Sam Lim
Tangney · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The work was in collaboration with the City of Melville, and this project shows the importance of renewable energy adoption at Tangney community sport facilities. A special thanks to Bill, a volunteer from the club who spearheaded this project.”
“Every time I visit Blue Gum Park Tennis Club in Brentwood, it's always full of players, junior players and a dedicated team of volunteers who have helped make this club a success for more than 50 years. Most recently, I was happy to see that the club completed its solar power upgrades with federal funding.”
“I want to thank the volunteers from the clubs who advocated to me for these upgrades many years ago. You all saw important needs in our community, and I'm happy that these necessary changes have been materialised.”
“His wife had to wait for 11 hours at a local hospital. I also spoke with Michael, another Tangney resident, about his experience of waiting for 12 hours at the hospital. I agree with Borong and Michael that these long wait times are unacceptable, and I share in their advocacy to prioritise fixing this issue.”
“I recently visited Samy Medical Practice and Trinity Mental Health, two bulk-billing practices in Canning Vale. It is great to see bulk-billing practices like these in my community. All these measures contribute to strengthening our public health system, and it means fewer out-of-pocket costs.”
“It is deeply tragic to have the life of a little girl, with all the promise in the world, cut short in just a split second. There has sadly been a number of fatalities on Canning Vale's roads. Just last month, a 42-year-old man died following a crash on Nicholson Road.”
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“I want to thank the volunteers from the clubs who advocated to me for these upgrades many years ago. You all saw important needs in our community, and I'm happy that these necessary changes have been materialised. This builds on the commitment I delivered to Tingara Netball Club to resurface their netball court and the basketball court and install new multi-use goalposts at Karoonda to improve the courts for the many women and girls playing netball. Projects like these are so important for our community's sporting infrastructure, and it was great to see all the players and volunteers at the opening event.”
“The work was in collaboration with the City of Melville, and this project shows the importance of renewable energy adoption at Tangney community sport facilities. A special thanks to Bill, a volunteer from the club who spearheaded this project. Two weeks ago in Booragoon I was delighted to attend the opening of the upgraded change room at Karoonda Reserve, home to the Brentwood Karoonda Sporting Association and other community groups who regularly use Karoonda Reserve. The change room now provides modern, safe and accessible facilities for all genders, to help with the growth of female participation in sport. I have been working closely with the local clubs and the City of Melville on this project for a few years, and it received a federal grant from our government.”
“Every time I visit Blue Gum Park Tennis Club in Brentwood, it's always full of players, junior players and a dedicated team of volunteers who have helped make this club a success for more than 50 years. Most recently, I was happy to see that the club completed its solar power upgrades with federal funding. The club installed solar panels, three-phase inverters, a battery storage system, a concrete platform for external battery stacks and a smart metre. This new system supplies the entire club of nearly 450 members and almost 1,000 players. This new system improves the club's sustainability and energy efficiency. The club told me that last month they already saved $1,000 off their electricity bill.”
“Our community needs to come together to see how we can address this, because even one accident is one too many. As a police officer, I always reminded drivers to please understand the importance of road safety and of good responsible driving. Today I also ask that we take care of our driving and we take care of each other. House adjourned at 17:00”
“It is deeply tragic to have the life of a little girl, with all the promise in the world, cut short in just a split second. There has sadly been a number of fatalities on Canning Vale's roads. Just last month, a 42-year-old man died following a crash on Nicholson Road. As a former police officer, I remember being called to the scenes of accidents. The tragedies did not always happen on high-speed roads, and these accidents have all stayed with me for many, many years. I have had constituents reach out to me about road safety in Canning Vale, including following yesterday's traffic crash. Like many people in Canning Vale, I drive on Nicholson Road and Garden Street on a regular basis. It is scary and sad to see so many accidents and near-accidents on these roads.”
