Maiden Speech 2019

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the

Ngunnawal and Ngambri people whose land we meet on today and
the 11 traditional owner groups across Mallee. I pay my respects to
their Elders, past, present and emerging.

Mr Speaker, sometimes a place chooses you rather than you

choosing it.

Going back more than 40 years, a complex array of circumstances

relating to my honeymoon, a computer glitch, the tardy invention of
mobile phones, and a visit by the CIB, conspired to bring me to
Mallee.

Two weeks after our wedding, my husband and I found ourselves

driving from Melbourne for many hours up the Calder Highway,
flanked by red dirt, Mallee scrub and salt bush. I remember asking
my husband of two weeks, ‘Are you sure you know where you are
going?’

Just out of Red Cliffs, we caught sight of undulating hectares of

vineyards, heavily laden with beautiful ripe grapes. It was an oasis in
the desert. Mr Speaker, I can tell you that the sight of the Mildura
township brought relief to this young bride. That was the beginning

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of a one-year internship for my husband at the local hospital. The
rest, as they say is history.

The Sunraysia district remains an oasis in the desert, due to the

irrigation system developed by two entrepreneurial Canadian
brothers, the Chaffeys. The challenge was the desert, the solution
was the river, the innovation was irrigation, pumps and systems to
manage water. These brothers dreamt of dry dusty plains becoming
lush, productive industry and liveable settlements. The settlers who
moved to the Sunraysia region, including our soldier settlers - shared
that dream. They developed sustainable farming practices, which
have modernised over the years.

Throughout Mallee today, innovation is alive and well, water drip

systems have replaced flood irrigation and overhead sprays, and
pipes have replaced open channels. Agricultural practices use less
water and produce more, due to developments such as ‘no til’
farming, and large-scale sowing and fertilising systems. Creative
solutions born out of necessity. I saw evidence of this on the farms of
Allan Harmer and Ron Hards. I thank them for showing me around
their properties and I am deeply grateful that Allan and his wife
Rhonda have made the long journey here today from the Millewa.
Allan has lived through the worst drought years 1943-46, and he tells
me the current drought is worse.

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Mr Speaker, Australia has faced many challenges as the driest
inhabited continent on the planet, but these challenges have been
met by people such as Allan who are innovative and resilient.
I have the great privilege of representing the people and
communities of Mallee - from Maryborough in the South, Cohuna to
the East, Edenhope to the West and Mildura to the North. The
electorate is just shy of 82,000 sq km, over a third of the state of
Victoria, and boasts prime agricultural and horticultural land that
grows stone fruit, grapes, vegetables, wheat, legumes, olives,
almonds, dairy, sheep and beef, to name a few. The people of the
Mallee contribute an estimated $4.2 billion in agricultural GDP alone,
with the total value of crops being 47.6% of Victoria’s Gross Value
and 14.2% of Victoria’s livestock Gross Value, not to mention the
other key industries that play a vital role in our economy, such as
minerals and energy.

The people and communities of Mallee are particularly resilient and

thrive on challenge. Hundreds of farms across this sweeping
electorate have responded overwhelmingly to the advent of the
Wimmera Mallee pipeline. Towns at risk of demise have risen like a
phoenix through determination and enterprise. Just consider Luv a
Duck in Nhill, Tru Foods in Maryborough, Kooka’s in Donald,
Southern Mallee Diesel and Mechanical in Hopetoun, the
Woomelang Cooperative General Store, and the small towns hosting

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the Silo Art Trail. Community-based enterprises are a key component
in connecting people to keep towns alive and services operating.

Another example of resilience in Mallee is the extraordinary

development and uptake of digital agriculture to access global
markets. The Victorian Farmers Federation tell me that young people
are coming back to the farm precisely because farming has become
high tech – they can reach global markets on their digital devices
while driving auto steered harvesters.

But opportunity does not exist for all. Mr Speaker, I have had phone
conversations with people who must stand on a chair, climb up a hill,
or hang off a silo in order to have any signal. Community is built on
communication. If you don’t have it, the result is entrenched
isolation. Nobody thrives in isolation. While mobile coverage has
improved significantly under the Coalition Government in Mallee,
with 41 base stations funded under the Mobile Black Spots Program,
there is more to be done. I will be advocating for ongoing funding to
improve connectivity for all in Mallee.

