Wednesday, 5 March 2025

Members

Member for Werribee

Inaugural speech

The SPEAKER (18:01): The time has come for me to interrupt business for the member for Werribee to make his inaugural speech. I remind members to observe the courtesies of inaugural speeches, and I remind visitors in the galleries that no photography or filming is allowed.

John LISTER (Werribee) (18:02): ‘Werribee’ is an anglicisation of the Wadawurrung word for ‘spine’, the river running like a backbone between the three traditional owner groups of the Kulin nation. I begin tonight by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which this Parliament meets, the Wurundjeri, and I also acknowledge the traditional owners of the land I represent in this place, the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. I pay my respects to their elders past and present. I would like to acknowledge Wadawurrung elder Judith Dalton-Walsh, a tireless advocate for young Aboriginal people in our community. Her words echoed in my ear whenever I had to make a big decision at school, and I guess they will ring in my ear now in this place: ‘Make sure you look after my kids.’ I recognise the Allan Labor government’s commitment to treaty and truth telling. Not only is it important for our community now but most importantly it is for those kids Aunty Judy works with every day.

Twenty-seven years ago my mum and dad were looking for a place to raise my brother and me. It was Werribee’s good schools and vibrant and diverse community that attracted them out west. They found a growing town for their growing family. I was a scholarship kid at MacKillop. I rocked a second-hand blazer until my last year at school. My grandparents bought me a new blazer when I became school captain so I could look the part. I bought a new suit for the occasion today. So many people told me, ‘Keep your options open. Apply for as many options as you can.’ However, I had my mind set on going to the University of Melbourne. The chip on my shoulder wanted to stick it to those posh kids with new blazers adorned with badges. I worked hard, got the ATAR and took the train and bus to Parkville every day.

Eventually, like so many kids I grew up with, I left Werribee. I worked in government for the former Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Water, Lisa Neville. As an adviser I worked with MPs, many of whom are now my Labor caucus colleagues. I learned the importance of being responsive and engaging with communities on what were quite difficult issues, like community safety. I finished my very extended masters of teaching degree and went and taught in Dimboola. Moving to a town 4 hours away and at the edge of the desert taught me how important a strong community is.

I have joked before that in a country town you either play football or join the fire brigade. I am rubbish at kicking a footy, so I decided on the latter. Joining the Country Fire Authority at Dimboola and later turning out at Werribee taught me the importance of being diligent and compassionate. Teachers, tradies, the guy who owns the pub, paramedics – we all come together when the pager goes off. With the CFA not only do you get the lights and sirens but you also get a cross-section of your community there at your time of need. Thank you to the members from Werribee fire brigade who have joined us here tonight.

After some time on the edge of the desert in Dimboola I began to feel homesick. I had fallen in love with my beautiful and fiercely intelligent partner Mary, and my mind turned to building a life together somewhere. Just like Mum and Dad all those years ago, my heart was drawn to Werribee. Just like so many of my friends who had moved out, there was something that drew me back home, because that is what Werribee is – it is home. There was something so amazing about the vibrant and diverse community I had grown up in. I wanted to take my skills as a teacher and experience I had gained back to my community to help young people have the same amazing opportunities I had. Community service and social justice have always been at the heart of my upbringing.

It is at this point I would like to acknowledge someone who is not sitting in the public gallery like I wish they could be, my dad Ken. While he died over a decade ago, his spirit of serving the community lives on through my brother Tom and me. My first foray into Labor politics was in a battle on our front nature strip. To provide some context, my dad was a Liberal Party member. Yes, this was a point of contention at the dinner table. You see, I had just joined the Labor Party, so Mum had to put up with having a Julia Gillard sign on the front nature strip and some random Liberal on a sign on the opposite side. It was therefore quite a novelty last month to see my face on that sign on the front nature strip. Dad, despite our political malalignment, would have been very proud. I miss him every day, and I would give everything to have him back arguing with me over the 7 o’clock news.