“His wife had to wait for 11 hours at a local hospital. I also spoke with Michael, another Tangney resident, about his experience of waiting for 12 hours at the hospital. I agree with Borong and Michael that these long wait times are unacceptable, and I share in their advocacy to prioritise fixing this issue. This has been an important week in our parliament, and I originally planned to speak more about tax cuts and our measures for first home buyers. But my heart is so very heavy today because yesterday there was a fatal crash in my community between two cars at the intersection of Garden Street and Boardman Road in Canning Vale. I wish to give my condolences to the family and the loved ones of the little four-year-old girl who tragically lost her life in this traffic accident. My heart breaks for this family.”
“I recently visited Samy Medical Practice and Trinity Mental Health, two bulk-billing practices in Canning Vale. It is great to see bulk-billing practices like these in my community. All these measures contribute to strengthening our public health system, and it means fewer out-of-pocket costs. We are providing an additional $25 billion for public hospitals, taking total Commonwealth funding for state-run hospitals to $220 billion between 2026-27 and 2030-31. In my home state of Western Australia, the additional amount is $2.4 billion, which adds to a total of $23.4 billion over five years. This funding will help improve hospital waiting times, reduce emergency department crowding and free up hospital beds. This funding is very important. I recently visited Borong in my electorate of Tangney.”
“Since the Booragoon Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Tangney opened in February this year, there have been more than 3,150 visits to this clinic. It helps take pressure off the emergency room at nearby Fiona Stanley Hospital, and the feedback from the community has been very positive. Now in this budget, all 136 Medicare urgent care clinics around Australia, including the one in Tangney, will be a permanent part of Medicare. Our government cut the maximum cost of a prescription on the PBS to $25 and, for concession card holders, to $7.70. There have been more than 2.79 million cheaper prescription scripts in Tangney under the Labor policies. With our investment in bulk-billing, there are almost 3,800 fully bulk-billing practices across Australia.”
“We are working to expand trade skill recognition pathways, strengthen oversight of skill assessment processes and modernise ICT systems so we can unlock their potential sooner. The Albanese Labor government is focusing on backing Australians to get the skills they want for the jobs we need for our country.”
“I have heard firsthand from many constituents, who have shared with me their frustration, about the barriers they face when trying to have their qualifications and experiences recognised in Australia. They wish to find work that reflects their skills and expertise so they can build a better life for their family and contribute further to our community. But, unfortunately, this barrier in the system can be difficult and frustrating to navigate and can lead to skilled migrants not being able to work in their field of skills, knowledge and expertise. Our government is working to improve and speed up skills recognition because we recognise that many migrants already have the qualifications and professional experiences that can help us in a variety of ways, from building homes to supporting essential services.”
“I look forward to working in my community on these reforms and ensuring my electorate has the opportunity to contribute to a better working future for Australians where no-one is held back and no-one is left behind. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Training Alliance Group, an employment services community program and vocational training provider who is active in my electorate of Tangney. They shared with me the work that they do in my electorate, including having supported 227 Tangney residents across government funded programs in employment services, disability employment, parenting pathways and accredited vocational training. I want to acknowledge their work in my electorate. I will value their input into these reforms. Tangney is home to many migrants.”
“Currently, employment services treat everyone the same regardless of their differences in skills or experience or the barriers they face. This new proposed reform changes this approach by introducing three service streams and offering (1) digital services with individualistic resources and brief interventions, (2) high-quality, targeted, provider led support for those who need to build skills and confidence and (3) intensive services for people facing complex barriers. The reforms are backed by a $312 million investment in the recent budget, including more than $205 million to build the digital new digital service and more than $52 million to test and refine the intensive service in the early, targeted rollout. This reform requires significant design detail underneath the overarching framework.”
“Dignity through employment is an important belief of our government. We want a future for Australia where no-one is held back and no-one is left behind. More than 1.2 million jobs have been created since the Albanese Labor government came to office. We are closing the gender pay gap, which stands at a record low of 11.5 per cent. Our same job, same pay reforms have benefited more than 8,000 workers, including workers in Tangney, one who told me how she is benefiting with a pay rise of several thousand dollars a year. In this year's budget, we are working to strengthen employment services with important reforms to the employment services system. Despite historically low employment, around one in five Workforce Australia participants have been in the system for five years or longer. This is a higher proportion than a decade ago.”
