF goes even further beyond our borders.

Recently I joined many colleagues for 4 July celebrations aboard visiting supercarrier the USS Ronald Reagan. The US and Australia are the closest of partners. At the heart of our partnership is the cooperation between our two militaries. We have stuck with each other through thick and thin since the trenches of World War I. As we've seen off the coast of Queensland just this week with Exercise Talisman Sabre, that cooperation into the future will ensure that our two countries continue to enjoy that close working relationship.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Rob Mitchell ): Is the motion seconded?

Mr Thompson: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Mr SNOWDON (Lingiari) (10:53): I thank my friend across the chamber the member for Fisher for moving this motion. I think it's important we do acknowledge the role of our serving men and women, their families and those who have come back as veterans, who are being looked after by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. I do so having had the great privilege of being a Minister for Defence Science and Personnel and also a Minister for Veterans' Affairs in a previous government. I concur with the observations of the previous speaker about the immense importance, value, courage, dedication and commitment—all of those things—of our men and women in uniform. I don't think we can underestimate that value to any of us individually, collectively or nationally.

Such sacrifice was made in the dark days of World War I and before that in the Boer War. Serving people left Australia ostensibly in Australia's interest—although some might argue that that was not the case in the Boer War—and they did so in uniform and willingly. We need to all understand that when they put that uniform on they are committing themselves to the possibility of sacrificing their lives—every one of them; men and women. I think we need to see the value in that and the value of their contribution.

The average term of service for a defence person is seven to eight years. It's a young person's vocation. There are the lifers, absolutely—people who have careers as officers and become Chief of Army, Chief of Air Force and the rest of it, or Chief of the Defence Force—but the fact is that most don't. What we need to comprehend is that the sacrifices they make whilst they're in their uniform, especially if they've served overseas or are serving overseas, depending on the number of rotations they've done, may have a tremendous impact on them personally, either then or some time later. We're seeing the consequences of that in terms of the mental health issues which are confronting many of our veterans, and the suicide rates. We need to believe that we can do a lot better in assisting them when they come home. Importantly, also we need to understand that it's about families. The people who buttress our serving men and women when they come home, when they separate from the Defence Force, are their families. The people who look after them when they're injured, either mentally or physically, while in uniform are, more often than not, their families. We need to appreciate the sacrifices that families make, particularly children, when their parents are in the defence community. This motion calls us to recognise the support of their families and friends during their service, which we should do. It also acknowledges the positive social and economic impact that the men and women of our Defence Force have on our communities throughout Australia.

I want to very briefly talk about that contribution in the Northern Territory. Since the late 1980s, we've seen a significant movement north of defence personnel. Currently in the Northern Territory there are 5,336 uniformed and non-uniformed defence personnel: 3,311 in the Army, 1,100 in the Air Force, 630 in the Navy and 250 civilians. The value to the Northern Territory economy—and this is an important figure—is 8.4 per cent of gross state product, at a value of $2.1 billion. I don't think this is properly understood by the broader Northern Territory community, and it needs to be, because not only are these people serving for us but they are serving with us. They are living in our communities, their families are part of our communities and they are making an enormous contribution, both socially and economically, to those communities, and in this case particularly in the Northern Territory.

I want to make particular reference to an organisation which is not often recognised: the Regional Force Surveillance Group. It was formed in 2018 to provide littoral surveillance and reconnaissance capability in Australia's north and north-west. It comprises the surveillance units NORFORCE, the Pilbara Regiment and 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment. Its commander is Colonel John Papalitsas, who resides at Larrakeyah. It has units operating right across northern Australia. Its most significant impact is through the support it gives to Indigenous people across the north—contributing, putting on a uniform and being part of NORFORCE. We need to acknowledge the group.

Mr THOMPSON (Herbert) (10:58): It gave me great pleasure to second the motion. As you and other members would be aware, I served in the Australian Defence Force. I served as an infantry soldier in the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and doing so was my absolute pleasure. While deployed in East Timor and Afghanistan, I witnessed firsthand the commitment and dedication of the men and women of our armed forces—commitment and dedication on the battlefield, which is difficult for those who are left behind to see and fully understand. But, on the night of 3 February this year, that commitment and dedication was witnessed a lot closer to home. On that night in Townsville, the rain was pelting down and the Ross River was rising. Thousands of residents were on edge, not knowing if the water would reach their doorstep. Homes began to be inundated. Many of those homes were owned by members of the Defence Force. But if you were to go and visit those homes, you wouldn't have anyone there. They weren't sandbagging their doors, they weren't lifting their furniture up onto kitchen benches and they weren't packing their car and fleeing to higher ground. No, these people were doing that for others: sandbagging homes, saving belongings and risking their own lives to rescue the elderly, the infirm and others who had no other way of finding a safe place to weather the storm.

While they could have been serving themselves, they were instead serving their community. At the height of the disaster, it was reported that up to 1,200 Defence Force personnel were assisting civil emergency services with evacuations. And, being a proud garrison city, most of these personnel lived in the Townsville community.

It is important to recognise the support of the families and friends this morning. Let's not forget the husbands, wives, partners and children, themselves victims of this horrific event, who had to face the challenge head on without the help of their serving family member. Their sacrifice for the community cannot go unnoticed as they took on the stresses and worries of such an unprecedented disaster without their usual support mechanisms in place—not to mention those with family members deployed on active duty overseas already dealing with the difficulties which that entails—and had to face their own battles at home.

But the support of the Australian Defence Force personnel didn't end there on the night of the disaster. In the days and weeks following, Townsville streets were swarming with Army vehicles. Throughout the suburbs, our serving men and women spent their days cleaning up debris, washing out houses and trucking away potential hazardous furniture and household items to where they could be safely disposed of. Around 2,800 people spent much of February and March assisting Townsville City Council and emergency services.

Let's not forget Team Rubicon Australia who gathered the skills and expertise of the Defence Force veterans and set up shop at the Reid Park Pit Complex to assist with the recovery process. Team Rubicon, spearheaded by Geoff Evans, saw veterans and Defence Force personnel come from all around the country and all around the world to Townsville to help with our disaster and the clean-up.

This is just one example, but the immediate and ongoing response to the Townsville flood paints a vivid picture of the extent to which the men and women of the Australian Defence Force will serve not only their own country but their own community in times of need.

I'd like to acknowledge the unique nature of military service and thank the men and women of the Australian Defence Force for their dedication to duty to our country and, of course, protecting our way of life on operations abroad. Townsville was hit with a one-in-500-years flood. The Australian Defence Force were out every night and every day helping our community. I'd like to thank them and pay tribute to them in the House today.

Ms SWANSON (Paterson) (11:03): The people who serve our nation in the Australian Defence Force make an invaluable contribution to the safety and the prosperity of our nation. They put their lives on the line to protect and serve. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to recognise them and thank them for their service today.

I'd also like to extend my thanks to the member for Fisher for raising this important topic. He and I, as members of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, had the opportunity to travel to the Avalon airshow and look at some of the incredible skills that the members of the Australian Defence Force acquire. We witnessed air-to-air refuelling and many other really specific and specialised skills that those people need to take on in order to provide the service to us that they do. Those people are absolutely vital to RAAF Base Williamtown, which is located almost exactly in the centre of my electorate.

Since I was elected in 2016, I've been fortunate enough to have had firsthand experience looking at the lives and service of service men and women who serve at RAAF Base Williamtown—both the sacrifices they make and the contribution they make to our community. Thousands of people call RAAF Base Williamtown home, and work. It's not unique to see a person in uniform picking up the kids from school, buying a coffee at the local coffee shop or dropping things off, as the day progresses, to family and friends throughout our community. It's not uncommon to hear the sound of world-class jets flying overhead.

And it is an incredibly special thing to see them up close. Events such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day are made especially significant by the incredible number of people who come together to remember, recognise and thank our past and present ADF members. Our celebrations in Port Stephens are particularly poignant, when you see serving defence members en masse, there to recognise the importance of such days to all of us in our community. But it really does bring it home when you see a large group of people in uniform on Anzac Day.

The families of our Defence Force, as the member for Lingiari noted just a moment ago, are the buttresses, though. They are the people they return home to, whom they are able to confide in and download some of those pressures of the work of the Australian Defence Force—mothers, fathers and siblings, who support their kids as they travel across Australia and the world, eagerly awaiting a phone call or a return home visit. Husbands, wives and children who move from base to base, from town to town, are forced to pack up the house, unpack the house, make new friends at school and find new doctors and dentists. These are things that many of us just take for granted, but it's not until you've lived that lifestyle that you realise just how difficult it can be for family members to make those sacrifices and really turn their world upside down so that our world can be just that bit safer.

There are some fantastic community programs in Williamtown for those families who are being relocated to our area. We have a great community in Port Stephens that really understands the pressures of defence families and welcomes them in. We're used to welcoming people in, and I'm so proud that our local community does that, with such eagerness and tenderness. Tomaree Education Centre has a great program for children of defence personnel to help them make that transition. If you've ever been somewhere and realised how difficult it is to make friends—well, this program makes it easier for people to do so. So, I wanted to especially mention them and say thankyou for that.

I also want to quickly give a special mention to Senior Australian Defence Force Officer Group Captain Peter Cluff—Cluffy, you do an amazing job—and to Air Commodore Barbara Courtney, who recently took over the Surveillance and Response Group from Air Commodore Craig Heap. Welcome, Barbara; thank you, Heapy, for what you've done for our base—and thank you to everyone who serves in the Australian Defence Force.

Mrs ARCHER (Bass) (11:08): Tasmania has a long and proud history of serving in the Australian Defence Force. In my electorate of Bass the Paterson Barracks—which is in the process of being moved to a new location, partly funded by the coalition government—is the home of the 16th Field Battery, which is the oldest artillery unit in Australia. From as far back as the Boer War, where over 800 Tasmanians served, through to our most recent involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq and the many peacekeeping and humanitarian operations across the world, thousands of men and women have made an outstanding contribution as part of our defence forces. We are fortunate to have heard from them firsthand in this place about their service and sacrifice and about the ongoing challenges faced by those who have served our nation.

I would especially like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and pay tribute to the support provided by the families and friends of our serving Defence Force, particularly the partners and children of serving members who are overseas. It is not an easy life to be part of a defence family, and the sacrifices made by the families of defence personnel ought to be recognised. They are often separated from loved ones and support them through those often lifelong physical and mental consequences of their service.

For almost a decade prior to being elected as the member for Bass, I was an elected member of the George Town Council. Like many regional towns in northern Tasmania, George Town has a proud history of Defence service. On occasions such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day the community come together in great numbers to reflect and commemorate. It is on these occasions that we see the community support that exists for our Defence personnel, past and present.

During my time at the council I was fortunate to develop a close relationship with the local RSL sub-branch. For various reasons, the club had encountered some difficulties that led to the closure of their building. But with the assistance of the council and the dedication of the volunteer membership of the sub-branch, they were able to re-establish themselves in a disused room in the town's memorial hall. A few years later, with the support of the state Liberal government, they moved into a new main street location. This has allowed them the opportunity to connect with the community, to host important commemorative occasions, such as Anzac Day, and to house an extensive memorabilia display as well as provide space for welfare and advocacy. The journey of the RSL sub-branch from decline to renewal highlighted to me the positive social impact the defence community have on the wider community. Membership has increased and the main street is reinvigorated by their presence.

Tasmania is also home to a growing defence industry, providing niche capabilities for the ADF and exporting world-class technology around the globe. I am especially proud of the government's $30 million phase 1 investment in the Tasmanian defence innovation and design precinct at the University of Tasmania's Australian Maritime College. This will help drive defence related research and development projects, creating more jobs in Launceston and a world-class research precinct.

By supporting phase 1 of the research and design precinct, the Morrison government is supporting the high value testing and evaluation needs of the Royal Australian Navy, increasing opportunities for greater collaboration between defence, academia and industry to deliver cutting-edge defence capability and to build the AMC's capability to support the national shipbuilding college as it builds the workforce of the future, to deliver on the national naval shipbuilding plan.

We estimate an additional 150 jobs in the region will be created each year, which is a significant boost for the economy of Bass. Additionally, we expect up to 58 jobs will be created during the construction program. I have already met with Minister Reynolds to discuss the rollout of this project and look forward to working with the minister as this substantial project gets underway. This is another example of the way in which the defence forces in Australia are connecting the community and the economy.

Mr KEOGH (Burt) (11:12): As a member for parliament I've had the opportunity to do and experience things I would never have previously dreamed of. In 2017 I participated in a visit to Australian defence personnel in the Middle East and Afghanistan, where we lived and trained alongside personnel for 10 days. That opportunity gave me a valuable insight into the lives of the men and women in our defence forces. We had the opportunity to learn of their experiences on the ground and to ask what we as their elected representatives can do to further support them in their roles, both here in Canberra and across the country. Our Navy, Army and Air Force do an incredibly challenging job in often very difficult circumstances and it is important that we always support them.

As a Western Australian MP and a dad, I'm very conscious of the toll taken on any families by a FIFO lifestyle. When I went to the Middle East, I remember standing at Darwin airport watching a Defence Force mum saying goodbye to her young family before flying out on her deployment with us. While over there, I spoke to countless troops—sailors, airmen and airwomen—about their families, who go up to six months or more without being reunited. That really brought home the personal sacrifice of each and every individual on the frontline and behind the scenes.

Last week this was reinforced. I had the opportunity to take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre in Queensland, the principal biennial Australian and US military training exercise that combines our naval, army and air forces in high-end war fighting. I want to thank all of the ADF personnel that enabled my visit. I have nothing but respect and admiration for our ADF members. We have an obligation to ensure that all of our personnel are kept safe, here and abroad, both mentally and physically. The same goes for when they come home.

When a person enlists in the Australian Defence Force, they undertake a commitment to our country and, necessarily, maybe placing their health and wellbeing on the line in service to our nation. In return, we are compelled to look after them and their families, both during and after their time in the Defence Force. This commitment is more than just about their physical health. It is about taking a holistic view of the member and their loved ones.

We have a duty to care for those who service has had a greater impact on, and their families, now and into the future. When an individual serves in the ADF, their family serves with them. Military families make so many sacrifices. As I said before, we're well aware that many service men and women are deployed for months at a time. This separation would no doubt cause emotional stress for them, their partners and their children. When personnel are not on deployment, they are on regular repostings to different bases around the country, meaning that they have to choose between uprooting their whole family and living apart for periods of time.

The various defence establishments around the country are not all bad, though. They also go a long way towards stimulating local economies, particularly in regional centres like Townsville, which thrive from the economic contributions of personnel and their families being based there. The Department of Defence estimates that defence activity in the region contributes approximately 20 per cent of the gross regional product. The presence of defence facilities in regional areas not only increases spending in local communities; it results in increased social and environmental support and investment, community involvement, educational and training opportunities and health access.

Similarly, a significant number of veterans make great contributions to the defence industry long after they've hung up their boots, making an ongoing contribution to our nation. For example, more than 20 per cent of Boeing's defence subsidiaries—Boeing Defence Australia and Insitu Pacific—are veterans, and many are in management positions. Last year, Boeing Defence Australia was recognised for its support and recruitment of veterans and received the inaugural Prime Minister's veterans' employment award, Veterans' Employer of the Year.

Our Defence Force personnel put their lives on hold in the service of our country. They take risks and make sacrifices, sometimes committing their lives and wellbeing for the good of the country. In return we must do everything in our power to support them. As I've heard at meetings of local RSLs and from family and friends, and as I've discussed with many constituents in my electorate, these risks and sacrifices, mental and physical, are very real. They are hard to manage. They take a huge toll on individuals and on families. Veterans and their families need our full political and community support.

So I take this opportunity to thank all of our soldiers, sailors and aviators, deployed across the globe and based all around Australia, for everything that they do.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Rob Mitchell ): There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next day of sitting.

Mr HAYES (Fowler—Chief Opposition Whip) (11:17): I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that World Humanitarian Day will be observed on 19 August 2019;

(2) pays tribute to the aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, including those who are:

(a) directly targeted;

(b) treated as threats; and

(c) prevented from providing relief;

(3) honours the lives of those aid workers who have been killed while bringing relief and care to those in desperate need;

(4) acknowledges the millions of civilians affected by armed conflict every day, including those who struggle to access food, water, safe shelter and crucial medical assistance;

(5) further notes that the United Nations estimates that record numbers of over 65 million people are displaced from their homes around the world due to conflict;

(6) notes the Government's $11 billion in cuts to foreign aid, rendering Australia's international aid contribution as a percentage of gross domestic product at the lowest recorded level; and

(7) calls on the Government to rebuild Australia's International Development Assistance Program and increase aid investment beyond current levels.

Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are we doing for others? That was the question posed by Martin Luther King, which succinctly puts into perspective the very reason why so many dedicated people around the world are working on humanitarian causes. I move this motion in commemoration of World Humanitarian Day, the day that the international community unites to recognise the significant work of various organisations and their people in providing humanitarian relief around the globe.

While we often reflect on the efforts of our service personnel in peacekeeping roles abroad, it is very important that we also recognise the selfless contribution of civilians on the front line in various parts of the world. For the millions of people caught up in crises and natural disasters, the families who are forced to flee their homes for uncertain futures, the vulnerable groups which are systematically targeted and, importantly, the children whose future has been placed on hold, on this day and on their behalf we pay tribute to the many aid workers who risk their lives in serving people in need. We also honour the lives of those aid workers who have been killed while bringing relief and care to those in desperate need. In particular on World Humanitarian Day, we honour the significant role that women play in the crises across the world. They are the unsung heroes who have long been working on the front lines to save others in some of the most high-risk environments. As parliamentarians we must work to ensure that they and all humanitarian workers are afforded the protections that they are so entitled to under international law.

This year's commemoration marks 16 years since the attack on the United Nations office in Baghdad, in which the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 other fellow humanitarian workers lost their lives in the service of peace, development and human rights. Since that tragedy, which led to the designation of World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, the United Nations estimates that over 4,000 aid workers have been killed, injured, detained or kidnapped. That's an average of 300 humanitarian aid workers killed, detained or injured every year.

Around the world, in conflict zones in countries including Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen, we're seeing people being forced in record numbers from their homes, with more than 65 million people now displaced, according to recent statistics by the United Nations. These statistics put in perspective the pressing need for action in regard to Australia's role in provision of international aid. The government's $11.3 billion cuts to the Australian aid budget have delivered the weakest level of Australian development assistance in history. Our common humanity demands bipartisan commitment to this matter. We should be working towards increasing our contributions to at least 0.5 per cent of our gross national income to keep pace with other developed nations.

On World Humanitarian Day, we pay tribute to all those aid workers who have lost their lives in the service of peace, we honour their sacrifice, we mourn with their families and we carry forward their memory as we strive to resolve and prevent armed conflict and work towards a prosperous and peaceful world for all. I take this opportunity to thank all those aid organisations working across the globe in some of the most difficult conditions and environments. In particular, I acknowledge the great work of Save the Children, Oxfam, UNICEF, APHEDA, World Vision, Caritas and many, many others and the immense amount of work they do to bring relief and aid to those in need in various vastly challenged areas of our globe.

I conclude with the words of the late Sergio Vieira de Mello, which resonate strongly amidst today's climate of uncertainty and turmoil:

… security can and must be guided by upholding the rule of law and respecting human rights.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Rob Mitchell ): Is the motion seconded?

Mr LEESER (Berowra) (11:22): I second the motion. I want to use my contribution to this debate to talk about some of the people and organisations in my own community who engage in humanitarian aid. These are often people who come and see us to lobby members of parliament about increases to the aid budget but they are very often also people who put themselves in harm's way, who raise money for aid projects around the world and who are there to benefit mankind. Many of the organisations that come and see me are Christian organisations whose basis for working in the aid sector comes from the Gospel of Matthew, that they should love their neighbour, that they are called to love and serve the least of their brothers and that loving our neighbour extends to our neighbours all around the world.

Since I've been a member of parliament, I've been regularly visited by representatives of the Thornleigh Community Baptist Church on issues of foreign aid, whether that's been about the quantum or where that aid is being directed. That church has shown a particularly strong interest in all aspects of aid policy from raising funds to engaging in active volunteering projects. They've spoken to me and other MPs and participated in the Voices for Justice conference hosted by Micah Australia in Canberra each year, where hundreds of Christians come to advocate on behalf of the global poor for increases in aid. This year, the Thornleigh Community Baptist Church also raised over $40,000 for its Christmas appeal. Last year, the funds went to the food crisis in Yemen and East Africa, drought relief in rural New South Wales and the establishment of a free community legal clinic. Every May, the Thornleigh Community Baptist Church raises over $40,000 for mission work around the world, including audiology clinics in the Pacific Islands, vocational training centres in Indonesia and leadership development training in the Middle East.

The TCBC are very proud of their education project in the Solomon Islands. For the past four years, their young adults aged 18 to 30 have partnered with a village in East Honiara in the Solomons to establish an early education centre. They've focused on empowering and financially supporting gifted local female teachers to make their vision of education for all in their community a reality. The centre has 70 students, aged three to seven, who mostly come from poor families with illiterate parents. Usually they'd miss out on the most basic education as children, and struggle to keep up at primary school, with many dropping out before the age of 12. This school is greatly improving the educational prospects of poor children in the Solomons and helping them break the cycle of poverty. Every year, TCBC's youth pastor, Todd Darvas, who is one of the most impressive leaders I've met in our community, leads a team of young adults in their first year out of high school to visit the school. These teams have raised over $20,000 in four years to support the school, which is about to build three new classrooms and grow their impact in the community.

