Wednesday, 17 June 2026

The SPEAKER: The time has come for me to interrupt business in accordance with the resolution of the house this morning for the member for Pakenham to make her valedictory speech. I remind visitors in the galleries that no photography or filming is allowed.

 Emma VULIN (Pakenham) (18:02): Tonight I am using my communication technology to deliver my speech. Although it is incredible technology and I have had a lot of help from my speech pathologist, it is not perfect, so please excuse unintentional pauses and incorrect pronunciations. And my hands do not work.

Firstly, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which this Parliament stands: the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. For tens of thousands of years, First Peoples have gathered on this land to make decisions, resolve differences, tell stories and care for community. It is a privilege to be here today and pay my respects to elders past and present.

There are moments in life when you know you are closing a chapter. This is one of those moments. When I stood in this chamber to deliver my inaugural speech to the 60th Parliament of Victoria, I spoke about community, resilience, family and service. I spoke about growing up around people who believed politics could be a force for good. I spoke about my own journey as a mum, as a worker, as a volunteer and as someone who had already faced significant health challenges before entering this place. Tonight, as I deliver my valedictory speech as the member for Pakenham, I do so with enormous gratitude, immense pride and, if I am honest, a heavy heart. Representing the people of the Pakenham district has been the honour of my life. To every resident who welcomed me into their homes, trusted me with their stories, raised concerns, shared ideas or simply stopped me at the supermarket to have a chat: thank you. Whether you voted for me or not, I have always tried to be a strong voice for our growing and diverse community.

When I first ran for Parliament many people said Pakenham would be one of the closest seats in the state, and they were right. It was hard-fought, emotional and at times exhausting. But what that campaign taught me was that our community wanted someone local, someone authentic and someone prepared to fight every single day for better roads, better schools, better health care and better opportunities for local families. Working for members of Parliament like Alan Griffin, Daniel Andrews, Gavin Jennings and Julian Hill showed me both how hard you have to work but also how important it is to have Labor governments to improve the lives of everyday people.

I want to thank the Premiers I have served under, Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan, for their leadership, friendship and support. It has been an honour to be part of a team that has delivered so much for Victorians. I am incredibly proud of what the Allan and Andrews Labor governments have delivered for Pakenham and surrounding communities over these past years.

I am proud that our children are learning in brand new schools like Kurrun Primary School, Kurmile Primary School and Kuyim Primary School, and next year we have the opening of Brunt Road specialist school. I am proud of the upgrades delivered at Pakenham Secondary College, Lakeside College and Officer Specialist School. In one of the fastest-growing regions in Victoria, these investments matter. They are not luxuries. They are necessities for families who simply want their children to have the best start in life.

I am proud that our government backed free kinder, a reform that eases cost-of-living pressure while giving children access to quality early education. I am proud of the new kindergartens, community facilities and family centres that are helping shape connected neighbourhoods in Officer, Pakenham and beyond.

I am proud of the massive transport investments transforming our region – the level crossing removals, the two brand new train stations, the road upgrades and improved connectivity that our growing communities desperately needed. And I am especially proud that we never forgot that infrastructure is about people. It is about a parent getting home to their children sooner. It is about a tradie spending less time stuck in traffic. It is about safer roads and better access to work, education and health care.

I am proud of our investments into local sporting clubs, parks, playgrounds and community spaces, because communities are built not just with concrete and steel but with belonging. I think of the volunteers at our CFA brigades, our SES units, the committee members at local sporting clubs, the parents serving sausage sizzles on weekends, the multicultural organisations creating welcoming spaces for new arrivals and the charities quietly supporting people doing it tough. These are the people who make the Pakenham district extraordinary.

I want to acknowledge the incredible growth and diversity of our electorate. Pakenham is one of the great success stories of modern Victoria. Families from every background are building lives there. Young couples are buying their first homes. Migrant communities are putting down roots. It has been a privilege to advocate for them all in this Parliament.

When I delivered my inaugural speech, I also spoke about surviving a stroke at the age of 36. At the time, I thought that experience had taught me everything I needed to know about resilience. Then life handed me another challenge. My diagnosis with motor neurone disease changed my world and changed the way I experience this Parliament. But it also sharpened my perspective about what truly matters. It reminded me that time matters. Compassion matters. Dignity matters. And people deserve to have their voices heard, particularly when they are vulnerable.

Since my diagnosis, I have been overwhelmed by the kindness shown to me by my colleagues, parliamentary staff, constituents and complete strangers. People across Victoria reached out with messages of encouragement, support and love. I will never forget that generosity. I have met families facing impossible circumstances with courage and humour, I have met carers carrying enormous burdens quietly and selflessly every day and I have learned that awareness matters because research matters – hope matters. I want future generations to live in a world where an MND diagnosis is not accompanied by fear and inevitability.

My diagnosis also strengthened my determination to use whatever platform I have to raise awareness of MND and to support the incredible work being done to fund research and support families living with this devastating disease.

I have been proud to support fundraising efforts for FightMND, MND Victoria and other state MND associations. My diagnosis also led me to meet and admire some extraordinary people who dedicate their lives to make a difference. Neale Daniher and the extended Daniher family, Matt Tilley and the team at FightMND, Mary-Jane Stolp, Jo Whitehouse and of course the magnificent Jade Spence from MND Victoria. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and passion from the team at the Florey and other researchers that I have come to know: Professor Brad Turner, Dr Thanuja Dharmadasa, Dr Bec Sheean and Professor Van Wijngaarden, to name just a few.

