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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-06-24 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

NEW PRIME MINISTER

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Today I have congratulated Julia Gillard on her election as Australia's first female Prime Minister. Julia was raised in Adelaide, where her family still lives. Her proud father has said today that her elevation to the prime ministership is beyond his wildest dreams. Like my son and daughter, Julia is a proud former student of Unley High School. As the daughter of working class parents, Julia is proud of her heritage and the great education she was given here in South Australia, both at school and at the University of Adelaide. That is why she is such a passionate federal education minister: she knows, more than most, that a decent education is the platform for opportunity.

Julia Gillard has never forgotten where she comes from and wants all Australian children to have the opportunity to make the most of their potential. She knows South Australia and she knows its issues, potentials and challenges. I have known Julia for many years and have worked with her on many issues, including education reform and social inclusion. She is the national Minister for Social Inclusion and has acknowledged publicly that the federal government's social inclusion initiative is based on ours here in South Australia, headed by Monsignor David Cappo. Indeed, she appointed Monsignor David Cappo as the Deputy Chair of the national Social Inclusion Board. I look forward to an ongoing partnership with the commonwealth under her leadership.

As a first step, I look forward to working with Prime Minister Gillard and her ministers to ensure that the proposed resource rent tax is constructed in a way that does not affect the momentum of growth and investment in the mining industry in this state. I am greatly encouraged by her comments today.

Let us remember how historic this day is. Today, as has been noted, we saw Australia's first female Governor General, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce, swear in Julia Gillard as the nation's first female prime minister. A massive glass ceiling has been shattered for all time. Every girl in school, every young woman now knows there is no unmoveable barrier to talent reaching the top Nearly two years ago, Barack Obama shattered another glass ceiling in the United States. That was about race, and that was an incredibly important step in America's journey, but still in the United States the gender barrier remains unbroken, with no woman ever holding the position of president or vice president.

The significance, both symbolically and in reality, of today's swearing in of Julia Gillard as Australia's 27th Prime Minister, cannot be underestimated or diminished. Over the years, I have admired Julia's intellect, her negotiating skills, her focus and her commitment. I enjoyed working with both Kevin Rudd and Julia during my term as national president of the Labor Party and as a member of the 2007 campaign committee. Let us must remember that Kevin's victory meant the end of WorkChoices, the Howard government's bitter attack on working Australians. Let us also remember that Julia Gillard took on the ministry for workplace relations to make sure that WorkChoices was not only dead and buried but replaced by fairness.

I want to personally thank Kevin Rudd for his leadership of Australia, particularly during the global financial crisis. Australia missing the bullet or, more appropriately, avoiding a financial tsunami, was certainly no accident. Kevin's leadership in dealing with this crisis is perhaps more recognised overseas than within Australia, because they have experienced overseas the devastation that we missed. His prime ministership will also be remembered for his historic and moving apology to the Stolen Generation.

I have known Kevin for more than 20 years and appreciated his personal support, and I value his friendship. I especially appreciate his great assistance to South Australia in terms of a strong partnership on building infrastructure that is bringing forward the electrification of our train system—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier is speaking. This is important.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I especially appreciate Kevin Rudd's great assistance to South Australia in terms of a strong partnership on building infrastructure that is bringing forward the electrification of our train system, the Seaford rail extension project, helping to build our desalination plant, the biggest road building rollout in partnership in our history and, of course, the funding of our new health research centre.

We have worked closely on the River Murray and on building a defence industry in this state. For many years ahead South Australians will thank Kevin Rudd for his decision to commit to building the next generation of submarines here in Adelaide. I am pleased that Kevin Rudd has made the decision to stay on in federal politics to continue his great service to our nation. In the meantime, I look forward to the first Council of Australian Governments meeting that will be chaired by Australia's first female Prime Minister.

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