Hansard debates

  Mr RONALDS (Eastern Victoria) -- President, I stand  in  this  chamber for the
first time with a sense of  awe and excitement but also humility to  speak  as a
member for Eastern Victoria  Region in the Parliament of Victoria. It is a great
responsibility, one which  I  undertake to approach with every fibre of my being
and all the intellectual rigour I can muster.

It is true that  my success will be measured only in the fullness of time, and I
pray that on reflection real outcomes will be achieved for the betterment of the
electorate that I now represent.
As I approach this role with energy and industry,  I will be guided by  a set of
values which have been instilled in me by my parents, values  which stem from my
belief  in God and values  which  bind the Liberal Party.  My work will also  be
informed by geography. I  was born and raised in  Gippsland; the region is in my
blood.
I believe the prosperity of a country comes from those in the private sector who
generate wealth, not from governments that redistribute it.
I  believe in limited government -- the larger the government, the  smaller  the
individual.

I believe in lower taxes because  money belongs  first and foremost to those who
have earnt it. And I believe in the value of the family.
I  believe  the only way that  we will ever be  able  to truly afford bipartisan
programs   like    the  national   disability   insurance   scheme   is  through
pro-free-enterprise  policies that  foster  economic  prosperity.  There  is  no
denying that the pursuit  of values-based outcomes is  a challenge, but  nothing
worthwhile is ever easy.
On 12 September 1962, John F. Kennedy said:

  We choose to go to  the  moon  in this decade and do  the  other  things,  not
  because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve
  to organise and measure  the  best  of  our  energies and skills, because that
  challenge  is one  that  we are  willing to  accept, one  we are  unwilling to
  postpone, and one which we intend to win ...
I am not about  to  fly to the moon. Rather, I  believe  politics  enables us to
organise and measure our energies and skills. I accept  the  challenges  and the
difficulties in the pursuit of my political ideals.
When my ancestors arrived from England they came with little  more than  a dream
to turn  this  untamed and rugged country into prime agricultural land, and they
succeeded, although I am sure it was a lot harder than they thought. They worked
hard,  cleared  land  and  sowed crops  and  pastures. They  endured  bushfires,
droughts and floods.

They  persisted,  stayed  the course, and over time the dense bush of  Jindivick
near  Warragul was transformed into  the beautiful dairy country  we know today.
Gippsland now produces 23 per cent of the nation's milk and  some of the world's
most renowned dairy products.
Like my ancestors, my parents also  had a dream. In 1984 Dad gave up  the steady
income  that came  from  earthmoving contracts to  focus  on farming and  making
cheese. It sounds  a rather humble pursuit, but  it was to the  contrary. With a
typical  country  determination they set  about building a  cheese factory. They
borrowed money and  employed people.  They got  on with the job, not waiting for
government to tell them what to do, in fact  wanting the government to stay  out
of it as  much  as possible. When Dad tells the  story,  which I have heard many
times, he talks of not just the  successes of Jindi Cheese but  also the trials,
such  as how much cheese they threw  out  while learning how to make it and  how
back then camembert was more likely pronounced 'camem-bert'.

Yet they  persisted in the tough Australian market and eventually had success on
the world stage.
I  still remember receiving a fax from America that contained the results of the
World Cheese Championships. It  simply  read,  'And  the best soft cheese in the
world -- Jindi Brie'.  To be honest, Dad did not believe it and got right on the
phone to America  to check out whether it was true; it was. In fact Jindi Cheese
went on to win the World Cheese  Championships twice more. In 2002  not only was
Jindi Brie crowned the best cheese in its  class but it then went  on to win the
best  cheese in  the world.  My Dad always said, 'A champion team  outperforms a
team of champions every time'. Jindi  Cheese  was  a  champion team that brought
acclaim to the entire region.
Eastern Victoria is still renowned for its fine products.