We face many challenges, socially and economically, but the people

of Mallee work together to address problems and create solutions.
They bring enterprise and endeavour to create and sustain wealth. I
am pleased to say this Morrison/McCormack Government takes our

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responsibility seriously to foster productivity and opportunity and to
remove the barriers that impede social and economic growth. I will
strive to assist the hard-working and deserving people of Mallee in
every way possible.

One of the most significant challenges we face every day in Australia,

and magnified in Mallee, is that our relatively small population is
spread over large distances. Roads, rail and bridges are essential for
productivity and community life. Locals and tourists alike, need safe
passage to travel throughout this vast electorate. Our farmers and
industry need efficient transport mechanisms and systems to access
domestic and export markets. Millions of tonnes of product are
transported on road and rail each year, but both are in need of
significant infrastructure expenditure Mr Speaker.

Due to the hard work of the National Party, there will be more
upgrades to the Calder and Western Highways in the next 12
months, and while the Mildura rail line has been upgraded to
standard gauge through to the port of Melbourne, the Murray Basin
Rail project lies in disarray. My farming friends in Murrayville cannot
justify moving their product to market on rail at the current speeds
of 15 km per hour. The Victorian state Labour government has failed
the people of Mallee - they must complete this project in a timely
manner.

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As someone who travelled 30,000km on Mallee roads during the
campaign, I can tell you that an efficient regional rail system would
bring many social, safety and productivity benefits for everyone.
More trains, means less B doubles and B Quads on the road.

One of the key issues in my electorate during my campaign Mr

Speaker was water. Our most precious national resource – it must
be measured and managed responsibly and in the interest of all, if
our regions are to thrive. Water cannot be a political football.
Ongoing bipartisan support that commits to balance social, economic
and environmental sustainability must remain our focus.

The Murray Darling Basin Plan is critical to the Mallee electorate. The
people of this electorate rely on us getting this right. I look forward
to working with the Minister for Water Resources, Member for
Maranoa, to improve management of the Plan, protect farmers and
to ensure greater regulation, accountability and transparency. These
complexities must be managed in a way that considers the
Continent, not parochial corners of it, as Edmund Barton would say.

Our continent also requires dedication to a cleaner future. I am

committed to emissions reductions, lowering energy prices while
ensuring sustainability and reliability. Mallee is perfectly positioned

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for renewables, but the capacity of our existing grid infrastructure is
making some promising options unviable. I look forward to
furthering scope for improving connectivity to the grid in Mallee.

I will also strive to assist all businesses in the Mallee, including the
19,997 small and medium businesses – many family owned, who are
struggling to attract a workforce. Media has recently highlighted this
as it relates to horticulture, but it is not an issue only found in the
agricultural industry. It is evidenced among both our unskilled and
skilled workforce, from mechanics, to veterinary practices, and
health care. I commend this Government on its current focus on
population issues, and look forward to working towards
implementation of policy to better support our businesses to grow
and flourish in regional settings.

Mr Speaker, as for all Australians, access to quality healthcare

impacts every person in Mallee. Our regional cities are growing, and
with many retirees, while smaller towns are declining. We need
responsive and sustainable healthcare, aged and palliative care. We
need to focus on the unique rural and regional settings in which
services are delivered. Funding models currently do not reflect this.
One size does not fit all.

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Isolation is a key contributor to poor health outcomes and risks. And
while isolation might be mitigated by telecommunications and a
network of first responders, for Mallee communities, distance and
the lack of workforce are key concerns. We need more doctors,
nurses, and allied health and mental health workers, we have
reached crisis Mr Speaker.

Our government is implementing some great initiatives to overcome

some of the barriers to adequate healthcare that are specific to
regional and rural areas, but more work is needed, and I will be a
strong voice in this space. An integrated Healthcare network model
would ameliorate the current negative health outcomes many
experience in Mallee. The model incorporates a multidisciplinary
health team, including nurse practitioners and allied health
professionals with oversight by a doctor. Pharmacies need to be part
of the conversation to improve health outcomes across the
electorate. The role of nurse practitioner could be expanded to
service aged care and palliative care, and increase reach into remote
communities. I am advocating for additional funding in our tertiary
education system to support more local nurses to upskill to
practitioner level for this reason. However, structural change is also
needed, including broadening Medicare activity funding to increase
nurse and allied health services to manage chronic disease. Our

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regional towns are in desperate need of these changes, and the
change must be holistic.

Perhaps my passion and focus on healthcare is in part motivated by

my own experiences.