“We need a system that is safer for parents and children. We know there is more to do. Too many people continue to live with family, domestic and sexual violence every day.”
“We have increased funding for family violence legal services and legislated 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave. This work also includes funding for intervention programs and for programs to support recovery for children who have experienced violence. This work has supported 1,400 organisations, helping more than 440,000 people across Australia who have experienced family, domestic and sexual violence. New child support reform announced in the budget will help prevent the weaponisation of the child support system, protecting children and parents from financial abuse. There is more than $1.9 billion of unpaid child support in Australia. This government is investing $183 million in the budget to make our child support system safer and fairer, because child support should never be used as a tool for control or coercion.”
“Our government has invested more than any other government to improve the safety of women and children, with more than $4 billion across frontline services, preventive programs, behaviour change and programs for children, across governments. This investment includes measures such as making the leaving violence payment permanent. This payment is $5,000 in financial help as well as safety planning for women leaving violence. We have also launched Australia's first ever standalone plan to address family, domestic and sexual violence for First Nations women and children. This is backed by $218 million in funding in this budget. We are investing $1.2 billion for emergency and transitional accommodation to ensure that women can reach safety.”
“Their stories are very moving and very scary. If, by some chance, they hear this speech, I want to let these women know that I am working hard to ensure that no-one needs to live with family, domestic and sexual violence. One in four women and one in 14 men have experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 15. This is totally unacceptable. I want to acknowledge the work that has been done in my electorate of Tangney by Zonta House, a specialist provider of family and domestic violence services. Zonta House offers important refuge and support and transitional accommodation, as well as services for employment pathways, justice reintegration, awareness and education. I really commend the work that Zonta House does in Tangney and in the whole of Australia.”
“When I was a police officer, I came across many victim-survivor families. Too often, we would get a call and rush to the family's home. Too often, we would arrest a perpetrator of domestic violence. And too often, the perpetrator would be someone who we police officers had seen before, many times. During Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, I wish to add my voice to the voices in Tangney and across Australia lending our support to victims-survivors. There is zero tolerance for violence in our country. I wish to acknowledge the victims-survivors who come to my office in Tangney to seek assistance with federal services and to share their personal experiences. These women have spoken about coercive control—about their former partners being able to track their every move, hack into their phones and make them fear for their lives.”
“I want to add that both Cristy and Shirley have been recent recipients of Creative Australia grants, which makes me very proud. Supporting our literary sector helps ensure that Australian storytellers can continue to share their diverse voices and experiences and ensures that more Australian stories can continue to be told. I'm pleased to support this bill.”
“A new public and educational lending rights committee will be established, with more modern appointment processes and disclosure requirements. The bill also clarifies the committee's role, including to include an advisory function. Our government is serious about supporting Australian literature. In 2023, in line with a commitment under the national cultural policy, Revive, the Albanese Labor government also expanded the scheme to include ebooks and audiobooks, reflecting the changing ways Australians engage with literature. Last year we established Writing Australia within Creative Australia to become a hub for the sector to build expertise and partnerships and to support writers and publishers. Writing Australia supports the sector to grow both local and international audiences for Australian books.”
“He has shared some of his knowledge about plants in the books he has written, including 3 Easy Fixes to Grow Better in Perth: Shade, Soil & Nature's Principles . His experiences, can-do spirit and approach to gardening are valuable to share with the local community. This bill formally establishes the educational lending right in legislation alongside the public lending right, as a single legislative framework—at present, there is no legislative basis for the Educational Lending Right Scheme. It also adopts many key definitions and eligibility criteria from the existing legislative framework, with some modifications or updates. This includes ebooks and audiobooks, which is very important given how many people access literature through ebooks and audiobooks. The bill also modernises governance arrangements.”
