Address-in-Reply
Address-in-Reply
Motion
Resumed from an earlier stage of the sitting.
The President: This is the valedictory speech of Hon Kyle McGinn. I point out that the usual courtesies and conventions of the house apply.
Hon Kyle McGinn (Mining and Pastoral Region) (5:07 pm): Let me just stretch!
Thank you, President. I must say how good it is to have such a strong union woman at the helm of this place. I have always valued your guidance and your humour. You have always made time for me with my many, many, many issues. Something I will not forget that happened recently was that you pulled me up on the use of the term "maiden speech", telling me that I should instead use the word "first" or "inaugural". I take great pride in the fact that despite being a straight, white, blue-collar, bogan bloke with a mullet, I have made the effort to listen and learn when my colleagues, my friends and, sometimes, my adversaries have felt that I have got it wrong. This should serve as a lesson to some of you in this room that if I, a bloke who did not graduate high school and grew up on the mean streets of Humpty Doo, can take constructive criticism on board and learn from it, there is no excuse for anyone else.
There is only one fitting way to start this speech and that is to acknowledge my staff. I need to be frank with you, members: I have been the luckiest member over the last eight years because my staff have all been absolute rock stars. They gave me guidance when I needed it and unsolicited advice when I did not even know I needed it, and they have supported the community without question. Constituents and I all benefited from their professionalism and dedication.
Deana Lawver, your loyalty, diligence, forthright way and solidarity will forever be appreciated. You have done things in my service that sometimes required great sacrifice, and I will not forget that. You have been with me from the very start; going from seafaring to the wharf to being a staffer must have been a real shock. Thank you for all you have done. You have made this all possible. We had a learning curve when we got in. We were thrown into the fire and you handled it with passion and drive that is unmatched. I was lucky to have you work for me since 2017, and the fact that we have gone the journey together is a credit to our friendship. I wish you all the best in the future. You will conquer whatever you want with your own Deana flair.
George Foulkes-Taylor, you are an amazing human. You became my Goldfields guide when I arrived fresh off the plane in Kalgoorlie and your patience during that time will never be forgotten. George is now doing amazing things off their own bat and I was incredibly lucky to be able to watch them marry another amazing human, Riley, down south last year. They are incredible on their own, but together they are truly amazing. Thank you for your patience with me as I learnt to be a better human. Your education has been deeply valued.
Aimee Norsworthy, my second term rock, words will not be able to explain my appreciation for your effort and work. Thank you for keeping me grounded and serving as a reminder that sometimes the political circus can be just that and that many folks in this great state have real hard struggles. I wish you all the best in the public sector. I know you will smash any challenge in front of you. Also, a massive thank you for keeping me pointed in the right direction when work got a bit insane, as I have a bit of a habit of being distracted and jumping onto another job before I have even finished the other job. It is pretty common.
Amy Astill, “Nugget”, what can I say? You are my baby sister and one-time housemate. Many members on this side will know what a powerhouse this lady is. I would love to take credit for who will eventually be the next Premier of WA and then Prime Minister of Australia, but let us face it, she would have got there on her own. Despite this, and all her victories and wins, she still calls me on the rig and has been a loyal friend and colleague throughout. You are destined for greatness, Nugget, and I look forward to watching the space as that grows. Congratulations to you and Callum on your future.
Bobby-Lee Field worked doggedly to make the Kalgoorlie seat go red in the lead-up to the 2021 election. She has now left the Goldfields and, after travelling in a caravan around Australia, has settled in South Australia. She brought a lot of joy to our little team back in 2021. To Bobby and her husband, Greg, thank you both for the hard work, but most of all the friendship. You are a true Labor staunch, mate.
To my other three more short-term staffers, Emma, Sarah and Mel, while your service in my office was brief, your contribution was still appreciated and I am grateful that you chose to work for me and support my vision. Mel, I am very proud of you for becoming a teacher's assistant, even though I lost you in my office and I was quite upset about that. You are absolutely killing it out there.
There are so many others who worked closely with me and shared their journey with me and I want you all to please forgive me if I miss anyone. I have tried pretty hard to get them all in here, but it is at about 7,000 words now, so we will see. Everyone in the in this room understands that when we come to Parliament or when we are out in the electorate delivering, we might be the face of it, but beneath the surface there are a great many dedicated hardworking folks ensuring that the work gets done. For me, the accidental politician with a mullet and tattoos, a bloke who enjoys too many beers on too many occasions, I have leaned on and relied on a great many people to achieve some of the accomplishments I would like to share with you today.
I was in the United States—not the most recent time that some of you might have read about in the paper—but back in 2016 when I got the phone call from the Maritime Union of Australia telling me it wanted me to run for Parliament. I just travelled 29 hours returning from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union conference. A few beers had been had. I was given an hour while sitting on the tarmac in Perth transiting back to the Pilbara to make a decision. This seemed a bit bizarre to me. I did not think someone of my calibre could be in politics and was in the middle of fighting bosses like Rio Tinto, Chevron, Woodside, Mermaid Marine et cetera. To be frank, I believed this gig was for lawyers and careerists. I campaigned hard in the lead-up to the 2017 election, even though I was told repeatedly that it was unlikely number 2 on the ticket would get up in the Mining and Pastoral Region. How wrong they were!
