Governor-General's Speech

Address-In-Reply

Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (16:21): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm extremely grateful to be standing here in this place to represent the people of the Hunter electorate. It is my privilege to stand on the land of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, the traditional owners of this place, and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. I also want to pay my respects to the traditional owners of the lands of the Hunter electorate, the Wonnarua, Awabakal and Darkinjung people, and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Anikanyantin wantakalowa yarma—which is hello and welcome in the language of Wonnarua, Awabakal and Darkinjung people.

I'm not your average person. I am certainly not the average person you would expect to be in Canberra, in this place. I'm not the guy who came through the usual path to politics. I was born in Carlton, Victoria, and spent my early years growing up in Melton South in the newly formed seat of Hawke. My mother was a nurse and my father was a quarantine officer. I definitely feel that mum had the harder job. My older brother, Jason, and my younger brother, Stephen, and I had what you would call a normal upbringing. Our days were spent out with our mates on our bikes, outdoors. We had to be home when the streetlights came on. If we were late or did something wrong mum would get the wooden spoon out, and if we were really bad she would just tell us, 'Wait till your father gets home.'

When I was 26 I found out that I had an older half sister, Karen. I'm glad that you found us. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and your family over the last 14 years.

Melton was where I found my love for shooting. I attended the Melton Pistol Club from as early as I can remember. Mum worked nights and weekends, so the old boy had no choice but to take me and my younger brother to the club. We were known as the gruesome twosome.

I attended Melton South Primary School and Wilson Park Secondary College, now called Storeton College. Let's be honest: I wasn't the greatest student and I couldn't wait to leave. After leaving school at 15 I started my apprenticeship as a fitter and turner at D&H Rodwell Tooling. I spent 10 years working for Don and Heather, learning my trade with a small team of dedicated workers. I'm still friends with many of them today, like Dennis, John, Chris, Steve and my older brother, Jason. It wasn't easy working with my older brother. I was a pretty lippy apprentice from what I can remember. I copped it from all the tradies. I probably deserved everything I got. It was a hard, old-school workplace that really taught me well. Thanks, Don and Heather, for taking a chance on me. It's odd that we have three tradies in the family, especially given the old boy, who doesn't even know which end of a screwdriver to use.

It's fair to say that there were plenty of people involved in shaping me into the person I am today: my first shooting coach, John Corral; my first sponsor, Darrell Bevious; most of the members of the Melton Pistol Club; Norm and Margaret Edwards; Allan and Julie Evans; Judy and Terry Kennedy; Uncle John and Aunty Anne Alisbury; my mates; and, of course, my mum and dad—I would not have achieved the milestones in my life without the sacrifices that you both made for me. Thank you.

I played many sports growing up, with the main focus being on basketball and shooting. Unfortunately, I was better at the sport that wasn't very appealing financially! Representing Australia on the world stage is an incredible honour, and I feel very privileged to have represented Australia since 1998. I've competed in world championships, world cups, Oceania championships and national championships. I've won over 50 national titles. I've represented Australia at five Olympics and four Commonwealth Games. I have three Commonwealth Games gold medals and three bronze medals—or, as my girls and I call them, the brown ones. Mr Speaker, can I tell you there was no better feeling than winning the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in front of my wife, Alex; my daughters, Zoe and Asha; and a large group of my family and friends. Turning around to see the excitement on their faces is something that I will never forget.

I started work in the mining industry in 2009. I began working as a line borer, travelling around the state before landing a full-time position at Mount Thorley Warkworth. It was an opportunity to drive something I really could say was bigger than me! I spent seven years working at Mount Thorley Warkworth. I was a union delegate, a dispatch officer, a trainer and an operator. Being an operator is the best job in the pit. The biggest concern you have for a 12½-hour shift is what setting the aircon is on—one, two or three?

At the end of 2017, I was headhunted by Rusty Russell at Double R to manage a new engineering shop in Singleton. Our focus was working in the mining industry and trying to grow the business to around 15 people. Fast forward four years and we had grown the business to 70-plus employees working around the Hunter and beyond, specialising in tractors, ag equipment and parts sales as well as our core business in repairs and heavy engineering. I had some amazing times both professionally and personally whilst I was working at Double R, and I still feel it is by far the best team I've ever been part of. I know me ending up in this place wasn't in our 10-year plan, Rusty, but you know you have to take every opportunity that life throws at you. Thank you to Kate, Rusty and the Double R team. It was an amazing ride.

