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

Address in Reply

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption.

(Continued from 4 May 2022.)

The SPEAKER: It is an absolute privilege and pleasure to hear from the member for Davenport on this occasion. We welcome friends to the parliament in the chamber today for this significant moment. I remind members to extend to the member all the courtesies that are customarily extended at a moment like this. The member for Davenport has the call.

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (11:20): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and congratulations on your recent re-election. It is an honour and a privilege to stand before you today as the member for Davenport. I acknowledge that the land we are meeting on always was and always will be Aboriginal land and the sovereignty has never been ceded. It is the land of the Kaurna people and I thank our elders, past, present and emerging.

I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate our new Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Kyam Maher. It is an exciting and historic time that we welcome our first Aboriginal Attorney-General. I am very proud to be part of a parliament that will finally fulfil the promise of a meaningful treaty with the first South Australians, implementing an Aboriginal voice to parliament, the restarting of the treaty process in South Australia and a truth-telling process guided by the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

I acknowledge and thank the Governor, Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, for her warm welcome and address earlier this week. It was exciting to hear her lay out this government's policy agenda, one that I now have the privilege to help deliver.

It was a great honour to have been asked to run as the Labor candidate within a Malinauskas team. To win my seat and become the very first Labor member for Davenport comes with a great weight of responsibility. I declare today that I will do everything I can to fulfil and surpass the expectations of the people who have put their faith in me. I would like to thank the previous member for Davenport, Steve Murray, for his four years of service to the community.

I would also like to pay tribute to the efforts of my earlier predecessor, the late Bob Such, who is remembered for holding the then seat of Fisher for almost 25 years. People remember Bob as a legend in my community: a hardworking, honourable and courageous man. He showed compassion and empathy to the people of Fisher and fought hard for them in this house over many years. He was respected and loved by the community because he was willing to listen. His legacy is an inspiration to me and I will stop at nothing to be a local member who is as connected and as committed as Bob was to the Fisher community. I am also grateful to Bob's wife, Lyn, who has shared much of her wisdom with me and supported my journey to get here.

Coming into this role, it is important for me to state that my outlook on life has been shaped by my family. My dad, William Feneley, was living the Australian dream when he met my mum, Jan—travelling around Australia with his mate in a Volkswagen Beetle with a couple of surfboards on the roof. Mum and dad started their life together in Tasmania, where my mum grew up. That is where my big brother, Nick, and I were born. We had a great childhood, first in Hobart and then in Canberra, when mum and dad decided it was time to move to the mainland.

Mum had been directing a childcare centre and dad was practising law. They were both able to secure great jobs in the departments of health, housing, local government and community services. Being in Canberra also meant that we could be closer to dad's side of the family. He was the eldest of seven, the Feneleys. We spent most of our school holidays visiting our grandparents, my aunts and uncles and all the cousins on the New South Wales coast.

Dad and his siblings grew up in the Illawarra coalmining area of Bulli, a working-class suburb where families relied on work in the local coalmines or Port Kembla Steelworks. I have fantastic memories of spending all day at the beach, then sitting around in the evenings listening to the Feneleys passionately debate politics and solve all the world's problems.

Nothing much has changed really. I still find myself at the kids' table at family events (although we are all now parents ourselves) while my uncles still loudly debate current affairs. I am sure it was these debates that helped shape my values, and it was the smart, strong women around the same dinner table—like my mum, my aunts and my grandmother—who would discreetly roll their eyes and raise their eyebrows and wink at me when they thought that the blokes were being inappropriate or just wrong.

Those subtle glances from the women in my life probably taught me much more than I ever realised at the time, and these family debates around the dinner table cemented my values, values that align strongly with that of the Labor Party, like fairness, diversity, inclusion, opportunity, equity, dignity for people without power, and a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. They are the values that my family taught me and they are the values that matter to me.

I took my first job as soon as I could at age 14. I stood at a supermarket checkout. I babysat. I worked at the local Bakers Delight. Later, I pulled beers and waited tables. I worked as a nanny in the US. I sold phone deals door to door, worked admin in a law firm and managed tourism venues. I ran my own business, and eventually I found myself working in a communications position in local government.

