By Olivia Condous
Hawke MP Sam Rae made his first speech to parliament on the evening of August 1, using his inaugural address to highlight the challenges that population growth across the electorate has created for residents.
Mr Rae called Hawke residents “pioneers”, as many were families buying their first home or establishing themselves in Australia for the first time, while working hard for their loved ones.
“[They] contribute richly to the social, cultural and economic fabric of our existing communities,” he said.
The Hawke MP called out “wilful investment failure” from the previous government, emphasising the need for improved road infrastructure and healthcare services.
“Our roads and transport infrastructure are inadequate to service our communities, severely impacting our quality of life and, in some cases, our safety.
“Our primary healthcare system is collapsing… Our modest hospitals can’t handle the increased demand and lack the capability to treat the complexity of conditions that come with population explosion and diversification,” Mr Rae said.
He also highlighted the demand for better education facilities for the region to match the rate of population growth, citing the lack of tertiary education and employment opportunities for young people.
Mr Rae argued the residents of Hawke were the workers who contributed much to society during the COVID-19 pandemic, but had not been repaid properly for their work.
“During COVID the workers of Hawke kept our country moving, delivering medicines and vaccines, caring for our loved ones, maintaining our domestic supply chains and putting food on our tables.
“They paid a disproportionate cost for these contributions with their health and the health of their families.”
In the closing remarks of his speech, Mr Rae said he would push for access to “world-class” healthcare, education and infrastructure to facilitate improved social and economic contribution.
“I’m here to fight for the people of Hawke, and to stamp our values upon the national conversation.”