Lo and behold, it was the Labor landslide Mark I, and all of a sudden this 28-year-old militant union boy was now Hon Kyle McGinn MLC, something my parents still cannot fathom—the word honourable and Kyle McGinn. I am reminded of that quite regularly by my dad!
While I might be slightly more sophisticated than when I first entered Parliament, I like to think that I have maintained my integrity and never lost sight of what motivated me to answer the call and put my hand up for the gig in the first place—that is, my commitment to improving the lives of Western Australians, particularly those Western Australians who lack institutional power, which is the majority of the working class.
I need to thank the mighty MUA WA branch, which at the time was led by Christy Cain. If not for them, I would not be standing here addressing you today. No offence intended to my union comrades in this room, but the rank and file of the MUA are the GOAT of unionists. It is because with their backing, I have managed to make some significant inroads into changing the landscape for maritime workers and their industry, which I will touch on shortly.
What some members probably do not know is that the main reason I was working as an organiser in the Pilbara in the first place was because I had essentially been blacklisted from the marine industry for sticking up ships due to safety breaches and breaches of the agreements. Although I consider this somewhat of an achievement, the fact of the matter is the situation for workers, even in industries where the union is strong, is that they are routinely punished for standing up for safety and for actions to better their wages and conditions.
Things have improved significantly in this space thanks to what the Labor government has achieved in both the state and more recently federally with wage-theft laws, multi-employer bargaining, pay rises for aged-care workers and early childhood educators, to name a few. On a state level, embedding industrial manslaughter into law has been one of the crowning achievements of the McGowan government's first term. I was humbled to be a part of that historic moment. It was truly amazing for workers across this state.
I am the accidental politician and my support base is backed mainly by the MUA membership. You would not believe it, but most of the people who work at sea tend to live in the proximity of the coast! So where should Hon Kyle McGinn's office be set up? Kalgoorlie, of course! In the middle of the desert where there is no ocean and basically the furthest an electorate office could be from the sea. But if you know me, you know I love a challenge. How much different could Kalgoorlie really be to the other places that I have lived in my 20-odd years at the time—Karratha, Palmerston, Mount Gambier and Humpty Doo? Well, the answer is: quite a lot. The folks in the Goldfields are a special lot. I mean that mainly in a good way. To say setting up in Kalgoorlie in 2017 was a challenge is an understatement. There had not been a real Labor presence in Kalgoorlie in many years. It had probably been over 10 years since they had an office in the electorate. People did not have party loyalty or identify with any particular party, but they did have one thing in common—that they were united in being anti-Labor. At the start, it was normal for me to attend community events and be completely ignored. People would turn their backs, they would snigger loudly, laugh, make jokes, speak rudely to me, and these were mainly people in leadership positions.
Fortunately, being a union organiser had given me the right skills to deal with dissenting voices, and I would like to think, for the most part, after eight years, I have won over the hearts and minds of the Goldfields community. I want to mention some particular standout people, without whom I would not have completed this journey in Kalgoorlie. Thank you, my dear friend Umer Bin Saleem, his wife, Samiah, and two children, Abdul and Zarwa. Thank you, mate, for all the chats, strategy talks, coffees and hard work you do in the Goldfields region. Your passion for small business is unmatched. It has benefited the Goldfields so much. You have taught me much about Pakistani culture. It has been an honour to learn your perspective, my friend. Samiah, thank you for the lunches and dinners. You single-handedly raised the standard of food in the Goldfields for me.
I am frustrated and annoyed like you, my friend, Umer, by the current issues that many of your friends and family are facing in Pakistan regarding the situation with India. As you said to me before, the solution is in diplomacy and negotiation, not unilateral coercive measures, as we keep seeing, that only undermine peace. I hope the media remains focused on facts, because we need responsible journalists to do their important job in the fourth estate and do their bit to contribute to peace and justice.
Kim Eckert—what can I say about Kim Eckert? Thank you so much. You have been an absolute political warrior in the Goldfields. Your sole drive is to better the Goldfields. You have been apolitical. The Karlkurla Bushland Park project is a huge asset to the Goldfields community. You were a great councillor, and I know you will continue to fight for Kalgoorlie–Boulder in the future.
My mate Mac Jensen—sorry, President—what a bloody bloke; it has to be said! Honestly, members, this man has a ticker bigger than Phar Lap. When working in the First Nation space, you often find a lot of talking with no walking. With Mac, you get a helluva lot of talking, but you get a lot of walking every single day, even with a bad knee! What you did at the Wiluna TAFE training school for Aboriginal people in that area, turning them into road builders, therefore securing work on their country, is truly inspiring to me, Mac, and you have gone on to better that program and expand it out to Laverton and beyond. All this work was made possible because of you, mate—your passion and your drive. I was very honoured to be invited by you years ago to the Kimberley to give First Nations soldiers who were denied medals their rightful, if not overdue, acknowledgement. They had served in Norforce and had not received their medals from the Australian Government. That trip with Keith Payne VC and former journalist Ray Martin stays with me to this day. To see the pride and joy on the recipients' faces was truly incredible.