Throughout those various roles, I have not only learnt the value of hard work but I have also learnt a lot about people from all walks of life. I have also learnt that not everyone has the same start in life and that some people need a little more help than others.

I met my husband, Adam, in Wollongong, New South Wales. We wanted to buy a house and start a family, but there was just no way we could afford anything in the area, particularly on a uni student hospitality wage, so we chose to move to South Australia, where we could enjoy a more desirable and affordable lifestyle and also be closer to my mum. Nervously, we packed up our lives in a rental truck and hit the road to SA.

We were fortunate to both be able to find jobs, and soon we started chipping away at a mortgage on our first home in the southern suburbs. Now we are proud Happy Valleyans. This is part of the community where my husband and I have brought up our family. I have spent many mornings—cold mornings—watching my son, Liam, playing for the Happy Valley Vikings and weekends at the Minkarra skate park with my daughter, Lara. I think our dogs, Riley and Schnitzel, have sniffed pretty much every corner in the district.

Whilst paying close attention, I had never considered a career in politics until I stopped watching from the sidelines and decided to run for the Mayor of the City of Onkaparinga. I saw the way that the failures in local government were negatively affecting the people the council was supposed to represent, and I wanted to change that. As a result of my decision and the faith that the community put in me, I have had the privilege of representing the people of the City of Onkaparinga for the past 3½ years.

I am incredibly proud of what myself and my fellow council members achieved—turning things around for our community, delivering for ratepayers and rebuilding community trust in local government. Together, we implemented new policies to safeguard the council's future from the wrongs of the past. We implemented a long-term financial plan that saw rates capped and a strategy for reining in and eliminating debt over the long term. We listened. We committed to greater community engagement and participation in council decision-making, and we built a plan that directly reflected where and how the community believes its rates should be spent.

We also introduced new transparency and integrity measures to improve the visibility of operations and accountability to our community. This was about being open and transparent and freely sharing information about the expenditure of public funds and serving our community with integrity. We demonstrated what can be achieved through being responsible, united and community spirited.

I have loved serving the community as mayor for the past term representing our older citizens, our youth, hardworking families and our wonderful small business community. I have got to know my community on a much deeper level. I have seen firsthand the real challenges that people face. For example, during COVID lockdown I spoke with an older resident rugged up in blankets because he could not afford to turn on his heating. His pension was not enough to support himself and his wife, who would normally be working but had lost hours due to the pandemic. Pressures of the cost of living are growing every day. No matter what point in life people are at everyone is feeling it.

It especially broke my heart when my children noticed their own classmates' struggles. In our own neighbourhoods, there are kids going to school without breakfast and little in their lunchboxes or sitting out of school activities because their parents cannot afford the extra fees. We are all connected. If there is a child in the south or anywhere in this state with an empty lunchbox, or a pensioner who has to choose between dinner or warmth, that matters to me. Everyone deserves to have these bare essentials.

It hit home again recently when I was volunteering with a food relief service. We were set up outside at the Aberfoyle Park Community Centre. It was freezing cold and pouring with rain. My fingers and toes were numb and I thought for sure nobody would be coming out that day. But they did. Local mums and dads showed up in the rain to collect their weekly groceries because they relied on this service.

I remember seeing the look of sheer relief on one young mum's face as she and her boys arrived in their raincoats to learn that it did not matter that it was raining, these volunteers were there to make sure that she could feed her kids that week. While we are so lucky to have such wonderful volunteer groups providing these much-needed services, we need to work on improving people's overall financial and social situations so that they have more stability and do not need to be reliant on these emergency services.

This is what I care about. It is what we need to show compassion for. It is about a fair go for all South Australians. That is why I am proud to be part of a Labor government that has a handle on managing the economy and supports an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. You should be able to pay your taxes and get on with what is important to you, trusting that the people you elected, your government, have your back and the backs of those who need it.