“Both Cristy and Shirley have spoken to me about the importance of representation so that people, especially our next generation, feel like they belong and can identify with the struggles, opportunities and achievements that diverse characters experience. I think this is an important point to consider as we debate this bill. We want our future generation to see themselves in the stories they read, and this bill supports authors, illustrators and publishers who help do this. Finally, I would like to speak briefly about Cyrus Roussilhes. You can also find his writing at a Tangney public library. Cyrus's garden in Parkwood is packed with plants. He is a collector of rare and unusual fruit trees.”
“Shirley is a first-generation Chinese Australian and a child of migrants. Her experiences inform her writing. Her novel, A Glasshouse of Stars , won the Children's Book Council of Australia—CBCA—book of the year for younger readers in 2022 and the WA premier's book award for writing for children in 2021. I think this book will touch many people who have or who can imagine what it is like to migrate to a new land and feel nervous, scared and embarrassed by not knowing the language or how to make new friends. This is another point: it is important to share stories like Cristy's and Shirley's—and share them widely—in our community. It is important that we support our homegrown authors so that we can have a diversity of stories to move and inspire.”
“She told me that reading is the doorway to information, creativity, passion and thinking in new ways. I could not agree more. Cristy's books focus on science. She has written non-fiction books on Australian scientists and children's stories. Cristy also told me about how she integrates science into her books, trying to show that book kids can be science kids, and that science kids can be book kids as well. Writing a book, she told me, is not unlike the scientific process of innovating and experimenting again. In literature and in science, we have an opportunity to explore, discover and make a better tomorrow. I admire how she connects both science and literature and makes it fun for her young audiences. Another Tangney author whose books are at my local library is Shirley Marr.”
“The Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026 consolidates the public and educational lending rights scheme into a single legislative framework. In 2024-25, more than 17,000 payments totalling to $28.16 million were made to authors. This includes public lending rights payments of more than $14.7 million to 7,044 individual eligible Australian creators and publishers, as well as more than $13.3 million to 10,566 individual eligible Australian creators and publishers in educational lending rights payments. I would like to speak about some of the authors in Tangney whose works were available at my community local libraries to show why this bill is so important. I met Cristy Burns a couple of years ago when I was out doorknocking. Cristy is so energetic and full of passion.”
“Introduced by the Whitlam government in 1974, these rights ensure more money makes it way into the pockets of Australian authors, publishers and illustrators. What it means is that Australian book publishers, authors, illustrators, editors, translators and compilers are compensated for the loss of income when their work is used multiple times in Australia's public and educational learning libraries. Authors, publishers and illustrators want as many Australians as possible to read and connect with their work, and libraries help make that possible. This compensation is important so that we can support Australian culture, foster our Australian writers and support more homegrown storytellers so that they can continue to tell important stories to our community.”
“I rise to make my contribution to the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026. The library is a home for many—for students studying after school; for babies and young children learning their first nursery rhymes; for members of the community accessing public information; for migrants like me who learn English from a free library community program. And, of course, the library is for everyone, anyone, in search of a book, whether that is a physical copy or digital copies, like ebooks and audiobooks. In Tangney, that could mean the public library at Riverton, Willetton, Bull Creek, Booragoon, Canning Bridge, Melville or Willagee or at any one of the more than 50 schools in my community. More than 50 years ago, public lending were established.”
“Through the Recycling Modernisation Fund, the Albanese Labor government is contributing $29.1 million to 15 different recycling projects in Western Australia. Community volunteers are involved in many of the projects to safeguard our environment. I am proud to have supported Murdoch Community Garden with a Stronger Communities Program grant to establish a Miyawaki pocket forest at Murdoch University. The students, teachers and community volunteers that make up the community garden hosted a planting day last week. Like other pocket forests, this one is expected to offer greater potential for carbon sequestration and greater biodiversity than traditional methods. The community garden is a safe and inclusive space for students at Murdoch and for the wider community.”