Brian Champion—you are a legend, Brian. Thanks for trusting me in many discussions on native title and a way forward for the region. You are a true stalwart. Your kindness in sharing your story of the past has helped me better understand the terrible history this country has. I wish you all the best, for you and the whole family, buddy. You are a true inspiration.
Bruno Gaspar, the gaming lounge maestro. The fact that you ran a gaming lounge, worked at the smelter and did the majority of the audiovisual events in the region still has me in awe. Thank you for all your support, Bruno. Good luck with the gaming lounge. Tim Neeson, the innovator extraordinaire, your passion for climate change is unmatched. Your ability to ride the one-wheel electric thingy still baffles me, despite your many broken bones and gravel rashes from falling off. Sarah Hinton, I have never really been a part of the art scene—you would have thought, and my taste is perhaps not as quite as refined as many members would think—but thank you, Sarah, for attempting to show me the way, and thank you for your help in my office. Thank you for your top effort when you moved up to Gero to work for Lara. You are a champion, Sarah.
Feraz and Illiya Nezamkheirabadi, I have tried very hard to pronounce that, Illiya; I think I got it close. You boys and your grandma have had it rough—so tough. I have never seen a family go through as much pain as you guys have. It was my pleasure to assist that little bit that I had to get you through what was a very traumatic time. These boys were 12-year-old twins when they lost their mum in a car accident when she was returning home from work at the Super Pit. Their grandma did not speak English. They did not have a car. She could not work. The two boys were obviously 12 years old and school was an issue. The community got right behind them. I know the school they attended paid for the rest of their schooling. What often happens, even though it was not on the workplace—it was returning home from work—is the employer starts out being pretty generous and then it dries up pretty quickly. Helping these two boys get to where they are today has been one of the things I will never forget from this job. I guarantee members are going to see two doctors out of those lads in the future.
I turn to Eddie and Wendy. Rest in peace, Eddie Rochester. He was a true Labor man through and through. Eddie helped me over many beers to understand the intricacies of the region, and also taught me a lot of hard work. Eddie was a true community man. There was not a cause that he did not throw his hat into. He has been a huge loss to me personally and to the community as a whole. Wendy, you are truly amazing. You have managed to get through this. I know you miss Eddie every single day. He loved you and your family so much. I love you both very dearly.
The whole Kalgoorlie WA Labor branch—in particular, Melissa, Clacy, Mick, Ross, Dot, Margaret, Glenn and Kate—were all solid supporters and community activists with Labor values. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your passion and hard work, which got us the seat back for Labor in 2021 in Kalgoorlie. To all WA Labor branches in the Mining and Pastoral Region electorate, Broome, Karratha, Port Hedland, Carnarvon, thank you very much for your commitment to the cause and the assistance you have shown me over the eight years I have been in government.
Doug Dawes—where do I start with Doug? Doug is the unofficial lord mayor of the region—probably the state, in his mind! I was told when I went out there that he was a power player in Kalgoorlie, but that was an oversimplification. Doug, you are a gentleman, a true advocate for everything Kalgoorlie–Boulder, a great friend and a man who delivers on what he says he will. In our many robust debates, we do not always agree, but we work together well and the region benefited from that.
Gloria Moyle is a regional healthcare powerhouse. "Pocket Rocket" just about sums Gloria up—also, legendary emcee. You showed me the value of the work in that space, and I commend you and all your team at the Goldfields Women's Health Care Centre. You do an amazing job. Thanks, Gloria. You have been, and will continue to be, a good friend to me.
I turn to Ivo da Silva. I did not think when I started eight years ago that there would be any chance I would thank a journalist in my valedictory speech, also considering over those eight years the number of take-downs I had in the paper, particularly the Kalgoorlie Miner. Ivo is at the ABC. Legend! Ivo, you have been a true champion, mate. Honestly. We have had many great interviews, many great discussions, many great debates. Ivo is a political animal; he loves politics. He is one of those guys that without him we would not have democracy out in the regions. He works for the ABC and the Western Australian Electoral Commission every single election. He is the manager. He is on the booths. He is everywhere, and he loves it. There is something wrong with him, but he loves it! The only thing that is wrong with you, Ivo, is you are a one-eyed Docker's supporter. Seriously, that is your only bad trait. Go the Adelaide Crows!
Esther Roadnight, you have been so fair to me and supportive. I thank you. I do not think there is a project in the region you have not been a part of. Seriously, you just keep on going.
Finally, I want to give a big shout-out to all the workers at the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission, and particular thanks to Kris Starcevich, who is going to hate that I said that, but who should be rolled out as an example of how the public service and its leaders should strive to operate. Kris, your passion for the region and for WA is unmatched. Your ability to deliver is second to nobody. All the development commissions across this state have done an amazing job over the eight years that I have been involved with and have gone out and seen them. I am very proud to be a part of a government that puts a department like that out in the front and centre of regional WA.