I'd also like to pay tribute to the work of Rotary in East Timor, led by the chair of the Rotary education training group, Theo Glockemann OAM, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Pennant Hills. Rotary operates two residential leadership programs for young people, and they're well known to members: Rotary Youth Leadership Award for adults under 26, and Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment for school leavers facing unemployment and challenging futures. Shortly after Timor gained independence in 2002, Theo brought together selected Timorese students to Sydney for our district RYLA program. After a core of Timorese delegates had a RYLA experience, Theo and his team decided to export RYLA to Timor, as leadership is absolutely critical to that country's future. They raised funds from within Rotary in 2010 and 2011; however, it became apparent that, without a sponsor, the work would not be sustainable. In 2012, Theo Glockemann secured the sponsorship of Woodside Energy and its joint venture partners Shell, ConocoPhillips and Osaka Gas, and they've sponsored the program ever since.

The program has equipped many young East Timorese with the knowledge and skills to step into leadership roles in industry and civil society. Since 2010, there have been 1,000 RYLA alumni, over 300 of whom continue to study at university; over 160 have full-time jobs, many in leadership positions. Timor RYLA is now 95 per cent managed by its own trained facilitator team and receives over 800 applications every year. RYPEN has seen similar growth since it started in 2013, and is running in multiple districts in Timor. These successful programs represent an immense opportunity for young people in Timor to make a future for themselves. I want to acknowledge Angelo Raveane, David Boyce, Eddie Pinto and other members, 14 Rotary clubs strong, whom Theo has led to Timor every year since 2008, along with an army of East Timorese volunteers.

It is a great opportunity today, presented by the member for Fowler, to draw attention to two of the community organisations in our electorate that are making a real difference to the world through their participation in aid programs.

Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle) (11:27): We live in a period of unprecedented turmoil. Every day, in dozens of countries, humanitarian crises are unfolding, with millions of people being impacted. Across the globe, 65 million people are displaced from their homes as a result of conflict. According to last year's Global Humanitarian Overview, 134 million people needed humanitarian assistance and protection.

That's why the United Nations has designated 19 August as World Humanitarian Day, a day to remember the devastating human cost of conflict and disaster across the planet and the critical role that humanitarian action plays. It's also a day to pay tribute to humanitarian workers for their incredible contributions. They place themselves in the path of danger, often at great personal risk, in order to help others in need. This year, World Humanitarian Day is particularly focused on celebrating women humanitarian workers. A large number of global humanitarian workers are women. They are amongst the first to respond to and the last to leave a crisis. I am very glad that, this year, they're being recognised for their contribution.

I was privileged enough to see the positive impacts of aid work firsthand when I visited Bangladesh back in November 2017 at the invitation of humanitarian organisations CARE Australia and Oxfam. At that stage, more than 700,000 Rohingya people, mostly women and children, were fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar, and walking en masse across the border into Bangladesh in order to seek protection. This mass exodus from Myanmar, over a very short period of time, saw the rise of some massively overcrowded refugee camps throughout Cox's Bazar. There were thousands of traumatised people living in cramped, makeshift camps stretching out for kilometres—as far as the eye can see—and this was one of the most confronting sights I've ever encountered. The concentration of refugees in Cox's Bazar is amongst the densest in the world. There are more Rohingya people living in Bangladesh than their homeland of Myanmar.

Cox's Bazar also gave me some really unique insights into the work of humanitarian aid workers, which surely must be the most noble of all professions. The women I saw undertaking the work at the women's-only clinics were a really important part of the work being done in Cox's Bazar, ensuring the health and wellbeing of mothers and children. As I said, more than half of the refugee population of Cox's Bazar were, indeed, children. The women aid workers played a role in that really critical time when there was a need for great protection of women and children, who had already been subject to some of the most gross forms of violence that you could imagine. The women were an essential part of ensuring that those services were properly targeted. At that time, when so many people were arriving, the trust of having those women there was absolutely essential.

But none of those efforts could have happened without funding. Last year the United Nations estimated that we needed more than $25 billion across the globe to help more than 100 million people who were in need. The actual amount that was spent was just $15 billion, a shortfall of almost half of what was needed. That means not enough is actually being done. Regretfully, Australia is one of the worst offenders here. In 2008, in his very first speech in this House, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, praised the government for increasing foreign aid, adding that Australia, 'still must go further'. He went on to condemn the fact that the global aid budget was only a third of what was needed saying:

This leaves a sizeable gap. The need is not diminishing, nor can our support. It is the Australian thing to do.

It's hard to imagine, but this man who spoke with such passion and strength about the importance of aid is the same man who supported more than $11 billion of cuts into Australia's aid budget since the Liberals came to power. Indeed, many of those cuts were at his own hand when he was the Treasurer. And as Prime Minister he oversaw a further $115 million cuts in the last April budget. It is time that those opposite stood up and started acting like a responsible government by reversing some of the damage that they have done by cutting our overseas aid budget.

Mr HILL (Bruce) (11:32): I thank the member for Fowler for moving this motion and bringing this debate to parliament. World Humanitarian Day, 19 August, is one of many United Nations days which are there to encourage the global community to celebrate certain achievements and to educate people, but also, importantly, to mobilise political will and resources to address common global problems.

There is two purposes for this day and I'll touch on each. The first purpose is to pay tribute to aid workers across the world who risk their lives in humanitarian service. We heard the shocking statistic that every year at least 300 aid workers are killed, detained or injured just for going about their jobs. They're unsung heroes and often women. Societies across the world always laud military service and that's appropriate. We had a debate earlier today in this chamber about those who serve—the sacrifice and the ideals that that represents—putting their lives at risk, and that is appropriate. It's visible and it's understood. Of course, there is a darker side of nationalism if that's overdone in some societies, but I think we get the balance right in Australia.

We must take care not to forget other forms of service where people's lives are also at risk. The situation globally is the gravest since World War II. We have more than $65 million people displaced in the world due to conflict, who are unable to live in their homes. Millions are caught in conflict zones, living in conflict zones, in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, just to name a few. They struggle to access food, water, safe shelter or medical assistance. Providing aid and help to people in these areas is, of course, dangerous work. Shockingly, aid workers are directly targeted by combatants, treated as threats by many to their political objectives and harassed or prevented from going about their life saving work. I think it's fair to say we can all agree on that part.

The second purpose of World Humanitarian Day is to rally support for people affected by crises globally. It is not just war or violent conflict or humanitarian disasters but it's all of the other things we see across the Asia-Pacific—330 million people are living in extreme poverty and 1.5 billion people are still unable to access safe sanitation or water and are malnourished. In a civilised world, in a decent world and in a safe world I think we would face up to this reality and not accept global poverty at this level. People are starving. They have no prospects of fulfilling their human potential. This requires more than words. It requires nations, those in a position to do so, to be generous and play their part.

In that context, I rise to condemn this Liberal government's $11.3 billion cuts to the Australia's International Development Assistance Program. It says everything you need to know that despite the member for Newcastle, quoting the Prime Minister in his first speech to parliament, applauding a rise in the aid budget, this government, under this Prime Minister, has cut $11.3 billion. They can't even fill the speakers list for this debate. They've got three speaking slots on this motion and yet they had one bloke turn up and talk about stuff that's done in his electorate. I noticed—listening to the member for Berowra, who made a lovely speech there—he talked about people who come to his office and talk about the quantum of the aid budget. What he meant by that is cuts. It's the Christian church organisations like Micah—that fantastic organisation that pushes these values—that are in their offices calling them out for record cuts that they've made to the aid budget. Australians and the government should be ashamed that our level of investment in the region and, more importantly, globally, is at the lowest level on record.

You talk to people in the community and they say, 'Charity begins at home,' but that is said with an impression that we're somehow handing out most of our national wealth and giving it away in cheques. The fact is we now give around 20c in every hundred dollars. We're one of the wealthiest nations in the world and around 20c in every hundred dollars is all this government can find to deal with the people in the world living in the most extreme poverty. The government should be ashamed. I believe we can do better than 20c in every hundred dollars.

In closing, I'll summarise the reasons I think this is important. Firstly, this is who we are as a people. We have a proud history in Australia of doing our bit in the region and of not forgetting our debts from World War II to East Timor and Papua New Guinea and our neighbours. Secondly, it's good international citizenship and—this may resonate more with the people over there—it's in our national interest. It is one of the four key pillars of our foreign engagement, alongside defence, foreign policy and trade. (Time expired)

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr S Georganas ): There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Mr HAYES (Fowler—Chief Opposition Whip) (11:38): When I was last speaking on this matter, I was talking about the very poor rollout of the government's NDIS and the way it had been impacting on constituents in my electorate and, no doubt, on constituents of most of the electorates represented by members here. Unfortunately, the issue that we get to deal with in my office on a very, very regular basis is several complaints from various frustrated constituents with regard to the inefficient coordination between planners, local area coordinators and the staff of the NDIA.

In a recent discussion paper published by Autism Advisory & Support Service they argue that much of the miscommunication has resulted from the participants being forced to justify their need in order to have the funds and support of services restored to them. Bear in mind, the NDIS is a system where we're bringing together a number of existing state systems that look after people in need—people with disabilities. This is having all sorts of consequences, particularly for those coming from migrant backgrounds. In many cases, insufficient funding for support services and the wait times for reviews have seen participants incur significant out-of-pocket costs. With the unexpected surge in applications for a review of plans, waiting times for a review of plans for people with disabilities can be anything up to six months. The consequence of that is that it simply can't be afforded by people with disabilities or families looking after children with disabilities.

With my community, another aspect of it is that Western Sydney has received one-fifth of Australia's recent refugee intake. Local service providers, particularly in Fairfield and Liverpool, have been put under considerable strain and pressure as they try to assist families to settle and integrate into our local community. The lack of funding to support these services has meant that there has been a reduction in the level of critical settlement service activity in my electorate. As members of parliament, I believe we have an obligation to show leadership and influence better outcomes for people. We must effectively invest in the settlement of refugees. We must ensure that they are given the same opportunities to contribute to our society, rather than allowing them to fall through the cracks and revert to some form of unsafe methods or systems of support.

Another aspect which takes some prominence in my community is the issue of human rights. The issue of human rights is one that my community is very passionate about, given the make up of my community. Many people in my community come from war-torn countries—particularly from Cambodia, Vietnam and other areas—and have taken refuge in this country. As a parliament, our position on human rights should be firm. It should be unwavering. This is especially the case given our membership to the United Nations Human Rights Council. There are far too many situations of human rights abuses within our region for us to turn a blind eye regardless of issues around trade relationships. Whether it be the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, the arbitrary detention of the Uyghurs in China, the treatment of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, the crackdown on the freedom of expression and threat to democratic processes in Cambodia or even the oppression of basic rights and freedoms in Vietnam, we must call out bad behaviour.

In a recent statement issued by the director of Human Rights Watch Australia, Elaine Pearson, she says that this government has always preferred an approach of 'quiet diplomacy' when addressing human rights violation within our region. Simply put, we have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, where we seek to maintain and benefit from trade relations with our neighbours, we must also be committed to ensuring that human rights abuses, wherever they occur, are promptly addressed. On that matter, I commend the government and the minister, in particular, for supporting the UNHRC's resolution for the investigation into the human rights situation in the Philippines. Australia should continue to use our voice as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council to demand justice for victims and to ensure that human rights violators are held accountable for their crimes.

I again take the opportunity to thank my constituents for entrusting me with the honour of representing them in our federal parliament. It is an honour that I never take for granted. I hope I can live up to their expectations.

Mr VAN MANEN (Forde—Chief Government Whip) (11:44): It is an honour to rise in this House again, as the re-elected member for Forde, for my fourth term. The electorate of Forde sits in the heart of South-East Queensland, a region abundant in natural beauty and rich in cultural heritage and history. My electorate spans from the city of Logan in the north to the emerging northern Gold Coast in the south. It is an electorate that represents all that is great about Australia. I am proud to have grown up in the area and raised my two sons there with my beautiful wife, Judi.

The electorate of Forde is a place that many Australians call home. Importantly, these people who call Forde home represent generations of Australians—those who have come here more recently as well as those who have been here for millennia. It also is a place that those who have travelled from far and wide choose to call home. These are the people the Prime Minister referred to as the 'quiet Australians'. It is because of these quiet Australians that I am humbled to continue my responsibility to represent the people of Forde in this great hall and these chambers of the House—the centre of our democracy.

As I begin a new term, it's worthwhile to review what has been achieved in Forde over the past three terms that I have represented the electorate, with a coalition government that is working for families, for retirees and for small business owners across my electorate. We've worked in previous parliaments to ensure that we've had a solid foundation to enable the hardworking residents of the electorate to be rewarded for their hard work, for their enterprise and for their innovation. We do this knowing that the people who earn the money are the ones who are best positioned to determine where and how that money is spent.

It is because of our hard work over the past six years as part of the Morrison government that we are delivering our first budget surplus in over 12 years. Our strong fiscal policy and economic management means that Australia's economy remains strong and will continue to benefit the residents of my electorate and of Australia. Residents in my community are benefiting from 28 years of uninterrupted economic growth, and over 73,000 taxpayers in Forde alone will now have started to reap the rewards of this government's tax cuts to lower- and middle-income earners. I remain focused on reducing the cost-of-living pressures for households across Logan and the northern Gold Coast, but it was always a challenge, considering the position of those opposite. Our tax plan will give the hardworking people of Forde the best opportunity and platform in life to reach their goals and aspirations—not hold them back, as those opposite seek to do. I will fiercely continue to defend the government's position of lower taxes against what those opposite proposed in the recent election.

The people of my electorate are also benefiting from our plans for small business. Small business is the bread and butter of my community. There are over 15,000 small businesses in the electorate of Forde that will benefit from the tax relief plan for small business. These are small and family businesses like CG's Coffee & Grub at Bethania and G1 Asset Management at Yatala. They are benefiting from the fast-tracked business tax cuts. I want to see business grow in my electorate, and it is our plan that small business will see the incentive to grow and prosper and employ more Australians. This is why, through the increase in the instant asset write-off, small business will be able to write off those assets that they purchase to operate their business. This instant asset write-off will increase from $25,000 to $30,000 and can be used every time an asset under that amount is purchased. This will stimulate the economy and enable a cafe to get a new fridge or grill, a plumber to buy new tools or a courier to buy a new van.

I'm also proud to be part of a government that has increased funding for public hospital services in Queensland by 78 per cent since we came into office, despite the constant mistruths perpetuated by the opposition candidate during the election campaign. I'm glad to see that the residents of Forde saw through their smear tactics and realised that funding to Logan Hospital has increased by some 65 per cent and has doubled at the Griffith University hospital since Labor was last in government. I look forward to working with the state government on delivering the $33.4 million in funding towards the urgent and specialist care centre for Logan Hospital, and I hope we will see an end to Labor's health lies in the years to come. This government will also invest some $31 billion to public hospitals over the next five years and $310 billion towards public education in the next decade.

The important thing in all of this and the difference between this government and those opposite is that we deliver on our promises and they don't. Under this government, Medicare spending is guaranteed and is increasing every year, from $24 billion in 2017-18 to $28.8 billion in 2021-22, to ensure every Australian has access to our world-class healthcare system. It is this coalition government's strong economic management that is delivering continued record investment in our vital health system, ensuring its long-term sustainability.

In my electorate of Forde last year, over 1.2 million GP visits were bulk-billed—over 300,000 more than when Labor was last in government, in 2012-13. The bulk-billing rate in my electorate is now at 95.8 per cent—more than it ever was under Labor. I am proud that we are delivering better health services, facilities and technologies and, importantly, improved outcomes for the constituents of my electorate, including through funding to upgrade the Logan Hospital children's ward; more real support for Beenleigh rehabilitation services' drug and alcohol treatment program and for Logan's Street Doctor, which provides health services for the homeless and disadvantaged; a new headspace centre for the northern Gold Coast; and grants for Brook RED and Meadowbrook headspace for ongoing specialist mental health services for children and teenagers, as well as their families and friends.

Mental health is an important issue in Forde, which is why I invited the Prime Minister to Meadowbrook to learn about the valuable services that Canefields Clubhouse provides to people living with mental illness. It was a rewarding and humbling experience to join the Prime Minister and members of Canefields in the simple act of cake decorating, which is one of the many ways Canefields Clubhouse supports their members in developing their trust and socialisation abilities, to say nothing of the fantastic artwork that many of the members of Canefields also do. Equally, on that day I was pleased to announce with the Prime Minister $1.6 million in funding to Canefields Clubhouse, which will assist them on their path to becoming fully self-sufficient so they can continue to provide valuable mental health services for years to come.

If I were to single out one health achievement just delivered in Forde it would be the granting of a new fully Medicare funded MRI licence to Qscan Radiology for their new clinic in Upper Coomera. Upper Coomera is one of the fastest growing regions in my electorate and across Australia. As a burgeoning community, it's critical that this area has local access to MRI services for lifesaving scans for cancer, stroke, heart and other medical conditions. This MRI licence means that locals will be able to access a Medicare rebate for an estimated 5,900 services a year, saving lives and reducing the costs for patients.

I'm not alone in understanding and appreciating the importance of these facilities for families facing travel and the stress of dealing with serious medical conditions. There could be no stronger statement of support made than by appointing a Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I am grateful that the Prime Minister feels so committed to supporting Australians with a disability that he decided to bring the NDIS directly into cabinet. The NDIS represents a significant shift in the delivery of services for people with a disability, and our National Disability Strategy will transform the lives of young people with permanent and significant disability.

I also wish to acknowledge the thousands of people not just in my electorate but across South East Queensland, from learner drivers just starting their journey to families, business owners, commuters and those working in the transport industry, such as couriers and truck drivers, who keep the Australian economy moving. I'd like to thank all of the Queenslanders who got behind my Fix the M1 campaign. I'd like to thank the member for Bonner, here in the chamber, for being part of that as well. I'm proud to say that your support for my campaign is beginning to deliver a safer and quicker drive, with upgrades already underway and funds already budgeted. Too much precious time is taken away from home and loved ones with residents of Forde travelling on the M1, which often feels more like a car park than a freeway. With the Prime Minister I was proud to have committed over $1 billion in congesting-busting funding to the M1. I'm focused on getting residents of Forde home sooner and safer. This includes $347.5 million for the Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill stretch and another $500 million towards the Daisy Hill to Logan Motorway upgrade. This will ensure the M1 is eight lanes from Nerang to the Gateway—the way it should have been built in the first place.

I'm also committed to ensuring our local roads are safe. I look forward to seeing my election commitments come to fruition, particularly in the City of Logan, where the federal government has committed $2.5 million to the upgrade of High Road and Easterly Street in Waterford, $11.5 million for the Chambers Flat Road upgrade between Park Ridge Road and Derby Road, and in Beenleigh to upgrade the current mismatch of road surfaces and lane widths on Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road between Milne Street and Tallagandra Road.

I also look forward to delivering our new commuter car parks at Loganlea, Beenleigh and Coomera train stations, which will provide the residents of Forde with more and safer car parking spaces. This valuable investment in our public transport network will incentivise commuters across Logan and the Gold Coast to use public transport to get home sooner and safer. I'm proud to be a member of a government that invests in our road and transport infrastructure, because it is good for not only commuters but our economy and Australia.

It's also no secret that I'm a big fan of sport, which is why I take this opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of many up-and-coming sporting champions across the electorate of Forde. In fact, the homegrown talent in my electorate that has gone on to achieve international success includes the very recognisable names of Corey Parker and Cameron Smith for rugby league, Jodie Henry for swimming, sprinter Trae Williams, and Alex Leapai for boxing.

Tomorrow's sporting superstars are being nurtured on our school ovals and in gymnasiums across sporting clubs in my electorate of Forde. Sport brings together people from all different backgrounds and it is the foundation of the strong community spirit that we enjoy. This is why I've committed valuable federal government funding towards upgrading the oval at Marsden State High School and building new changing rooms at Logan Lightning Football Club in Beenleigh. This investment in our local sporting hubs will allow local schools and sporting groups to train and foster emerging sports men and women into the future. The people of Forde are proud of our sporting heritage and we look forward to watching the champions of the future sign their names in the national and international halls of fame.

I also look forward to seeing students and families of all abilities enjoying the new facilities on the oval at the Kimberley Park State School, thanks to our commitment to building disability access to the oval and terracing. Eagleby and Norfolk Village state schools will also benefit from federal government funding towards the establishment of children's health and wellbeing hubs, greatly improving the services that the wonderful staff at both Eagleby and Norfolk Village already provide to our local community.

Every child deserves an education, no matter their ability. Being part of a school community is so much more than just learning how to read and write. I take this opportunity to recognise the students, teachers and families of Beenleigh Special School. When I visit I'm always inspired by the time, effort and care that is taken by the teachers, carers and helpers to help those students, many with severe disabilities, be the best that they can be. Importantly, this is supported by significant funding increases by this government across our public schools, our Catholic schools and our independent schools. It is this government that is investing in Australian children's education to ensure that our kids can be the best that they can be.

In conclusion, I'd like to reflect and thank a number of people. As we stand in this place it is always worthwhile to reflect on how we got here and the collective effort of the many people that allow us the honour and privilege of representing our communities in this place.