“Saltmarshes are one of the superheroes in our effort for a healthy planet. Saltmarshes are part of our blue carbon ecosystem and can help store carbon. The saltmarshes at Adenia Reserve are one of the last remaining examples of this habitat along the Canning River, and restoring this is of great importance. The federal government also recently awarded a $3.9 million grant to the Re.Group in Tangney to upgrade infrastructure at Canning Vale Material Recovery Facility. New equipment will reduce contamination in the paper and cardboard recycling stream to produce materials that meet Australian standards and comply with the waste export regulations. Recycling has an important impact on our environment, and our government recognises this.”
“I was at the foreshore two weeks ago and saw work being done. You could smell the healthy soil, with fresh compost and manure, and, of course, we had the opportunity to see some of the birds who use Point Waylen. Cleaning up the river is a project that is being backed by $10 million from the federal government's Urban Rivers and Catchments Program to restore the Canning River system. Last month, I checked out progress at Adenia Reserve in Riverton, also in Tangney. This site forms part of the Canning River Tidal Flats Weed Control and Revegetation Project. This is a critical intervention to restore the threatened coastal saltmarshes ecological community. The work happening included the removal of invasive species and targeted revegetation. This important work will improve our ecosystem and support biodiversity.”
“A few days ago, on 9 May, we celebrated World Migratory Bird Day. The theme was 'Every Bird Counts', and it highlighted the important role of community science for the conservation of migratory birds. In Tangney, we are very lucky to have the Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary, led by volunteers Tom and Jenny, who are strong advocates not only for the migratory birds but also for all 131 different species of birds who use Point Waylen. Work has now been started to rehabilitate and restore the foreshore at Point Waylen, with an $850,000 investment from the Albanese government. It was an election commitment I made a little more than a year ago, and I'm proud that we are already getting started on this important work to improve our environment. The investment will include replanting trees and native vegetation along the Swan River.”
“So ratifying the high seas biodiversity treaty demonstrates Australia's commitment to international law and our commitment to better protecting our ocean and its marine life for future generations. I'm pleased to support this bill.”
“This will allow Australia to participate in the management of the ocean beyond our marine time boundary so we can protect the ocean's health and make sure that global rules align with our national interests. Australia's marine industries, for example, fishery and tourism, need a clean and healthy ocean. It is important that we have sustainable development. I want to share a final lesson from my friends the dolphins. Dolphins do not breathe automatically. Their breathing is consciously controlled. So, when dolphins sleep, only one half of the brain can sleep at a time. Dolphins have to make a choice to come to the surface to breathe. They choose to breathe and live. This lesson to me at that time was that our choices matter. We have a responsibility to make good choices not only for today but for future generations.”
“Australia is a global leader in marine protection. We are actively working and partnering with other countries to better protect more of our world's oceans. Around 60 per cent of the global ocean is beyond national jurisdiction, but currently only around one per cent is protected. Australia is a founding signatory of this High Seas Biodiversity Treaty. The treaty established an international legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This treaty will work together with the international and regional rules and framework that already exist to protect the ocean. It will play a critical role in achieving a shared global goal of protecting 30 per cent of the world's marine area by 2030. By ratifying the treaty, Australia will become party to the treaty.”
“Eventually it was time to go, so I jumped into the ocean one final time and said goodbye to all of them. It was a very sad moment for me, but of course dolphins belong out in the wild. Australia has a long history of taking care of our ocean, of protecting Australia's marine biodiversity, and od ensuring sustainable management of fisheries is a priority for our government. You can see this through the decision we have taken to triple the size of Macquarie Island Marine Park and to quadruple the size of the Heard and McDonald Island marine parks. More than half of Australia's ocean is now protected in marine parks. We are working towards having 30 per cent of our ocean protected in a highly protected area by 2030. Generations of future Australians will be able to continue to enjoy our coastal ecosystem.”
