Thursday, 20 September 2018

 Ms GRALEY (Narre Warren South) (16:05): On Wednesday, 20 December 2006 — 4293 days ago — I rose to deliver my first speech in this place. Today, with pride and a little sadness, gratitude and much happiness, I rise to deliver my last. These opposite feelings do not cause confusion for me. Instead they now bring harmony.

My dear mum always told me to never forget where you come from. I often recollect my humble beginnings through a story mum and dad fondly told me so many times. The wind was howling, the thunder roared and the canvas tent was billowing. We were in our little bit of paradise on the St Leonards foreshore. The air was thick with dust, the sky dark, pitch black. We were on our first holiday as a family. I was in the middle, and all that my parents could see, they would exclaim, were the bright eyes of their first child — my blue eyes. I retell this family fable not just because as you get older touching stories take on new relevance, but because I realised, and the conviction has only grown over time, that it is the people around you that contribute — often, if you are fortunate, unconditionally — to the person you become. If the foundation relationships are loving, sturdy and hopeful, then they are sufficiently durable to take you on all of life’s journeys.

Ruminating on what it has meant to be a member of this august chamber, I realise that my contribution, albeit it has not reached the highest of heights, has rather been dedicated to forthrightly yet tenderly representing the people who elected me, to making sure that they got a good start in life, to being a strong advocate and a steady guiding hand, especially in stormy weather.

I can never thank the people of Narre Warren South enough for showing their faith in me with three decisive election victories, but more so for making my husband and I so welcome in their homes, at their gatherings, in places of worship and clubs, even at weddings, christenings, birthday parties and of course 12 consecutive Kambrya College deb balls. We have many happy memories.

I keep the words of Ben Okri on my desk:

Our future is greater than our past.

The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love.

We are best defined by the mystery that we are still here and can still rise upwards, still create better civilisations.

I hope, indeed I know — let one not be a shrinking violet on one’s last day here — that I have made people’s lives better. For me, my focus as an MP has been to promote the transformational force of a quality education — my own experience — and make it more available, more relevant and more appealing to many others, encouraging others to step up and lift their sights upwards. As Joan Kirner, my mentor who was always there for me, said in her final speech in this place:

Isn’t that what we come into politics for; to say to people, ‘You can do it too …

The children that started school when I first became the member for Narre Warren South are now doing the Victorian certificate of applied learning or the Victorian certificate of education or they are off to TAFE. With 10 new schools built — only by Labor governments — upgrades at five other schools, the new Casey Tech about to be opened, free TAFE and sufficient funding so that students can play the violin or the trombone, travel to classrooms in China, Indonesia and India, and acquire the science, technology, engineering and maths skills needed to navigate our changing and challenging world, I can tell you for sure that the futures of Narre Warren South students are brighter.

I thank both the Premier and the Deputy Premier for the rewarding opportunity to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary for Education. Deputy Premier, I can see Team Merlino in the gallery. They are amazing people, and I really do thank you for all your endeavours. Thank you to the principals and teachers in my local schools for harvesting this government’s support into better results for their students. Victoria on our watch is the Education State, a place where a world-class education is available for everyone.

I represent a wonderfully diverse multicultural community. We have people from 150 different countries. There are 144 different languages spoken and 120 different faiths represented in Casey. Despite my own and others’ best efforts to foster and celebrate our diversity — our strength — I too often witness minority and migrant communities being unfairly targeted, experiencing discrimination and being verbally maligned, often by people in positions of leadership. You should know better.

I reject wholeheartedly the current fearmongering, dog-whistling and nationalistic jingoism increasingly prevalent in our political life, often fanned by elements in the tabloid media, radio loudmouths and meddling media moguls, all this taking place in the ceaseless echo chamber of social media. As an aside I can now declare: I have survived without Twitter in my life. Sadly, though, we have people in our suburbs living in fear of the fear. We have been a successful and safe community in most respects because, to put it simply, we have been good at being kind to each other — not perfect, but good enough. I cannot help but feel that kindness — a bit of an old-fashioned word — is on the decline. We really have to make an effort to practice kindness and it probably needs to start with us, by practising better respect for our democratic institutions and proudly acknowledging where we have all come from. We are all migrants in this state.

The upcoming treaty with Aboriginal Victorians is not just a landmark opportunity to acknowledge the 60 000 years of Indigenous heritage but also a timely and significant opportunity to place a precious and powerful construct under our fragile democracy. Victoria has been and can still be the standard-bearer for peace and prosperity if all Victorians feel at home in our state.

In my inaugural speech I referred to the Stern review on the economics of climate change. At the time I was applauding the installation of the purple pipe — recycled water — into our expanding housing estates. I want to place on the record my thanks to successive state Labor governments for their stewardship of the environment and at the same time — you can do it — keeping our state economy booming and providing record jobs growth. I especially applaud Labor governments for expanding our national and state park networks, preserving the green wedges of Melbourne, transitioning to renewable energy — Solar Victoria is a game changer — and for having the guts and good sense to set the Victorian renewable energy target at 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025.