Helping those who are struggling has been one of the pure joys of this job. Members, when we advocate for groups that find it difficult to find their voice, we galvanise the communities that we work in. There have been many organisations that I have fought and advocated for or supported because I did not believe they were being heard. Something as simple as being invited to a local event and chucking a sausage on the barbie or running a raffle for the local causes has led to some great grassroot outcomes for us in the Goldfields particularly.
Goldfields Pride is an organisation that lobbied me very well over the years, and I want to give it a huge shout-out. It has done some great events and captured many people who have been looking for the support that is drastically needed in the region. George, I mentioned earlier, thanks again for showing me how just a little bit of support can count in such a big way.
All these people and more—I have surely missed plenty—have helped me and the Labor government deliver on some fantastic projects in the region.
I wish that the former member Hon Robin Scott was in the room so I could say this one. The launch of the MRI machine in Kalgoorlie–Boulder was one of the greatest commitments from the Labor government in 2017 and was delivered only by a Labor government. It was a political football that was used by the other side for many, many years.
The lies that were spread were ridiculous, the games that were played were childish, but the proof is in the pudding. I will now be forever proud knowing that people who need better diagnostic outcomes will not have to travel to Perth any more, and that is because of the first term of the McGowan Labor government.
The Pringle Village project is another proud achievement. This independent aged-care facility has set the benchmark. Doug Daws and his crew of dedicated board members have fought hard for many years and have not rested on their laurels. After building a 49-unit facility, they are powering on now to stage 2 of the plan. I still cannot work out exactly how many units there will be, because Doug likes to put extras in there, so it could end up being 50; it could end up being 60 or more! I am proud to have helped advocate for this group to continue to build good quality care that will allow seniors to stay in the communities they call home, close to their families and friends and all their networks.
A step-up, step-down mental health facility is a purpose-built facility for people experiencing mental illness. It is another great commitment we delivered in 2017 that has had a real effect on the community and people who are facing mental health challenges.
With the help of the Rotary Club of Kalgoorlie, my team—I will say this honestly—did a lot of this work. We embarked on building a Goldfields seniors discount directory from the ground up. When Minister Punch brought back the seniors discount directory, we noticed very quickly that, simply because it was new and had just come back, there was not much from Kalgoorlie–Boulder in that directory. We saw an opportunity for local businesses to be able to advertise for free savings and specials for seniors to access the best deals available. I need to give a massive thank you to the former member for Geraldton, Lara Dalton. I stole the idea from her! She had an amazing rotary club over there in Geraldton that was already doing it. Once we went out and started talking to businesses, the Goldfields spirit shone through on this project, with many businesses jumping on board. That led to an even bigger directory last year. We have done two versions of it, and it is now supported by the Kalgoorlie Miner. I thank the Kalgoorlie Miner for jumping on it, because I think helping out our seniors is one of the best things we can do in a small community, particularly in regional WA. So many people want to help our seniors, but often there is no way to advertise. I urge all members of Parliament, particularly those in the regions, to investigate taking on this initiative in their local area. They will not be disappointed.
It is not just the Goldfields; I have had many encounters of good people who are so dedicated to helping their community. This job really allows one to explore areas that might seem different or foreign. I have had the pleasure of working with the government on introducing the banned drinkers register into areas that have struggled with alcohol abuse and the wider implications that come with it. I met a bloke by the name of Peter Peck, the CEO of the Liquor Stores Association of Western Australia—a space that I could never have imagined I would be working in. The closest I would have got to that would have been the bottle shop! But I have made a friendship with Peter, who is a fierce advocate for the industry, but also genuinely just a good all-round bloke. I have met people like Donald and Cherie, who are now in Broome after making a great contribution in Carnarvon. Cherie was working flat out on resolving real, confronting issues in Carnarvon. She was leading many public forums and organisations to address social issues. Then she stood up and ran for the North West Central seat in 2021, falling just a couple of hundred votes shy of winning. The staunch member who won that seat resigned barely a year later—an indication, perhaps, of his loyalty and resolve. Cherie and Ginger are fabulous people, and being able to attend their wedding in Broome was very special to me.
I am not going to mention Broome in passing without mentioning my buddy, my moral compass over the last four years, Hon Rosie Sahanna. You're a true legend, mate. Your loyalty and honesty is second to nobody. Above all, I have felt like we can take on the world together, and we have. Seeing you elected as the first Aboriginal woman in this place was historic. It cannot be understated how historic that moment was for this chamber. It will forever be with me and it will forever be a legacy that you will leave in this state. To be a part of each other's journey over the last four years has been special. I will cherish our many chats. The stories of your family's struggles due to the stolen generation have cemented my values even further. Thank you so much for teaching me and sharing your stories with me. I need to also thank your good friends Joe Grande and Mary G, also known as Mark. They have also been a great assistance to me and are so passionate about making change. Mary G can be a bit cheeky, though, so be careful when you go up to the Kimberley. If Mary G invites you onto the radio, be very careful!
