Mr Speaker
In making my Maiden Speech…. I would first like to state how proud I am to be here as the Member for HERVEY BAY …. and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation…. And also congratulate you on your new appointment as Speaker.
I am not a polished politician… but a sole parent and the owner of a towing and transport business. My views on all issues…. are based on common sense…. taken from my life’s experiences. These experiences…. have given me the opportunity to deal personally with all levels of our community…. from a wide variety of viewpoints.
I am proud to call myself an Australian…. and equally proud to be placed in this position by the community, through the democratic system. This is a truly valuable tool in our society…. Democracy…. I feel that all Australians are grateful that we have this system…. because it gives EVERYONE the opportunity to have a say in our future. To fail to defend democracy…. is INEXCUSABLE.
In my electorate…. it is important for me to work closely with our community…. and my local Council…. The people of Hervey Bay elected me…. yes, Mr Speaker, me…. to the State Parliament as their representative….. So in return, I have asked the community not to remain silent any longer. I welcome their words…. Their thoughts…. desires and assistance… to help shape new ideas…. And I will be grateful for their input….. I want to reflect this in the right way…. and not presume to know better than they do. I am…. and will…. remain one of them….. A citizen… no more…. no less.
We are resourceful people….. in a resource rich country. I will not consent to the sale of future generations….. or to the slavery of a new world order…. Let history…. memory… reason… intellect and…. most of all…. what appears to be lacking in this room before me… common sense…. lead us in the right direction as One Nation. Unity should be our watchword. United we stand…. Divided we fall.
I find myself surrounded by these ten totally committed…. dedicated people…. that have come forward, just like myself…. to speak out and truly represent the people of our Electorates….. mine being the Electorate of Hervey Bay…. and I might add…. what a wonderful place to live it is. A truly magnificent piece of this great state….. Queensland "Fraser Island"…. "The Great Sandy Straits"…. The long sweeping coast of Wide Bay… and so much more.
I have lived in Hervey Bay for ten years now…. along with 4 generations of my family. Over this time…. I have worked in a range of occupations. For the last five years…. I have run my own small transport business….. in and around my Electorate. It has been over this period of time…. that I have seen the day to day decay of small business… that our past Governments have allowed to happen….. Why?… Why has it been made so hard for real, every day people….. to have a go at doing something positive in their working lives? I wonder at how successive governments have failed.
We should never give up…. we should look forward… be positive and be strong… as it is these qualities that I…. and the other ten Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Members…. have demonstrated in our Electorates.
I have become disenchanted over the past decade…. with the irresponsible policies of successive Governments. I… too… have been subject to hardship… frustration… red tape…. and lack of communication that our Government has given us in the past…. NO MORE, I say… One Nation is here… and we are here to stay.
This is one of the most important steps…. in the reconstruction… of the greatest State in Australia. It is a step…. that will help bring… the major Parties back down to earth…. and put Australia back on the right path… The sooner our esteemed leaders learn to represent the people of Australia….. and not weaken to foreign powers…. the sooner Australia can take its place as a Nation in its own right.
My concerns start with the family unit. Over the past years…. this country of ours…. has suffered an unbelievable amount of family breakdown…..
I live with my son, Matthew Dalgleish…. and…. although there are only two of us…. we ARE a family…. To me… family means a happy and loving environment…. The number of people making up that family unit…. is irrelevant. It is my belief…. that a happy…. caring…. and loving family influence….. reflects through ourselves…. our children….. and into society itself.
You see…. every day I come across people who are depressed…. angry…. frustrated… or just hurting…. This reflects strongly on the people in our community…… and…. in my opinion…. leads to social breakdown…. and….. in turn….. breaks down the family unit.
I can only relate to the situation in Hervey Bay…. as I am a member of that community….. but it is clear to me…. that the majority of the family unit breakdown…. is related to unemployment. This is an area Government must focus its attention. With the improvement of employment prospects…. automatically each individual’s self esteem will be improved… creating a happier…. and more content environment…. within the family itself. With harmony in the family unit…. comes less family breakdown…. and less social decay.
