Oils ain't oils

The World Today - Peter Garrett gives maiden speech as the Labor member for Kingford Smith

[http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1260504.htm]

The World Today - Wednesday, 8 December , 2004 12:34:00
Reporter:
ELEANOR HALL: Back home now, to our series on the first speeches of the new members of the 41st Federal Parliament. One of the more high-profile new Federal politicians, former Midnight Oil frontman and committed environmental campaigner, Peter Garrett, rose to speak today. Mr Garrett is now the Labor Member for the Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith.

Here's part of his first speech.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The Honourable Member for Kingsford Smith.

PETER GARRETT: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I rise in the House to speak for the first time as the new Member for Kingsford Smith, humbled by the people, the honour the people of this electorate have granted me.

I see civic engagement from the street to the suburbs, from local communities to nationally organised citizens groups, to the contesting of ideas in parliaments as absolutely central to the health of our democracy.

I've always had, as I know many, many people have, a singular passion for Australia. I do love this sunburnt country, its ancient landscapes, its exhilarating reaches of sand and sea, and I value its traditions, none more so than the freedom to express an opinion.

I've protested, sung, marched, written, organised and campaigned on those things I simply believed were important, not just to me but to the life of the nation. I've reached that point in my life where I want to take the next step into formal politics to work as a parliamentarian, and in the future I hope to work as a member of government.

I also hope that the measure of how seriously I take this engagement is that I've come here with no higher objective than to make a contribution, to do my bit.

The core strands of my involvement in public life are a belief in the need to strive, wherever possible, for equality of treatment and opportunity, to ensure all people have the means to a decent livelihood, to work for the cause of peace, however remote its prospects sometimes seem, to respect the rights and interests of others, and to work to preserve the living fabric of nature.

Mr Speaker, I see the Labor Party as the natural place for me to continue this engagement.

Mr Speaker, the leader of the Opposition recently remarked that the environment is the ultimate inter-generational issue. I agree. And my involvement in this area has been a central part of my political life to date.

It is now well understood that humans ultimately depend on the health of the planet for their well-being. That recognition has produced a real change in thinking in recent times.

Yet our track record in Australia remains abysmally poor. The measurements of ecological health don't lie, and what they tell us is that by most standards and in most areas we are going backwards. Lamentably, much of this has happened on this Government's watch. The truth is that this Government fiddles while Australia burns.

Mr Speaker, the first speech of a Member of Parliament offers a chance to express one's truest ambitions and hopes for the country. At this point in time, what do I think the nation needs?

Well, I believe we need to respond to the decline in our environment and the threat posed by global warming, and to further modernise our economy by making it truly sustainable. I believe we need to substantively extend the idea of sustainability, so that it encompasses not only environmental but social, cultural and economic dimensions.

In corporate terms, our social capital must be protected. I believe we need to reaffirm the principles that have served us well thus far – a fair go for all, including for generations to come, tolerance in our social relations, the upholding of the rule of law and respect for diversity of opinions and beliefs, framed by an allegiance to Australia and its people.

I believe we need, with Australians well-informed and willing to take the next necessary step to full independence as a nation which chooses its own head of state. I believe we need to take a longer view when it comes to foreign policy, to take a larger view of the national interest.

Finally, I believe we need to come to that point of genuine and deep accommodation with Indigenous people. Mr Speaker, this nation really does need to get its act together on this issue.

Mr Speaker, I'm proud to be the Labor Member for Kingsford Smith. While I've outlined a number of very real challenges that I believe we must address, it is with a sense of confidence and knowledge of our past that I claim our future can be made better, when we act with resolve and good purpose.

I hope I can do that as a Member of Parliament. And in that spirit, I thank the House for the courtesy of listening to my first speech.

(Sound of applause)

ELEANOR HALL: Former Midnight Oil singer and environmental campaigner, now the Labor Member for the Federal seat of Kingsford Smith in Sydney, Peter Garrett.