During the Voice campaign, the loss of which will remain a shameful mark in our history books, I met a very strong, proud First Nations lad. His name is Tyson McEwan. Tyson was part of the Young Uluru Statement from the Heart. I have stayed connected with Tyson and have learnt how strong he is and about his passion for progress. I am very happy to announce that he has finished his legal studies and has now passed the bar. Keep doing you, Tyson. I have no doubt you will be a strong leader making real change into the future and might remain one of the few lawyers I actually like.
A "guy" from Albany, Bec Stephens, the former member for Albany, is a true champion and a good friend. Guy Wroth, my guy from Albany, you're a true Labor champion. Your passion for the fight is inspirational. Your ability to doorknock is ludicrous. Tamara Stubbs and Clayton Brown are good friends—good comrades. I made friends with them when I lived in the Pilbara. They both had my back for many years and their constant support helped me survive this job. I love you both dearly.
It probably comes as no surprise, but I much prefer being out in the electorate and meeting the members of the regions who are often at times doing it tough while contributing great amounts to our society, whether it be through being land custodians as traditional owners, working in the resource industries to contribute to our economic prosperity or delivering the services and building the essential infrastructure to ensure that WA remains not just the envy of Australia but the envy of the world. But it has not always been sunshine and rainbows, and in a shock to precisely nobody, I have had a few run-ins around the electorate. Some of my parliamentary colleagues love to catastrophise and are not afraid to jump on the old dog whistle in a shameful effort to appeal to someone's more basic tendencies. Although I have enjoyed calling them out on this, it is a shame job that they resort to such tactics, but it has been a privilege to be the one to slam them back for it.
The majority of the other bad apples I have met have predominantly come from local government. I have met and dealt with hundreds, maybe thousands, of workers and representatives in local government, including dozens of CEOs, mayors and shire presidents right across my region. Many of these people have held differing political views, visions and opinions, and it is fair to say that I have had many robust discussions, but, for the most part, the day-to-day work gets done and everyone maintains their professionalism. This is not the case for the former Kalgoorlie–Boulder CEO John Walker and current Norseman CEO Peter Fitchat. One of my first events was launching a children's book at the Goldfields Art Centre, attended by hundreds of children, and my first encounter with John was him steaming towards me, yelling and screaming and swearing at me and being super aggressive and in my face in front of schoolchildren. It was clear to me that this bloke was a bully and used aggressive behaviour to try to intimidate people. That was not going to happen with me; I fought back, and he has now fled across the Nullarbor with his tail between his legs. I want to put this on the record as a correction to what has been said out in the electorate about this former CEO in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. He was the worst CEO in the history of that region, and that will be his legacy.
Peter Fitchat is like if you were to order John Walker from Temu. He is another person in a position of power who likes to be aggressive. He literally squared up to me in the council chambers one day, swearing, going red in the face and spitting at me. It was probably the closest I have got to a physical altercation in my eight years doing this job.
Local government CEOs like Peter and John ought to be reminded that they are not elected officials. They are there at the behest of the elected council and the leaders, who were placed there through democracy by the local community. Unfortunately, the way that local governments should function is not how they actually function, particularly in regional WA. In some cases, unelected CEOs and directors will use standover tactics to force elected members to comply with their own personal agendas. Elected officials should not cower from unelected bullies and instead should be empowered to set their own agendas, campaigns, standards and practices. I dare say there should be more oversight and accountability in regional WA.
The other big challenge I encountered during my tenure is something a little bit more difficult to talk about, but I would feel remiss if I did not use my position to talk about it. I was about a year and a half into my first term, and I was struggling. Things were not going well at home, and I was still on the steep learning curve of this job, and this job is tough. This job is very tough. I was in Karratha with Minister Papalia. I got off a plane, and I had a sudden feeling that I was having a heart attack. It was hard to describe. I had heart palpitations, my vision was blurry and I felt like I was going to pass out. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it was not a heart attack but instead a panic attack. Shortly afterwards, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety, and I have been on Lexapro ever since. I am incredibly grateful to Minister Papalia for his support but also his discretion that day. I am also grateful to my colleague Hon Samantha Rowe, who gave me a good steer when I needed a doctor after seeing many and not understanding what was going on.
I found the strength in asking back then, even though it was incredibly difficult. Standing here today and talking about mental health struggles is still difficult. I do not normally shy away from talking about hard topics, so that is why I do not want to leave here without mentioning it. There is no shame in asking for help. Please, fellas in particular, trust me on this—ask for help. As I have mentioned, workplace health and safety is an issue I am incredibly passionate about. I was fortunate enough to contribute to the WorkSafe inquiry by the Standing Committee on Public Administration in my first term. Being on the Stena Clyde and seeing mates killed on the job was a formative moment for me. Vale Peter Meddens and Barry Denholm; I am sorry you never made it home, comrades.
In my second term, I served alongside the President on the Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges, and we confronted some pretty sticky issues, I think. Needless to say, reading standing orders and grammar and punctuation is not my strong point. I was also incredibly honoured when I got the phone call from the then Premier Mark McGowan in 2021 asking me to take up a promotion to parliamentary secretary. When I was originally paired up with the member for Bunbury, Minister Punch, I was a bit confused as to why one of the youngest members in this place would be the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Seniors and Ageing, among Disabilities and other portfolios. I actually found this work very engaging and had some fast friends in that space. I have sore cheeks, though, from the amount of times they were grabbed when I had coffee and biscuits. Some of the seniors like to go right in for the kiss every time you walk in. You have to be very careful.