One of the moments I am proudest of in this Parliament was contributing to reforms to Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying laws. Victoria led the nation when it introduced voluntary assisted dying, but no law should ever be considered beyond improvement. The reforms passed by this Parliament were about compassion, fairness and removing unnecessary barriers for people already enduring immense suffering. I know this issue is deeply personal for many Victorians. It certainly became deeply personal for me. I was proud to stand on the side of dignity, patient choice and humane care. I was proud to help ensure that terminally ill Victorians and their families are treated with compassion and respect. Jane Morris, with her team at Dying with Dignity Victoria, and Andrew Denton and Dr Linda Swan at Go Gentle Australia worked diligently and tirelessly to inform MPs and the broader community why these reforms were needed, sharing countless stories from people who had struggled with barriers accessing VAD. I thank each one of them sincerely.

I was also proud to support legislation ensuring that the Frankston serial killer, who I will not name, remains behind bars. As a girl who grew up in Frankston during the early 1990s, the fear was real for the whole community. For decades, the families of his victims have carried unimaginable pain and trauma. The women he murdered were denied futures, and their loved ones have lived with that grief every single day. This Parliament had an obligation to put community safety first and to ensure those families were not forced to relive that trauma through repeated parole processes. Supporting that legislation was about justice, accountability and standing with victims.

Speaker, no member reaches this place alone. Politics can sometimes create the illusion that achievements belong to individuals. They do not. Every MP stands on the shoulders of family, friends, volunteers, staff and supporters who sacrifice alongside them.

First and foremost, to my children Sienna and Sage, thank you. You have shared your mum with an entire electorate. You have tolerated late nights, missed dinners, endless phone calls and weekends filled with community events. You have also walked beside me through health battles that no child should ever have to witness. But your compassion, humour and strength have carried me through my darkest moments. You are the reason I fight so hard.

To my partner Matt, thank you for your patience, your encouragement and your unwavering support. I love you.

To my mum, who inspired my interest in public service and showed me what hard work and compassion look like every single day, thank you. The values you taught me shaped everything I have tried to do in this role.

There is not a day that goes past that I do not miss my dad. He had a huge smile for my inaugural speech, and I just wish he could have been here for this one.

To my big sister Ceridwen, my nephews Kelsey, Cy, Taeus, Navah and TK, thank you all for supporting me, our family and for the love you show.

To Dragan, thank you for being a wonderful father to our children, a support to the family and for your unwavering friendship and carpentry skills that you give to Matt, me and Maisie.

To my carers Leah and Fiona, you are my angels and I could no longer do life without your support. Also, a big thanks to my healthcare team of doctors and allied health professionals led by my MND coordinator Jade.

To my office staff past and present – Pat, Marg, Kerry, Alexia, Kim, Lachy, Matt and Jack – thank you for not only supporting me but also supporting our community with empathy and professionalism each and every day. To my friends, especially those who knew me long before politics, thank you for keeping me grounded and reminding me who I am outside this building.

To the Labor family – branch members, volunteers, campaigners, union members and supporters – thank you for believing in me. In particular I want to give a big shout-out to Kelly Arnett Somerville for her support and dedication. Campaigning in Pakenham was not always easy. There were long days letterboxing in the heat, cold mornings at train stations and countless conversations at shopping centres and community events. But there was also friendship, purpose and a shared belief that government can improve people’s lives. I want to once again thank for their support the huge team of volunteers who most certainly helped win the seat of Pakenham.

I particularly want to acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues across both houses and all parties. While politics can be robust, and rightly so, there is also kindness in this place that the public does not always see. A special mention to my dear friend Harriet Shing – my family and I are so grateful for your friendship and cooking skills. To the parliamentary staff, electorate officers, security staff, attendants, cleaners, caterers and everyone who keeps this Parliament functioning, thank you. Following my diagnosis, many people within Parliament worked hard to improve accessibility in this historic building. Those changes were not just for me; they were for future parliamentarians and visitors with disabilities. I hope those changes send a message that our democracy belongs to everyone.

Pakenham’s future is bright. It is a community full of young families, ambition, diversity and opportunity. It deserves strong representation and continued investment. I want to wish the next Labor candidate for Pakenham Alessandra Soliven every success in the upcoming state election. Representing this community is both a tremendous responsibility and an extraordinary privilege. I know you will fight hard in this campaign, and hopefully you will be fighting hard for the people of the Pakenham district for the next four years. Never underestimate the difference a local member can make in someone’s life.

As I conclude, I reflect on the fact that politics is ultimately about people. It is about the elderly resident who needs help navigating the health system, the young apprentice looking for opportunity, the parent worried about rising costs, the volunteer firefighter serving their community, the student chasing a dream, the family facing illness or grief and hoping someone will listen. If I have achieved anything in this place, I hope it is that people felt heard. I hope the people of the Pakenham district know that every day I walked into this Parliament I carried their stories with me. Serving this community has changed me forever.

To the people of the Pakenham district, thank you for placing your trust in me. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for allowing a local mum to represent you in the Parliament of Victoria. It has been the greatest honour of my life. Thank you.

Members applauded.