In the decades I have lived in Mildura Mr Speaker I have needed to

rely on emergency services and specialist healthcare on many
occasions. A five-year period of infertility meant many road trips to
Melbourne to seek IVF assistance. The birth of my son at 27 weeks
required a lifesaving flight with Air Ambulance to the Royal Women’s
Hospital and then 4 months of neonatal intensive care in Melbourne
for my son, while my husband had to continue working in Mildura.
He would drive 6 hours after work, to see our son at 1am at Intensive
Care. We had a precious day and a half together and then he would
drive back for work Sunday night. Our third child was born following
a 4 month period of bed rest for me in Melbourne under specialist
care, with a toddler and preschooler in tow. Supportive family in
Melbourne helped us through these events. But what about those
who have no family in Melbourne?

More recently, our first granddaughter Emmeline was the recipient

of a liver transplant at the tender age of 14 months. – I am proud to
say she is here today (Hi Emmie!). The Royal Children’s Hospital in

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Melbourne was her home for months and the care she received was
exceptional. We are so grateful to her donor and their family for
their gift of life. It is for this reason Mr Speaker that I am establishing
the Parliamentary Friends group for Organ Donation, co-chaired by
my colleague Dr Michael Freelander. I am thrilled to announce this
during the National DonateLife Week campaign. I want to thank
those members from both sides of the chamber that I have spoken
to for supporting this initiative.

Mr Speaker, I also wish to talk about my family’s current experience

with cancer and what it means in a regional setting such as Mallee.
My father has courageously battled cancer over the last two years.
All of his surgery has been in Melbourne. Again, we are grateful for
the expert care he has received. But there are additional challenges
when you have to travel to Melbourne for surgery, check-ups, tests,
and treatment. My sister Deb, who is here today, and my brother
Guy, supported my parents while in Melbourne. But, again, what
about those who have no family or support? This is the greatest
tyranny of distance Mr Speaker.

My father has been told this week there is no more that can be done,
and he is about to embark on palliative care. As always we will walk
this journey together. Love you dad.

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Mr Speaker, our geographical and social isolation requires us to
develop solutions such as fly in fly out specialist care, retrieval
services such as the air ambulance, and telehealth, which connects
specialist services with local health providers. I am pleased that the
Morrison/McCormack government is focussed on improving access
to health through innovative measures and I will be active to
advance the wellbeing of all in Mallee. A person’s postcode should
not determine health status, but Mr Speaker, for many in Mallee, it
currently does.

I have always been passionate about injustice and understand the

need for holistic approaches to the barriers faced by regional and
rural communities. Becoming a Sociologist and Social Worker has
helped me understand the cultural, political, social, and economic
factors that impact individuals and their ability to thrive. It led me to
one of my proudest career achievements to date, working with a
small team in the creation of a not for profit organisation called Zoe
Support. Zoe Support offers holistic, wraparound and place-based
support to meet the needs of teen mothers and assist them to
reengage in education. Zoe Support has had extraordinary outcomes,
impacting two generations and sometimes even three.
Homelessness, mental health issues, drug and alcohol use, and
family violence have been significantly reduced through this essential
service.

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In 7 years, Zoe Support has helped more than 200 young women in
Mildura. Mr Speaker, our current statistics show that 32% of long
term clients are now employed, and 62% of current clients are
engaged in education.
The mission of Zoe Support is ‘connecting, inspiring and learning’. As
I have stated, nobody thrives in isolation. At Zoe Support, young
mothers connect and inspire one another. The staff and volunteers
live by the value of ‘unconditional positive regard’. When people are
accepted and not judged Mr Speaker, it is surprising how they can
thrive. The learnings of this model I believe can be replicated across
many diverse and specific disadvantaged groups.

Over the years I became particularly interested in vulnerability. I saw

it in the mums at Zoe and it provided greater insight into our service
approaches. I recently completed a PhD that looks at the
vulnerability of women who make the choice to adopt out in
Australia today.

I understand that the vulnerable are all around us and are us: young
mothers, indigenous Australians, refugees, farmers in drought,
unemployed, aged, the chronically ill, those who live with a disability,
and returned soldiers, among others. The factors of vulnerability are
irreversibility, dependency and unpredictability. While these factors

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are present every day in all of our lives to some extent or other, for
the vulnerable they can be overwhelming and paralysing.