I can see the need for change at a state government level and I know that only Labor has the values, the passion and the vision to fix what is broken and preserve what makes South Australia so great. Whilst, like many other areas, the Davenport electorate has an ageing population, the demographic is changing and there are lots of families with little kids just like mine.

Parents in Davenport, or anywhere, should not have to worry about moving into the catchment of a particular school. All our schools should have the resources that they need to be great schools. Parents should not have to worry about how to afford uniforms and other necessities, and kids who need a little bit of extra help should not be left behind because of limited resources.

Likewise, older residents should not be left to feel as if they are the forgotten group. They have worked hard their whole lives, they have paid their taxes longer than anyone, paid down a mortgage, supported their children and their grandchildren, and now find themselves struggling with the cost of living. They may be asset rich but cash poor and this sees them eligible for very little, if any, support.

They also worry about what their future holds. Where will they end up when they need extra care? Will their life savings be absorbed into substandard aged care, leaving nothing to pass on to their children? I believe that we need more compassion in politics. Who wants to live in a world where people are unnecessarily suffering?

My dad was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is taking a drug that is not yet on the PBS. It costs him $1,800 per month after the drug company discount. This medication and all the other appointments, like MRI scans, CT scans and treatments, have needed to be paid up-front and many are not covered under Medicare.

Fortunately, my dad is in a position where he has so far been able to come up with the funds to cover what is needed to extend his life. But there is always that stress of how long they can sustain those payments before having to consider selling their home to cover it. Dad told me a story just the other day about a patient in the same waiting room as him explaining to a social worker that he was putting his house on the market and would pay the medical bills once the house was sold, pleading to just have the treatment now that he so desperately needed.

I realise that some of these issues are more federal issues, but it does speak to the need for us to be more compassionate when it comes to politics, and I am so proud to be part of a team that can be. Our people have gone through two of the hardest years in the state's history and deserve a government that has their back when times are tough and a vision for a better future.

I am excited to be part of a team that will never stop fighting for what is important: a better health system, better schools, opportunities for local businesses and jobs, much-needed protection for our environment—including finally acknowledging the real threat of climate change and taking real action—and, overall, a better future for South Australia. This means that all three levels of government and business need to be working together to provide improvements in public transport, schools, roads, hospitals and social policy so that everybody can feel included. I know that, with cooperation at all levels, we can make a big difference.

It is wonderful to see so many friends here today. I have been extremely fortunate to have had some amazing supporters encouraging me to this point. The great Leon Bignell has been there from the very beginning. He showed me how to stand up for what is right when he helped me not to be censored when I was running a campaign for mayor back in 2018. He stood here in this place and he defended my right to have a voice and to be a voice for my community.

There is also the incredible Nat Cook. Nat knows my electorate well, as she held parts of it when it was still known as Fisher, making history, being the first Labor person to turn that area red. She has been a great supporter and friend. I am excited to work alongside her and support her tireless mission to show compassion and look after the people in the community who need it the most. I am profoundly grateful to Amanda Rishworth, Kyam Maher, Susan Close, Chris Picton, Katrine Hildyard, Tony Piccolo and a former member for Reynell Gay Thompson for their support, wisdom, encouragement and guidance.

I am grateful, too, to my campaign crew, who have stuck with me: my brilliant campaign manager, James Agness, who believed in me from day one and somehow managed to convince everyone else to when it seemed impossible. Thanks to Pam Perre, James Johnston, David Griffiths, Matt Osborne, Tyler Marsh, Mikaela Andrews, the Davis/Cook family, the Baldock family, the Barnes/Errington family, the Stokes family and an amazing team of volunteers, especially the wonderful Young Labor team. They all gave me great support.

I thank my local government family, especially the Onkaparinga staff and councillors, and my brains trust, Mayor Heather Holmes-Ross and Mayor Amanda Wilson. I also thank my Davenport sub-branch, particularly president Justin Shaw and Aidan 'The Ambo' Greenshields, who so passionately represented our ambos throughout the campaign and who I know will make sure that we deliver on our promise to fix ramping.