I wish to recognise and acknowledge the efforts of those who helped ensure my re-election in Forde and, most importantly, the re-election of the coalition government. Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of the government's leadership team and thank Prime Minister Scott Morrison and ministers for visiting my electorate to provide us with the valuable support needed during the campaign. I'd also like to recognise the efforts of the amazing Senator Amanda Stoker, my patron senator. Your presence during my campaign was very much appreciated not just by me but by my staff and the wonderful volunteers, who were invigorated and inspired by your presence.

I wish to thank my FDC campaign team—Roger Emmerson, Joel Hall, Joel Prokic, Andrew Caswell, Pat Reynolds and Byron Sellan—for their support during the campaign. For many of you, this would be your second or third time supporting my re-election, and I thank you for your continued support. I also wish to thank my awesome staff—Byron, Vanessa, Jordan, Siobhan, Katie and Alannah. I would not have achieved the wonderful result we had without your tireless efforts not only during my election campaign but also in the weeks and months leading up to 18 May. Your dedication and performance were above expectations. For many of my staff, this was their first campaign, and can I say it was an outstanding effort for a terrific bunch of first timers.

I would also like to acknowledge the generous contribution and support of the fabulous volunteers who helped me during the campaign. I had volunteers of all age groups and backgrounds helping me, and their involvement in my campaign was invaluable. I'd also like to especially acknowledge the support of the members of the young LNP. It was refreshing to see so many young and new faces being involved in politics. I also wish to acknowledge the many volunteers who belong to local sporting community groups, who supported me because of the relationships I've had the privilege of building over the last three terms.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank my beautiful family, who have always been by my side on my parliamentary journey. One of the only constant sources of encouragement to us in this House is the love and support of our families, which we could not go without. I'd like to acknowledge the tireless efforts and contribution of my beautiful wife, Judi, and our two sons, Zac and Josh. My wife, Judi, is the rock of my life, and I wish to thank her for all of the love, support and wise counsel she has given me—albeit I don't listen to it all the time! Your guidance and assistance to my campaign is invaluable. And to my sons, who have grown into two fine young men: you'll always find a way to step up. I'm a thankful and proud dad.

In closing, I wish to extend my thanks and gratitude to the people of Forde, who've put their trust in me for another three years. You can rest assured that I am focused on continuing to deliver for you and continuing to be your local voice in Canberra.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the honourable member for Lindsay, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech. I ask the House to extend to her the usual courtesies.

Mrs MCINTOSH (Lindsay) (12:03): Mr Speaker, colleagues, family and friends that are here today, Lindsay is in so many ways a microcosm of the Australian community. It's got families, it's got retired people, it's got lots and lots of small businesses and it's got a very strong community spirit. These are the words of former Prime Minister Howard OM AC on his visit to Lindsay during the campaign—and, as always, former Prime Minister Howard is right—'From Menzies' forgotten people to Howard's battlers to Morrison's quiet Australians, Lindsay has been and will remain a microcosm of Australia.'

Former Prime Minister Menzies called the forgotten people the backbone of our nation. In the 1950s, nowhere was this represented more than in outer Western Sydney. Penrith was a nucleus for the transformation of market farming into suburbia, where the aspirational working class were moving out of the city to secure their slice of the Australian dream and a better life for their families. Back then, most people travelled by train into the city only a couple of times a year. Today, hundreds of thousands of people commute out of Western Sydney daily.

By 1996 and the election of Jackie Kelly to Lindsay, Western Sydney had changed significantly. The outstanding win in Lindsay was so significant that we became the epicentre for the Howard battlers. This is because Prime Minister Howard was able to do what Menzies did before him: reach into people's hearts and light their aspiration. I had the privilege to work for Jackie Kelly and Prime Minister Howard. What I learnt most from both of them was the importance of spending time listening to and connecting with people and to have conviction. Today, Lindsay is very much the heartland of Morrison's quiet Australians. But as Menzies's forgotten people become our older Australians we must not forget them again, and as Howard's batters wind up their careers as hardworking Australians we must not forget them, just as Morrison's quiet Australians have not been forgotten.

From working for Prime Minister Howard to working with Prime Minister Morrison, it is now my responsibility to ensure the aspirational people of Lindsay, working hard to get ahead for their families, continue to be listened to and fought for. It is with an enormous amount of gratitude to this microcosm of Australia, our community of Lindsay, that I humbly stand before you today to make my inaugural speech to parliament. Thank you for placing your trust in me to represent you and to deliver my plan for Lindsay, and, as Prime Minister Howard also said in Penrith that day, I promise to work for you very, very hard. I will fight for the people who are working hard for their families and commuting out of the area every day for a good job. They have said they don't want to be doing that long commute. They want jobs close to home. Today, only five per cent of people in Western Sydney live within 30 minutes of their work. As someone who commuted for over 10 years, there is nothing I want more for our community than good local jobs.

I will fight for our families who want a healthy community, better recreational and sporting facilities and a beautiful Nepean River. This is why I announced funding during the election to keep our river healthy and to upgrade Chapman Gardens in Kingswood and Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre in Cambridge Park for all our families to enjoy. For the mums and dads who drive their kids to school, I'll fight—and for our tradies who use our roads for work. They've said they want less congestion and to get to where they're going, and home again, safer and quicker. There is nothing more on my mind than our community's safety and ensuring that people's loved ones get home, because I know the feeling when they don't.

My husband, Stuart, would often cycle from home, in Emu Plains, to the Penrith Whitewater Stadium to train when he was an Olympic athlete. Cycling was just part of his training regime. One evening Stuart didn't come home. I called everyone we knew. I put the kids in the car and drove the route, back and forth, between our house and the stadium. Instinct told me where he was. I rang Nepean Hospital, and this is where I found him. Stuart had been hit by a car, on Castlereagh Road, and had flown off his bike onto his head. In that instant, the injuries he sustained ended his sporting career. Safer, less congested roads are very much part of my plan for Lindsay. I was so pleased that, thanks to the community's support for my petition, Prime Minister Morrison announced $63½ million for the upgrade to Dunheved Road, and I am very committed to its delivery.

I will fight for small businesses, like Emu Plains Automotive Repairs, Bubbles Florist, Kingswood Florist and the well-known cafes in Penrith—The Natural Choice, Thor's Cafe, Bethany's, and Ratha's Place in St Marys to name a few—people who are having a go. They have said they want to have a strong local economy and fewer taxes on their businesses so they can focus on what they do best for their customers.

I'll fight for retired people, like 92-year-old Glad. She's in North St Marys, and I met her at her home. She lived alone and still tried to stay active in her garden. As our community ages I will ensure they are not forgotten. How fortunate are we when we have people in our corner, always, especially when we get older. When I meet people in our community who don't have this, it breaks my heart—women who, after years of contributing to our society, find themselves in older age experiencing homelessness and older people in their homes experiencing loneliness. This concerns me greatly and I've seen both while working in a social housing and homelessness organisation and doorknocking over months throughout our community.

It is so important as people get older that they have a support network, whether family, friends or in the community. I know this firsthand. Just over two years ago my parents lost our family home of 40 years to fire, and every single material belonging they owned. I will never forget the feeling of not being able to get to them quickly enough, pulling my car over at the top of the street and running as fast as I could down its length, past fire trucks, police cars and people, with that terrible smell of fire getting stronger, and to turn the corner to see flames and the last remnants of the house burning. But we didn't lose my parents, and it is our families and friends, and their love for each other, plus my parents' inbuilt drive, that got them through.

I worry for people who, in older age, don't have that, especially when they need it most. And I will fight to maintain our very strong community spirit. This is a foundation of a great community. In Lindsay, community spirit is not just in our foundation; we are full to the brim and overflowing with it. I'll never forget the day that a local man who I know doesn't have much for himself brought me a cup of tea and a slice of cake at prepoll. It was the community spirit that kept me going throughout the campaign, and I would like to thank everyone who was kind to me during this time.

I was proud to be here for the opening of the 46th Parliament, where we honoured our country's First People. I would particularly like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of Lindsay. There are over 6,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Lindsay, and there are many local organisations supporting our Indigenous community, like Nepean Community & Neighbourhood Services in Cranebrook, whose breakfast club ensures that kids have something good to eat before they go to school. I was very pleased that I was able to secure funding for a new bus so that kids could be picked up from home to go to breakfast and then be dropped at school. Cheese-toastie Wednesdays are the best! I would like to give my happiest wishes to all the kids and families who visit the breakfast club.

There are many people I would like to thank who have played a special part in my journey to this place. I can't name you all, but there are a few I do want to mention—firstly, our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison: thank you for your time, support and advice. I am very grateful that your first stop during the election was in Lindsay, to visit our river, where you used to row as a kid, and you've been back a lot of times since. You are always very welcome. People in our community know that you are committed to us—except when our beloved Panthers play at Shark Park!

And I want to mention my first, second and third political bosses—the former member for Lindsay, the Hon. Jackie Kelly, who gave me my first job out at Western Sydney University; Prime Minister Howard, who I had the privilege to work for here in Canberra at the age of 22; and the Hon. Alex Hawke, who I have long called friend and can now call colleague. I have served in the offices of each of you and have been the beneficiary of your political guidance, and it means a lot that you believed in me and are proud to see me in this place. Alex, thank you also for your support in my campaign for Lindsay.

Another powerhouse in our great Liberal Party who has been a mentor and friend is Senator the Hon. Marise Payne. My thanks to you—and the Hon. Stuart Ayres. I am fortunate to be able to work alongside you both now for the people of Penrith, Lindsay and Western Sydney, and with my state colleague from Mulgoa, the Hon. Tanya Davies; Penrith mayor Councillor Ross Fowler OAM and our Penrith Liberal councillors. I want to mention the Hon. Robert Hill AC, our former defence minister, who served as a senator for 25 years. Thank you for being here today. Robert, along with another great friend and mentor, who is also here—Kevin McCann AC—helped guide my way back to politics when we were together at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and, along with Craig Purcell, supported me to start my own think tank program at the centre; W21, the 21st century global women's initiative, allowed me to explore important issues around women and work, and to work with the world's best academics in this space.

To former president of the New South Wales Liberal Party and good friend Nick Campbell and federal president Nick Greiner: you have both given me so much of your time and guidance and have helped support the political pathway of many women in our great Liberal Party. To New South Wales state director Chris Stone, deputy campaign director Luke Nayna and campaign officer Bonnie Marshall—always in my corner. Locally, there is my campaign team and the Lindsay conference, led by president Glenn Gardiner—and my special thanks to Moe Rumman.

I also want to mention our extended Liberal Party family, Alex Hawke's Mitchell conference, and the Hume and Bradfield conferences and their MPs, the Hon. Angus Taylor and the Hon. Paul Fletcher. I thank all of those whose support enabled us to run such a fantastic campaign and the volunteers who walked and stood with me over those many weeks of campaigning, some of whom are here today. I would like to acknowledge Fiona Scott, the former member for Lindsay; former New South Wales women's council president Chantelle Fornari-Orsmond; Scott; Maureen; and Deni Hastings. I thank the people for whom it didn't matter if it was a freezing cold morning at a train station or an all-day campaign; they were there. It was not only members of our Liberal Party but hardworking locals.

I thank all of my coalition colleagues who have supported me on the campaign and since entering the 46th Parliament. It is our Morrison government policies that are going to make hardworking people's lives better. It was very special for me to join you to pass the income tax cuts that mean that around 77,000 Lindsay residents, who are working hard and aspirational, will be keeping more of their own money.

On a personal level, I am a proud Liberal who is grateful for good Liberal Party policy. It was Menzies' 1950s policy that I can thank for being here today. In the late 1950s, a very important invitation from the Prime Minister travelled the seas to a little town in Austria called Graz. My dad had been through war and lost his whole family; he lost his mum, his dad and his sister. He was raised by his grandmother. When she died, there wasn't much to keep him there. He worked hard and saved. When he was 23 and the invitation came from Menzies to create a new home in Australia, dad was aboard that ship. He came with only a few material possessions, but one of the most important things he came with was his drive to have a go.

Mum had an equally modest upbringing. My grandmother was one of 12 children and life wasn't always easy. Just like with my dad, mum changed her life by working hard. When times were a bit tricky, she dug in and worked harder. Just to show how working hard has its benefits, it was through both of my parents working in the same manufacturing company, at a time when manufacturing was booming in Western Sydney, that they met and fell in love. Mum and Dad worked hard for what they built, and hopefully I received 100 per cent of the gene pool for hard work and aspiration. Growing up, I was enthusiastically encouraged to pursue my dreams. Taking responsibility, working hard for your success and love of family are attributes I am very grateful have been given to me by my parents.

It does take a village to raise a family. It is a very noisy village, filled with all of our beautiful kids, that drives me most: my sister, Karen, and her family; my brother Craig, his wife, Belinda, and their kids; and my brother Conrad, who helped his little sister on the campaign, his wife, Debbie, and their children too. There are over 20 of us. Many are here today. I would like to acknowledge Shereen and Gavin from Queensland. My greatest thanks are to Rhonda and Edmund, the best mum and dad in the world. Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad. I thank my husband, Stuart, and our most beautiful, smart and caring children, who are everything to me. There is Byron, our 16-year-old: I am so proud of what he is achieving in year 11 as he gets ready for the next phase of learning. Coby, our 11-year-old, has such a wondrous interest in wireless connections and landline internet connections—anything that powers Fortnite! There is Summer, who is so fast at running that it is now her mum saying, 'Wait for me.' Your encouragement and belief in me has allowed me to follow this political path. Thank you. I love you all greatly.

My political journey isn't as straightforward as some who come into this place. How does one go from training all of their young life as a dancer to being a parliamentarian? They have Conrad and Penelope Helfrich, two of our country's legends in the performing arts industry, instil at a young age the lifelong practice of professionalism, grace and always being on time. I shan't ever be late to question time thanks to these two people, who are here today from Melbourne. Dancing was everything to me when I was young. One of my first memories of Penrith was performing in a talent quest on stage in the old Penrith High Street mall. It was to 'Eye of the Tiger', so it was definitely the eighties. You can imagine my delight when I walked into Friendship Day celebrations last week, which connects people with disabilities in our community, and heard that very song playing and saw the dance floor in full swing. How could I do anything but join in? Congratulations to NADO for such a beautiful day that brought everyone, including me, so much joy.

My political career started with great enthusiasm when I was 21, fresh out of Western Sydney University. I am so proud to be an alumni of this world-class university and look forward to ensuring that it goes from strength to strength over the coming years as our children are educated in Lindsay's jobs of the future. The education I received here was the springboard for so many opportunities throughout my career.

At 23, I entered the corporate world. Like many young people—like many young women—I was rushing to get ahead and achieve it all before kids. I was also the girl from Penrith wanting to be the best and to take all the opportunities. People from Western Sydney are really committed; if you have to commute three hours a day or more for your job, you have to be.

But then an experience changed things. I was given a wonderful opportunity to travel to New York for work. A couple of days out from my departure, the trip was cancelled. I was disappointed. I was going to be staying at the famous Twin Towers. I would have been in one of those towers on September 11. I will never forget that day, sitting in an almost empty office in Sydney, about 20 storeys up, overlooking Hyde Park, wondering what would have happened if I had made it to New York. Rushing for a career wasn't so important after that, so I put it on hold and I went travelling the world with Stuart and his sporting career. I also became a mum, and we visited over 20 countries with our first child, Byron, before he was one. He says he doesn't remember it. Travelling with a baby was an amazing and, at times, wonderful experience—overwhelming!—but it was one that made me value even more our beautiful country, which truly is the best in the world. When we returned home, my career changed paths again, including a time when I thought it would be a great idea to have my own small business and a travelling with kids website with my good friend Rebecca Collins, who is here today. Rebecca journeyed with me to create business ideas and inventions that would solve all the parental troubles of the world. How good are mum start-ups.

All three of my children were born in Nepean Hospital like me, and I have always worked. I think the balancing act as a working mum is something that takes a lifetime of practice. Sometimes this has been very hard. I remember dragging myself onto the train at 7 am each morning for the long commute into the city for my job, very pregnant and very tired. Sometimes people didn't offer you their seat. Sometimes I would have been anywhere else but on that train. My story isn't very unique, particularly in Lindsay. It's about family, hard work, opportunities and aspiration. I think this has always been the Lindsay way.

I was very fortunate to introduce the Premier of New South Wales at a Menzies Research Centre event, and I would like to acknowledge the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian for her support of my campaign. It was at this event that my friend and Menzies centre director, Nick Cater, declared me to one of the best thing to happen to Penrith since the first train in 1863. This is a wonderful compliment, as the introduction of the railway transformed Penrith which, right up until the First World War, served as a major railway town. Just as rail transformed Penrith in the 1800s, rail will again play a major role in its transformation in the future, with a north-south rail link from St Marys to Badgerys Creek opening in 2026 in time for the airport.

But rail won't be the biggest thing to happen to Penrith or, indeed, the whole community of Lindsay. This time, it will be air travel. With it, people in Lindsay finally will have the full potential to realise the aspirations they have always had. Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport has the potential to be transformational not only for Western Sydney but for our whole country. The blueprint that has been decades in the making is now being brought to life and the result will be thousands of jobs, expanded export opportunities and new industries that we haven't yet thought of. Every dollar invested by the government in the airport will generate $1.80 in return to our economy. By 2063, the airport will contribute over $5.8 billion per annum to our national economy, while business profits are forecast to increase by $2 billion a year. The key to unlocking all this is the aerotropolis and local jobs—in agriculture with local produce exported to Asia and the world, in tourism and advanced manufacturing, and even in world-class space manufacturing capability that could boost and transform our national space industry. But we aren't there yet. Building the puzzle and bringing it all together is going to be a huge task in persistence and determination, and it is what I'm committed to doing.

The thing is: we have the smarts and the drive in Western Sydney, and it's time we stopped exporting them. No longer do people in Lindsay have to go somewhere else for their aspiration. People want to live, work and stay in our community, and, as parents, we want our kids to stay too. How do we move the dial so that more people can work where they live? The answer is in Lindsay. We ensure that Lindsay's world-class education institutions, which are going to be taking full advantage of Western Sydney's supercharged infrastructure development, are training our local kids in the jobs of the future. This starts in school and connects all the way through to post school education and workforce training. We also activate our full workforce potential.

In 2014, when I was at the US Studies Centre, I created and led the International Dialogue on Women in Leadership, a G20 event, in partnership with my friend Russell Trood at Griffith University. Sadly, Russell is no longer with us, and I would like to acknowledge his service as a senator. I hope, Russell, you would be proud that I am here. The international dialogue examined how we would reach the G20's target of reducing the gender gap in workforce participation by 25 per cent by 2025. Why are we doing this? For sustainable economic growth. In Australia, an increase in women's participation could add $25 billion to our country's economy. If we can do it as a nation we can do it in Western Sydney.

Encouraging female workforce participation and providing opportunities in the industries that will feature with the development of the airport, manufacturing, agriculture, science and technology are going to be key to ensuring we are reaching our full workforce potential. I've seen it on a national and international level and I know it will work on a local level.

When I created a program for a community housing provider and consulted, again, with world-leading academics to transition women in social housing to economic and housing independence, it was their ability to find and sustain work that would ultimately transform their lives. Women who had experienced intergenerational welfare, women who were escaping domestic violence and women who had the aspiration just need the opportunities, and that's our Liberal way. There are many pieces to the puzzle. Educating our local Lindsay kids in the jobs of the future and activating our full workforce potential are just two that we can begin now.

As Prime Minister Morrison says, 'It's what we do now in policy making that will have a lasting outcome for the next 10 years and more.' It is so important we get it right. Not forgetting or leaving behind Howard's battlers and Menzies' forgotten people, it is now time for Morrison's quiet Australians of Lindsay to fulfil the aspirations we all share. There is never going to be a better opportunity for us to be front and centre driving our own economic future. A job within 30 minutes of home is just the start, not the end, of what we can achieve together.

I would like to conclude with a quote that means something to me personally from the former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. She said:

You will make a difference in the world, but not immediately. Your first obligation is to find something you like doing, because if you like doing it, you'll do it well.

I love representing our community, working hard to fulfil their aspirations and delivering my plan for Lindsay and, with God's blessing, I hope I will do it well. That is why I could confidently say on election night, 'I will promise I won't let you down.'

Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (12:30): I offer my congratulations to the member for Lindsay. I wish her a long and fruitful career and great representation on behalf of her people, and I congratulate her on her maiden speech. On 27 April, on a rainy morning in Mackay, about 700 people gathered on the lawns of the Mackay Regional Council precinct to take a stand against the green lunatic fringe. They did what most of them had never done before—they protested. They were amazed that they had to do this, but they were fed up with the thousands of green lefties and commentators from thousands of kilometres away telling them what jobs they could have, what companies they could do business with and what future they could expect for their children.

Central and North Queenslanders could generally ignore the rants and rubbish flowing from the south; they just got on with their lives. But, when the announcement was made that a former Greens leader and ageing hippie from Tasmania was heading north with a convoy to save us from ourselves, that was the last straw. After disbelief—that people from as far away as Tasmania should be telling North Queenslanders what to do and think—came resolve, and then followed action.

Strangely enough, Bob Brown uttered some resounding words of wisdom, which are written on his website, and they explain exactly what happened when his convoy came to Central Queensland and North Queensland. Bob Brown said:

When people stand up for what they believe in they have unbeatable power.