“One of my first careers was as a dolphin trainer. Dolphins can sense everything about you. If you are angry, they will swim away. If you are happy, calm, grounded, they all want to be with you. They are so intelligent. One of the many lessons I learned from that job, which I still say was the best job in my whole life, is a lesson that I bring with me into this House to express my support for this bill. As the park was closing down, I took the four dolphins into the wild ocean myself. I lived on a boat for a few weeks as the dolphins gradually got used to the ocean life. A few wild dolphins soon came and joined them, and they would go all out to play. Sometimes my old friends would come back to the boat and poke out their noses and say 'hello'.”
“Parents often list the reasons learning languages is so important—for employment opportunities, and for connecting with heritage and culture. Learning a language, even as an adult, is a good thing for a healthy brain. Lifelong bilingualism acts as a mental workout, but it is also for friendship. It is a shared experience that cannot be translated. It is a bond with our fellow Aussies and fellow humans. I encourage our community, young or old, to learn a language. I would like to say 'thank you' in a few languages: xiexie, terima kasih, nandri, cam on.”
“The school has a commitment to languages that is unmatched in the whole of Tangney. Fifteen years ago the Oberthur Primary School Principal, Tim Bamber researched a bilingual program in Melbourne, and spent a lot of time with researchers learning about the advantages of the bilingual brain. With the community's support, Oberthur Primary School started its Chinese immersion program for students from pre-primary to year 6. I would like to praise the whole school community for their efforts in language learning—the students, parents and all the school staff, many whom do not speak English or Chinese but who help and give support to the whole school. I want to stress the importance of learning languages. Learning languages has helped to bridge the divides. Languages connect us with one another.”
“More than 28 per cent of people in Tangney speak a language other than English at home. The top 10 languages used at home in Tangney include Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Tamil, Punjabi, Malayalam, Korean, Hindi, Italian and Arabic. The languages of my childhood included Mandarin, Teochew, Hokkien and Malay. But being multilingual has actually provided me with lots of opportunity to connect with so many people. Language has shaped who I am. I want to praise the 13 community language schools in Tangney that teach languages such as Punjabi, Tamil, Arabic and Hungarian. These schools have received the federal government's Community Language School grants to help strengthen their ability to help young Australians learn a language other than English. Oberthur Primary School is a public Chinese-English bilingual school in Tangney.”
“With the internet, it means that bullying follows kids from school to home, and everyone can see what is happening. There is no escape. This is why the government commissioned the Anti-Bullying Rapid Review. Last October, the education ministers adopted the review's recommendations. We announced $10 million to help fast-track the implementation of the review's findings. They agreed to a national plan that includes all schools taking initial steps to respond to bullying within two school days. We want children and their families to feel confident that bullying will be managed. The Albanese Labor government is delivering on our commitment to build a better and fairer education system.”
“We are now seeing a big turnaround in the number of people studying teaching degrees, and that number has bounced back by 20 per cent. Early data this year shows another increase in university offers. We have invested $160 million in the Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships program, which is delivering 5,000 scholarships over five years. In return for the scholarship, teachers need to commit to working in public schools for up to four years. For the first time ever, the Australian government is delivering paid prac, including for teaching students while they undertake their mandatory placements. Students in Tangney have told me about the costs and financial stress of having to do mandatory placement. Paid prac provides a bit of help. More than 58,500 students have benefited so far. Bullying in schools is a big problem.”
“The funding is tied to real and practical reforms, such as phonics checks and numeracy checks, evidence based teaching, and small group tutoring to help children who need the extra support. Under the agreement, every state and territory will have a year 1 phonics check this year. In 2028, every state and territory will have numeracy check. I have spoken before about a teacher who changed my life, and I think many of us will agree that teaching is one of the most important jobs in the world. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the public school teachers in Tangney. Their dedication and their belief in their students helps shape not only the future of individual students but the future of our community and our society. We need more teachers. Between 2017 and 2023, the number of students studying teaching dropped 22 per cent.”