Thank you to Reggie Martin and the party office, particularly Aemon Bourke, for the support and encouragement that you have given me from day one. Aemon, you were always there for me for a comforting phone call when I was unnecessarily stressing out. I also acknowledge the union movement and the great work that they do. I especially thank Josh Peak and the SDA, Demi Pnevmatikos and the UWU, and Abbie Spencer and the ASU.

I am honoured to have had the support of such an extraordinary team of fellow candidates during my campaign and now in parliament, including Lucy Hood for Adelaide, Nadia Clancy in Elder, Rhiannon Pearce in King, Catherine Hutchesson in Waite, Olivia Savvas in Newland and Sarah Andrews in Gibson. The seven of us have developed a great bond, and it is that spirit of teamwork and shared vision that will ensure that this Labor government truly delivers for South Australia.

Of course, that dream team of talented, passionate people is a reflection of our leader and the new state Premier, Peter Malinauskas. He is a man with a vision for what our state can achieve: to fix our broken health system, to get our economy back on its feet and to remind South Australia what we can achieve together with united leadership that actually backs its people.

On a personal note, I want to thank my mum, Jan, a strong, ambitious woman, full of love and compassion for others and a huge spark for life. She is my greatest inspiration. We sadly lost mum to motor neurone disease in 2020. I know she has been guiding me since and I know she would be proud to see me here in this place. In her last years fighting MND, she would often remind me that there was no funding for MND research or support in this state and limited funding nationally.

I remember once I was heading off to an event where there would be a bunch of politicians speaking, and mum made me promise that I would hit them up for funding. I know she was popping the bubbles and dancing in the sky the day that Labor committed funding to support MND SA and the great work that they do. Until we find a cure for this horrendous disease, we need to provide support for much-needed care to those suffering and to their families.

Thank you to my stepfather, Phil Turbil, who has joined us in the gallery today. You have been an incredible support in the absence of my mum. I know that it has been extremely difficult for you losing her, but you have been a pillar of strength, making sure that we honour all the special occasions, always doing your best to fill the gaps that mum left behind. She would be so proud of you.

My dad, Bill, and stepmother, Gerry, also in the gallery, have travelled from New South Wales to be here. This is not the first trip that my dad has made to support me in recent months. Despite his own health struggles, dad has moved heaven and earth to be by my side at critical moments during my career. He was even out wobble boarding with me in the days leading up to the election—and I have video evidence.

To my best friends, Anna Lumsden, Sophie Taverner, Lisa Abbott and Julia McCarthy: I am grateful for our 30 years of friendship. My courage comes from you. I will always be grateful for the way that you push me to run towards the things that scare me the most. I am so lucky to have such intelligent, strong women backing me.

I have left the best till last. To my children, Lara and Liam—who have just sunk down into their chairs; I can only see one of you; Liam is probably napping; oh, there he is—thank you for all your help with my campaign, handing out shopping bags and letterboxing and sticking stamps on envelopes. I can see you growing up into strong-willed future leaders.

During the campaign, Lara took great delight in correcting the other kids at school on how to pronounce Malinauskas. She also tells me that she considered correcting her teacher when he incorrectly referred to the $62 million basketball stadium rather than the $662 million stadium, but decided not to because she did not want to embarrass him.

But my absolute favourite moment was when I had just given my kids a tour of my new electorate office and my son, Liam, looked up at me and said, 'I'm really proud of you, mum.' You two are my reason why. I hope that in my time in this place I can make a difference and have a positive influence on your future but above all keep making you proud.

To my husband, Adam: my girlfriends often say they wish they had an Adam. I know how lucky I am to have you. Your belief in me is unwavering and I am only who I am because of the love and support that I have at home. Thank you for all that you do.

Most of all, I am grateful to the people of Davenport for electing me to represent our community. I am conscious of the expectations that you have of me and I promise to work tirelessly and resolutely to deliver for you and for all South Australians. I thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the house.

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