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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

Debate resumed.

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (17:14): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we gather, the Kaurna people. I recognise their continued connection to the land and waters and acknowledge that they never ceded sovereignty. I respect all Kaurna elders and ancestors and any First Nations people here today.

I offer my congratulations to you, Mr Speaker, on your election to that office. I would also like to congratulate our Premier, who led a united campaign team and not a minute was wasted. Our community was moved by your vision for the future and of our state to deliver a fairer, better society and more opportunity for those who need it most, but it is more than that: it is a vision of the future for our young people, and policies which will improve the lives of future generations to make sure we live in a society where we don't leave people behind.

It is a vision that resonated strongly in Gibson, where we achieved a 12.5 per cent swing, the biggest in the state for a new MP. I am honoured to be a member of your team and to help you strive for these ideals and achieve these ambitions.

Today, I stand here as the representative of the people of Gibson. It is a role I am incredibly honoured to be given the opportunity and take incredibly seriously. I acknowledge the contribution made by the previous member, Corey Wingard, and the work he did for the last eight years. I look forward to working with and for all members of the Gibson community no matter who they voted for, and to everyone who voted for me and entrusted me with this privilege, thank you. To serve in this house is an honour afforded to few. I know that the hard work has only just started and that true satisfaction will come when we realise our ambitions.

The electorate of Gibson is incredibly diverse and beautiful. We have a stunning coastline, wetlands, walking trails, we have great schools, strong sporting and community groups and great coffee. Our small businesses offer local employment and contribute to a dynamic economy. They have had a hard time over the last few years with financial and emotional stress, but there is a huge amount of economic diversity.

Many in our community are unable to enjoy the privileges available to some. For those who rely on social housing, for those who struggle to access the services many of us rely on in on our everyday lives, who struggle to pay the bills as the cost of living soars, for those with a disability and their carers who need to access better support services, it is your experiences I am keen to understand better and to advocate for. I will work to ensure that we acknowledge and celebrate all that is good in our community whilst also striving to ensure that we leave no-one behind, that we deal with the issues that matter and will make a difference.

I was born at the Glenelg Community Hospital, growing up in Hove and went to school at Paringa Park Primary and Brighton Primary before heading to Westminster School. In fact, I am a member of the Labor Party because I believe that education is a powerful tool for opportunity and that the postcode of where you live or were born should not determine opportunities afforded to you.

I joined the Labor Party because it believes in the same values. I believe in strong health and education systems, a fair go and decent paying jobs. It is the party of the great union movement, a party that embraces people from all walks of life regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or culture and a party that has a resolute commitment to justice and equality for all.

These are the same issues electors in Gibson voted for: to support our healthcare workers for well-funded and accessible education, skills and secure jobs. I am so proud to hold these values, and I will fight to see them protected and advanced.

As I have said, I am part of a movement that has been working for these values for a long time. Part of this movement was my great-great-grandfather, William Henry Andrews, who was born into a family of labourers in Belfast in 1858. In 1889, he arrived in Adelaide with his young family working at TheRegister newspaper. He joined the South Australian Typographical Society and was a delegate to the Trades and Labor Council.

He was also an active member of the United Labor Party. At their sixth annual conference in 1909, he moved the following motions: for dwelling houses for the working classes and state ownership of all flour mills, and he seconded a motion for a statutory eight-hour working day for South Australia—legacy. I am here today acknowledging those like my great-great-grandfather and many others who have strived for a fairer, more equitable tomorrow and continuing on their commitment.

My parents, Tony and Meredith, are here, and of course they shaped so much of who I am today. My quiet dad, with his sharp intellect, was a maths lecturer at Sturt Teachers College. He was a union delegate and a key negotiator during the merger with Flinders University and led a picket line at the start of University Drive to fight against management seeking to erode the pay and conditions of the workers. To stand with my dad on that picket line, and also to observe the immense pressure he felt simply to stand up for the rights of his colleagues, was truly formative.