Yes, Mr Brown was very much right on that point. The people of Central and North Queensland, and indeed across the rest of the state of Queensland, stood up for what they believed in and demonstrated that unbeatable power when they rejected Labor's weasel words on mining and the leanings of the green Left and handed the member for Maribynong a loss in what was being styled as the 'unlosable election' for the Labor Party.

I would like to pay tribute to the economic development group which actually drove that protest to Mackay and to the other leaders in the community who supported its stance. The Resource Industry Network is a not-for-profit industry group which represents the small and medium sized businesses which benefit directly from the resources sector and associated industries. The Resource Industry Network swung into action to stick up for the region, creating a website, www.forthefutureofourregion.org.au. They produced 'Go Galilee' signs, T-shirts and even earrings.

These are some of the words that were shared by our community leaders, as people gathered in the park, in the rain, on the first of two protest days. Resource Industry Network director Mick Crowe said:

We're here for our future. This isn't about whether a coalmine gets built or not. This is a protest about whether our industry has a future or not. We want to be heard. We'll be respectful. It's not about politics—it's about our town and our people.

The mayor of Mackay, Councillor Greg Williamson, said this:

We support democracy. We support everybody who wants to have a voice. But don't come into our patch and say, 'You can't do what supports 60 per cent of your regional economy.

He was joined by the Mackay Region Chamber of Commerce treasurer, Simon Vigliante, who said:

It's one degree of separation between coal and our livelihoods.

Another Mackay Regional Councillor, former Rugby League great and now Green Shirts leader Marty Bella, said:

They come from down south. They don't know us. We create wealth—they use it.

And Mick Crowe, the director of the Resource Industry Network, summed it up when he said:

We need to show Australia we're here, we matter and we need a future. We need to show all the people of Australia and the politicians of Australia that if you won't back our futures we can back you.

He said to the community, 'Help us get a voice.'

Speaking after the second rally, Mick Crow went on to say, 'We're the people who are going to live with the legacy of whether mining gets supported in this state. Are we in great shape as a region because of coal? Absolutely. Will we stay that way? Not if we don't build new mines. The Galilee is the platform that gives us 30 or 40 years. If we don't make that investment, if that doesn't happen, how do we explain the next 30 to 40 years apart from shrinking? It is logical. The world needs it. We're good at it. How do we make it happen?'

The collective voice from this rally, and a second rally held about two weeks later, was: 'Galilee, Galilee, a future for our families.' At about the same time as the green activists were heading north to tell us what to do, a revelation came forth from the Australian Labor Party National Conference about their policies on mining jobs. Labor's plan was a just transition away from mining. Though Labor tried to paint this as some sort of scare campaign, the truth was there in black and white in Labor's policy documents. Labor promised to create a just transition authority, which would, according to their documents, have the power to implement pooled redundancy and redeployment schemes for workers in coal power stations and associated mines. This was referred to in a fact sheet in a media release from the then opposition leader in Labor's National Platform as Labor's uncosted economy-wide climate policy. Labor was making its intention to kill off coal jobs crystal clear. The document specifically listed the Bowen Basin as one of the target areas for their unbelievable hit on the coal sector.

In their climate policy Labor said they would spend $8½ million to establish pooled redundancy schemes for coal miners. How did we get to the point where the Labor Party, the so-called workers' party, wanted taxpayers' money to put people out of a job? We saw one Labor MP after another, including the then deputy leader and the then shadow environment minister use the Adani Carmichael coal project as their whipping boy, which was essentially smashing the coal sector. The member for Port Adelaide said:

I do not support opening new mines in the Galilee Basin, whether it's by Adani, Clive Palmer or anyone else for that matter.

The member for Griffith has been openly against the mine and has been on the record as opposing the Adani Carmichael coal mine for over two years. In 2018, during the abatement by-election, in reference to the Adani project the member for Maribyrnong said:

I don't support it because it doesn't add up commercially and environmentally…

The member for Sydney said:

It doesn't stack up.

And, on coal, the new Deputy Leader of Opposition said:

… I mean the, the, the global market for thermal coal has collapsed and wonderful, that's a good thing, because what that implies is that the world is acting in relation to climate change.

He was asked:

The collapse of thermal coal is a good thing, you said?

His response:

The, the, the global market for thermal coal—because what that implies is that the world is moving to a more renewable energy sources.

The reporter asked him:

… that effects jobs in Australia quite significantly?

He said:

Oh, well it, it, it, it just, what it means is that the, the, the economic case for opening up the Galilee Basin isn't now what it was a decade ago.

Shame. So what does the coal industry mean to the Mackay region? I can tell you that it provides 58 per cent of the region's economy. The Resource Industry Network's For the Future of our Region explains it this way:

FOR OUR BUSINESSES

The region's coal industry is the engine room of the Mackay economy, responsible in 2018 for 43% of economic activity. It's something we simply can't afford to lose!

FOR OUR JOBS

Almost 18,000 direct jobs and support for 58% of Mackay region employment makes it clear that without a thriving coal industry, the only way for regional employment is down.

FOR OUR KIDS

The Mackay region is home to more than 15,000 school-aged children who deserve the same opportunities as their metropolitan counterparts to win skilled, well-paid jobs.

FOR OUR COMMUNITY

Coal mining is the economic glue that holds the Mackay region together, making it the envy of other regional cities and towns who see their people and futures drifting away.

Here are some more fast facts on coalmining and its direct benefits to the Mackay region from the Queensland Resources Council. It means: $1.1 billion in wages; 17,974 full time jobs; $3.4 billion spent locally; 1,810 local businesses paid; and 261 community groups helped, and yet Labor just don't get it. Despite once claiming to be the proud party of the worker, Labor politician after Labor politician bagged the industry, bagged Adani, bagged the Galilee Basin and bagged thermal and metallurgical coalmines. They offered weasel words rather than reassurance to workers in our mining and construction industries, because they had to do deals in innercity seats to save their politicians.

The CFMEU in Queensland had to come out and fight for the jobs of their members in the face of a complete lack of support for their industry from Labor leaders. The CFMEU saw the just transition plan for what it was—a threat to their existence—and they demanded Labor candidates sign a pledge of support for their industry. CFMEU Queensland president, Stephen Smyth, led the charge. They put up a motion that stated:

We will request a pledge from them … if you want support for us, you pledge your support for the coal industry.

He further added:

If we have to, we will campaign against those MPs no matter which party they're in. Even if they're perched up in the little cosy suburbs somewhere in the southeast drinking their lattes.

He spoke of the angst of coalminers:

We watch proud men and women caring for their families that are reduced to sitting by and watching their futures be decided in the political/media arena. As families struggle through, purchasing their homes, educating their children and preparing their retirements, they always have to watch their pride and ability to care for their partners and children wain as the challenge of 'just transition' looms.

I had at pre-polling a CFMEU member in a hat and hi-viz union shirt walk up to me—on none other than Labour Day—shake my hand, take my card and say, 'You're the one I'm backing, Mate.' He even jumped in a photo for Facebook for me. Another union member turned up with his lifetime union membership card—CFMEU again. He also showed me an old wallet he was carrying. It had his mother and father's lifetime Labor Party membership in it. He said, 'Because of all this, for the first time in my life, probably in generations in my family, I will not be voting for the Labor Party; I'll be voting for you.' He brought it in to whisper sorry to them before he cast his vote.

There are other issues that kept people in my electorate awake at night when they contemplated the prospect of a Shorten Labor government: the retiree tax, the housing tax, the electricity tax in the form of a new carbon emissions policy, weak borders, siding with the state Labor government in their attack on farmers through the tree-clearing legislation that was going to be taken federally, and the state Labor government's new so-called sustainability regulations on commercial fishermen. These are really the most unsustainable laws you could ever see. They reduce some commercial fishermen's catch by 80 per cent. That's not sustainability; that's a shutdown of an industry.

I doubt that we've ever seen such an amazing array of bad laws, and Labor wanted to introduce more at the same time. It galvanised people into action. I had big attendances at a range of meetings that I held with groups that were very worried about their future, a future potentially under a Shorten Labor government. Truckies once again turned up in numbers concerned about the return of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal. Property developers and real estate agents gathered in my office and elsewhere. They were worried about the prospect of Labor's negative gearing policy. They saw it as a tax on the housing sector. Canefarmers, cattlemen and fishermen all gathered, battling the state Labor government, as I said, on the so-called sustainability reef laws and vegetation management laws—laws that Labor was talking about amplifying in the federal sphere. One businesswoman in Mackay, a financial planner who is about to retire, walked into my office one day and asked what she could do to help. She couldn't stand the thought of a Shorten Labor government. Many others of all ages and all walks of life stepped up to help in all sorts of ways, some putting in long hours.

There are many people I want to thank who helped during the election campaign. I particularly mention the following: Margie McLean, a saint; Leanne Fordyce, another saint; Ari Oliver; Chris Bonanno; Nicole Batzloff; Laurie Pinder; Frank and Margaret Cover; Lawrie Neilsen; Robyn Hall; Colin Hofmeier; Terry and Dulcie Dennis; Richard Wallace; Graeme and Lyn Downing; David Caracciolo; Jack McLean; Greg Porter; Alan Gascoyne; and John Cotter. In the Whitsundays there were people like Shane Newell, Stan Wright, Sophie and Lawson Camm, Helen Loft, Di Dobbins, Olga Dufty, Ailsa and Frank Reinke.

In Bowen, I want to thank Ian and Pauline Shields, Bruce Hedditch, Helena Hedditch and Bob Harris; further north, the newly minted Senator Susan McDonald, Julian Tomlinson, Peter Lindsay, Richard Stower, Rhonda Braithwaite, John Honeycombe, Rob Town, Joe and Mary Moore, Neville Dickinson, Nelvy Dickinson, Jim and Jill Gist, Ray and Rosemary Menkins, Alan Parker, David Cox, Richard Bonato, Tom and Jan Callow; and my dedicated staff—Lynnis Bonanno, Shelley Argent, Megan Kerr, Lauren Ballard and some that have now left and some that came on temporarily just before the election, including Aaron or 'AJ' Stebbens and Damien Tessmann and a long-serving staff member of mine who gave it his all but has since left the employment in my office, Dave Westman—I want to thank him very much for his tireless support over the years and his ongoing support.

I also want to commend Michelle Landry, the member for Capricornia's, staff on their strong support obviously—with Dawson and Capricornia bordering each other—Jack McDougall, Dana, Anna Howard and Nicole Neale.

I want to pay particular tribute to Senator Matt Canavan and his strong support across the north. I was also happy to push for and see the delivery of funding for a range of projects over the past year. We've seen everything from a small boost to furnish and air condition a CWA house in Seaforth through to the massive bridge building project on the Haughton River between Ayr and Townsville.

In Mackay we're contributing $6.5 million to the Northern Beaches Community Hub in the fastest growing area of our city. We're putting $300,000 into providing seating at the Mackay Crater, the home of basketball in the city. Just under $4 million will go towards the construction of a 20-bed drug rehabilitation centre and $1.3 million is going towards the upgrade of boat ramps and recreational fishing facilities. We're providing $490,000 for lighting at Brothers Townsville Football Club, just under $200,000 for lights at Dolphins Football Club in Bucasia grounds and $80,000 is going to the Mackay Regional Social Development Coalition to teach leadership training and financial management to grassroots community groups.

In the Whitsundays we're putting $5 million into repairing the Proserpine Entertainment Centre, which was smashed during Cyclone Debbie.    We're investing $2.5 million towards a maritime training centre so young men and women can do more of their training in the area where they're needed. We're providing $75,000 to help Libby Edge and her Eco Barge Clean Seas operation clean up marine debris and rehabilitate turtles. We're providing headspace services in the Whitsundays so vulnerable young people and their families can get more ready access to help, and in April's budget we announced almost $30 million to address flooding at Hamilton Plains on Shute Harbour Road.

We are also helping with sporting facilities in the Whitsundays: an extra $2.1 million for the Whitsunday Sports Park; $200,000 for a synthetic bowling green at Cape Gloucester; $480,000 for lighting upgrades at the Whitsunday Moto Sports Club. A project which will benefit the entire region is the construction of Urannah Dam. We've put $10 million forward to progress that project to get it shovel-ready. Urannah has the potential to create up to 20,000 hectares of new farming land adjacent to Bowen and Collinsville.

Also in Bowen we're investing $5 million so that the Bowen Hospital can purchase a CT scanner and associated refurbishments while almost $900,000 has been committed to the Molongle Creek Boat Club upgrade. In the Burdekin, work has begun on the Haughton River floodplain upgrade and bridge replacement. This is a half-billion-dollar project which will provide flood immunity along a near 14-kilometre stretch of the Bruce Highway as well as replace the narrow and dangerous bridge that has no side rails. At Giru, the day care centre will receive $35,000 to help with their recovery from the recent floods.

In Townsville, $195 million will go towards stage 2 of the water security pipeline. Almost $500,000 is going towards Townsville Basketball for upgrades and additions and $5 million will go to stage 2 of The Oasis Townsville, a veteran's wellness centre and support hub for veterans and ex-ADF personnel.

In the April budget, we announced $144 million for Townsville Ring Road Stage 5, which will provide four lanes of the final six-kilometre stretch of this road link. The Townsville Turf Club has also received a helping hand with just under $200,000 going towards the upgrade of their female jockey facilities.

As we look to the future, one thing that I am very much focused on is securing a regional deal for the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday region. This was my commitment to the people of Dawson ahead of the election, and I have been working with the region's mayors—Greg Williamson, Andrew Wilcox and Anne Baker—to put together the details of an agreed plan of transformational projects for our region. They are projects that will futureproof our region, projects that will actually ensure a continuation of profitability and sustainability in existing industries in our region. As we perhaps move towards more automation in mining, we want to see work on that done in our region, not in a capital city and certainly not in another country; we want to see it in our region. We have opportunities to diversify in our agricultural sector, to provide more profitability to farmers. We also see the ability to transform our region altogether into a new tourist sector, whether it be more land based tourism opportunities in the Whitsundays or making Mackay a destination in its own right rather than a gateway to the Whitsundays and the islands. These are things that I'm going to be pursuing in my real action as the member for Dawson.

I thank all of those who cast their vote for me so strongly and carrying every single booth across the electorate. It's an honour and a privilege to serve the people of Dawson. Thank you very much.

Mrs ANDREWS (McPherson—Minister for Industry, Science and Technology) (12:50): It's a great privilege to rise in this chamber as a cabinet minister in the new Morrison government. Our focus was made clear at the first meeting of the ministry last year when the Prime Minister presented each of us with an Australian flag pin—a symbolic and significant reminder for us from day one that we were there to serve the Australian people. It's a focus that never wavered. That was clear during the campaign, and it's even clearer to us all today. We know that our role is to back the aspiration of Australians. That's our job. It's not our job to tell them what they should be doing, how they should be thinking, what car they should be driving or what cause they should support.

Freedom is what underpins individual aspiration, and economic prosperity is what underpins both freedom and aspiration. That's why a strong economy is central to our vision and our agenda. It's not something we take for granted; it's something we work towards every day not because of ideology but because we know that a strong economy delivers a better way of life, more opportunity and a chance to get ahead for the quiet, hardworking Australians who make this country great. That's why the economy matters. It's about people, not numbers or figures.

I'm extremely proud to hold a broad and crucial economic portfolio: industry, science and technology. As an engineer by profession and having served as Assistant Minister for Science and Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, I came to this role with grounding in the essentials: science and practical skills. I'm also one of the many people on the side of the House who have run their own small business. Since I was elected in 2010, I've worked hard and diligently for my electorate of MacPherson on the southern Gold Coast and for the Australian people. I'm not a factional player. I don't seek the limelight. I believe good government is about results and working hard.

Let's be honest. Over the past decade, there has been a culture of musical-chairs leadership and political games on both sides of politics. I love Game of Thrones as much as the next person, but the instability and drama we've seen over the past decade are not what Australians want from their governments. It dismayed me as much as it dismayed everyone else. I'm pleased that those days are behind us. The Australian people voted in May this year for a new way of government under the leadership of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. They voted for stability, humility and sensible government that puts the Australian people first rather than those who walk the corridors of power.

I'm also proud to be an example of what can be achieved through quiet hard work and without self-promotion or quotas. It was recently pointed out to me that I'm the first woman ever from Queensland to sit at the federal cabinet table from either side of politics. Since Dame Annabelle Rankin became a minister 53 years ago in 1966, Queensland women have made a remarkable contribution to the parliament, but none have ever held a cabinet position. I'm proud to be the first of what I hope will be many more to come. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the confidence the Prime Minister has placed in me.

Just as our government works every day to repay the faith the Australian people put in us, I work every day to honour the responsibility I have as Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. The first minister for industry was named in 1928. I'm also very proud to be the first female industry minister in the federal government. I come to the position not because of or in spite of my gender but as someone who has the skills, passion and experience to do the job. The portfolio I'm honoured to hold is central to Australia's economy. The course of our economy in the future is being imagined, chartered and forged through science and technology, and industry is the vehicle that will power along that course, utilising and maximising the paths that science and technology create.

There are international forces challenging our domestic setting in new ways for government, businesses and workers in industries undergoing rapid change. Our government plans to drive all industries forward by getting the economic fundamentals right and by supporting businesses so they can be successful and globally competitive. Traditional sectors, including manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, mining and aquaculture continue to support millions of Australian jobs, with so many in outer suburban and regional Australia. At the same time, there are incredible opportunities opening up in the fields of automation, robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The influence of AI is growing and its potential cannot be overstated. Earlier this year, I released a discussion paper on the ethics of AI, as part of a consultative process. Our government recognises that, in order to realise the full potential of AI, it's important that Australians have trust in how it is being designed, developed and used by business and government. In my department we're making a concerted effort to link activity across government to meet industry needs and develop credible pathways to get people into jobs and to boost business. Last year alone, more than 425,000 businesses and organisations received advice and assistance through AusIndustry, and there were more than six million users of business.gov.au, our government's excellent online one-stop shop.

I won't take up time today listing all of the positive programs we're delivering, from accelerating commercialisation grants to the Entrepreneurs' Program and major projects funding, that deliver significant industry-building projects. They're all practical; they're all co-funding arrangements—no handouts. They're about making the process of growing businesses easier and more successful.

I'd like to mention the industry growth centres which our government introduced in 2015 for a four-year period. Last year we extended them for a further two years. Growth centres have been established in six industry sectors of competitive strength and strategic priority: advanced manufacturing; cybersecurity; food and agribusiness; medical technologies and pharmaceuticals; mining equipment, technology and services; and oil, gas and energy resources. Growth centres are not-for-profit organisations, each led by a strategic board of industry experts who oversee the operation. So far, they have kicked plenty of goals. Since they began, they've engaged with over 26,000 firms, research organisations and industry associations. They have delivered over 150 collaborative projects addressing sector-wide opportunities, with $57.9 million committed by the growth centres and $77.7 million leveraged from industry partners. They have conducted more than 450 skills workshops with over 10,000 participants and assisted in establishing 16 cooperative research centres to help businesses get an edge. They have coordinated a 'team Australia' presence that has supported over 900 Australian organisations at 40 international trade shows and outbound trade missions. This has resulted in at least 150 firms either securing their first export or expanding their sales.

Like all ministers, my first order of business is delivering the election commitments we made. These include establishing a $50 million manufacturing modernisation fund, which will provide grants to small and medium sized manufacturing businesses to modernise, grow and employ more Australians, particularly helping those in regional and outer-suburban Australia. We will also reinvigorate the Australian Made campaign with up to $5 million to promote the logo in Australia's key export markets, to maximise the value of Australian goods. We will be expanding the incubator Support Initiative with an additional $5.2 million, specifically to assist migrants establish a start-up business, because we know it's the Australian way that if you have a go, you get a go.

One of the great personal joys for me in this portfolio is having oversight for the science agencies, including CSIRO, ANSTO, IP Australia, the National Measurement Institute and Questacon, all of which are active internationally. In the international science community Australia has always punched well above its weight. To support that, we're constantly working to better align these agencies with our strategic approach to international science engagement. Our government knows and recognises that science should not be shackled or clouded by ideology. It must be free of ideological pressures. Scientific inquiry must be rigorous, thorough and always open to new research and ideas. The very best science is solutions focused and designed to address challenges rather than just assess and present them.

One of the government's exciting new agencies is the Australian Space Agency. I must confess that I am very fond of the title often bestowed on me by some in the media: the 'Minister for Space'. Of course, that is a very large and expansive portfolio. It is truly exciting to be spearheading our government's plan for Australia's space economy to triple the size of the space sector to $12 billion and create up to 20,000 new jobs by 2030. Our priorities for the space economy are set out in the Advancing Space: Australian Civil Space Strategy 2019-28, published earlier this year. In the April budget, we announced a new $19.5 million space infrastructure fund to be delivered over four years. Yesterday we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, and I was delighted to join with Australians from across the nation who came to Parkes for the official commemoration.

I certainly hope that the activities and media interest in space over the last month help inspire young people to study STEM—science, technology, engineering and maths—which is also a focus of my work. Technology is undoubtedly the key to the productivity and competitiveness of Australian industry, and a skilled workforce is absolutely crucial. We know that the jobs of the future will be in STEM, so shaping a pro-technology agenda will be front and centre of our work over the coming term. Supporting the start-up sector, which is so often tech focused, is also part of our plan to make sure all business owners realise their aspirations. This leads me neatly back to our objective of backing the aspirations of the quiet Australians, as the Prime Minister articulated at that very first meeting and did so repeatedly during the election campaign.