Whilst prosperity depends on good wages…. and fewer working hours…. the opposite is happening - (lower part time wages and longer hours to meet basic needs of the family). The social costs will be staggering…. We are already seeing the damage…… and to let it continue would be tragic.
Mr Speaker, I am disappointed that…. our young people have gone without for one reason or another…. whether it has been due to lack of funds…. or just lack of opportunity. Their needs for healthy… social community involvement…. must be addressed. Together…. with the help of the State Government…. the local Council and the people in my community…. we can build facilities that will cater for all… and help rebuild self esteem.
So much depends upon increasing the level of morale within society….. so that young and old can pull themselves out of the ruts…. do something to make jobs for themselves… raise themselves up so that they can master their own future. People must be made accountable for their own actions…. Too often politicians think…. they can solve the problems… simply by throwing tax payer’s money around.
Mr Speaker, our Senior Citizens should also be treated with the dignity…. and the respect they so richly deserve. We must never forget….. that these are the people…. who helped build our country. If it wasn’t for our Senior Citizens… and those who were Senior Citizens before them…. we wouldn’t be here today.
So…… It is my belief…. that we of One Nation…. have climbed onto the National stage…. to continue the struggle of our Senior Citizens…. to ensure that our nation remains strong and vibrant….. as we are here to protect the gains made by those who went before us and to keep for generations to come…. To continue the long… hard battle to protect and serve the community and country.
The safety of our community…. is also important. We need to constantly expand…. and improve… the quality of our Emergency Services. If expansion in population and tourism…. comes before the improvement of our Emergency Services…. it could prove to be a recipe for disaster.
I will be actively pursuing…. the expansion and improvements needed in my Electorate…. Bear in mind…. that Fraser Island is part of my Electorate… and that the Whale Watching industry is prominent…. I feel certain…. that people could understand the problems that may arise…. should innocent people find themselves in difficulties in this remote location. Hervey Bay needs an Emergency Service…. with the ability to provide prompt response to a call for assistance anywhere in my electorate.
On this historic occasion… I express my opposition to "the Club"…. and to the "your turn" - "my turn" scenario…. that has been in Government in the past…. We of One Nation…. have a strong message to send out to the Members of that Club….. the party is over.
In Canberra…. we have a body of experts…. who claim to believe in a free market…. but the market they believe in…. is far from free…. It is a market dominated by cartels…. monopolies… and even bigger banks…. These cartels have little use for little people… small business… genuine competition…. a free market.
To them… big is beautiful…. small is ugly…. But Australia was built on a principle exactly opposite to this.
I joined One Nation…. because it represented a breath of fresh air... A chance to help save our country…. a change in a lifetime. An opportunity to regain our sovereignty…. and bring down our foreign debt….. A chance to introduce low interest loans for farm…. business… and home buyer… a national savings policy to generate Australian capital…. and break Governments addiction to foreign borrowing.
The rich are getting richer…. and the poor are getting poorer. The people are awake to what is happening…. and that Private Club of Politicians…. of the past and present Governments…. are screaming and panicking…. because they lack the loyalty that we… One Nation… displays.
If that is their reaction to One Nation…. then I can promise them this…. The worst is yet to come.
We of One Nation…. are here to bring honesty…. and sincerity… to our Parliament….. We look forward to a day….. when all Members in this House…. will enjoy an independence of spirit that puts away the hatreds…. and bigotries…. of Party Politics. A day… when Members… genuinely put their electors first.
Mr Speaker, I would like to make a short comment regarding fire arms…. I believe that it’s not whether you are for or against fire arms….. it is that people should have had the people right to a referendum to make this decision…. and not leave it up to a bunch of politicians.
Mr Speaker, I have listened to the comments that have been made in Parliament regarding who won and who lost, etc, etc….
The ONE THING YOU MUST ALL REMEMBER is that Pauline Hanson’s ONE NATION won six Labor Seats and five Coalition seats and lost NONE.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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