In  this region we grow, make and export  things,  and I am proud to represent a
region that generates wealth  for  the rest of our  state.  We have some of  the
best, from  large  companies such  as  tomato  producers Flavorite  in  Warragul
through  to Berrys Creek  Gourmet Cheese near Poowong.  Another iconic Gippsland
brand is Patties Foods. More than 60 years ago the Rijs family 

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migrated  on a ship to Australia and settled their  family  in  East  Gippsland.
There, Peter and Annie Rijs bought a little cake  shop in  Lakes Entrance called
Patties Cake Shop, named after the previous owner's wife. It was not long before
they took over Sunicrust  Bakeries and developed a factory in Bairnsdale. In the
last decade that company has  bought  Four'N  Twenty  Pies  and  listed  on  the
Australian Stock Exchange, and now it employs 600 people in Gippsland.
The region's reputation for fine food production is evident when you stroll down
Southbank, where the best  restaurants  display  their  menus boasting Gippsland
beef, vegetables and  wine. If you stop in at Trampoline ice cream,  you will be
tasting  Gippsland dairy. Burra Foods, with its trademark kookaburra logo, was a
dream that started in a rundown factory in  Korumburra by the Crothers brothers.
Today  they export to Asia and provide jobs and  opportunities  for  many  South
Gippslanders, both on the farm and in the factory.

In Moe manufacturing is having a revival, with  a  family-owned and run business
called Safetech recently putting on another  20 jobs and exporting  its products
to many corners of the globe.
The heart of  the  electorate is the  state's  electricity capital, the  Latrobe
Valley. There is  nearly  700 years worth of  brown  coal in reserves, and  I am
determined  to ensure that that industry  thrives for  the sake  of jobs  and an
affordable electricity supply for the whole of Victoria. We need to clean up our
coal-fired  power  stations because we  cannot  afford to  close  them down. The
Latrobe Valley gives the rest of Victoria a competitive advantage that we should
not relinquish. As  well as the cheap  and reliable electricity  that  Gippsland
provides,  there  are  also a number of commercially viable coal products in the
Latrobe Valley that will bring export opportunities and jobs.
My parents encouraged my business sense from an early age.

I can remember raising  calves as a primary school age boy. My sister, who was a
few years younger than me, decided that bed was a much more sensible place to be
at 5.30 in  the morning. Frankly I could not agree more,  but if she was willing
to pay me, I was more than happy to get up early and feed my calves and hers.
I have always valued free enterprise. After selling Jindi Cheese in  2005 I have
continued in business and in agriculture in particular.  My  cousin  Steve and I
had our own  dairy business, and we milked  close to 700 cows,  so  I understand
what it  is  like  to  roll  up your sleeves  and  work  hard.  But  I have also
experienced  the  hardships that  come with  life on  the land.  The date  of  7
February 2009 is a dark day etched in the memory of all Victorians -- five years
ago tomorrow. We remember one of the worst natural  disasters in  the history of
this state.

I woke up on the morning of  Black Saturday to what started out as a fairly mild
day with a gentle breeze, and I remember a small tuft of  smoke to the north. By
mid-afternoon  that  small  tuft  of  smoke  was a blazing inferno. A fire storm
ripped through our farms, burning half our  pasture, turning the majority of our
silage  into  a smouldering  ruin,  destroying one house  and  rendering another
unliveable. It  was  a story repeated  time and again throughout  Victoria. More
than 2000 homes were destroyed and lives were lost; 173 people lost their lives.
These are the things that shape you, and  they are the experiences that make you
who  you are. For me, the fires brought  home the reality of living on the land,
of making  a living from the dairy  industry and also of  just how easily nature
can  take  swift  revenge.  But they have also taught me valuable lessons  about
community and working together to rebuild, repair and slowly heal.