I've been lucky to travel the world doing the sport that I love, and that has given me some of the most amazing experiences of my life, but there is nothing better than coming home to the best country in the world—Australia—and especially my home in the Hunter Valley, the gateway to paradise. The Hunter is such a dynamic electorate, stretching from Wyee Point at the tip of western Lake Macquarie, Australia's largest coastal saltwater lake; working its way around the back of the Wollombi state forest all the way to Sandy Hollow, across to Muswellbrook and down to Cameron Park, Edgeworth and Glendale; and taking in major towns such as Morisset, Toronto, Cessnock and Singleton. The electorate is 10,640 square kilometres, and I currently have 128,759 bosses that reside in the Hunter electorate.

Some would argue that we have the best wine in Australia coming out of the Hunter. There certainly is no argument from me. We do have the best wines in Australia. In fact, we have the best wines in the world, from Australia's oldest and first vineyard—Wyndham Estate, planted in 1828—to some of the most iconic wine brands in Australia, like Tyrrell's, Scarborough Wine Co, Mount Pleasant Wines, Ernest Hill Wines and many others, and the new winemakers in industry who are really making their mark, like Usher Tinkler Wines, Mercer Wines and John Wallace Wines, just to name a few. Tourism is a massive part of the Hunter economy, from regattas and families holidaying around the beautiful Lake Macquarie to the world-famous golf courses, restaurants and boutique breweries scattered throughout the Hunter, to our world renowned horse studs in the Upper Hunter, home to champions like Winx, Home Affairs and So You Think.

The Hunter has been a powerhouse of the NSW energy and export market for well over a century, and we will continue to be for centuries to come. There is no doubt about that. At the moment, our traditional industries such as mining, energy, horse studs, farming and tourism are doing well. My position and Labor's position is clear: coal will continue to play a role for many years to come in powering the world. Whilst ever there is an export market for coal, the Hunter and its workforce will continue to fill that market. I am proud to be a former coalminer and I'm bloody proud of my electorate's mining history. And I'm proud to be mates with many people who work in the pits. We need jobs that are well paid and secure and aren't dominated by dodgy labour-hire arrangements. Put simply, whenever you work, if you're doing the same job as the person next to you, you should be paid the same—same job, same pay. It's simple. The difference between us on this side and those that play dress-ups on the other side is we back mining and we back our miners, and we say the same thing in my electorate as we do in my friend Michelle Anandah-Rajah's electorate of Higgins. As I stand here, the export market for coal is as strong as it's ever been. For as long as that continues, and it will continue for years to come, I will make sure Hunter remain at the forefront of supplying coal to the world. My message to every Hunter mining family and the whole of the Hunter electorate in a changing world is this: I will always be up-front with you, and I will always have your back.

The Hunter is about to go through one of the biggest booms in decades, not just in our booming traditional industries but with the next phase of powering our nation—through hydrogen, biomethane, battery storage, wind and solar farms, and a range of innovative new projects. Now that the Labor government have committed to a 43 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, we have just firmed up a solid stance that will invite business and private investment into the Hunter with certainty. And I plan to use my big voice to make sure the Hunter gets its fair share. It's an exciting time for the Hunter electorate.

Deputy Speaker, I know that I didn't become the candidate for the seat of Hunter through the normal process. To the branch members around the Hunter: I'm sorry for the process that was undertaken. The seat was on a 2.9 per cent margin when we started the campaign, and we ended up with a 1.1 per cent swing to us. With three more years of hard work, we will make sure this margin is even bigger. I thank you all for the help and time that you all put into this campaign. I'm looking forward to working with you into the future. And I thank the branch members that have taken the time to be in the gallery today: thank you.

I've always had strong Labor values and have seen what great hope the Labor Party gives to Australians when we are in government. I believe that everybody should be entitled to the same healthcare services, whether you earn $5 or whether you earn $5 million. Now—I know this is something that those sitting opposite us certainly don't agree with—after nine long years of cuts to Medicare and health services, it's time for us to stand up for the everyday Australian again. This is what an Anthony Albanese led government gives to Australia—hope, after nearly a decade of cuts, neglect and aimless drift. We now have a government that cares not only for the everyday Australian but for every Australian. I want to thank the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and all of the now ministers for all of the help in the Hunter campaign. It really made a difference. I particularly want to thank the Prime Minister for supporting a big unit like me from day one. This won't be forgotten. As I campaigned around the Hunter electorate, a common theme and discussion from blue-collar workers was that politicians are all dodgy, are on the take, are on the gravy train and are only in it for themselves. Despite repeated promises from those opposite us, we now have a government that will actually bring in a national anticorruption commission, an independent authority with some teeth, so once again the people of Australia can look at politicians with respect and pride, knowing that we are doing the very best for their communities and Australia.

For too long the original custodians of this land have been without a voice in our parliament. But now, with a Labor government, we are one step closer to changing this. I can't wait to be part of history when the Australian people own, support and enshrine the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full and give the oldest known civilisation in the world a voice to parliament. What a loud voice that will be. This is something that every Australian should be proud of.