I do want to take a moment to reflect on the election and, primarily, to thank the people of McPherson who placed their trust in me for a fourth time. I've always believed that my primary duty is to the people of the southern Gold Coast. That was my view when I was first elected in 2010 and it's still very much my approach today. I've spoken extensively in this place about our community, our business leaders, our outstanding education and health service providers, the volunteers who are the backbone of our sporting clubs, charities, veterans and community groups. I love the community that I've been part of for more than 20 years, where my husband, Chris, and I have raised our three daughters. There's no better place than the southern Gold Coast to raise your family, start a business, follow your aspiration or visit for a holiday.

In the few minutes that I have left, it's fitting that I thank the many local residents who have come onboard to help me over the past nine years, particularly during the last election campaign—old friends and new, my LNP branch members. There are far too many of them to name them all, but I do thank them all—those people who were out there in the lead-up to the election on prepoll, who were booth captains, who were booth workers, who helped wherever they could, as often as they could and for as long as they could.

I do want to mention my local LNP chairman, Ben Naday, who I have known for a very long time through the party. He has always been a tremendous supporter and has always had the southern Gold Coast and the LNP as the focus of his endeavours when making sure that we're fighting for a good deal on the Gold Coast. I'd also like to thank my treasurer, Boyd Hain, who I've also known and worked with for a very long period of time. He certainly keeps a tight rein and makes sure that we are maximising our opportunities on the southern Gold Coast. I'd also like to take a moment to thank the LNP team at our Queensland party headquarters, led by Lincoln Folo and Michael O'Dwyer. The result in Queensland speaks for itself—not only holding all our marginal seats but also winning the extra ones that got us across the line. To quote the Prime Minister, 'How good is Queensland?'

I know the long hours and sacrifice put in by everyone at LNP headquarters, and I thank them. I know the same is true of those at our federal headquarters, which was based in Brisbane and led by Andrew Hirst and his team. I genuinely thank them all for the work they did, particularly over the campaign period. I'd also like to thank my staff, both in my electorate office and in my ministerial office, for the extra time and effort they put into the campaign, as well as their ongoing support and energy as we worked together to deliver the government's positive plan for our nation.

I now turn to my family. We are a small but very close and tightly knit family: my mum, Moya Weir; my sister, Ann; my husband, Chris; and our three daughters, Emma, Jane and Kate. Throughout my life I've had tremendous support from my parents. Sadly, my father passed away before I was elected to parliament, but I know how much he would have wanted to have remained part of the work I'm doing here in parliament and how supportive he and Mum have always been to my sister and to me. Mum and my sister, Ann, once again rolled up their sleeves, chipped in and did everything they could to support me during the election campaign. For me, that's just the icing on the cake, because I know how much they do for me on a daily basis. To my husband, Chris—and I recall that shortly after I was elected he was described by some of my branch members as my 'long-suffering husband'. Well, I disputed that at the time, but now, nine years into my time in parliament, I must confess that Chris is my long-suffering husband, because he has gone above and beyond in all of that time to support me very personally and to make sure that our children, Emma, Jane and Kate, were looked after in the time that I was not physically present on the Gold Coast and at home.

So, to Chris I say thank you very much. To my three daughters, Emma, Jane and Kate: all I can say is that life is not always easy for political children. My daughters had the luxury, I would call it—they would call it something else—of being driven to school in a car that had their mother's name and face on the outside of it. I didn't really understand what the impact of that was until at one stage we took the signage off the outside of the car and one of my daughters said, 'It's so good that now when we pull up at the traffic lights people aren't staring at us.' I thought, that is just so true, because when you're in a vehicle you forget what's on the outside of the car. To my daughters, who were driven to school in a car with their mother's face on the outside: I'm sorry, but thank you for all of that. Once again, they too rolled up their sleeves, and they were on pre-poll, they were out there on election day—they've campaigned for me from day one. They have been tremendous. They have understood the times that I have been unable to be there, and they've never ever thought I wasn't a good mother. So, thank you, girls; I really do appreciate that.

This 46th Parliament and the Morrison government represent a new chapter in Australian political history. It's a time to rebuild trust, deliver real outcomes and create an economy where all Australians can get ahead. I look forward to the challenges and to making my earnest contribution to this parliament and to the Morrison government.

Mr WOOD (La Trobe—Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs) (13:10): I am deeply humbled to stand before you in this great place where I now commit again to be the servant and representative of the people of La Trobe, in the 46th Parliament, having been re-elected. This is actually my fifth term. The first time I was elected was back in 2004, when we had John Howard as Prime Minister, so I feel very honoured, being in a marginal seat, to again have the people of La Trobe supporting me. This time was interesting, because there had been the redistribution, and I thank very much those up in the Dandenong Ranges who have supported me in the past. Under the redistribution they're now in the Speaker's federal seat of Casey. The electorate of La Trobe now goes right to Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon. We've also lost Ferntree Gully and Upper Ferntree Gully in those areas too.

Having lived in the south-east and grown up in Ferny Creek and Belgrave and up through the Dandenong Ranges, I very much feel a strong connection to the south-east of Melbourne. It's a great place to bring up a family. Sometimes we as members of parliament don't—or we forget to—acknowledge the contribution made by our family members. I thank my parents, Bob and Jan, for everything they've done for me. It was always hard for them. The first time, when I told my father, I said, 'The Liberal Party's asked me to be a candidate in Holt.' He looked me in the eye and he said he'd never been more disappointed in his entire life. He was a pretty hard-core Labor man! As we all know, sometimes your own political views are not necessarily those of your family. Having said that, my father and my mother have been great supporters, and at times they have had to carry the burden of the policies of the government of the day, the Liberal Party and also my own views. So I thank them very much. They both have been unwell, and my thoughts are always with them.

My wife, Judy, was born in Hong Kong, and we have a fantastic, beautiful daughter, Jasmine, now five years old. I thank my wife, Judy, for again being there every time I've asked her to come to a function, when she has her own business. As she points out to me sometimes, she's working two jobs! I've always called Jasmine my secret weapon. I don't know how many functions Jasmine has gone to in the last couple of years, but every time she goes to a function she brings joy and hope to the place. Sometimes she lets Daddy know it's a pretty boring function and it's time to go home! That's what I love about kids: they're brutally honest.

I thank my campaign team, who worked tirelessly for me as volunteers, ably led by Andrew McNabb, the FEC chair; and the branches and all the supporters I have. It is really touching, and I know this is for all members of parliament, when you have this incredible volunteer base out there supporting you day in, day out—not getting paid. They go out on weekends. They go to train stations and shopping centres all believing the cause. I have so many volunteers and I thank them very much.

There was a huge difference in this campaign in La Trobe. Again, it was one of those seats where the media, I say wrongly, said that we'd would lose La Trobe in the election. I know things were tougher down in Victoria compared to other states. My best wishes are always with Chris Crewther, the former member for Dunkley and Sarah Henderson, the former member for Corangamite, for giving it all and, sadly, losing their seats. I acknowledge the other members from all parties who are not here. The public wouldn't realise that when you lose your seat your staff lose their jobs and it's actually very tough.

One of the big groups which really came on board supporting me in the recent federal election was the multicultural communities in La Trobe. It's something that we've seen in probably the last six or seven years. We've had so many migrant families move into the La Trobe area, especially from the Indian and Sri Lankan communities. I thank the Sri Lankan and Indian communities—and within the Indian the Sikh, the Gujarati, the Punjabi, the Bengali, the South Indian, the Tamil, the Telugu and the Malayali. The list goes on and I apologise for all the other community groups I haven't mentioned. The one thing I found with the Indian communities, and I suppose when it comes to Sri Lanka too, is that when it comes to cricket there's that mutual understanding and respect straightaway. I very much thank the Indian groups who play cricket with me on a Sunday morning. As I was going to field the ball they would always tell me what the government should be doing. I thank my friends in the Afghani community too, especially Ishaq for everything he has done for me. I thank the Pakistani community—and this is a growing community in La Trobe. I thank the guys who helped us out there.

An interesting one, and this caught the media a bit by surprise, was the strong support I had from the Sudanese and African communities. I put my hand up when we had issues with the African gangs. I was the one who said, 'There's an issue and we need to deal with that.' I very much thank Andrew Nyar, who is the South Sudanese leader in Pakenham, who I've worked very closely with and who has supported me in my campaign. What I'm trying to do locally once we've called out the issues is to do something about them. There's no future for any young person who's committing crimes, home invasions or carjackings. It's going to end up in tears every time for the victims but also for the young person. When they commit such a serious crime they will end up in jail for 10 years or get deported.

Some of the programs we introduced locally were through the Les Twentyman Foundation. Les is a great person from the western suburbs. Les appeared before our inquiry 'no-one taught me how to be an Australian'. I will say that that was a joint term agreed with the deputy, Maria Vamvakinou, to acknowledge the struggle within the South Sudanese community particularly—and that was by a gentleman by the name of Gum who was a youth worker with the Les Twentyman Foundation.

Les made the very strong point to me that if you want to make a difference in the communities who are doing it tough early intervention is the key. You have to get to the kids in schools with social workers, especially when someone has been in a country where they have seen the most horrific and horrendous crimes. It's like someone was telling me, in Sudan these young people have seen people butchered to death so they need much stronger support. Locally, through the Les Twentyman Foundation, we have seven highly skilled and trained youth workers in a number of schools, including in my local area of Pakenham and Berwick. I was with the vice-principal from Pakenham the other day, who in my office with the Les Twentyman Foundation. Manny, as they call him at the secondary college, was just saying how fantastic this has actually been at the Les Twentyman Foundation. That is something I'm very excited about it.

I will talk about the Hope Australia Soccer Academy. I had Larry Sebastian approach me. I had a committee formed where, again, they were bringing in—they called it Hope Australia—Brazilian soccer players, who had come over and wanted to help those in the greatest of need. They were very keen to help the Sudanese. In particular, when I say 'soccer players', I don't mean people who have kicked a soccer ball in Brazil. Some of the players who I met were actually in the World Cup winning Brazilian soccer team. It was a two-week period of coming out to Australia and then going around the world. Larry said to me, 'Why don't we see if we can make this long term?' I really want to thank the Minister Paul Fletcher, because we ended up securing $1 million to make sure that happens. We have two FIFA-trained soccer coaches in Australia. Their key role, locally in the south-east, is to work with children in harm. One of the key groups is the Sudanese group. I was told just recently by one of the Sudanese elders that, if you go to the youth detention centres, nearly half the kids who are in there in Victoria are actually African.

I say thank you again to the Muslim community. They have been very supportive. We work very closely together on various issues. We always do, and will continue to do so into the future. I am working with a Pakistani group locally who are just absolutely fantastic. I acknowledge the Indian Sikh community, the Gurdwara Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Officer and the Gurudwara Baba Budha Ji Pakenham. I acknowledge Harpreet and his team in Officer. When it comes to Pakenham, I very much want to thank Monty, his father, Suri, Jag, the president, the uncle and all of the guys down there. They were just incredible.

In the state election, a lot of these community groups made it very clear that they voted Labor. During the federal election, they decided to back me. It was more because they thought we were trying to do the best that we could for the local community. To me, it is something very special when people say, 'We're going to support you. We may have some concerns with policies, but we believe you're the person who can work with the local community.' That's something I'm very proud to say.

I thank the Indian Association Cardinia Casey. I thank the Cardinia Gujarati Association, and I'm going to mention Brijal there. I thank the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne, the Celebrate India organisation and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community group. As I mentioned before, Tariq and his great community are down there. I thank the Bangla Art Society of Victoria, the Cultural Society of Victoria, the Kerala community and Malayalees of Melbourne. I will say that the function was so moving at Bunjil Place after the flooding. What they're doing for their own community back home is something special. I thank the Sakyamuni Sambuddha Vihara Sri Lanka in Victoria, otherwise known as the Berwick Buddhist temple. I again thank all of the people down in that community there and especially those who introduced me to Ranj Perera, who is now actually on my staff and working with me as an advisor. I thank Sam from the community there.

Something really special happened during the campaign. The event was actually a planned event. It was straight after the awful attacks in Sri Lanka on the Easter weekend. We had the Prime Minister visiting on the Monday. I thank Dusha for all of her preparations and for having the beautiful Sri Lankan girls practising dance. The conversation was about whether we cancel the dancing and make it a more sombre event, but I had the very strong view that we never allow terrorists to win. Those beautiful little girls had been practising and singing, and it was great to have them perform in front of the Prime Minister and Mrs Morrison. I know that was one of the highlights of the Morrison family's visit to the amazing community after such a horrendous attack. There was the Afghan Australian Association of Victoria, the Coptic Christian Egyptians in Pakenham and, as I mentioned before, the Hope Australia Soccer Academy and the Buddhist Council of Victoria.

Australia has a very vibrant and multicultural community. We are home to the world's oldest continuous culture as well as Australians who identify with more than 270 ancestries. Since 1945, almost seven million people migrated to Australia. One of the things I found in the migrant community when I first dealt with the Buddhist Vihara in Berrick is how important their native language is. I find there's nothing worse when you meet parents who were born overseas and, when you say, 'Can your children speak the language from back home?' they say, 'No. At home we always make sure we speak English.' They kind of regret it. My little Jasmine at home speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.

I thank Prime Minister Scott Morrison for making $780,000 available to support a meditation and education facility at the Buddhist temple for children to learn. The same occurred in the Gurudwara in Pakenham and Officer. Money was made available, again so they would have the funds to ensure their children would be able to learn Punjabi. This is the sort of project, in my role as assistant minister, that I think is so vital and needs to be rolled out further across the country. We supported the Sikh Games with $120,000. Next year, in WA there will be another Sikh Games, with $300,000. Coming up on the AFL grand final weekend, they have games in Pakenham. As I just said to the guys, in some ways I hope Richmond doesn't make the grand final, because it will put a lot of pressure on to turn up for that event! Also, locally we have Bunjil Place, a $110 million facility. If anyone listening gets the opportunity, go down to Fountain Gate to see Bunjil Place. It won international arts awards last year. The work they have done is absolutely incredible.

A future multicultural project I'm working on is a multicultural hub design in Pakenham, with $350,000. It is to speak to migrant people and find out what is important to them and what is missing. One thing I definitely heard in my electorate, and I've realised this from the multicultural communities in particular, is that they may have 500, 600 or 700 people at a family and community function. The wider community is family. It is also about dealing with the issues of trying to find jobs and having sporting facilities in place for the seniors and the juniors, but not necessarily the traditional cricket, football and netball. There are the sports they have mentioned to me, like badminton, table tennis and other activities. This is something I want to work on with the local community to make sure we actually deliver, and I'm very excited about that.

Also, the Living and Learning centre in Pakenham was funded $180,000. The aim of the project is to address the challenges and break down some of the barriers facing the South Sudanese community in Cardinia, to foster better general relationships with authorities and youth focus groups, and to have a Sudanese warden program and legal aid sessions. There is also $322,000 for the Women's Association South East Melbourne Australia. This grant will be used to establish new Women's Friendship Circles. The WFC project has been developed to meet the needs of the rapidly changing neighbourhoods of the south-east community. Another a project I'm very excited about is in Cardinia Shire. I was able to secure $105,000 for them to employ a full-time Sudanese youth liaison officer. I thank the Bangladesh community for the Dream Harmony project—$65,000—which will bring music into the area.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Goodenough ): The debate is interrupted in accordancewith standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour.

Ms BUTLER (Griffith) (13:30): I rise to inform the House of the death of Ron Monaghan, better known to Queenslanders as Mono, who died on Sunday, 30 June 2019. Mono was the much loved former branch secretary of the Queensland branch of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, or 'the Missos', as we always called them, now known as United Voice. He was also the former Queensland Council of Unions general secretary and former president of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party.

Mono fought for decent wages and better conditions for more than 2.2 million Queensland workers. He started in the union movement in New South Wales in 1979, before he saw the light and moved to Queensland 10 years later. Queensland has rarely seen such a passionate and effective warrior for working people as Ron Monaghan. Ron was a man who loved his family, and he treated the Queensland Labor movement as part of that family.

Ron fought his last battle courageously and is survived by his wife, Vicki, their eight children and four grandchildren. When I visited Mono in hospital shortly before he passed away, he was so proud to show me his big family photo and talk to me about all of the things that were happening with his grandkids and kids. He'll always be remembered for his generosity of spirit, his tenacity in pursuing what was right and the leaps and bounds he made for working people. These leaps and bounds were not only in their standards of living but in the respect that he knew they deserved—in our hearts and minds and at the forefront of everything we do in this great movement.

Mr HOGAN (Page—Deputy Speaker) (13:31): Last week saw the under-21 national hockey championships being held at the newly upgraded Far North Coast Regional Hockey Centre in Lismore. I obtained a grant of nearly $750,000 to upgrade this facility. Far North Coast Hockey, the Lismore council and private donors made up the balance of this $1.6 million project.

This investment is already now bringing much more into our community. In the last 12 months alone there have been six major events at the facility, including the Men's Masters Australian Hockey Championships. These tournaments have brought approximately 1,800 players and supporters to the Northern Rivers in the last 12 months, bringing literally millions of dollars. It's a fantastic outcome for all the motels and other businesses in our region.

There were several players from the recent under-21 tournament that I would like to acknowledge. Tom Brown and Reece Gaddes played in the New South Wales team that was ranked first, winning the gold medal. Cooper Stahl played and captained the New South Wales Blues team. Grace Young played in the women's team. Taquira McGrath and Erin Lidbetter competed in the women's New South Wales Blues team, and Luca Brown and Tyler Arundell both competed for the Queensland state team. I congratulate Paul Leadbeatter, who was the chairman of the organising committee, and his team of Christine Goderall, Jenny Pearson, Jan Hutton, Wendy Trudgeon and Clint Mallett. I'd also like to acknowledge the Lismore Workers Club, who sponsored the entire New South Wales hockey squad for the event.

Mr KHALIL (Wills) (13:33): To the people of the electorate of Wills—the people of Glenroy, Fawkner, Pascoe Vale, Hadfield, Oak Park, Coburg and Brunswick—I want to take a moment to say thank you for re-electing me to represent you in the federal parliament for a second term. It's a great privilege to serve our community in this place. It's something I will never take for granted. I've spent the last three years working for the people of Wills, listening to people, talking to people across the community and helping people. My constituents care. They care about a society having the chance to succeed and thrive. They care about quality schools, quality health care, good jobs and fair wages. They care about the importance of Australia taking real action on climate change and being part of the international solution to that crisis. They want everyone in our community, no matter a person's gender, religion, culture or ethnicity, being welcomed as equals. It's about embracing our differences and diversity as a strength of who we are and not allowing fear to divide us.

I am proud that we ran a very community centred campaign around the values of fairness and quality and the desire to get things done. While I wish we had had a different national result on 18 May, I'm incredibly humbled by the show of support from the people of Wills, and I thank them.

To my campaign team and to the Labor members in our area, the true believers who pitched in and volunteered their time and support for my re-election: I thank you. I would not be here without your dedication. To everyone in the electorate of Wills, whether you voted for me or not: I will do my best to represent you here in this parliament to the best of my abilities.

Mr JOYCE (New England) (13:34): What I'd like to talk about today is that we need regional representation in the Senate. It is beyond a joke now that we have 11 out of 12 senators in Western Australia coming from the city of Perth, 11 out of 12 from South Australia coming from Adelaide, 11 out of 12 in Victoria coming from Melbourne, 11 out of 12 in New South Wales coming from Sydney and Wollongong, and nine out of 12 in Queensland coming from Brisbane. There is now an even greater proportion of representation of major capitals by senators than by members of the House of Representatives.

The thing that is a segue into this debate, of course, is the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the proposed voice to parliament. I'm going to make sure I continue my discussions with senior Indigenous leaders so that not only do we have a voice to parliament but we have a voice in parliament, and senators can do precisely that. If we have six regions per state with two senators per region, with one half of the regions going up at one election and the other half going up at the next election, you can bet your life that from the Kimberley will come Indigenous senators, from the cape will come Indigenous senators and from western districts in New South Wales and Queensland will come Indigenous senators, and not only Indigenous senators but people whose political existence relies on them being able to understand Indigenous issues. I believe this is one of the pressing issues before our nation at the current time.

Ms RYAN (Lalor—Opposition Whip) (13:36): The 46th Parliament resumes for me on my feet in the chamber today, across from the third-term Liberal-National government, who you would have thought by now would have found their groove and would have had a good, hard look at what this country needs—not an unreasonable assumption after six years in government. But what do we have? Do we have that? Do we have policies? No. Are we dealing this week with the legislation to act on the banking royal commission's recommendations? No. Are we dealing with the payday lenders legislation? No. Are we dealing with action to increase wages? No. Are we dealing with ways to address homelessness in our suburbs? No. Are we dealing with underemployment and casualisation? No. All we've got from this government is slogans. 'The best form of welfare is a job,' they say. 'If you have a go, you get a go,' they say. Well, from this side of the House to that side of the House: get up and have a go yourselves before you tell the rest of Australia what to do. In Victoria, the state government is driving infrastructure funding and big building is driving jobs growth, not this federal government. In six years, they have left all of the heavy lifting to a state Labor government. What we're getting from this government is cliche after cliche. When those opposite have a go at being a responsible government, those on this side will give them a go. (Time expired)

Mr CRAIG KELLY (Hughes) (13:38): Australia's tourism sector provides an invaluable element of strength to our nation, and we here all have an obligation to protect it and to promote it. Therefore, we should all call out the recent misleading statement made by David Attenborough when he said:

I will never forget diving on the [Great Barrier] reef about 10 years ago and suddenly seeing that instead of this multitude of wonderful forms of life, that it was stark white, it had bleached white …

Well, it seems David Attenborough has forgotten that four years he actually filmed a documentary which was promoted with a description of the reef as 'the perfect coral reef'. He filmed the Great Barrier Reef in all of its magnificent glory. Promoting this documentary in 2015, he described the reef as 'fantastic. He said it was 'breathtaking, a dream'.