“Tangney has 43 public schools, and through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, all these schools are on the path to full and fair funding. When we came to government, private schools were fully funded, but this was not the case for public schools. Through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement we are delivering an additional $16.5 billion in Commonwealth funding to public schools over the next decade. In WA, this means an extra $2.4 billion for all our public schools. It is the biggest new investment in public schools by the Australian government ever. I speak with teachers, principals, families and students in my electorate of Tangney, who tell me that this funding is much needed. They love public school and they recognise the crucial role our public schools play in our society. They want to see a fairer education system.”
“It is easy to put off difficult conversations with doctors, but we have seen the consequences of not having these important talks. Open conversations like those I had recently in Tangney with community groups like the Melville Men's Shed and the Sikh community leaders need to happen more frequently and more often. We need to be more aware and be more proactive. Our lives depend on it. (Time expired)”
“Recently, a Tangney constituent told me about his battle with prostate cancer. He broke down in tears and shared his struggles. His diagnosis has greatly affected his mental health. He is not the only one. Many Tangney constituents have told me about their prostate cancer diagnosis—men who were not aware of or dismissed early symptoms and others who had no idea about the risk associated with family history or generally ignored their health. All of them who spoke to me were shocked that this had happened to them. They speak with deep regrets. Some have long-term physical and mental effects from their treatment. Others are on the other side of treatments and are now strong advocates for more awareness, more conversation and more testing.”
“It was an everyday event that shows how we deliberately work to build harmony and a community where everyone belongs. These events, and those across Tangney, remind me of how multiculturalism is a strength of our community, of our country. The decision to choose to live, work and play together across all races, languages, religions and culture is the strength of our community. As I said in my first speech as a member of parliament a few years ago, peace, love, unity, respect—four simple words that I choose to live by, four simple actions that we need more of in this world.”
“The trail provides visitors with information about the history and heritage of Australian Sikhs, as well as information about Whadjuk Noongar culture and the Canning River. The people participating in this event had so much respect for one another. It was an opportunity to learn more about Sikh culture and the history of Sikhs in Australia, a story that is not always well understood. I thank the organisers for sharing this experience with me. Tangney is one of the most multicultural electorates in Australia. A few weeks ago I also attended an event on mental health that was jointly organised by WA Multicultural Lions Club and the Melville Baha'i Community. The guest speaker was Tangney resident Nick Titov AO. We had people from all ancestries and backgrounds in that room, sharing their experiences and learning from each other.”
“It is a challenging time right now—the Bondi attack, the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and the terrorist attack in Perth. I speak with Tangney constituents who tell me they are frightened by what they see happening around them. Some people talk to me about how they feel unwelcome or no longer welcome. Others have reached out to me and talk about how they feel the social contract is disappearing. They ask that we find ways to hear each other and respect each other, including our political and civic leaders, even when we disagree—especially when we disagree. I want to contrast this with some of the recent events in my electorate that I have attended. Last weekend I attended the Australian Sikh Heritage Trail in Riverton.”
“A long time ago, a friend of mine could not get a job, so he decided to change his name on his CV to something that sounded more white and less Chinese. Eventually he got a job, and now he has moved up the ranks and is very senior in his role. I have spoken about some of the really ugly displays of racial discrimination that I saw during COVID when I was a police officer, but the example above is one of the acts of racial discrimination that happens every day. I have seen and heard constituents have their accents questioned, their capabilities challenged and their loyalty disputed. Racial and ethnic discrimination happens daily, and it hinders progress for people in our community, especially in Tangney, across Australia and around the world. Racism has no place in our world.”
“My colleagues and I made a project, asking our police officers to let us know when there was a racially motivated attack, and together we worked to put a stop to what was happening at that time. Every year on 21 March, we observe the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. On that day, in 1960, 69 people were killed during a peaceful demonstration in South Africa against the apartheid pass law, which restricted the movement of many black South Africans. Next week is also Harmony Week, which closes with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. As Australia marks both moments, I want to reflect on both. I have conversations with my constituents about the racism they face in their daily lives and the assumptions based on how they look or their names.”