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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-04 Daily Xml
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Address in Reply

Address in Reply

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption (resumed on motion).

The SPEAKER: We will turn in a moment to the member for Elder for her first remarks to parliament. I remind the house that this is the member's first speech and that she should be accorded the normal courtesies and respect afforded to new members on this very important occasion.

I also recognise the presence in the gallery today of Gay Thompson, the former member for Reynell; Rosemary Clancy, the past Mayor of Brighton; and Tony Clancy, as well as other friends of parliament joining us. The member for Elder has the call.

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (16:05): I was elected and stand here today on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, land that has been cared for by those custodians for tens of thousands of years, land that always was and always will be Aboriginal land. I recognise our Aboriginal people's past and ongoing connection to place and country and understand sovereignty was never ceded.

I pay my respects to Kaurna elders past and present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and I am proud to be part of a government that will implement a state-based version of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including Voice, Treaty, Truth, because, as Mickey O'Brien so beautifully put it at yesterday's smoking ceremony, 'Our faces show where we have been; our hearts show where we are going.' We must put our knowledge and wisdom into positive actions.

This first speech is my chance to reflect on the circumstances that made me the person I am today and the events in my life that have brought me to this place to represent the people of Elder. I believe it all starts with cans of tinned tomatoes. If you ever looked in the pantry of my childhood home, you would not find chips or lollies or chocolate—frustratingly so—but you would find a row of tinned tomatoes. As a child, they seemed almost magical.

Tinned tomatoes had the ability to stretch any dish for our family of six into dinner for anyone who needed it. They were like magic puddings, never running out no matter how many we used, because our home was a place where everyone was welcomed, supported and nourished. By opening up our home to people of varying cultures, abilities and life circumstances my parents, Tony and Rosemary—who are here today—showed their children the importance of looking out for one another.

We regularly had residents from Minda Home come by, dropping in to say hello, and no matter how busy our household was each person was welcomed in, given a cuppa and asked to sit down for a chat at our kitchen table. That is how I came to meet Benny and Graham. They had grown up at nearby Minda, and I grew up with them regularly around for dinner and at every family event. When they transitioned into a house in the community to live independently, my parents provided support for their big move. Sadly, Benny has since passed away, but Graham is still very much a part of our family—so much so that my niece called her doll Baby Graham.

Christmas was another time when my parents' kindness really shone through. Conscious that it can be a lonely time for some, my parents did their best to share the day with those with nowhere else to go. Our dining table would have two trestle tables added to it on Christmas Day, extending to the very edge of the living room. It was cramped but it was lovely, and it is still like that today. My family never excluded anyone, my family welcomed everyone and my family instilled these lessons in me.

In applying those lessons, I have grown up being conscious of those around me and their needs and knowing that not all of us have the same opportunities. That includes the opportunity of education. I had the opportunity to go to a public school with a great reputation, Brighton Secondary. Now, when I tell people which local primary school my daughter goes to, they say, 'Ah, that's a good school.' This does not make me proud. It makes me sad and it makes me frustrated because every single school should be a good school. By identifying some schools as good schools, we are acknowledging that we think some are not—and in almost every case these schools are in areas of disadvantage. This is not fair and it is not right.

Through my most recent work in the domestic violence sector, I came to understand that, for some children, school is their safe place. It is only when these children walk through the school gate in the mornings that they can exhale. School is a place where they can escape what is happening at home. It is a place where they feel safe. Ensuring those children are given the extra care they need to be able to also learn at school is vital.

Teachers, including my passionate, dedicated brother Ryan, who joins us in the gallery today, work their guts out to support these children and we need to support our teachers the best way we can so they can continue to help those children. Every child, no matter their postcode or their parents' income, should be able to go to a good school, and together we will work to make that a reality because good public policy has the potential to change lives, change communities and change our future.

We live in challenging times. While wages are stagnating, the cost of living is growing, and it is growing quickly. This pressure means many in our community are doing it tough and risk falling even further behind. This is what happens when governments allow free markets to run, believing the wealth will trickle down for all.

