This is the maiden speech to the House of Representatives by Alicia Payne, the ALP member for Canberra, ACT.

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Hansard transcript of maiden speech to the House of Representatives by Alicia Payne, ALP member for Canberra.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the honourable member for Canberra, I remind the House that this is the honourable member’s first speech and I ask the House to extend to her the usual courtesies.

Ms PAYNE (Canberra) (16:59): I want to begin in this place by paying respect to the Ngunawal and Ngambri people and their elders, past present and emerging. The beautiful land covered by the electorate of Canberra and on which our parliament meets is their country. It is a mountainous region with a harsh climate. Living here required great knowledge and skilful custodianship of the land, which the local Indigenous people exercised for tens of thousands of years. When resources were seasonally abundant, such as the bogong moth and yam daisy, there were gatherings of more than a thousand people at a time and important ceremonies were held. [Read more…]