My mum worked in the library at Mawson High and then in admin at Brighton High. I recall standing on Hove station, waiting for the train into the city with mum and the many conversations she would often have with the residents of Minda waiting at the station too. It was here I realised that you could make conversation with someone who might seem different from you. Even if it felt a little awkward, you could be inclusive and have a delightful interaction. You can choose respect. Now, as the member for Gibson, I can say that even when you are 50 it is nice to make your parents proud.

I have an older brother, Simon, who as a seven year old I used to refer to as the GMITW: the greatest man in the world. We spent hours at the park as kids, kicking a soccer ball or throwing a baseball, and my love of sport began with him. Thanks for being a shoulder to lean on whenever I have called out for help.

As I said earlier, I went to school at Paringa Park primary and Brighton primary before heading to Westminster School. Westminster offered me many opportunities, and I took them. I know this is a privilege, and I will continue to use the experiences and education that have been afforded to me to give back to and best represent my community. Following my schooling, I went to Flinders University to complete my honours degree in drama. From uni, I worked in youth theatre and at Cirkidz.

I continue to support the arts at every opportunity, subscribing to the State Theatre and as a member of the Art Gallery and diehard WOMAD fan. I love reading, film and dance, and I believe it is through the arts that we can truly make sense of our world. Our stories, and making sense of who we are, are crucial for a broader understanding, providing insight, empathy and often simply a break from our world. Too often, I believe that the arts are viewed as a niche interest—despite the fact most of us engage with them daily—too easily cut from budgets as not being central to our needs. But if we do not get an opportunity to reflect and imagine, we will be the poorer as a society.

Arts and culture are integral to the lives of all Australians and an asset to our nation. The arts are inclusive and help to create and maintain social cohesion, even as they explore some of the more complex aspects of the human condition. By examining the challenges our society and communities face from different perspectives, the arts contribute to social change. Individually and collectively, artists can lead change for the common good. Unfortunately, as a young person working in the arts, there was—and there still is—little job security, so I began a traineeship created by the ACTU to get young people active in the union movement. From here, a career lasting 20 years was born.

I am a proud unionist, to stand with workers and build power. I know there are many who scoff to see a unionist find themselves as a member of parliament as if it were simply a given, feeding a tired and ill-informed stereotype. Yet it is the qualities and skills I have developed as a union official that stand me in such good stead to listen. To advocate, to build genuine community connection. To help empower people to stand up and advocate for themselves and the betterment of others is truly inspiring. As a unionist, I have represented childcare, disability and aged-care workers for many years. I understand the important role they play in our society and the need to properly value their work. They care for our most vulnerable. It is important work and it is hard work.

In my most recent position as the State Director for Professionals Australia, I had the pleasure of working alongside great campaigners in Tamarah, Kimberley, Dale and Paul, yet it is the members and delegates who inspired me the most: scientists and engineers and pharmacists who, like all workers, need a voice and deserve respect. If engineers, scientists and pharmacists are not listened to, there can be grave consequences for our community. One campaign I am very proud to have been a part of was our work to stop 196 job cuts and, only a couple of years later, preventing the privatisation of SA Pathology. Of course, I did not fight alone, and I wish to acknowledge the passion and commitment of Kimberley and delegates Ryan and Casey.

Being union is about decency, respect and standing side by side with those who need a hand up. Because for so many, working life is tough. It is not a fringe movement; it is the essence of what makes our society good, and I am here to continue that work and support others in their struggle. It is the same work that I will continue as a member of parliament to ensure that no matter what area you live in, no matter your age, no matter your gender identity or how much money you do or do not have, I will be there to listen and stand with you to fight for respect and for what is fair.

I am a keen soccer player, playing for Westminster Old Scholars soccer club. For many, like me, grassroots sport is an important way of coming together and connecting with community. I am a fan of the Matildas, so much so that my husband, Tom, and I travelled to France for the Women's World Cup. Sport provides healthy activity, teamwork and community as families find connection. It can also be a platform to raise awareness, including awareness of human rights issues, and few are quite as effective as former Socceroo captain Craig Foster and how he has used his position and voice to advocate and campaign for refugees seeking safety.