We believe government has a role to make sure the flow is evenly spread. Money does not care about people, and we cannot expect it to, but people care about people and the Labor Party cares about people. We believe that government is there to do the things the market cannot. When people's lives are made precarious by the unpredictability of capitalism, we do not shrug and declare it to be the natural order of things.

We, Labor, look for a better outcome because every South Australian, no matter where they live or their economic circumstances or their gender, sexual orientation, race, age, cultural background or ability, for that matter, should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential. This is why I have worked in the not-for-profit sector. It is why I volunteer in our community. It is why I became a foster carer and it is why I ran for parliament.

I would like to specifically mention my fellow foster and kinship carers. The love, compassion, comfort and support you provide to children in your care are invaluable. You are invaluable. Whether a child is in your care for a couple of days or a couple of decades, you open your hearts and your homes to them knowing the potential challenges and heartbreak and I thank you.

I hope that over time, through good policies, good governance and good relationships with service providers, we can work to address the challenges that often lead to children being removed from their biological families in the first place. I understand there will always be some children who cannot safely live in their family home. I also see there are situations where early intervention can help. We need to address the root causes: domestic and family violence, insecure housing, drug and alcohol abuse and poor mental health. We need to ask ourselves how we can address these issues so we can support families to stay together. If we do not, we will see the cycle of abuse and generational trauma continue.

Before winning the seat of Elder, I worked with Women's Safety Services SA, or WSSA, an organisation filled with dedicated people who go above and beyond to protect women and children. They are people who turn up to work every day with one aim in mind: to break these cycles. Every day they listen to the experiences of others and do everything they can to provide safety, protection and comfort. We need organisations like WSSA, which delivers services to people experiencing domestic and family violence, so they have options, and we need policies that support them and their work.

Speaking today as the member for Elder, I am genuinely overwhelmed with gratitude. I am grateful to our community. Thank you for putting your trust in me. Being your member of parliament is an incredible privilege that I will not take for granted. A woman leaving F45 South Road the other morning told me, 'I just became a citizen a few months ago and you were my first vote,' so some of you made me your first vote as an Australian citizen. Some of you put a one next to my name as an 18, 19 or 20 year old voting for the first time.

Some of you are staunch Labor supporters who backed me. Some of you chose to go Labor this time but do not always. Some of you took a chance on me and our team, voting Labor for the first time in your life, and some of you did not vote for me at all. That is what makes our democracy strong: regardless of where you sit in this list, I am here for you. I stand here ready to work for you and for our community.

I have spent the best part of the last 18 months—sorry, family—campaigning in the streets and communities of Elder. The most rewarding part has been connecting with and listening to you, members of our community. Listening to what makes you excited and listening to what keeps you up at night, finding out what is important to people and advocating for them, is what I love doing and I feel so incredibly lucky that it is now my job.

In tens of thousands of conversations throughout the campaign so many issues were raised. I cannot speak to them all today, but I would like to talk about one that came up more often than most, and that is mental health. It is an issue that has touched all of us in one way or another. Whether I was speaking with Claudia in Mitchell Park, who waited five months until she could get a mental healthcare provider appointment; Pat in Colonel Light Gardens, who works as a psychologist; a dad in Pasadena needing to see his son in hospital and struggling through COVID; or a retired mental health nurse in Melrose Park, the message was clear: there are not enough mental health supports available.

Through working at Headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation and for Mark Butler as an adviser when he was minister for mental health, I am aware of the scale of this problem and what services have had success in the past. We need services that support people to manage their illness and live a good life. So many people suffering from mental illness only get care when they are in crisis, and it is not good enough.

I am really proud of our government's commitments in mental health. My dear friend Chris Picton, our health minister, will be delighted to know he will regularly have me in his ear sharing the experiences of our community to ensure we do better, and I will have the voice in my head of my fierce feminist friend Gina, who we lost to suicide in February. I will have her voice regularly in my head pushing me to do more because we have to.