There are so many organisations across our great state working in this space and batting well above their weight. I want to thank you all for what you and your teams do day in, day out. It is a very hard space to work in. I mentioned the Pringle Village work with Doug Dawes in Kalgoorlie, but I have also met seniors across the state from the Kimberley to the South West, and I have worked incredibly hard to make sure their voices were heard in Western Australia's first An Age-friendly WA: State Seniors Strategy 2023–2033. I also got to meet with many amazing people making excellent contributions to WA through my role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Disability Services. For those who do not know, the disability sector hosts the best events in WA. Their gala balls and their excursions are fantastic. Attending these inspired me to run the very first disability Christmas lunch in Kalgoorlie last year, an event that I hope continues. The feedback, the smiles, the laughter and the fun was amazing.
One standout mention amongst the thousands of Western Australians living with disability is another mate of mine, David Atkins. He is a young man with autism, who came up to me at an event and said, "Because I got a disability, I can never be in politics." That laid down the gauntlet to get him inspired and bring him to Parliament. Sadly, I think I worked out that his allegiances are more with the other side, which was very disappointing, David. I cannot always have it my way. Despite this, his political aspiration got bigger when I asked David to write a speech and I read it out in this chamber. They were his words, word for word. David, you are now immortalised in Hansard forever in this Parliament.
I do not have enough time to go through the other achievements I was able to deliver on behalf of the government in my parliamentary secretary role because the list is long and, I think, commendable. But, I thank the former Premier and current Premier Roger Cook for putting their faith in me. Let us face it; I am a bit of an interesting choice when it comes to parliamentary secretary. I also shout out to Minister Punch and his ministerial team. They trusted me, they let me work with my own autonomy and they sent me all around the state doing what the minister was after. In fact, I want to thank all ministerial staff. They need a pat on the back. It is not an easy slog and sometimes it is a thankless job just managing their minister, let alone everyone else who calls up and asks for help. Then there is policy and administration work on top of that. I have made some fast friends in various offices, and I hope I am still allowed to party into the wee hours with you all—every couple of weekends would be nice.
To my colleagues in WA Labor from both terms: thank you for your commitment to the cause. I will single out Hon Matthew Swinbourn, partly because he put up with me sharing an office for four years, which I do not think was an easy feat. But he did it with a smile on his face most of the time. He just did not like it when I laid on the couch with my shoes off, which was a lot. I want to say congrats to him on his ministerial appointment. It is well deserved. I look forward to seeing what he does over the next four years. To the leaders in the upper house, the whips and the caucus members: it has been a pleasure. Thank you to WA Labor; you have been the vehicle that has made this possible for all of us on this side of the chamber to be here. I enjoy democracy, and WA Labor is that for me.
Another member, or should I say former member, I would like to extend my appreciation to is the formidable Hon Alannah MacTiernan. A woman who needs no introduction in this place, she was a mentor to me, and I consider her, potentially inappropriately, my political mum. She took me under her wing. It was an incredible privilege to learn from the best, and her work ethic nearly broke me every week, but it was unbelievable to learn from somebody how to do business.
While MacTiernan was my mum, my brothers and sisters will always be the mighty Maritime Union of Australia. I came up in the rank and file of the MUA, and being in Parliament and advocating for the cause felt like repaying my dues. I am completely aware, though, that I am still indebted. I served as the co-chair on the WA Shipping Supply Chain Taskforce, which recommended, among other things, the return of a coastal ship. Australia is an island nation, and Western Australia is essentially its own island within that island. We have almost 100% of our goods imported and exported on foreign ships. It is a shame. It is an absolute shame. Ships that are flagged in countries such as Liberia, a country known for its regular coups and warlords, are crewed by exploited labour from around the world. Even if the shipowner is doing the right thing in terms of international laws—trust me, members, the ones that are doing the right thing are the minority—the seafarers aboard the ships calling into ports from Esperance to Fremantle to Broome and Hedland are on just US$666 a month. They are away from their families from nine to 12 months at a time. Like I said, this is when the shipowner is abiding by international law. I can assure members that the majority are not.
Imagine a truckdriver delivering goods from the east coast of Perth is not allowed to go home for nine months and is paid 250 bucks a week. I know—it sounds like a Gina Rinehart dream, but I reckon even those opposite would agree that we would not cop it for our truckies, so why do we cop it for our ships that travel between the east and the west coast? It is one of the proudest moments for me over these eight years to be a former seafarer and to be the co-chair of a taskforce looking into seafaring. I cannot stress how much I believe people who work in the industry should be at the table. That is something I have been proud of for the last eight years in this chamber. I am so proud to have worked for this government to recognise the issues in seafaring, and I look forward to continuing to work as a civilian in rolling out the $5 million Supply Chain Resilience Fund that was announced during the election. We will see an Australian flagged and Australian crewed coastal ship returned to us and this will be a win for every single Australian.
