Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (13:38): Today I rise to speak as a part of the Youth Voice in Parliament campaign run by Raise Our Voice Australia. This is a fantastic initiative which brings young Australian voices into the nation's parliament. This is a speech by Joel Mackaway from the Hunter electorate:

My hope for the new Parliament is for it to achieve great progress and reform by working together towards the common goal of improving the lives and future of Australians.  I have a firm belief that Australia is the greatest country in the world, however, I am also aware of its downsides and where we are falling behind.
A country may be great, but it can always improve. I believe this new Parliament must ensure that it works together and makes great strides towards combatting the impacts of climate change and setting Australia up to be a role model in the creation and use of renewable energy.

My electorate of the Hunter especially must see great change, or else we will find ourselves lost in a new world, made redundant like the coal that fuels our local economy and the lives of the local people.  Parliament must help these new energy sectors grow but it is equally responsible to ensure that workers are not left behind. A successful country must not leave anybody behind.

Thank you, Joel. Thank you for sending this through to us. We really appreciate it.