I couldn't deliver this speech and not touch on my predecessor, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon. Where do I start? The previous member for Hunter has been etched in the history of this fine building. There is not much that Joel hasn't done in the Labor Party. Joel, thank you. Thank you for your tireless work that you have put into the Hunter over the last 26 years. Without you and your hard work, we would not have the Hunter Expressway, a vital piece of infrastructure that has opened the Hunter up to better tourism and business and helped families like mine and many others get home safely. The third rail line into the Newcastle port has enabled the Hunter to thrive and become the largest coal port in the world. This has created tens of thousands of jobs in the Hunter and surrounds. Without your vision for Hunter, we would not be where we are today. Thank you from not only myself but all the constituents of the Hunter electorate. There's been a Fitzgibbon representing the Hunter since 1984, so I certainly have massive shoes to fill. Lucky I have big feet! Thanks, mate; I'm proud to call you a friend.

Those on the other side of the chamber don't seem to or just don't want to understand how much blue-collar workers in Australia need the mighty trade union movement. From keeping our workplaces safe to ensuring that we're all getting a fair go, we have so much to thank unions for, and I want to thank Tony Maher, Grahame Kelly, Peter Jordan, Robin Williams, Shane Thompson and every member of the Mining and Energy Union for their constant support of me since 2012, when they helped me get to the London Olympics, and especially for all the support that they have given me throughout this campaign.

To the officials and members of the SDA Newcastle and Northern, MUA Newcastle, AMWU, Tony Callinan and the AWU, the USU, the IEU, the CPSU, the CFMEU and, of course, my mate Leigh Shears at Hunter Workers: thank you. I appreciate the work, the resources and the time that you all put into this successful campaign. I give a special shout-out to Mich-Elle Myers and Barbra Nebart for their constant support and friendship.

And what a campaign it was. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by literally hundreds of incredible workers and volunteers to keep me on the straight and narrow. I want to thank all the wonderful volunteers that I had throughout the campaign. Without the help from you all, I wouldn't be standing here right now giving my first speech. I especially want to thank George Simon and Josh Lloyd for the hard work that they both put in for me at the start of this process. Without the coaching and mentoring that you both provided me, I know I wouldn't be standing here today. I'm sure that you both thought at some stage, 'How did we get stuck with Dan?' To Bob Nanva, Oliver Plunket, Alex Costello, Don Offner, and Liam Rankin, from the head office: thank you. Your guidance and wise counsel helped me win this seat.

To Chris Northam, my constant companion during the campaign: what a ride it was, buddy—six months of early starts in Upper Hunter, late night visits to coalmines and, of course, our daily visits to the fine eating establishments around the Hunter Valley. I could haven't done this without you, mate, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your dedication and support to help me win this seat will never be forgotten. I couldn't have done this without you, mate. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Your dedication and support to help me win this seat will never be forgotten. A special mention must go out to the rest of my amazing campaign team: James Connor, Mel Comber, Luka Harrison, Isobel Marshall, Chad Griffith, Mackenzie Robson, Phil Johnson, Zavier Minter and Summer Johns. Thank you.

Now, I want to thank my wife and daughters. Alex, you are the strongest, most loving and caring woman that I know, and I'm so proud and so lucky that you came into my life when you did. There is no doubt it's been a wild ride since we first met in early 2009, from you googling me when I told you I was an Olympian because you thought I was trying to pick you up to us building the life that we have today. You have put up with a lot, with me travelling around the world training and competing, working long hours, being away from home on a regular basis and now representing Hunter in Canberra. I bet you didn't see any of this in our future when we first met.

To my beautiful girls, Zoe and Asha: you are both amazing kids, and I cannot wait to see how you both continue to grow into the future. ZoZo, you are a great athlete already, and the world is at your feet. You will achieve anything in life that you want if you put your mind to it. Ashie, you're one of the most caring, lovable and interesting souls I've ever met. Please don't change this; it will take you a long way in life. As your mother and I already know, you both are very strong willed kids, and that will become even stronger into the future. I cannot wait to see the strong, independent women that you both will grow up to be.

Girls, I want you to have the same opportunities as anyone else in this country, and I promise that in this place I will fight every day to make sure we have a more equal and fair society to pass on to future generations. I'm sorry in advance for all the birthdays, dinners and important events that I will miss with this new role, but I promise that I will always make it up when I come back home. The three of you are the most amazing women, and I love you all.

Finally, I look forward to getting to know the members of this place from the Liberal Party and the National Party and the Independents, but what I really look forward to most is working with this amazingly diverse Australian Labor Party and delivering hope and certainty to the Australian public again. I stand here ready to work hard and ready to look after the hardworking people of the Hunter electorate.

Thank you.