I did not deliver everything I wanted to deliver for Maritime Union of Australia members during my term, but I can assure the rank and file, and also the people in this room, that I will be successful in ensuring that unnecessary and unproductive automation on the wharves remains a pipedream for greedy bosses whose motivation is not even just profit, but subjugation. Automation on the waterfront is proving around the world to be a failed experiment. It is no more productive than human labour. It is a hoax, it is a joke and it should not be allowed in Western Australia. It is a security risk and a risk to micro-economies. Call me a Luddite if you will, but we must protect our waterfront at all costs.
As well as the rank and file, I am obviously in great debt to the current branch secretary, Will Tracey, whose calm and strategic leadership has been an inspiration to me. You have talked me off about 1,600 cliffs, mate, and I appreciate that. To Doug Heath, the branch deputy secretary, who looks as good in The West Australian pages as I do, thank you, brother. That Teflon coat is getting thinner, just like your hairline. To George Gakis, who came up through the youth committee of the MUA with me, I look forward to working more closely with you shortly. Thank you for always being a good mate, always picking up the phone, and being a friendly ear when I need it. To Hon Vicki Helps MLC, for your unwavering support and commitment to the movement over the years, your time in this chamber has been far too short. To the entire Piccoli family: Daniel, Nathan and Sarah, your folks must be very proud because you are all not only staunch, but also incredibly clever and kind humans. Luke Edmonds, your free legal advice, which cannot be considered legal advice, has been a lifesaver at times. The friendship from you and Alison has also been warmly received and needed. Joel, you had big shoes to fill in mine and Paul's stead, but I reckon you are giving it a good crack and have the employers in the North West on the ropes. To Jeff, Jack, Sandra, Sarah, Georgia, Ebony, Quiny, Samaiha and Phil, thank you very much for your support. I cannot forget, and will rewrite a mistake I made eight years ago during my inaugural speech when I forgot Lisa, which was a big mistake. I would like to give a big thankyou to Lisa. It has taken me eight years to right that wrong, but thank you so much for your support.
My union family crosses over with my blood family. My dad is a working seafarer and staunch MUA member. Thanks, Dad, for getting me my start offshore. I am also an unashamed Mummy's boy, and that is because I have an excellent mother in Sally. She is off travelling in a caravan with her husband, Bruce, and I am very appreciative of their love and support. To my sisters, Caddie and Millie, I beg you, just move to WA already, please, so that I can spend more time with my nieces and nephew Olly, Micah, Quinton and Kye. Your uncle misses you a lot. To my twin siblings Jasmine and James who are growing up to become excellent humans, I miss you both. To my cousin and best mate Callum, thanks for learning essentially nothing about politics so I had someone I could escape to and watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Storm beat the Cowboys with. Your ability to literally still not know if I am in the Labor Party or the Liberal Party after eight years is absolutely impressive.
To all my friends and family: Daniel, Stevie and their kids, Callum's partner Amanda, Hannah and Scooter and their kids, Tyson and my other cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents, you have all played a part in the man who stands here today.
Early in my second term I lost my grandfather, Grandpa Duck. I credit a lot of my humour to him. It was a difficult endeavour to go back to South Australia in the middle of COVID for his funeral, but I am incredibly glad that I did it and had the opportunity to say goodbye. My grandpa raised me in a family of love and support. Ducker, I miss you, mate. As you would always say: "Bloody beautiful; everything's falling into place". In my first term I lost my pop, who was a sailor, but most of all he was a great grandfather to me. He had a sense of humour but also was not afraid to discipline you if you needed it, and I needed it quite a bit. I miss them both dearly. They have shaped who I am today.
Finally, to my partner, Ash. Just last week, we found out our last embryo through IVF had failed, following multiple miscarriages over the last four years and two other failed rounds of IVF. Despite this and all the other challenges that have been thrown at us, including a particularly toxic former employer, we remain incredibly close and our love only grows stronger. Although we knew each other through the union movement, we began our relationship, believe it or not, members, on 1 May. Our anniversary is on May Day, which is very apt. Despite having many shared values and shared politics, she is the one who calls me out on my BS the most—I would argue, probably unfairly, but like I said at the start, I like to think that my most endearing trait is my willingness to listen and learn. I do not get it right all the time. None of us do. None of us are above scrutiny—no individual, and certainly no party. To have differing opinions is not something to be punished; it is something to be celebrated.
When I was first elected, my priority was to make sure I left a legacy of leaving the things I touched, whether it was the Goldfields Labor branch, opportunities for First Nations people or conditions for workers, in a better shape than when I found them. Granted, the movement of the dial has been small; however, I am confident it actually moved. Standing up in this chamber to take a swing at a corporation or two has been a sweet pleasure of mine. I am honestly going to miss that. Rio Tinto and Chevron, I will see you on the outside. I did not even graduate high school, and I was able to stand in here and hold power to account. We need people from working-class backgrounds just as much as we need those with law degrees to be able to contribute to discourse. I hope into the future the Labor Party continues to give working-class people off the tools the chance to be in this place to drive change. If you are not at the table, you are not heard. I feel that other accidental pollies are exactly what this place needs. While it is a bittersweet moment to be leaving—part of me thought I could have achieved a little more—my contribution to the betterment of the lives of Western Australians is not over. I will see you in the future as I keep up the fight outside this place.