Being able to do this job as part of a Labor government is an incredible privilege. We offered policies for the future, a plan for a better state. We offered hope, and I am so glad South Australians chose hope over fear. One policy area that made people hopeful was our plans for the environment. Labor has a proud record of delivering in this crucial area. From the banning of large-scale clearance of native vegetation in the mid-seventies to becoming a world leader in renewable and energy in the 2000s, we now have a government that will fight to protect the River Murray, something very close to my heart, with a dad who grew up on a fruit block in the Riverland. I cannot think of a better advocate for our river than the Deputy Premier, Dr Susan Close.

We have a government that will ensure greater tree canopy and green open space. Just as the previous Labor government did, we will invest in cleaner, greener energy. We know it is critical for us to reduce our emissions. We need governments that are prepared to act and, at least on a state level, now we do.

Back at Brighton Secondary, I remember listening to the charismatic Mr Lawrence, with his white moustache and matching white lab coat, in year 10 science. He was teaching us about greenhouse gases, the ozone layer and what was happening in our atmosphere. I remember assuming that the adults in parliament were just doing something about that. While I wish it had been happening more than 20 years ago, when I was in the classroom, I am glad I am now one of the adults in the room in this parliament as part of a government ready to do our bit.

As I stand here today with my colleagues, it feels fitting that directly across from me on the tapestry that hangs in this chamber are the faces of pioneer suffragettes Mary Lee, Catherine Helen Spence and Elizabeth Webb Nicholls. Without their relentless fight for women's representation, and that of the women who came after them, I and so many of my colleagues would not be here. But we are, and what an incredible group to be serving with.

The scale of this achievement was represented in a very physical way a couple of weeks ago. My dad—who pretty much knows everything about everything and is yet the most humble, kind man you will ever meet—was so proud not just of me after the election but of the achievement of so many new women being elected, and he wanted to honour us and our efforts.

He started to wonder: would it be possible to walk across Adelaide while only ever being in a seat held by a Labor woman? I am sure many of you have asked yourself the same question. My sister and friend Kendra, who has the best sense of humour—and is over there—and who for more than a decade has worked to support the most vulnerable children in our state, decided to join him. A route was planned, water bottles filled, gummy bears packed and this idea became a reality.

Two weeks ago, on Saturday at 7am they left Old Reynella in Reynell with two of my best and closest supporters, Katrine Hildyard and Nat Cook. Along with Erin Thompson, they made their way through Hurtle Vale and Davenport. They then walked through Gibson with Sarah Andrews before meeting with Catherine Hutchesson and a team of supporters in Waite—a win that I am very proud to say my brother, Don, was also a big part of, and he is over there in the gallery too. He never gave up. My dad and sister then entered Elder. I got to walk with my dad and my sister, and it felt so good to be part of such a positive event that my family had started.

My mum joined us for a portion on the Elder section and was a support crew for the entire walk, making sure that dad and Kendra had everything they needed. Mum is a good support crew to have. During my campaign, whether doorknocking, doing phone calls or making sure my clothes were ironed (I still need help with that), she was there. Even after ending up in hospital during the campaign, she made it out to polling booths in her Nadia's Mum T-shirt. At one point, she was wearing her T-shirt and dad was wearing his Nadia's Dad T-shirt and they went doorknocking together. I just do not think anyone could have refused them.

After Elder, they met up with my electorate neighbour Jayne Stinson, who for years shamelessly promoted me before I got the confidence to do it myself. They then worked their way through Adelaide to Parliament House, where Lucy Hood greeted them with Powerades, then to Andrea Michaels' Enfield and Torrens, where they stopped for a chat with Dana Wortley. They then met Olivia Savvas in Newland at the St Agnes shops before finally (or so they thought) arriving in King, where Rhiannon Pearce had plans for a well-deserved sit down and dinner.

But then everyone realised that Ramsay adjoins King and is only a short 6½-ish kilometres away, so dad and Kendra set off again and arrived to meet us for dinner with Zoe Bettison at 7.30, more than 12 hours and well over 50ks after they had begun. This mammoth effort was such a beautiful tribute to the achievement of Labor women, and I am so proud of my family and the women I share this achievement with today. They could not make it to Susan Close in Port Adelaide without breaking the chain of only being in a seat held by a Labor woman—watch out the seats in between!