But, Mr Speaker, we can act to mitigate vulnerability – through

responsibility, interdependency, and hope. The unexpected result of
this election has been to revive hope. Evidenced by the stockmarket
and the collective sigh of relief I’m sure I heard across Australia on
May 18th.

Responsibility, interdependency and hope can strengthen our ability

to move forward, and enable the vulnerable to reach their potential.
It can also guide policy and develop resilience and hope, not just in
Mallee but across Australia.

The experiences I’ve had and the knowledge I’ve gained through my
involvement with Zoe Support and my studies, have inspired my
keen interest in social policy.

Mr Speaker, my upbringing has provided the foundation of my

worldview as a Christian. My parents Paul and Diana Smithers are
here today and I want to honour them for their faith and constant
love. They have and continue to model servanthood and
commitment. They have spent their lives working hard, paying their
taxes, and volunteering in their local church and community. Today I

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also wish to also honour David and Doreen Webster, my husband
Philip’s parents, who both lived their lives faithful to their local
church and family. Though both have passed on now, I want to pay
tribute to them for raising my husband to be the man of integrity he
is.

Philip, you are simply the love of my life. You inspire me every day
with your selflessness, your compassion for all, your acceptance of
life’s most confronting issues, your rational open-mindedness and
your dedication to your family and the health and wellbeing of not
only your patients but all those you know.

I am so pleased that our three adult children are present today. You
are each a miracle and a joy to us. I am so grateful for you Hannah
and your husband Raef, Isaac and your fiance Narissa, and Bethany
and your husband Nicholas. Thank you for our six beautiful
grandchildren – Emmeline and Indigo, Charlotte, Ruby, Tommy, and
Henry - who are beyond delight.

I want to thank my church family for their love and support, and
acknowledge Pastor Bruce and Margaret who are here today. I also
pay tribute to the staff, volunteers and young mothers at Zoe
Support, who continue this work without me, though I remain their
patron. Thank you to those friends and family who have travelled

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from far and wide to come today. I appreciate and value your
support. I particularly want to note my Judy’s, my aunt and my sister-
in-law. You have long been my supporters. Thank you.

People have asked me what has brought me to this point of wanting

to be a politician. I’m not sure I wanted to be a politician. What I
want, is to make the world a better place.

Politics right now needs strong representative leadership with the

skills and life experience to advocate for a diverse range of people
and complex challenges. I commit to consulting with my electorate
and will strive to deliver for my electorate. My aim is to provide
reason for the people of Mallee to respect and trust politics and
politicians again.

People have also asked me why the National Party? And I tell them
the choice is simple - my values align with the National Party. I value
private enterprise, coupled with compassion for those who are less
fortunate. I value regional wellbeing and prosperity. I want to fight
for the rights of those in my electorate to access the same quality of
resources, healthcare, education, transport, infrastructure and job
opportunities as their counterparts in the city.

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I wish to close today by thanking those who have supported me in
my campaign. Victorian State Director Matt Harris and his team
Jake, Brooke, Xavier, Sarah & Bec; my colleagues, particularly, the
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Senator Bridget
McKenzie, Minister David Littleproud, and Minister Darren Chester
who have gone above and beyond to assist me. I want to
acknowledge the support of the former Members for Mallee: Peter
Fisher, John Forrest, Andrew Broad. Victorian Nationals Leader Peter
Walsh, and State Members Emma Kealy, and Melina Bath, and
former Member for Mildura Peter Crisp. I want to thank the many
mentors in my life but in the former Member for MacQuarie my
uncle Alasdair Webster and Jim Wallace. The Nationals in Victoria,
particularly those in my own electorate, who generously supported
me financially, but also gave their time, knowledge and energy. Far
too many to name, but I’ll take the risk Allan and Gwen Malcolm,
Former Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty, Bill Ower, John Keating,
Robyn Ferrier, John Watson Toby Hiel, Daniel Linklater, Jon
Armstrong, Mel Webb, Daniel Cadmore, Anita Rank and so many,
many more. I also want to thank my family for their amazing effort
during the campaign and generally being incredible. I am so thankful
for all of you. I also want to pay tribute to my staff, some who have
been long term workers for the people of Mallee Tracey Mooney and
Di Whitelaw. Thank you ladies.

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Mr Speaker, I am deeply humbled to be given this opportunity to
represent the people of Mallee in this House, and to contribute to
the prosperity and wellbeing of all Australians.

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