Like my Labor colleagues, I am committed to ensuring we take climate action to protect our environment for future generations. I believe we are a state where it is evident that investment in renewable energy technologies leads the way in this transformation and shows the economic opportunity we can create for our state with political support and economic investment. Climate damage and habitat destruction are two of the biggest challenges we face, and I am eager to be a part of a government that acknowledges we face a climate emergency. I have been a long-term member of the Australian Conservation Foundation and look forward to working with and supporting the important work that organisations such as this do in our community.

I am a feminist. I am a feminist because so many women's experiences, identities, knowledge and strengths are not acknowledged and respected and we do not do enough as a society to empower all women to realise their full rights. For five years, I worked on the management committee of the Working Women's Centre, a service providing free legal advice and representation to vulnerable workers about their rights at work.

I am a feminist because so many girls and women I know have been sexually harassed. It would be hard to find a woman who has not had to cross a road to make sure they are not being followed, who has not been inappropriately touched, who has not walked down the street holding their keys as an emergency weapon, who has not had someone touch their shoulder and been scared—and so much worse, including those facing domestic family violence.

I am a feminist because women are still yet to receive equal pay. I look forward to working with our Deputy Premier, Susan Close, to address cultural issues in the state parliament, ensuring we lead the way to make our workplace and community safer for women. To close the pay gap, and to ensure that women and girls are not discriminated against, harassed or have less opportunity because of their gender.

Gender and feminism can be a complex and difficult subject for many, but being inclusive, being respectful, not targeting or stereotyping people because of something like their gender, sexuality or marital status are things we can all do, and things I am committed to doing. I am confident we can do this because—and this is something I am very excited to talk about—I am one of seven new female Labor members of parliament. To each and every one of you, congratulations. You worked so hard and deserve this. You are incredible. Thank you for your support to get to this place. I cannot wait to do this work with you and make real and lasting change.

It is Labor that has actively sought this change with our commitment to quotas for women in parliament, and it is these policies that really do make a difference. I look forward to what will now be an inevitable change in culture and ideas. To everyone who knocked on doors, made phone calls, who shared our positive plans with their neighbours and who listened to their community: this belongs to you as much as it does to me. I thank you. We were successful because we spoke personally with thousands of electors, we listened to them and we treated them with respect. I will continue this work as a member of parliament.

I would especially like to acknowledge the Australian Services Union, led by Abbie Spencer; the CEPU, led by John Adley; the United Workers Union, led by Demi Pnevmatikos; the AMWU, led by Peter Bauer; all their members and delegates; and Senator Karen Grogan. I would like to thank the party office and all the MPs who supported me in my campaign. Particular thanks must go to the Hon. Katrine Hildyard and the Hon. Nat Cook, who doorknocked with me and for so many other candidates on a weekly basis because they believed in me and because they are deeply committed to our Labor cause.

To the true believers on the campaign: you put your heart and soul into seeing us be successful in Gibson because you believe in what this Labor government stands for, and you know what it will deliver. I thank each of you. Thank you to my campaign team led by Cam, with his intelligence, pragmatism and sense of fun; Matt, my volunteer coordinator; Kimberley; Lucy; Hilary and Christopher.

I have a wonderful family, one which knows that women and mothers, with support, can achieve great things. My husband, Tom, has encouraged me, supported me and volunteered for me throughout the campaign. Not once has he ever made me feel bad for coming home later than expected, for campaigning all weekends and then, when I finally get home, still having work to do. Your unwavering support gives me strength. I love you.

My daughter, Lucy, has always backed me and volunteered at every street-corner meeting which, as a 21 year old, is quite a commitment when they are held on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Every time I asked for your help your response was, 'Of course,' but most importantly you believed in me, and when I came home and shared my worries with you, you always put things in perspective. To my son, Sam, thanks for stepping up around the house and walking Freya when the rest of us were out campaigning. Your quiet support has been noticed. Thank you, Tom, Lucy and Sam. To have you beside me makes everything possible.

The reality as a member of parliament is that not everyone has voted for you or your party, but I stand here in this place and make this promise to my community: I am here to work for each and every one of you and, even if we cannot agree, I will listen. We each have opportunities in our lives to make a real difference, and here in this place I will not waste a single moment nor take for granted the opportunity I have been given: the honour of being your voice and your member for Gibson.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. A. Koutsantonis.

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