These misleading statements made by Attenborough not only harm the reef; they harm Australian tourism. Already Cathay Pacific have announced they are pulling out of Cairns citing lack of demand. No-one denies that parts of the reef are damaged from time to time by cyclones and bleaching. The science tells us this has been happening for hundreds of years. Today the reef is in good shape and a great place to visit, and we should all proudly say so. It's time that men like Attenborough apologise for their misleading statements that harm Australian jobs.

Ms VAMVAKINOU (Calwell) (13:39): I want to congratulate the Tullamarine Men's Shed in my electorate of Calwell on the opening of their new and upgraded facilities, which have been hailed as palatial and state-of-the-art. The shed received funding from multiple partnerships. I want to thank the Hume City Council. I also want to thank Josh Bull, the state member for Sunbury, with assistance from the Victorian Labor government and, of course, the federal government, for making this long-sought upgrade possible. The Tullamarine Men's Shed is a hub for local men to share ideas and skills with each other to build and contribute to community related projects. The men's shed is also vital for bringing together men who may have experienced difficult circumstances to allow them to engage socially in a safe space.

The now-upgraded men's shed offers improved rooms and facilities to ensure all members can make use of the space for projects, work and social gatherings. It's a fantastic facility and a benchmark for building stronger community cohesion in the years to come. I want to thank Cheryl Hildebrandt, the manager of the Tullamarine Community House and Tullamarine Men's Shed; Robert Stephenson, the president of the men's shed advisory group; and their team for their hard work in ensuring that the Tullamarine Men's Shed received these essential upgrades. I congratulate them all.

Mr LAMING (Bowman) (13:41): I rise to support 400-metre swimmer Mack Horton, who declined the Guangzhou podium yesterday in a landmark gesture of defiance and a call for clean, fair sport. This has nothing to do with nationalism. This is related to the facts on the table. While it is technically before the courts due to FINA's long delays in resolving it, the reality is clear: one swimmer, already banned and serving a three-month secret suspension, on 4 September last year refused to submit to a test and, in the presence of his mother, a doctor and a guard, smashed his blood vials with a hammer when he was advised not to by the Swedish tribunal members by phone. This is all before the courts, but what has been denied is a great athlete's chance to stand on the podium in his career because someone has refused to submit a blood sample and has tampered with a blood sample. These details are irrevocable. My message to Mack Horton is: you are our world champion in waiting. Justice delayed is justice denied. You have support from every corner of the world in your stand, and, however it is resolved, like the many Australians before you denied their greatest moment by those who haven't played by the rules, our thoughts are with you.

Mr BANDT (Melbourne) (13:42): Back in March, the Greens called on governments to step in and organise the urgent removal of flammable cladding from all high-risk buildings, to ban its importation and to implement a levy on developments to recoup the costs in solving this crisis. This call followed disastrous fires in Melbourne at the Lacrosse and Neo 200 buildings and conversations with affected residents in my electorate. The Greens have been working closely with the community to push for change, refusing to accept that the government has no responsibility to help people who are living in unsafe apartments. Last week, we welcomed the Victorian government's decision to adopt Greens policy to fund the rectification of buildings with flammable cladding—the first step in dealing with this colossal failure of privatisation and poor regulation. This result is a testament to the hard work of the local community, but this rectification work needs to begin immediately in Victoria and across the country as well.

Taxpayers shouldn't be the only ones funding this. Once this cladding is removed, the government should pursue those companies who were responsible in court and implement a levy, if need be. While I am pleased that Premier Daniel Andrews has not ruled out investing more than $600 million, I am appalled that the federal government has refused to contribute just weeks after passing $158 billion in tax cuts. You have responsibility, Prime Minister, because the federal government let this flammable cladding into the country. This is a national issue and requires a national response. I know there'll be relief for many Victorians, but there's still plenty of work to do until everyone in Australia is safe.

Mr LEESER (Berowra) (13:44): I rise to congratulate Emanuel Cohavi for representing Australia in the 56th International Bible Quiz in Israel. I've known Emmanuel for about five years. He's a student at Kesser Torah College. He often leads services at the Parramatta synagogue, where his father is the rabbi. The International Bible Quiz is an event that brings students together from across the world to compete on their knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. The quiz is part of the International Bible Camp, which takes participants around Israel to make the Bible come alive. They learn about Israel's history, enjoy Israel's beautiful landscape and meet intellectuals and officials from all around the country.

Australian contestants are selected from the national Bible quiz run by the Zionist Federation of Australia. Students study for months before attending the International Bible Camp where they continue to study and prepare in the days leading up to the quiz held on Israel's Independence Day. There's a final test prior to the quiz in which the top representatives from each participating country compete against their fellow countrymen and women to narrow down participants to 16 finalists. Just four representatives from Israel and 12 from around the world compete in the final Bible quiz. Emanuel finished ninth in the world competition where he faced competitors from Canada, South Africa, Mexico, the US and Argentina.

The quiz was started over 15 years ago as a highlight of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day. The quiz is televised live, and winners attract scholarships to the top universities in Israel. Kol Hakavod, Emanuel, on all your achievements in representing Australia in the International Bible Quiz.

Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (13:45): The Reserve Bank of Australia recently met in Darwin for the first time in 51 years and they had a clear message for those opposite, for the coalition federal government, and that is that in order to create jobs and keep growing the economy they must invest in key infrastructure. Well, when it comes to key infrastructure, you can't get any more key than the strategic ship lift asset for Australia's northern port that is Darwin Harbour. Darwin's location is of strategic importance. We're at the doorstep of the world's busiest shipping corridors, and we have the only functional deepwater port in northern Australia. This is why we need the federal government to come to the table and invest in a ship lift for Darwin, as the Northern Territory government has done.

Why is it needed? Some of Darwin's current ship lift infrastructure is not big enough for the new naval Offshore Patrol Vessels, so obviously it's not going to be able to do the job. We've got another ship lift that also doesn't satisfy Defence's needs, so we need this facility in Darwin. I've spoken with the Treasurer and had constructive conversations with him about it. But I say to the House that Darwin's strategic importance means that a ship lift for Darwin is not only in the Northern Territory's interest or Darwin's interest; it is absolutely one hundred per cent in the national interest.

Dr McVEIGH (Groom) (13:47): Next Saturday Oakey will celebrate 50 years since the local airfield was handed over to the Australian Army to establish the Oakey Army Aviation Centre. A street parade: Chinook, ARH Tiger and MRH90 helicopter flyovers; and a formal dinner will mark the strong relationship between Oakey and the base.

What was a World War II RAAF base is now responsible for all Army pilot, ground crewmen, Loadmaster and aircraft maintenance training. Like other areas, we are dealing with PFAS contamination. Much has been done in containment and mitigation, and we have secured the first settlement with the Commonwealth with other cases under consideration.

The base also accommodates a helicopter training squadron of the Republic of Singapore Air Force and it incorporates barracks named after a former local federal member, Liberal minister and World War II hero, the late Sir Reginald Swartz.

This weekend's Oakey Together events will celebrate our history—the challenges, the highlights—and, above all else, the exciting future for this beautiful part of the Darling Downs, which is a place near and dear to my heart. As a boy growing up on a farm at Jondaryan, not far from Oakey, this was our major commercial centre, and certainly over the last 50 years—I was only a toddler back then—I have noted the significant contribution to the local economy from the Army aviation base.

Dr LEIGH (Fenner) (13:48): Warren Buffett once said that it is only when the tide goes out you can work out who is swimming without any clothes. As the tide starts to go out on the Australian economy, it's not a pretty look for the Prime Minister and the Treasurer. At the heart of the problems with the Australian economy is lacklustre wage growth, which is running now at half the level it was before the global financial crisis. Productivity in Australia has been, according to the Productivity Commission, 'mediocre'. That's because the government is failing to put in place essential investments in education and in infrastructure. We're also seeing a falling back in demand which means that our employment rate is a full percentage point higher than Britain, New Zealand, the United States or Germany. The government needs to bring forward infrastructure projects to ensure that we support demand right now.

In the ACT, they could give the ACT our fair share of infrastructure funding by supporting stage 2 of light rail. Across the country, they need to stop funding projects out into the never-never, in the mid-2020s, and start ensuring that infrastructure spending flows now—to give the economy the support it needs, to ensure that we get a lower unemployment rate and to ensure that workers start to get a pay rise. We've got wage theft going on, from celebrity chefs to 7-Eleven, but we also have outright wage theft going on from a government that has only slogans and no plan to support the Australian economy.

Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (13:50): A bunch of serial offenders, the extreme green protesters who call themselves the Extinction Rebellion, are going the right way about causing their own extinction with their continual disruption of people in the Brisbane CBD. They were at it again this morning under a different name, blocking the entrance to a concrete business which is trying to get some urgent work to a nursing home. And I understand we've got some other protestors, including foreigners—yes, foreign interference in Australian politics—up at Abbott Point, near Bowen, who have been arrested for obstructing access to the coal terminal. These green grandstanders have a range of silly and dangerous tricks to cause disruption.

Rather than telling the people of Brisbane to leave their cars at home so these fruitcakes can waste everyone's time, the Queensland Labor government needs to enable its law enforcement officers and the courts to take stronger action to stop the rot. Regardless of what names they want to call themselves, these groups are filled with the same sense of misguided moral superiority. When Bob Brown and his crew decided to come and tell the people of Central and North Queensland what jobs we can have, what industries we can work in and what companies we can support, people sent their own message right back at them. But the green extremists still don't get it. I call on the Queensland Labor government to take tougher action to aid the re-education of all of these ecoterrorists that are filling our streets, blocking the access of law-abiding citizens to businesses and to their work, holding up work in Central Queensland and North Queensland—it's an absolute disgrace that it's allowed to go on without immediate police action.

Mr PERRETT (Moreton) (13:51): I seek to inform the Australian parliament about this wonderful work put out by one of my local RSLs: The Great War1914-1918 'Lest we forget': a local history of World War One heroes – Indooroopilly to Oxley. It was researched by local schoolchildren in consultation with the Sherwood Indooroopilly RSL Schools Centenary Project. I want to particularly mention the president of the RSL, Glenn Mostyn, and Kevin Alcock and Graeme Loughton, who did so much to make this take place. I seek leave to table this document.

Leave is granted.

Mr PERRETT: I thank the minister at the table for that. I particularly note some of the contributions by the students. They obviously had teachers supporting them and mentoring them, but there's one particular essay about the Keid family by Beulah Cox. They've gone through all of the memorials in my area and a bit of Ryan as well—the Keating Park Memorial, the Graceville War Memorial, Bannerman Park in Oxley and other memorials and churches and the like that have honour boards. I want to acknowledge the great work of Jim Gibson, Ian Lang, David Dalziel, John Pearn, Peter Crossman and Ron Ausman; all of the mentoring teachers in the participating schools—I won't have time to mention them all; the student researchers, who did the hard work; Marian Mackenzie from the Oxley-Chelmer History Group; Brian Wade; and so many other people that have brought this story to light so that everyone can access this great resource.

Mr TED O'BRIEN (Fairfax) (13:53): Tribalism may be alive and well in this chamber, but there are times when the full united force of Team Australia needs to come about. One of those times is near, as South East Queensland seeks to host the 2032 Olympic Games. Now this should be right in our sweet spot, because as a country we are highly internationalised. We are welcoming. We are multicultural. We are a safe and secure country, and we have a demonstrable track record when it comes to running major events. What's more, when you're talking about the Gold Coast and Brisbane, though to the Sunny Coast, we are a mecca for tourism. We have the opportunity right now to take first-mover advantage to host the 2032 Olympic Games. The federal government is on board. The South East Queensland Council of Mayors is on board. The Australian Olympic Committee is on board. That just leaves one outstanding to date, and that is the Queensland state government. We need them on board. We need them to get together with the locals, with the feds and with the AOC, because only with a united effort can we win the chance to host the 2032 Olympic Games.

Mr THISTLETHWAITE (Kingsford Smith) (13:54): The 29th of June was a historic moment for the Greek Orthodox community of Australia, with the enthronement of Archbishop Makarios Griniezakis. His Eminence is now the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia, and it was a joyous occasion, although it follows the sad passing of Archbishop Stylianos earlier in the year.

I was honoured to attend the enthronement service with the Labor leader, the member for Grayndler, Anthony Albanese, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Sydney to hear from His Eminence. His Eminence spoke of his main wish: to break down barriers between faiths, to spread love without discriminating and to mentor young Australians. He was clear also about the importance of young people and their relationship with the church.

The Greek Orthodox Church has touched many lives in Australia, young and old, in the Greek community and beyond. I am proud to represent an electorate that has a very vibrant Greek Orthodox community. Kingsford Smith is home to the St Spyridon and St Katherine parishes, which do a great job educating young Australians.

Congratulations to His Eminence Archbishop Makarios. On behalf of Labor, we wish him the best of successes, and we look forward to working with him as a spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox community in Australia.

Mr O'DOWD (Flynn—Deputy Nationals Whip) (13:56): The Port of Gladstone is Queensland's largest commodity port and the world's fourth largest coal-exporting terminal. It is managed by the Gladstone Ports Corporation, formerly the Gladstone Port Authority, a statutory corporate body of the Queensland government. Major exports include coal and gas, aluminium and cement products. GPC had its biggest year ever in exports in 2018-19, with a record 124.8 million tonnes of trade.

This comes on the back of revelations that the Crime and Corruption Commission in the Queensland government is assessing allegations of corrupt conduct in the GPC. Chairman Leo Zussino was stood down. In May, the GPC board sacked CEO Peter O'Sullivan following an investigation into the handling of a staff disciplinary matter. He was on full pay of $533,000 a year while he was under suspension. Port handling fees are the dearest in Queensland. As exports continue to grow, it is vital that the state government start operating the port with full transparency.

Ms SWANSON (Paterson) (13:57): PFAS contamination has haunted my community for the last four years. Minister after minister, the Prime Minister's office and ministers' offices have kicked the ball around for far too long. A few weeks ago I was dumbfounded to learn that blood testing for those impacted by PFAS has ended. If you don't know what it is, google it. Do yourselves a favour and learn more about this contaminant. It's not going away. It is right across Australia. We need a policy for it, and you have done absolutely nothing. You've taken away blood tests from my community.

The SPEAKER: I warn the member for Paterson that she's actually reflecting on me. I don't think she's intending to.

Ms SWANSON: Not at all, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: But it's not a good start to the week, I have to say.

Ms SWANSON: But this government needs to do more for my community of Williamtown and indeed the community of Oakey and all of the communities that are impacted by PFAS across the country. The government have taken away blood tests. Did they let people know even by a letter or an email? No, a benign ad in a local paper was the only way that my community found out about this. They failed to take any sort of policy to the last election. In fact, their candidate didn't even show up to the community forum for all of us who were asking to represent our community. I don't blame that candidate, because they were just told to roll up in a ball by the powers up the chain. They can't come up with a policy. They can't come up with anything decent. It's been kicked from Defence to Health and Environment, and it's not good enough. (Time expired)

Mr PASIN (Barker) (13:59): Forestry is an important and sometimes underappreciated contributor to our national economy. Locally, in forest regions like that of my home town in the Green Triangle, there's an innate sense of how important the forest industry is, which is why I was thrilled to hear that Timberlink is investing in the region again. The company is investing $90 million over the next three years in upgrading its mill at Tarpeena and will increase both the volume of the renewable plantation pine logs process and the yield per log. This is fantastic news for the region in the long term, helping to ensure the mill remains internationally competitive. Currently, the mill supports over 680 jobs directly and many more indirectly and contributes over $180 million to the local economy. This investment will help create and secure an addition 210 permanent full-time positions.

Forestry is an industry with enormous potential to meet domestic and global demand. It is an industry that will continue to provide the economic backbone of many communities Australia-wide, including that in the green triangle. I welcome this investment in our region. I look forward to seeing the upgrade completed. Not only is it contributing to the economic vibrancy of my region but it is growing our national forest industry.

The SPEAKER: In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.

Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:00): I start by welcoming to the chamber today Ambassador Culvahouse and the many others who have joined us today representing the United States. Today I rise to recognise the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's historic trip to the moon and to honour all who made it possible, including the many Australians who were part of that amazing achievement. Fifty years ago it was said that the heavens became part of man's world, and for one priceless moment all the people of this world were truly one. The achievement of that day lives through the ages. We should never cease to marvel at that achievement nor take it for granted, nor the nation that enabled us to achieve it. The Apollo missions were missions of unparalleled risk and opportunity. As President Kennedy said at Rice University in 1962—and we could almost all say it together—'We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy but because it is hard. That goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills.' And that's indeed what it did, inspiring generations to follow.

The decision to send a person to the moon ultimately involved the efforts and toil of 400,000 men and women for almost a decade. I'm sure many members and many outside of this place have taken the opportunity to watch many of the documentaries that have been airing and to marvel again at the tremendous stories. I took that opportunity with my kids over the weekend. These 400,000 men and women included 700 Australians. Every part of their effort was vital. Every challenge was interconnected with every other part of their mission. Nothing could be left undone, because the consequences of failure were too great. All who worked on the Apollo program carried the burden of Apollo 1, when astronauts Virgil Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were incinerated in the command module.

Australia's involvement in the Apollo missions was through our tracking facilities. NASA located these stations around the world at equidistant points in California, Spain and Australia. Communications to the Apollo missions depended on these tracking stations. As The Canberra Times wrote of the stations at Honeysuckle and Tidbinbilla, 'the road to the moon leads through Tharwa', and it did. The tracking stations formed part of the electromagnetic umbilical cord through which information travelled 186,000 miles per second. In the words of historian and author Andrew Tink, who I understand is in the building today, 'Without the tracking stations, mission control would have been deaf, dumb and blind to astronauts on the moon, and vice versa.'

Under the leadership of Tom Reid, who as many Canberrans would know is the late husband of former senator Margaret Reid, Honeysuckle, Tidbinbilla and Parkes all played their part in a remarkable moment for humanity. It is a remarkable thing that we rarely say that Americans went to the moon, though that is a statement of obvious fact. Rather, to us it wasn't just Americans who went to the moon; it was humankind that went to the moon. That's because the United States, through its actions, embodied the best of us and all of us. Buzz Aldrin said, 'The Apollo missions stand as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown.' They remind us that through united, concerted and unrelenting effort we can meet the challenges of our age: cancer, disease, water, climate, race—all things that challenge us.

Fifty years ago our Prime Minister, along with others, was asked to write a message which was inscribed on a disc that was left on the moon's surface. John Gorton wrote:

This is a dramatic fulfilment of man's urge to go 'always a little further'.

May the high courage and the technical genius which made this achievement possible be so used in the future that mankind will live in a universe in which peace, self-expression and the chance of dangerous adventure are available to all.

Fifty years on, that is the lesson of Apollo 11, and the world will forever be grateful.

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:05): I join with the Prime Minister in commemorating the 50th anniversary of this quite remarkable event. The voyage to the moon, and that one small step, began with a visionary president dedicating himself and his nation to doing the hard things. John F. Kennedy of course didn't live to see this dream made real, but, knowing the United States as he did, he would have had every confidence that the hard things would indeed be done.

Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins did anything but choose the easy path. They let themselves be strapped into a tiny capsule on top of what, if all went according to plan, amounted to a prolonged explosion that would hurl them free of our planet's atmosphere and then its gravity. To say that this required courage is quite an understatement. The technology had advanced in the seven years since John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, went to the launch pad with this thought:

I felt about as good as anybody would, sitting in a capsule on top of a rocket that were both built by the lowest bidder.

But the risks were indeed huge. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins knew them all, but off they went. They were proud Americans, carrying the stars and stripes to another world, but they went for all of humanity. They were the human race reaching out, the human race following our endless hunger to explore, to discover, to know.

It seems somehow fitting that Armstrong and Aldrin landed the Eagle with only 30 seconds of fuel to spare. To think how disconcerting it feels when the fuel warning light comes on in your car when you're still on the highway might give you some perspective on that! Eventually, Armstrong's words came back across the void:

That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Those words and that footage first touched down in Australia, landing on a dish at Honeysuckle Creek, just up the road from here. Tidbinbilla and Parkes played crucial roles as well. Here on the opposite side of the world to Houston, Australia was perfectly placed to be the eyes and ears for America and ultimately the world. Australia certainly played our part, and we are proud of it—and rightly so. I note that the Deputy Prime Minister is particularly proud of the role his electorate played, as he should be.