But I strongly believe we have to be even better custodians of our Earth and our country. We have a climate emergency on our hands, and our planet and our part of the world cannot take much more disrespect, climate scepticism, political obfuscation and plundering. It is one of the greatest political failures of the current generations that we have witnessed, indeed allowed, successive federal governments of all colours to shirk the key responsibility of guaranteeing a quality life for everyone now and into the future by consistently failing us on energy and climate policy. It is a national disgrace, an international embarrassment and an abrogation of our fundamental duty as parents and decision-makers to leave this place in a better shape than we found it. Sadly, it is scary for our children and it is plain downright unfair on them too.

With all that off my chest, I turn to the most important part of my contribution — the thankyous. You do not get here without the support of many others. I am a fully paid-up member of three teams: my family, the Western Bulldogs and the Australian Labor Party. The Labor values of fairness, equality, solidarity and internationalism are still my guiding principles. Joan said it perfectly:

There is a sense of comradeship in our party which, when remembered, strengthens the party and will take us forward.

It is worth remembering. On this side of the house we do not need to wear red high heels to make a point. Our commitment to gender equality is here for all to see. Hear us roar in numbers too big to ignore.

I thank the Labor Party, with a special acknowledgment to Kosmos Samaras at HQ — I have never left the grid on roads, education and health; we have poured nearly a billion dollars worth of bitumen into my electorate — for giving me the chance to experience a rich and meaningful political life. I have had the privilege of serving with three Labor premiers — all fine men. To the Premier, I have admired your engagement with ideas and your capacity for hard work — getting things done — but most of all your bold commitment to a progressive government agenda. The Royal Commission into Family Violence and the acceptance of its 227 recommendations, and the voluntary assisted dying legislation are milestone reforms. They will change many people’s lives for the better. Thank you for your leadership. My heartfelt recognition of the role of the Minister for Health, Jill Hennessy — she is such a beautiful person — on the latter reform, but also her relentless championing of the Casey Hospital redevelopment. It is high-quality healthcare delivered locally. It will improve and save people’s lives.

Further thanks to my small but special band of National Union of Workers parliamentary colleagues: my young friends Nick and Steve make me laugh out loud, usually at other people’s expense, I have got to say, and our trio of fine ministers, Pakula, Pallas and Pulford. Thank you to Clare O’Neil for being on my team from the very start and to the Honourable Tim Holding, who gave me that helping hand so many of us need at times. I have been part of a caucus full of extraordinary people. Go boldly my friends and colleagues to the next election. I wish you all every success on 24 November, especially Gary for Narre.

To my electorate office staff, the golden-hearted Nichole Hayes, Myles, Isabella and James, and before you, especially Naureen Choudhry, David Iles and Efstratios Staikos, I really appreciate your efforts, and when I get demanding, which I do, the extra effort. To the staff in Parliament House, what would we do without you?

To the men and women in the red, white and blue, I expect you do not realise what happiness you provide. I certainly could not have survived public life without letting off steam — my many Eliza Doolittle moments at the footy — by barracking loudly for my team. Cede nullis. Go Dogs!

And finally, I thank my number one team: Stephen and our family. Where I come from bragging was frowned upon. It was not done to talk oneself up, and you were certainly not to think yourself better than others. However, you were encouraged to do your best, be your best and always do your best for others. But I have a family that I find it hard not to brag about. I struck gold with my husband: driver, photographer, handbag holder — he dislikes that to this day — letterboxer, comic, thankfully willing to eat anything and dance to any tune, my in-house chiropractor, above all else a good listener. I could not have done public life without him by my side. To our children, Rebecca, Vanessa and Lucas, I love you not just because you are mine or got the education I so wanted you to have, or just because of your very solid work ethic, but overwhelmingly because you are generous, passionate and kind. I am so grateful to have your partners Tyler and Delphine in our lives. Soon I will hold a baby in my arms. Can you believe it? It is due on election day! Thank you for skilfully navigating your way around my political existence and becoming very good people. To Val and Gerry McKenna, our lifelong friends who are more like family — we barrack for the same teams — it is a joy to have you as part of our cheer squad.

I finish my time as a member of Parliament overwhelmingly with a sense of gratitude. It’s Time. Dispensing with the political philosophers, I quote the enlightened — well, maybe not — but always extravagant advice of Edina Monsoon from Absolutely Fabulous:

I don’t want more choice, I just want nicer things.

I venture onto the next branch of the tree of life, as always with hope. Hope itself can be a mixed emotion — hope hopes against hope — but for me hope is the imagination, the heart and the head at full stretch, the elixir to enjoy the artistry of being alive. It has been an honour and privilege to be the first woman to represent the people of Narre Warren South. Only 88 women have sat on these benches. I have been lucky enough to be one of those 88 women. I wish everyone the best future they can imagine for themselves. Be well and happy. So with my eyes all lit up, looking beyond, always upwards, I say goodbye.

Honourable members applauded.