Senator Amanda Stoker has delivered her maiden speech to the Senate.
Stoker, 35, is a member of the Queensland Liberal National Party. She will sit with the Liberal Party in Canberra. Stoker was appointed on March 21, 2018, to fill a casual vacancy created by the resignation of Senator George Brandis, the government’s former Senate leader. Brandis is now the Australian High Commissioner to London.
The 99th woman elected to the Senate, Stoker is a barrister who specialised in commercial and administrative law. She became a solicitor in 2006 and practiced at Minter Ellison in Sydney. A former associate of retired High Court Justice Ian Callinan, she commenced at the bar in 2011.
In her preselection for the casual vacancy, Stoker defeated former Senator Joanna Lindgren, who served for one year between 2015 and 2016.
- Listen to Stoker’s speech (25m)
- Watch Stoker’s speech (29m)
Hansard transcript of maiden speech by Senator Amanda Stoker.
The PRESIDENT (17:02): I ask senators to remember the traditional courtesies for a first speech and to observe them.
Senator STOKER (Queensland) (17:02): Australians don’t trust politicians. It’s a universal truth. In fact, Australians are losing faith across the four sectors of the economy—government, media, corporate and non-government organisations. But for my new role as senator for Queensland it is concerning—most concerning—that people’s trust in Australia’s institution of government, which has delivered peace and stability in this country for more than 100 years, is among the lowest globally.