Fiona Martin (Lib-Reid) – Maiden Speech

This is the maiden speech to the House of Representatives of Dr Fiona Martin, the Liberal member for Reid.

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Hansard transcript of maiden speech by Dr Fiona Martin, Liberal member for Reid.

The SPEAKER (12:05): Before I call the honourable member for Reid, 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.

Dr MARTIN (Reid) (12:06): Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is an honour and a privilege to address this House today as the new member for Reid, and I thank the people of Reid for the trust they have placed in me to represent them. As the federal member for Reid, I have been elected to serve and advocate on behalf of my constituency, and it is a privilege to serve a community that I grew up in and that I will now raise my family in. [Read more…]


Seats That Swung To The Coalition In The 2016 Federal Election

As counting proceeds in the 2016 House of Representatives elections, it appears that only 16 seats resisted the nationwide swing to the ALP.

Fifteen seats held by the Liberal Party and 1 seat held by The Nationals recorded swings away from the ALP. Thirteen of these seats were already held by the Coalition.

The swings range from 0.09% in Cook to 3.04% in Deakin.

The Liberal Party won just one seat from the ALP, the Melbourne electorate of Chisholm, with a swing of 2.91%.

The national two-party-preferred swing against the Coalition currently stands at 3.16%. Every State and Territory swung to the ALP, ranging from 0.72% in the Australian Capital Territory to 8.90% in South Australia.

The Coalition won the State two-party-preferred contest in NSW (50.42%), Queensland (53.95%) and Western Australia (54.54%). [Read more…]


Malcolm Turnbull Launches Liberal Party Election Campaign

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has officially launched the Liberal Party’s election campaign at a rally in the Sydney electorate of Reid. His speech stressed the importance of strong and stable government.

TurnbullPrime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the Liberal Party campaign launch. Picture credit: Image posted on Twitter by Mike Bowers – Mikearoo

During his speech, Turnbull declared that Bill Shorten was “unfit to govern”. He attacked the ALP’s scare campaign over the alleged privatisation of Medicare.

The speech was attended by former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott. Turnbull praised Howard as setting the “gold standard” in successful and effective government. He said Abbott had brought an end “to the chaos and dysfunction of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years”. [Read more…]


Tom Uren (ALP-Reid) – Maiden Speech

Tom Uren was elected to the House of Representatives as the ALP member for Reid at the federal election of November 22, 1959.

Tom Uren's official photograph during the Twenty-Third ParliamentA former prisoner-of-war who was sent to work on the Thai-Burma Railway, Uren placed his political views in the context of his war-time experiences.

Uren went on to become Minister for Urban and Regional Development in the Whitlam governments from December 19, 1972 until November 11, 1975.

During the first two terms of the Hawke government, from 1983 until 1987, Uren was Minister for Territories and Local Government and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Community Development and Regional Affairs.

Uren won election to the House on 13 occasions from 1958 until 1987. He retired from Parliament at the 1990 election and died on January 26, 2015, aged 93.

Uren rose in the House of Representatives at 4.18pm on Thursday, February 26, 1959 to deliver his maiden speech.

Maiden speech to the House of Representatives by Tom Uren, ALP member for Reid.

Mr UREN (Reid)– I am very proud to be a member of this Twenty-third Parliament, as a representative of the Australian Labour movement. I would like to thank the electors of Reid for the wonderful support that they have given me. Reid is a great industrial area, and the people of Reid are well aware what a struggle it is to feed, clothe and educate one’s family under the present economic conditions. [Read more…]