Let me say here, Deputy Premier, that I am grateful for your constant support, time, honesty and encouragement. Thank you also to the Premier for asking me to be part of your team. Your steady, reasonable, compassionate approach to your position makes you a very easy person to get behind. Being a candidate can be scary. You are taking a huge gamble, putting yourself out there hoping that you do not, God forbid, make a mistake. But it is so much easier when you have an incredible team behind you and alongside you.

There are so many people to thank, and I will not name everyone, sorry, but if you knocked on doors, put materials in letterboxes, made phone calls, stood on a busy road wobbling a corflute rain, hail or shine, put up corflutes, pulled down corflutes, handed out at a polling booth, sent me messages of support, made a donation or sent me a gift in the last week—I really appreciated those—to spur me on, thank you. I am grateful for each and every one of you and I genuinely cannot thank you enough for backing me. I am determined to do you proud.

I have been incredibly lucky to have some wonderful mentors and employers since finishing my studies at the University of South Australia. Anne McEwen, Mark Butler, Kevin Rudd, Penny Wong, Karen Grogan, Elisabeth Tuckey and Maria Hagias, each of you has shown confidence and trust in me that have given me the confidence and courage to be here today, especially Karen, who believed in me long before I did.

To the Energizer Bunny Kyam Maher: you brought the fun and the impressive A-making skills, but you also brought a level head and a clear focus, and you got me through those pre-poll days. This is either despite or because of the fact that energy drinks and sausage rolls basically run through your veins.

To Rhiannon Newman: from the moment I was preselected back in 2018 for the federal seat of Boothby, you have been unwavering in your support. You are there for the early morning text or late-night phone call ready to talk things through. Emily, thank you for smashing your role and then stepping in and stepping up wherever and whenever you were needed. Josh, thank you for encouraging me to stop and take a breath when I needed to and for leading my team now. Thank you also to the rest of our new team, Alicia and Carol. You have all jumped right in ready to serve our community.

I was also fortunate enough—it is okay, I have not forgotten you—to have a campaign manager who worked in partnership with me and made me feel like I had the strongest safety net. I could not have done this without you, Hamish. Thank you for never ever giving up and giving it everything. We really bloody did it.

Thank you to the union movement, a movement that our party was built on and a movement that has fought for safer, fairer working conditions for centuries. I thank the United Workers Union for the work they do every day for their members and for the incredible support they showed me and my campaign, particularly Demi and Gary. I also thank Abbie, Scott and the rest of the Australian Services Union team for the important work you do and your backing. Shout-outs also go to the CPSU, AWU, AMWU, CEPU, SDA, CFMEU and UFU for your support (apologies for so many acronyms), and thank yous to the Elder sub-branch for your tireless efforts.

I thank my friends—my friend Tara is here, but she is also wrangling three small children under six, so she might have had to pop out—and friends like Tara, who have not seen me all that much over the past 18 months. These friends have known that if they did want to see me it could only be at a cafe, restaurant, pub or playground in the electorate. I love you all very much and fair warning: we will continue to eat and drink and play with our children in Elder because, really, where else would we want to be?

Thank you to my parents and my siblings Don, Ryan and Kendra for shaping me into the person I am today, for encouraging me and for helping me to keep everything in perspective, and thank you for all your work on this campaign. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have such a strong support network made up of family. I know how lucky I am to have people I love very much always a quick phone call away.

To my love, Nat: you support me, comfort me and challenge me, and nine times out of 10 you know which of those I need at any given time. Neither of us knew what you were signing up for more than seven years ago, but you have as always remained calm and just rolled with it. You have enough patience for us both, which is lucky, since I have almost none, and I am yet to discover something you are not capable of doing. I love doing this with you by my side.

To our loving, thoughtful, clever, confident and very funny Ms T: thank you for happily coming along to meetings, often providing everyone in attendance with a sticker or two, and for lifting my spirits when I needed it by running to me for a cuddle when I got home ready to crash. You are pure joy and my heart bursts with love for you. I will always work to make our state better for you, your generation and those who come after.

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