Liberal Democratic Party
Mr QUILTY (Northern Victoria) (12:48): With the federal election behind us I want to take a moment to thank some people. Over the past two years the Lib Dems have been flooded with new party members and volunteers. There are more Victorians now than ever before who believe in liberty, human rights and limited government. I am grateful to everyone who has stood for liberty over the past few years. I am grateful to everyone who pushed back against government overreach, everyone who spoke up and everyone who voted for freedom. Over the past few weeks hundreds of people have volunteered their time to help the Lib Dems. For many of our new supporters it was their first time involved in an election campaign. Others were political veterans defecting to us from the Libs, Labor and the Greens. Elections are a huge effort, especially for a small party. Many people went above and beyond, and seeing such a groundswell gives me hope.
The liberty movement is both old and young. The rule of law, modern democracy, human rights and constitutional government are all legacies of the liberty struggle in the past, but they are ideas that have faded in public consciousness. The liberty movement is a flame that we must keep alive. But for many people the ideas of liberty present a new perspective. It is a new way of thinking about the world and about government. It is good to see the scales falling from so many eyes, but there is still so much more to come. Thank you, everyone who fought with us for liberty at this election—candidates, volunteers, supporters. But we have no time to rest. The Victorian election is in six months time, and there is still so much to do. Onwards for liberty.