I am also the type of bloke who does not mind taking the mickey out of himself, so members, here is the greatest bloopers that I could come up with over my eight years. Try not to laugh. The first is multiple sprained ankles. The two that come to mind were in, I think, my second or third week in Kalgoorlie. I had just employed George. I was literally walking down the corridor, over thin air, and I sprained my ankle. I snapped all the tendons off, and started swearing and carrying on. I had only just met George, and I was on the floor swearing, screaming and carrying on. The second was a couple of months later, I was going to KidsFest, which is on the oval. All the kids were there. We had spent weeks putting together windmills and I had bags of them. I was walking along and there was a pothole. I went down and the windmills went up in the air and all the kids came running and grabbed all the windmills. Meanwhile, I was on the ground in pain. That went really well!
During the voluntary assisted dying debate, like Hon Darren West, I also brought in a blanket and pillow. I think I walked out at about 4:00 am, with the blanket and pillow. I did not think much of it because there were media there, et cetera. At 7:00 am, I got a phone call from my mum, "Oh my God, my blanket's on the news!" She goes, "You came out at 4:00 am!" I said, "Yes, Mum, it's 7:00. I've been in bed for three hours!" She was stoked that her blanket made it on the national news.
There was a moment in this chamber with the former member Hon Robin Scott from One Nation that ended up on "Inside Cover". We were having a heated argument and I said that we should measure something's size. The President at the time, Hon Kate Doust, pulled me up very quickly and was very unimpressed, but the journalists jumped onto it pretty quickly, and there was a picture of my head with a tape measure there the next day. That was pretty funny.
Then there was the shoey I did to celebrate the mammoth achievement of winning the Kalgoorlie seat in 2021. To be honest, I did not see the cameras in front of me, nor did I see Zak Kirkup crying on the TV behind me when I was doing the shoey. But it came out looking fantastic! The only problem for me is that ever since that day in every pub I walk into in Kalgoorlie someone wants to do a shoey with me. Members, I do not recommend making the shoey your trait because, yes, I have had a few scratchy throats.
As a parliamentary secretary, it was a busy day. I would have four events and you do not have staff or anything; you are just running around going to events and doing speeches. I went to this event in Joondalup. It was a keynote speech and there were a few hundred in the room. I was pretty blasé. I was like, "Yep, let's get it on." I went up there and got introduced. I put my speech down and I was introduced by—I think his name was Gary. My speech said, "Thank you, Sarah." That was not Sarah. I realised I had the wrong speech and I was standing up in front of 200 people at an innovation tech conference. I had no idea what the company was or where I was. Needless to say, I then went on and delivered one of the greatest speeches you have ever seen. I can prove this because an ambassador from the USA came up to me after it and said, "That was a superb speech." So, either people do not listen or that was a really good speech on innovation. I was heading to a pre-poll in Cosmo Newbery, which is out near Laverton. For anyone who knows the area, it is quite difficult. There are a lot of dirt roads and the signage is not that good. Well, I found out later that there is a huge green sign. But, anyway, I missed the turn and I ended up a fair way away. It said Coober Pedy this way; I was nearly at the South Australian border. I missed the pre-poll, which was devastating.
I have lost about nine or 10 of the swipe cards for Parliament. To the staff here: I am really sorry. Apparently, it is a record! I have lost two phones, a laptop and a couple other things. One day I was having a whinge to my staff—I think it might have been George—that my laptop was broken. I could not work it out; it was not starting. What was going on? So, I did the whole thing and rang up DPC and went over there. I am like, "You know, there's something wrong with this laptop." The little battery pack thing was not plugged in properly. Turns out you need to plug it in to charge it. So, yes, I have had a couple of good bloopers over the eight years. They are probably the PG ones we can talk about in here.
Now, I go to the workers who keep this little but supremely important institution running. Special mention to Anthony, Maria the superstar, Steve, David, Lauren, and Brian the madman—wherever he is. Where has he gone? There he is. He is just getting around—he is flat out. Hayley, Grant and all the staff over the last eight years, you have done a fantastic job. Your advice has been probably not what I want to hear at the best of times, but it has been true and it has been honest and you have kept the integrity of this place. For that, I will be forever grateful. Members, love me or hate me, I have not changed who I am. I hope this speech has explained to members what is important to me.
I thought so long and hard about how I will finish this speech—my constituents in the Goldfields, I think, will be particularly appreciative. There was only one way to do it and I am used to getting told off, so we might as well get this over and done with, but I would like to say to the members and the constituents across WA, thank you for two fantastic terms. Cheers!
(Applause.)
The President: Order, members. Hon Kyle McGinn will take his seat now. The honourable member is very well aware that he ran a very fine line in offending the dignity of the Council, so I assume his speech has concluded. Thank you.
Debate adjourned, on motion by Hon Peter Foster.