Right across Australia that day 50 years ago, people crowded around black-and-white televisions in living rooms, schools and shops. I remember—it's probably my first memory of watching anything on TV—being with the nuns at St Joseph's, Camperdown. Obviously we didn't have a TV in the school. We were in the nunnery, next to the school, watching it play out live. As a nation, we held our breath—first as they landed and then as we wondered whether they'd successfully take off and get home. As Armstrong uttered one of the most famous sentences in history, one person who did not hear it was Collins. While planet earth heard about that giant leap, Collins was alone in the orbiter, passing through the shadow on the far side of the moon, cut off from all communications, drinking coffee, in the most perfect peace.

As Collins self-caffeinated among the stars and Armstrong and Aldrin lay their boots on untrodden dust, they knew they'd been put there by the work of 400,000 people: engineers, scientists, mathematicians, doctors, cooks, cleaners, builders—you name it—brought together by a government of courage and vision and a nation united in the fulfilment of a vision, the realisation of a dream they'd all come to share. Up there, surrounded by what Aldrin later described as 'magnificent desolation', they all lifted their gaze above the eerily small lunar horizon and looked back at what mattered most—planet earth, a blaze of colour in the black sky, beautiful, fragile and the heart of all we are. Fifty years ago, three of America's finest made that planet feel bigger for all of us. It was a time of wonder and excitement. What had once seemed impossible had been achieved. The last word should go to the first man. Many years later, Neil Armstrong reviewed the moon as a destination and he said this: 'It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it.'

Mr BURKE (Watson—Manager of Opposition Business) (14:57): I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Watson from moving the following motion forthwith:

That the House:

(1) notes that:

   (a) today, the Prime Minister provided a letter to the Senate and the House from his departmental secretary relating to the inquiry into the compliance of former ministers Christopher Pyne and Julie Bishop with the Ministerial Standards;

   (b) the letter advised the Prime Minister that Ms Bishop told the secretary she had no contact with Palladium as Minister for Foreign Affairs;

   (c) Ms Bishop appeared in a video filmed in her ministerial office and published on Palladium's FaceBook page on 9 June 2017 titled "Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop commends Shared Value and Palladium's Business Partnership Platform";

   (d) during the period Ms Bishop was Minister for Foreign Affairs the company Palladium and its related entities entered into contracts with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade valued at over $600 million;

   (e) the integrity of this Government is linked to the observance and enforcement of the Ministerial Standards; and

   (f) unanswered questions remain in relation to the relationship between Ms Bishop and the departmental contractor on whose board she now sits and the rigour of the inquiry by the Prime Minister's departmental secretary; and

(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to direct his departmental secretary to re-open his inquiry into former Minister Bishop.

The letter that the Prime Minister has tabled here—which, mind you, was tabled in the Senate, and until question time he had no intention of even tabling it in the House of Representatives, notwithstanding that both ministers were ministers in the House of Representatives, both ministers who decided it was time to resign once he became Prime Minister of Australia—

Mr Porter: We move that the member be no longer heard.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House just needs to move it himself.

Mr Burke: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: I already have the issue in hand. I'm not sure if it's in anyone interest to let the clock just keep ticking, but if you want to argue along these lines we can. I was just pointing out to the Leader of the House that, if a motion is to be moved, it has to be moved by one person.

Mr Porter: The motion is mine. I move:

That the Member be no longer heard.

The SPEAKER: The question is that the Manager of Opposition Business be no longer heard.

The SPEAKER (15:09): Is the motion moved by the Manager of Opposition Business seconded?

Mr BUTLER (Hindmarsh) (15:09): I second the motion. Shutting down this debate says everything you need to know about this Prime Minister.

Mr PORTER (Pearce—Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Leader of the House) (15:09): I move:

That the Member be no longer heard.

The SPEAKER: The question is that the member be no longer heard.

The SPEAKER (15:15): The question now is that the motion moved by the Manager of Opposition Business be agreed to.

Ms BUTLER (Griffith) (15:15): The more you look at this, the dodgier it gets. This is an absolute disgrace.

Mr PORTER (Pearce—Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Leader of the House) (15:15): I move:

That the question be now put.

The SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be put.

The SPEAKER (15:23): The question is that the motion moved by the Manager of Opposition Business be agreed to.

The SPEAKER (15:35): I present the Auditor-General's Audit report No. 2 of 2019-20 entitled Defence's administration of travel allowances paid to APS employees: Department of Defence.

Document made a parliamentary paper in accordance with the resolution agreed to on 28 March 2018.

Mr SIMMONDS (Ryan) (15:39): Thank you, very much, Mr Speaker. On the banks of the Brisbane River, in the heart of the Ryan electorate, stands Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Australia's first and largest koala sanctuary. It's a place that is familiar to thousands of Brisbane families, and for tens of thousands of international tourists a year it's their introduction to Australia and our iconic marsupial. During the 2011 Brisbane flood, it was also a place where the local community rallied at a time of great devastation. Last Australia Day, though, surrounded by tables loaded with lamingtons, and with a local choir belting out I Still Call Australia Home, it's the place where I had the privilege as a Brisbane City councillor to induct almost 50 new Australian citizens.

I know that most of the members in this House will have participated in similar ceremonies at some time, so you will understand the excitement of the candidates and their unabashed love for their new homeland. During my nine years as a Brisbane City councillor I loved the deep connections I forged with my community, but no duty gave me more pleasure than those ceremonies. The candidates for citizenship had all come to Australia for different reasons—work; family; after great hardship—but all were expressive in their desire to give something back to a community that had embraced them and which had already given them so much.

I think this is a fitting analogy for the excitement that I feel today. I am excited to be inducted into this place so that I can have the opportunity to give something back to the local community and the nation that I love, which has given my family so very much. It is a fitting display of the values that I am in this place to protect: a strong community made up of resilient families, whatever form those families take; a preparedness to roll up your sleeves, to support and serve your fellow residents; a willingness to work hard and make a positive impact for your community and your nation; and effective infrastructure, and that means both physical and social infrastructure that binds our communities together. If there is to be a single measure of the success of my time in this chamber, I intend it to be my contribution to ensuring that these values and institutions are strengthened. If I can help ensure that more Australians have the opportunity, as I have had, to be supported and fulfilled by a strong community, a secure family and a faith in their nation, then I will have made a worthwhile contribution.

I've lived my whole life in the Ryan electorate. It's where I grew up, where I went to school and university, where I got my first job, where I work. It's where I met my wife, where my son was born and baptised, and where I am now raising my own young family. It has grounded me and has shaped me, as I hope now to have a role in shaping it. It is home to some remarkable institutions, seats of great learning and innovation like the University of Queensland at St Lucia, considered to be in the world's top 50; places of great service to our nation, including the Gallipoli Barracks at Enoggera, home of the mighty 7th Brigade; training grounds for individual effort, like the John Carew Swim School at Chapel Hill, the nursery of some of our best Olympic swimmers; and places of extraordinary natural beauty, including Queensland's premier botanic gardens at Mount Coot-tha. And, of course, it's been home to the traditional custodians, the Jagera and Turrbal people, for millennia, and I pay my respects to their elders, past and present.

Like any community Ryan has its challenges, and like most urban communities many of those challenges revolve around population growth and its associated social impacts. You don't grow from pineapple farms to housing estates in just a few decades without feeling those impacts. To have a connected and functional community you need infrastructure that can deliver families homes sooner and safer. You need roads that don't clog and reach capacity just because families are travelling to sport on a Saturday morning.

As a local councillor I helped ensure council delivered new infrastructure, including congestion-busting intersection upgrades, bikeway missing links, new buses and upgraded ferry terminals. As Brisbane's youngest-ever Treasurer I was able to balance record infrastructure expenditure while reducing Brisbane's debt by 47 per cent, in part by recycling capital out of large projects. The Brisbane City Council continues to do more than its fair share of investing in vital infrastructure.

In contrast, the Queensland government's infrastructure funding over the forward estimates, as a share of total expenditure, sits at just 11.5 per cent, down on the decade average, and this means that motorists spend more time in traffic and less time with their families. As an example, Moggill Road, in the heart of the Ryan electorate, is No.1 in Queensland on the Australian Infrastructure Audit report for delay costs; $1.45 million is being lost due to time delays on every kilometre of that corridor every year.

I was delighted that the Morrison government committed a record $100 billion to ambitious infrastructure projects across Australia—in particular that the Treasurer quadrupled the funds to reduce urban road congestion from $1 billion to $4 billion. Projects that reduce urban congestion allow the taxpayer the most bang for their buck. Too often politicians are drawn to funding business case after business case in the hope of finding a big ticket, nation-defining silver bullet for infrastructure woes, yet tackling local projects with price tags of $10 million to $100 million in local communities would mean far more to the lives of Australian families.

I know that building a road is not an end in itself, but building a road builds a more connected community and it gets people home sooner to spend more time with their families. The SEQ city deal, which is currently being negotiated, is a unique opportunity to put this concept into practice. Particularly with such a large council as Brisbane, we can leverage federal funds and combine with local authorities to get much needed congestion-busting projects off the back burner and get them built.

Of course, it's not just the issues and places that make up a community but the people within. The beating heart of the Ryan electorate is its 39,162 families, including my own. I have been blessed to have grown up in a strong and close-knit family unit—a family where my grandmother, Gabrielle, had a formative impact on us seven young grandchildren. Growing up under the rationing of World War II, she is the reason, much to my wife's disgust, I can never bring myself to throw anything out! She taught me to have empathy for those who took positions that upset me. She taught me that, if something is worth doing, it's worth the hard work to do it well, and that everyone must roll up their sleeves and join in supporting their community. Lessons like these, so central to our nation's health and prosperity, can only be given by a family unit whose love is unconditional.

When John Howard described the family as 'the stabilising and cohering unit of our society', he understood that, while it is a truism, it is certainly not a forgone conclusion. That's why he devoted so much of his government's time and energy to supporting Australian families to be resilient. Since then, families have come under a range of new and increased pressures. The proportion of family households is declining. In 1986, just after I was born, families made up 77 per cent of Australia's households, but by 2016 this was down to just over 70 per cent. Over this same period, the number of single-person households increased to 24 per cent, or essentially a quarter of the nation's households. That 'cohering unit of our society' is under siege from every direction. We live in a world so interconnected that it is almost impossible to turn off and just be present. Kids can be bullied online in their own room while parents are less than 10 feet away, and families are finding disagreement harder to manage in a world where social media trains us to be outraged at everything. So we need to step up our efforts to support family units, whatever their makeup. They play such a central role in shaping the health and wellbeing of all immediate family members. We cannot allow more and more people to be alone and disconnected in this way.

I will be passionate and vocal in this place as we seek to tackle the many challenges that bedevil and chip away at families, including the cost-of-living pressures, domestic violence, bullying, isolation and relationship breakdowns.

My family is one of the lucky ones. My mum, Nanette, and Dad, Brett, who are in the gallery today, share a passion for their family and an ambition for their children. My success and that of my brother, Edward, and sister, Annabel, owes so much to their loving household and guiding hands. Like so many Australians, they used the well-worn but treacherous path of small business to ensure that their children were given every chance to succeed.

But to run a small business is to make sacrifices. Early on, Dad worked extra jobs to keep money coming in, before the shop turned over enough that he could start drawing a wage. Many a childhood picture has me playing on the floor of the shop as customers dodged my toys to reach the counter. With so many people using small business as a way to give their families a leg up, we must be ruthless in our dedication to ensuring that their individual efforts, their sacrifice, are supported. Whether it's through tax cuts, IR reform or reducing power prices, I will be working to ensure that small business, and its inevitable connection with the family, remains at the heart of this government's efforts.

This brings me to my wonderful wife, Madeline. She is the strongest person I know, fierce in protecting our family and my most trusted counsel. She is the reason I am in this place.

In the LNP values, which I hold so dear, we enshrined the principle that family is the indispensable forum where children are raised and nurtured, and the foundation of resilient communities and a cohesive society. But, for many, starting a family is not as straightforward as this would suggest. One in six couples struggle with infertility and miscarriage. Starting a family was a hell of a fight for Maddy and me, as it is for other families. It was an intensely private battle that spanned almost a decade—a battle that takes relationships right to the brink and back again. But to acknowledge it publicly is to discover suddenly that this is not a path you walk alone, that so many of your friends and contemporaries are also struggling with it. I look forward to using the opportunity this role affords me to support causes and initiatives that help couples through this heartbreaking battle, not just to improve the efficacy and availability of treatments related to IVF but also to support other ways families can come together, like foster care and adoption.

Despite those trials, though, we have our beautiful boy, Theodore, who is just two years old. Mr Speaker, with your indulgence, I thought I might speak directly to him for a moment. Theo, you won't remember being here today, but I'd like to think you'll read this speech in 10, 20 or even 50 years time to better understand your dad. The irony isn't lost on me that my speech is about communities, families and being better connected, because I know that by the time you read this it is certain that this job will have meant we missed out on a lot of time together—on a lot of special moments and even on a lot of ordinary moments as well. I want you to know that the choice of a career in public life was not one your mum and I took lightly. We understand that every moment I miss with you will be a small cut to our family, and we know that all those little cuts will leave scars on our hearts. But, rather than lament, I trust that you'll grasp the reason I went into politics in the first place, that I had to be in the fight to ensure that you grew up in a community and a nation that was the very best version of itself, and, given that our family—your family—was blessed with so very much, it was incumbent on us to roll up our sleeves and play our small part in helping facilitate similar opportunities for other families.

We need to talk about the challenges of declining service in our community. The historical trends in volunteering are that more people are volunteering but for less time, and it's uneven. Volunteering in sport has grown, but community service has declined. As a local councillor, I saw the life-changing effects of the electorate of Ryan's service groups up close. I started groups myself, like the Indooroopilly Men's Shed. I saw firsthand how this group prevented individuals from slipping into loneliness and isolation that might otherwise have seen them lost from society. With so many traditional service organisations in our community, like Rotary and Lions, struggling with ageing and declining memberships, it is time for the federal government to look hard at how we can better support service in our community.

Funding for our local community organisations is a good start, but I believe we need to think about how we as a nation rebuild the ebbing belief that we have a broader duty to our communities and our fellow citizens, because it's not gone. You don't have to scratch the surface in the Ryan electorate very hard to find examples of good Samaritans, great neighbours who will go out of their way to help their fellow human beings. Brisbane's 'Mud Army' after the 2011 flood springs immediately to mind.

But in this increasingly time-poor, disconnected world it's harder to find the everyday version of that story. I don't profess to have the answers. But, just as building a stronger and more resilient community has been the hallmark of my life as a councillor, so too will it be a priority for me in this place.

Of course, almost all of us come to this place because of our involvement in a community organisation—a political party. I joined the Liberal party, and now the LNP, in 2003, and I have never wavered. It has given me opportunities to serve my community, for which I am forever grateful, and has allowed me to live my values of individual responsibility for your own circumstance and for your own community. Robert Menzies observed:

… the greatest element in a strong people is a fierce independence of spirit. This is the only real freedom …

And with it, he said, comes 'a brave acceptance of unclouded individual responsibility'. Put more succinctly by another great leader of our party: 'If you have a go, you get a go.'

I always assume that people I meet are keen to get a go, that they are as ambitious for their family and their community as I am ambitious for mine. Ambition for our nation, our electorate and for ourselves to exert positive change is what ensures that this parliament does not stagnate or lack new perspectives. And I feel a genuine energy as a member of this fresh Morrison government. With the injection of so many new members, I see a generational shift that, with hard work, will allow us to deliver on the ambition that the quiet Australians have for our nation.

I want to record my deep appreciation for the many people who put their own lives on hold to help me. For all these people to whom untold appreciation is owed, words can never be enough. So it is through tireless effort every day that I vow to repay your faith in me.

Thank you to my previous staff, who have assisted me in this journey, including Matt Adams, Kirsti Schwartz, Justine Froud, Sara Humphries, Caitlin Bales, Hannah Williams, Matt Tapsall, Chris Kelly, Lucy Smith, Gemma Long and Athena Brunt.

Thank you to my political mentors, Jane Prentice, Graham Quirk and Adrian Schrinner, for the opportunity to learn at your side.

Thank you to the wise heads who have encouraged me along the way, including Bernie Mack, Leigh Warren, Fraser Stephens, Scott Emerson, Malcolm Cole, Mark Brodie, Tim Forrester, Damien Cavalluci, John Cotter, Vu Nguyen, Will Griffin, Geoff McIntyre, Margaret deWit and Ann McKenzie.

Thank you to my campaign team, especially my awesome campaign director and wife, Maddy; for the tireless efforts of Mitch Andrews, and to my campaign manager Rob Shearman, along with Simon Ingram, Greg Adermann, Paul McMonagle, Christen Duffy, Craig Ray, Nick Elston, Adam Dwyer, Barbara and Graham Leis and Ruth and Bernie Finnigan.

Thank you to the dedicated team at LNP HQ—especially president David Hutchinson and campaign director Lincoln Folo. These two contributed far more to the 2019 election result in Queensland than most will ever realise. But also the efforts of Alyson, Brodie, Leighton, Collier, Geordie, MOD, Sallyann, Bec, Angela and Janelle cannot go unremarked.

Thank you to my colleagues who have invested so much of themselves in my success, especially James McGrath, Peter Dutton, Trevor Evans, Christian Rowan, Steve Toomey, Peter Matic, Matt Bourke, Andrew Wines, Vicki Howard, Kate Richards, James MacKay and Kim Marx.

Finally, thank you to my extended family—all of you—for your love and support, particularly Maddy but also my Grandpa, Mum and Dad, Julie, Sean, Teds and Aimee, Annabel and Andi, Lily, Phoebe, Charlotte and Uncles and Aunties Megan, Sean, Lauren, John, Terry and Teresa.

Let me conclude by going back to the very start of this speech, back to Lone Pine to that beautiful green sanctuary on the banks of the Brisbane River in the heart of Ryan, back to those unmistakable positive images of our nation that remain seared in my memory—koalas, lamingtons, 50 new citizens just bursting with pride in our nation, bursting with excitement at all the possibilities that flow simply from being an Australian. As long as I am in this place, I hope never to forget the sense of excitement that those people felt just to be Australians. And as long as I am in this place, I hope never to forget the sense of excitement that I feel today just to represent them and all the residents of Ryan. It is a truly great honour and I won't let them down. Thank you.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Andrews ): The question is that the address be agreed to. Before I call the honourable member for Macnamara, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech and I ask members to extend to him the usual courtesies.

Mr BURNS (Macnamara) (16:03): I'm extremely grateful to be standing here in this place to represent the people of Macnamara. It is my privilege to stand here on the lands of the Ngunawal and Ngambri people, the traditional owners of this place, and I pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.

The electorate of Macnamara is set by the Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne on lands walked on for thousands of years by the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation. Today I come with a message for our parliament from the Boonwurrung. With your indulgence, I'd like to share their words:

We, the Boonwurrung, acknowledge that we as Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians share similar values and aspirations.

We are all unique with different stories, history and perspectives—

And that important fact should be recognised and understood.

For thousands of years, our community has maintained our strong links to our own unique culture, language and stories.

But we, the Boonwurrung, believe that we should focus on what binds us together as a wider community.

And what we can achieve together is more than what we can achieve as individuals.

In our language, we value the concept of 'tjanabi', the coming together for a common purpose despite our differences.

It is through tjanabi that we can unify by celebrating the things we have in common, while also valuing the knowledge of what our diverse cultures add to the Australian way of life.

We can achieve a better tomorrow, a shared future that we can all be proud of.

I thank the Boonwurrung for allowing me to carry their generous and warm message in this place.

It is a message that reaffirms my belief that we have something completely rare and unique about our country. We are home to 65,000 years of history and more than 65,000 years of wisdom, continuous culture and language. We are home to a people who have more than 65,000 years of deep connection to our land and to our water. It is up to each of us to look after our precious environment and to heed the lessons of sustainability from our planet's first conservationists: Australia's Indigenous people. I stand ready, like so many people here today, to take my place on the right side of history. I stand ready to help ensure that our First Nations people are duly recognised in Australia's Constitution.

From the wharfies who worked and built our beautiful Port Melbourne to the modern multiculturalism that is South Melbourne, to the beauty and evolution of Albert Park, to the coffee and culture of St Kilda, to the picture-perfect streets of Elwood, to the cool new addition of Windsor and to the place where I was born and raised in Caulfield, the electorate of Macnamara is as diverse as it is iconic. But for all our differences in background, birthplace and beliefs, there is something much greater that binds us. Having spoken with thousands of locals over the course of the campaign—on street corners, front verandas or the other end of the phone—it is clear that the people of Macnamara know that our local community, our little corner of world, is a truly special place.

For some, the change from our federation name of Melbourne Ports to Macnamara meant moving away from history; but I think that this change was an inspired choice and, from my family's own perspective, a fortuitous one too. Dame Annie Jean Macnamara, for whom my electorate was named, was a great Australian. She was one of the first pioneering female doctors at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. She specialised in treating polio, a crippling disease that was particularly devastating for young children. As if that were not enough, Dame Jean was also a leading scientist, devoting her days to ending Australia's early rabbit plagues and, with it, the disastrous impact upon our environment. She was also responsible for leading and shaping some of our nation's great medical minds. It is that point that proves that life is sometimes full of unexpected surprises.