You see, despite my name and face being on signs on nature strips and everything else, it was a whole army of people who helped me get to where I stand today. To my campaign team, especially Jack, Georgie and Cat, if it were not for your professionalism and excellent management, we would not have been able to run the biggest ground campaign in the history of the electorate. To the Werribee Labor branchies, volunteers and supporters, you showed that the greatest force in politics truly is people. Thank you to the union members who turned out in droves to support our campaign and demonstrate to our working families that we truly have their back. To my neighbours the members for Tarneit, Point Cook, Lara and Laverton, thank you for your guidance and support. I know we are going to keep doing big things for the west. To all of Labor caucus, for your check-ins and keeping me going when I wanted to melt in the summer heat, thank you.

To the federal member for Lalor Joanne Ryan, whether it has been advice about teaching VCE English or how to secure infrastructure funding for our town, thank you for mentoring me over the years. Teachers in Parliament truly get the job done. My thanks to all the ministers who came out to meet with people across the electorate and show that Labor listens and acts on their concerns. I would like to give a shout-out to my former employer the Minister for Education and thank him for his support. I am a proud state school teacher, and I look forward to working in a government making sure our local state schools are the best schools in Wyndham. To the Premier, I am forever grateful to you for your support and trust in me and the team. Whether it was the check-ins or getting out on the doors with me, having you there kept me going. It is truly an honour to now be a part of a government team that puts working people first. Thanks, boss.

Turning to some of the local level heads of my campaign – Jesse, Amy and Oscar Damjanovski – your friendship is something I will never take for granted, and thank you for keeping me grounded in a wild few months. To my principal Leanne Gagatsis and the staff at Wyndham Central College, thank you for your support for me personally and for all your hard work fostering good humans in our community.

Thank you to my extended family and friends, in particular the doorknocking power couple – my aunty and uncle – Judy and Michael Cain. Thank you to my brother Tom for reminding me through the campaign of why I was doing this: for working-class young people like him and his friends. I love you, bro. I could never have achieved what I have without the unwavering support of my mum Meg. Your passion for social justice and commitment to equality for everyone in our community is something I try to emulate in what I have done. A huge thanks to my partner Mary. I know this turned our lives inside out. I owe you that holiday we had planned over summer. I love you immensely and look forward to continuing this wild journey together and continuing to build our life in Werribee.

Finally, my thanks to the people of Werribee. Every day I am in this place, I promise to be here for you – not to be an ear, but to be a voice. We have heard you loud and clear. We have done a lot, but more needs to be done, whether that is on community safety, infrastructure or helping working families facing cost-of-living pressure.

With all these thankyous it sounds like I am done and we can go and seek refreshments and adjourn this house. However, at some stage in these speeches we outline what we hope to achieve as a member of Parliament. Throughout my career as a teacher I have sought to amplify the voices of the young people I work with. That is why, in a break from tradition, this last part of my inaugural speech is not written by me. Rather, it is written by Brodie, Jamie, Milla, Evalyn, Indi, Raquel, Manning and Ella – all students that I have taught at Wyndham Central College. The best thing I can be as a member of Parliament is their voice, and this is what they have to say:

Our community is a highly supportive place with a diverse range of cultures.

Despite what people think it is quite close to the city, with markets and festivals nearly every weekend. There are so many sports and recreational things to do.

There are a wide range of small businesses which represent everything you could want from all around the world.

Whether it’s the river, coast or grassland plains – it has a natural landscape that is special.

Despite the hardships our community faces, we still prosper.

We want the people in Parliament to help us achieve our hopes and aspirations.

We want a stronger approach towards having more resources to those young people who aren’t in well-off families. We want more resources for people who are struggling.

We want to keep building a safer community for people to thrive in, and where communities come together to help others in need for the better of all.

We hope that there will be more job opportunities in the area for young people.

We hope to see more support for underprivileged people in our community.

We hope that people can be comfortable to be their own person.

While it is important to grow our community, we hope to see our natural environment protected.

One day we don’t want to have to tick a box on our University applications to say we are ‘under-represented’.

We are proud of our home and want Parliament to do everything in their power to help us achieve these hopes and aspirations.

I am here to do this for them. I intend to seize the opportunity of amplifying their voices, ensuring the same opportunities afforded to me are not an exception to the norm but rather a path they may seek to walk.

Members applauded.