At a campaign function just before the election, my grandfather found himself in conversation with Dame Jean's daughter, Merran Samuel. What we learnt that night was that, as a young medical student, my grandfather, Dr Hershal Cohen, was taught by the great Dame Jean Macnamara. My grandfather is watching from Melbourne right now. In preparing for today, I asked for his thoughts on his university teacher. He told me:

[Back then], not many women got into the position of medical leadership, very few. But she had a determination. And she valued the importance of looking after these people that had polio—and that was the driver. She was respected because she was the leader in her field and she was a leader in the treatment of those who were suffering.

As my grandfather's words illustrate, Dame Jean Macnamara was brilliant; but that's not what made her special. She made kids who were going through the most unimaginable pain feel just a little bit brighter. She gave families the precious knowledge that their loved ones were being looked after. When her young patients were facing that very terrifying diagnosis, she made sure that they had every care and comfort. Dame Jean had a mind to tackle the most difficult problems of her generation, but she had a heart for those who needed help the most. If that is not a good example for us in this place, I'm not sure what is. It is why it is truly my pleasure to acknowledge Dame Jean Macnamara's daughter, Merran Samuel; her granddaughter, Dr Josephine Samuel-King; and Jo's partner, Marcus Gwynne, who are all with us in the gallery today.

I also take this opportunity to acknowledge Michael Danby, who served as the member for Melbourne Ports for 21 years. Michael Danby loved this place. He loved being here, and he loved talking about big ideas. Many didn't agree with Michael, which is probably a sign of his willingness to challenge the status quo. Michael's time in this place was full of courage. I would like to wish him and Amanda the very best for the next chapter.

Like so many others in this place, I am only able to stand here because of the sacrifices of those who came before me. My story starts with a young boy who grew up in the poorest suburbs of London. In order to help support his family, he left school at age 14 to take up an apprenticeship as a pastry chef, until the Second World War broke out. During that war, this boy witnessed one of the darkest episodes of human history and, with it, the attempted destruction of his people. Following the end of that bloody conflict, and after a brief period living and serving in the newly formed state of Israel, it was eventually Melbourne, Australia where he found the peace he was searching for with his wife and young children.

In Melbourne, as a pastry chef, he would wake up at 4 am to do a hard day's work, putting in backbreaking hours but never making that much money. Instead he relied on public schools for his kids and public health care for his family. And in his retirement he relied on a modest pension that somehow always had enough in it for gifts for his grandchildren. His entire life he worked hard and he told everyone that he was a rich man, but his fortune was not in wealth but in family. He was a humble giant of our nation, and he was my grandfather, Jerry Burns. On 7 September 2013, I too woke up at 4 am, just like my grandfather used to do. It was the day of the federal election and it was the culmination of months of hard work to get Michael Danby re-elected for the sixth time. It was also the day that my grandfather, Jerry Burns, passed away.

My grandfather told me to do two things with my life. The first was to marry my wife, Zoe, and the second was to run as a Labor candidate. Thankfully, Zoe agreed to the first and we have been blessed with our beautiful daughter, Tia. Unfortunately my grandfather never got to meet Tia or see me run as a Labor candidate, but it is his example that has led me here today. My grandfather taught me to work hard and to look after hardworking people. He came to this country with very little, and it was this great nation that gifted him not only a good life but the possibility of building a better life for his children too.

His wife, my amazing grandmother Dinah, was barely five feet tall, but she too, in almost every sense of the word, was a giant. She was born in Edinburgh, in Scotland, to a generation without security or opportunity for poor, working-class women. But Dinah overcame a world full of hurdles and hypocrisy to find safety and happiness with her beloved Jerry in Elwood, in the heart of my electorate, all the while instilling in us—her granddaughters and her grandsons—that our abilities and our ambitions were not bound by pink or blue.

On my mother's side, my grandmother, Gerda Cohen, was also forced to leave her homeland, considered a threat because of nothing more than her family's faith. Throughout my time at university, I had the privilege of working as a teacher's aid, assisting children at the start of their education, full of energy and innocence. And yet at the same age, just four years old, my grandmother was somehow deemed an enemy of the Third Reich. My grandmother was born to a world that deemed her unequal before she even learnt to read. Thankfully, she was able to escape with her parents to make that long journey across the world as an asylum seeker to Australia, but even in her home, in the decades that followed, Gerda would always remind us that she was one of the lucky ones. While she was able to escape and build a life here in Australia, much of my family did not escape and perished in the darkest hour of mankind.

It is the lessons from each of my grandparents, Jerry, Dinah, Hershal and Gerda, that guide my policy ambitions in this place. Their stories today are as important as ever. My grandfather Jerry, who built a life for his family with nothing more than his two hands, reminds me that we must find new ways to help more Australians find financial security. The eight-hour day is disappearing. Australians are working longer hours than ever before, while at the same time the number of those who are able to afford their own home is plummeting. Thirty years ago, six out of 10 people my age owned their own home. Today that number is closer to four and rapidly diminishing. It's clear the old road to financial security is closed for too many Australians. People are working harder than ever, but they are finding it more and more difficult to find financial security. It's why we as a nation need to be willing to have an honest conversation about the way our economy is working and exactly who it is working for. Because, just as my grandfather and his generation understood, being Australian shouldn't mean you are granted a life of privilege; it should mean that you can work hard to achieve financial security for yourself and for your family.

My grandmother Dinah's story reminds me that we must continue our work to ensure that women in Australia are getting the fair share that they deserve in their life choices, in their workplaces and in their fight for equal pay. We've taken some great strides but, in the decades on from my grandmother's experience, it's clear we have a long way to go. As a father, a friend, a husband but, fundamentally, as a human being, I acknowledge my responsibility in securing that better, fairer future for Australian women.

My grandfather Hershal's life as a doctor instilled in me that having access to world-class health care is part of what it is to be Australian. It means access to health care regardless of your background or bank balance but it should also mean universal access to mental health care—something that we are still a long way from achieving. My family, like so many others, has been impacted by mental illness. As a society, on so many accounts, we are making good progress, but while people continue to slip through the cracks there is still so much more to do—just one example: the current arrangement of only being able to access 10 mental health sessions a year via Medicare should be increased. For anyone who has watched a loved one suffer, you know that on every measure 10 sessions is woefully inadequate. Simply put: we can, and we must, do better. As a nation and as a parliament we owe it to those Australians and their families.

Finally, my grandmother Gerda's story—a story of persecution and prejudice—has etched in me a fierce opposition to bigotry in all its forms. I was born in Bob Hawke's Australia in an era when the Australian identity was perhaps at its proudest but never at the exclusion of others. In more recent times, we've seen the rise of something new—a sinister element that argues that this nation belongs only to a core few and that by virtue of nothing more than background, birthplace, race or religion, others must reside on the outer.

Only months before the election in the heart of my electorate, we saw that racist underbelly march on St Kilda Beach. Of course, it's not the only instance with a rise in bigotry seen the world over. The question for us here in this place is: how can we fight what feels like a rising tide? I believe, as is so often the case, the answer lies with Bob Hawke and his unique brand of patriotism: taking pride in our nation while continuing to be persistent in our defence against discrimination and ignorance. It is up to all of us in this place to ensure Australia is a country that celebrates our differences and our diversity. It is up to all of us in this place to say strongly and without fear that no matter your gender, sexuality, race or religion, here in Australia you are one of us.

Just before I finish, if you will indulge me briefly, I wish to acknowledge some of the other people who have helped me get here today. At the top of my list is my beautiful wife Zoe—thank you for your love and for doing more than you should to support me. I love coming home to you and sharing our lives, and I couldn't do this without you. To my beautiful daughter, Tia: being away from you is the hardest part of my day, and I hope you'll forgive me for my time in this place but know that I love you more than I thought I could love anyone. To my incredible parents, Leanne and Phil: you are both fierce campaigners and have helped me achieve far more than my high school teachers thought possible. You have both given me nothing but love and support, and I consider myself very lucky to be your son. To my humble and brilliant little sister Bec and my wise and gentle little brother David, I am truly blessed to be part of our trio. To my former boss Daniel Andrews, my former colleagues and in particular Jessie McCrone and Lissie Ratcliff, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for your friendship and help.

To Ari Suss and Mark Dreyfus for your guidance and advice; to Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek and the entire Labor team who helped us win in Macnamara; to the Labor true believers who are part of a hopeful and ambitious campaign; and to my entire campaign team who worked so hard, especially Dean, Millie, Micky, Simon, Dakota, Thomas, Adam, Sam, Julia, Ralph, Louise, you're all worthy of being etched into Hansard as outstanding political professionals and I couldn't be prouder to have campaigned alongside you.

To my friends and family who have made the journey up to Canberra today; to Anthony Albanese, my good friend Richard Marles and every member of the Labor caucus for their warm welcome; and, most importantly, to the people of Macnamara who put their trust in me: thank you all so much.

So, Mr Speaker, I stand here with humility, ready to honour those who have come before me; I stand here with gratitude to a nation that has given my family safety and opportunity; I stand here proudly as a member of the mighty Australian Labor Party; and I stand here, in this place, as the first member for Macnamara, ready to work hard and ready to look after hardworking people. Thank you very much.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the honourable member for Lilley, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech and I ask the House to extend to her the usual courtesies.

Ms WELLS (Lilley) (16:24): As we stand on this ground and take our seats in this chamber, we must be forever mindful that we are being carried on the shoulders of 1,600 generations of Indigenous people. Scientists and artists and parents and children have been here for millennia. Our First Nations people are the world's oldest astronomers. Their connection between land and sky and people allowed them to navigate and predict the patterns of seasons, weather, flora and fauna. Both Indigenous knowledge and modern Western science strive to understand how our world works. Both our First Nations and our nation's scientists value collaboration in a shared pursuit of higher knowledge. So, then, do these Australians signpost our way forward as we take our seats in this new parliament, connecting land, sky and people with evidence and hope. I have high hopes. Our future needs hope. Australians need hope, and we who are standing in this parliament need to bring hope now.

I am grateful to be here and for this opportunity. I want to thank the Lilley campaign team, particularly those who lived and died by the count in that warehouse in Zillmere. I want to thank my colleagues who have given me their time and their guidance: the members for Maribyrnong and Sydney, my good friend the member for Rankin, and the member for Grayndler—who, in his own words mused during the election campaign, 'If he'd spent any more time in Lilley, he would have had to enrol there.'

I want to thank the people of Lilley for the trust they have placed in me. I am here for you all, from the Greens voter in Stafford to the One Nation voter in Deagon and everyone else—however you cast your vote in May. I am grateful that you have given me three years to prove myself to you and to win over the 49.35 per cent two-party-preferred voters who didn't quite vote for me last time.

I am here for the people of Lilley who grew up in St Vincent's orphanage in Nudgee, a significant number of whom are still dealing with the effects of the abuse they suffered there. I am here for Alexina, who lives there now, and for Denae, who works there, with the site now converted to Mercy Community aged care—part of a recent, nation-leading trial for geriatrician led services specialised for acutely unwell age-care residents.

I am here for the people in Lilley who have been in the electorate long enough to remember when the Shorncliffe Pier bathing sheds were used by the Sandgate Ladies Life Saving Club, the first women's lifesaving club in Queensland. And I am here for the people who arrived just in time to see Tidelands—the first all-Australian Netflix series filmed in Shorncliffe last year.

So, what do I bring to this place? Yes, my CV includes a law degree and, yes, I have worked here before in the ministerial wing, and the election campaign made it very clear to me what a gift those things are to any opponent wanting to portray someone as the Labor candidate from central casting. But I am not here to be anyone's stereotype. I am here to be me. I was born while this building was being constructed. 2019 is the first year in which we have more Australians born after 1980 than before, and more millennials in the workforce than baby boomers and gen Xers combined, and yet we form only 10 per cent of this parliament. Millennials will be left dealing with the consequences of the choices this parliament makes. More millennials need a seat at the table. This table—or near this table.

Previous generations have grown up with world wars, the Depression and the threat of nuclear war. Millennials have grown up with our own keen sense that the apocalypse is always possible. We are the generation of 9/11, of school shootings and of the global financial crisis. We are the generation that has not brought about, but that is witnessing, a growing extinction event as species after species disappear forever at a rate unprecedented in human history.

Earlier this year, while we were gearing up to fight the election, Australia became the first country to lose a mammal to climate change. It has been lost and that loss has changed nothing. It was news until it stopped being news just hours later. In the near future, the North Pole will cease to be covered with ice in summer; it will be a dark ocean absorbing heat instead of a vast sea of white ice reflecting it. It will be time to colour in the top of the globe. Two things distinguish humans from other mammals. Our imagination and our capacity to render the planet unlivable. The first can either remedy the second or enable it—that's up to us. Let's choose to find the collective will to use our imaginations for the betterment of the place we live in, a place with ice at the poles and fish in the seas and rivers, a place where people wake up each day thinking that they are valued and that they have prospects, a place where people can wake up feeling safe and that they are likely to receive a reasonable return for any work that day might bring.

Our imaginations, if we let them, take us into the future and allow us to build it. Our imaginations, if we let them, take us into the lives and shoes and hearts of others and lead us to make decisions for their good and for the common good. Or, we can choose not to imagine. We can live in the moment, and in our own moment, and to our own short-term advantage. We can shut out the cries for help; we can shut out the evidence that calls for change. I am here because I want to live a better life than that.

Many big debates aren't right versus left; they're short term versus long term. We cannot prioritise one at the expense of the other, even at a time when a new cycle—the electoral cycle—and the bills coming in all draw us to short-term-ism. It must never be beyond us to get the long term right, too.

I am here to be a good member of my community, to be a good parent and, as Jonas Salk said, to be a good ancestor. I am here because nothing has more power to make or dismantle this nation's future than this House. The work this House does shapes lives now and long into the future. This parliament has at times done great things. Our very first parliament in its second year passed the bill that made Australia the first independent country to give women a vote in national elections. The 26th Parliament brought about the referendum that righted the wrong of Indigenous noncitizenship. The Hawke and Keating years are well remembered for bringing us economic reforms that have increased long-term national prosperity and for bringing universal health care in the form of Medicare—an extraordinary achievement that has made our health system among the best in the world.

More recently still, in the 42nd and 43rd parliaments my predecessor as the member for Lilley, Wayne Swan, in his role as Treasurer, took Australia through the global financial crisis as the only developed nation not to experience a recession. While the rest of the developed world went under that juggernaut, policy decisions made in this place pulled Australia out of the way. Too little credit is given for that. You don't think twice about the train that doesn't run you over and simply passes by.

But there is, of course, more work to do. In my time in the private sector as a workers comp lawyer I assisted and represented people who had been injured at work. This reinforced something that I already knew to be true: not everyone who has a go gets a go. Life is not that simple or that reliably benevolent. We are not as good as we should be at fighting disadvantage sensibly and collaboratively and with regard to the evidence of what works and what does not. We also are not great at making space for people who don't fit.

When I was at school and my friends and I used to play handball by the tuckshop, there were four squares, and they were labelled Ace, King, Queen and Joker. But one of my friends didn't like any of those. She wanted to be in a square for Ninja Turtles. We wouldn't let her, and she wandered off. She didn't play; she opted out. We need to be a parliament and a community that does more for our Ninja Turtles, that values difference and includes it.

We should be measured by how we treat those who don't fit the squares, those without advantage, those not enfranchised, those who don't understand the paperwork, those who are shut out by the system, those who cast their votes reluctantly or not at all. We need to be here at least as much for the people who have stopped believing in this parliament as we are for those who still do believe. We need to convince them that this place is relevant to them, has their interests at heart and will about accordingly. And we need to do that by actually being relevant to them, having their interests at heart and will act accordingly.

You all know that I had to wait a little longer to book my ticket here than most of you did. In the recent election I did not step into a safe seat and see it stay safe on my watch. In the days after the election, when the count was close and nothing was decided, many people reached out to me saying how tough that must be. But I had three little girls of Lilley giving me a sense of perspective. Skye gave me perspective. At four, Skye is trapped in her own body, born with a one-of-a-kind genetic condition that renders her mentally astute but unable to sit, stand, walk or crawl on her own. When Skye's family was told that she would need a walking frame, they were told to wait for the NDIS to source one. Eighteen months later, and in the last weeks of the campaign, Skye's mum, Vanessa, hit the final hurdles of that process. When the news reached me, it took one phone call to get Skye the approval for the walking frame she needed. I want to be part of a parliament that does better by Skye and that goes after the unknowns of pregnancy, stillbirth and child and maternal health.

Sasha gave me perspective. Six days after the election, as the count continued, I attended the Kalinga Park Sorry Day ceremony. I didn't meet Sasha but I met her parents. Somewhere, Sasha is 40 now but still a baby girl to them, as she was taken from them in infancy, and they have not found her since. Sasha is a member of the stolen generations, and I want to be part of a parliament that does better by Sasha and that continues the work of the Rudd government to own up to and address this wrong, that closes the gap and that enables an Indigenous voice to parliament on Indigenous terms.

Celeste gave me perspective. She's my daughter. Celeste was two when Australians voted and she did not care about the election, but I cared about the world that I want for her. In 2016, 20 weeks into my pregnancy with Celeste, I became ill. I was diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease at 26 weeks and, with Celeste on board, all the good drugs weren't an option. Celeste was born three weeks early and underweight, and as I lay there with her in one arm and an IV in the other, finally giving me the treatment I needed, I saw coverage of the women's marches in America that had happened a few days before. For many of the marching women, those marches were their first political act. Until then, they had thought that Hillary Clinton and the Democrats and decency would prevail. In my hospital bed in Brisbane, I felt like one of them. Like them, to borrow from Martin Luther King, who borrowed from Theodore Parker, I had assumed that the arc of the moral universe would always continue to bend towards justice, and in that moment I worried that I was wrong. I resolved then not to take that arc for granted anymore.

We cannot leave the future to fend for itself. I want to be part of a parliament that prioritises the making of a better world for Celeste; for the young people in all of those lives; for their children who have not yet been born; for their grandchildren who have not yet been contemplated; and for their descendants who, in the centuries ahead, will live on this land and gather in this place and do their own work, making the future. I believe in them, just as I believe in us and all that we can yet achieve in this place.

I realise that the future is not just a vision of something imprecisely better than the present. Like the present, it too will be made of an uncountable number of complex and interlocking details. Let's make our differences in detail a healthy contest of ideas, of reason and evidence designed to take us to robust solutions. To take the lead of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we can strive to disagree without being disagreeable. We should model the way for Australians to debate complex issues. We will not serve them well if we win the 6 pm skirmish but we fail to win the era.

Like all of us, I cannot be here without support, and I am so grateful for the chance to honour my wolf pack: Best Friends Club and the Northside Massive—many of whom are here today. To all the little wolf cubs, Harriet and Alby and Archie and Ivy and Charlie and Anna and Rafi and Sebby and Abigail and Gwenny and Margot and Macsen and Arianwen and our littlest cub Maxwell: just like Moana, one day you are going to look around and realise happiness is right where you are. May this be the first but not the last time that your impact gives you cause to appear in the Australian Hansard.

I want to thank my husband, Finn, and my daughter, Celeste, for what they do for me every day. There's a Banjo Paterson poem that makes me think of them:

For the locks may bleach, and the cheeks of peach

May be reft of their golden hue;

But, my own sweetheart, I shall love you still,

Just as long as your eyes are blue.

Celeste, you are a reminder every day of how much the future matters and of how much love matters. Finn, you make sacrifices to allow me to be here, because you live your values. When I stand up for more women in leadership I know you stand beside me, even if you're standing at a change table in Chermside and I am standing in the parliament near this table. It is because we both know we will live in a better world when women are freer to lead, men are freer to embrace parenting and all are freer to take turns and share.

For those of us given the opportunity to parent, it is a chance to meet the future face to face. Turning our girls into strong women with the freedom to act and to choose and to be makes all of us better. Turning our boys into great men is a journey of a million steps too. Every person who reads a young boy a book with a female protagonist or makes a teenage boy do his own washing or teaches a young man that it is structurally harder for his female counterpart to progress is doing their part for our collective hope that together we can forge a fairer community of the future.

I want to thank my parents, Deb and Kent, whose unending love and support rendered me to be the questioning, questing and determined person I am. I want to thank my blood brothers, Adam and Kym, and my brothers in arms, Mitchell and Jared. I hope everything I put you through feels worthwhile! I can never repay you all for what you've done for me.

I want to thank my most indefatigable local branch member, Wayne Swan; my most loyal local constituent, Anthony Chisholm; Julie-Ann Campbell; Mark Bellaver; Steve Baker; Chris Gazenbeek; Gary O'Halloran and polling booth 'hander-outer-er', Peter Biagini—all great enablers on my journey here, all of whom encouraged me to see myself as a fitting successor to Wayne's local legacy. For mum, dad and Wayne, all fans of 'the Boss', I will now invoke Bruce Springsteen, whose version of the song High Hopes Finn and I played as the recessional at our wedding.

I want to finish today as we did then and as I mean to continue: with high hopes. There have been 1,600 generations that have come before us in this country, and it is up to us to prepare it for generations ahead. It is up to us to prepare it now, to take action now and to set the course now, because we can't leave this work undone for some unborn others to pick up and fix, and because now is the only moment we have. We don't have time to squander or to sacrifice to pettiness. I am determined to be a good ancestor, but I only have now to be one. We all only have now. But here in this place we have the privilege of shaping the now that will decide the long future. Now is the cornerstone the future is built on. Now is when we craft the world we want for our descendants. Let's do it with high hopes. I thank the House.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mrs Wicks ): The debate is adjourned and resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for a later hour.