I come to this Parliament towards  the end  of a  first-term government,  a good
government, a government that has delivered for Victorians. This is a government
that  understands  the  concept of  prosperity  with  a purpose.  It  takes real
leadership to make the decisions  necessary  to  ensure  that as a government we
live within our  means. We simply cannot spend  what we do not  have.  We cannot
spend today and leave our children and grandchildren to pick up the bill.
Not far  from my thoughts today is  my cousin Rachel, who  passed away two years
ago to the day. She was  the  same age as me. Rachel was  born  with significant
disabilities at a time when it was, to be blunt, shameful to have a  disability.
Yet it was no fault of hers; life had dealt her a blow. We never fully knew what
Rachel understood or what  she did not, although I am sure  it  was more than we
thought. She could  not do many of the things that  most of us take for granted,
but she was a person made in God's image, just like us.

I am the father of a daughter with disabilities, but the reality for my daughter
is much better than it was  for Rachel. As a result  of the advocacy of my uncle
and aunt and thousands of other parents of  children with special needs, society
no longer turns a blind eye or shames them.
I am proud to take  my place in this Napthine government which last year  signed
on to have the headquarters for the national disability insurance  scheme (NDIS)
located in Victoria.  The  NDIS is not  a  cure-all. It does not  solve  all the
problems for people 

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with disabilities, but it is a significant step in the right direction. The NDIS
is  only a  reality now  because of the  commitment of  this government  and our
federal colleagues.
Today I enter this Parliament as a representative of the best part of our state.
Eastern Victoria Region is home to some  of nature's most wonderful attractions:
Phillip Island, the  Mornington Peninsula, the rolling  hills of Gippsland,  the
iconic Gippsland Lakes and parts  of the  Yarra Valley.  It is  a diverse region
with industry, rural cities, a touch of the urban fringe, a massive agricultural
base and  tourism, the value of which is measured in the billions of dollars. It
is bigger  than the Netherlands. I must also say it is my home.  I have lived in
the  centre  of  this  region  all  my life and honestly cannot  imagine  living
anywhere else. It is  truly a wonderful place to live, and  it is a privilege to
be a representative of that region here today.

I come in  the footsteps of a good man and an honourable parliamentarian, Philip
Davis, who  I am privileged to follow. Philip Davis is  a man of integrity and a
man who  dedicated the  past 21  years to  this  Parliament,  to  the people  of
Gippsland, to the  people of  Eastern Victoria  and to the people of Victoria. I
have had the privilege of being the chairman of Philip's electorate  council for
a number of years  and have been honoured to work with him. I aspire to serve in
this role as he has done. I acknowledge  Edward O'Donohue,  a member for Eastern
Victoria Region, and I look forward  to working with him and my other colleagues
in the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly.
I am very aware that I am here today as the result of a team effort. I thank the
many people  who I  have enjoyed working with and will continue to enjoy working
with  in the Liberal  Party,  including federal  senators  the Honourable  Mitch
Fifield and the Honourable Scott Ryan who are good friends.

The federal member for  Casey, Tony  Smith, is  someone I  am looking forward to
working  with  more,  as  well  as  the  federal  member  for McMillan,  Russell
Broadbent. I have had the privilege of being Russell's electorate chairman since
he was re-elected in  2004. When  it comes  to local politicians, Russell is the
real deal.  He not only  represents the  people of  McMillan well  but he  cares
deeply about the issues that affect them. If there is one thing he has taught me
in  politics, it  is to listen -- listen because people actually know  what they
want.
I have had the privilege to have been helped immensely by some amazing people in
my  local branches:  the  Honourable  John Delzoppo,  a  former  Speaker of  the
Legislative  Assembly, and  his wife  Beth, who  are still as active as ever and
have never lost  their zeal, and former leader  of the party, Alan Brown, who is
another great man, great leader and great Liberal.

I  also thank my many local friends, including Mary,  Mark,  Millie,  Julie  and
Anne,  and in  particular all  at the Warragul branch for their support over the
years.
The parliamentary Liberal team owes a great debt to the branches. It is the work
that  gets done behind the  scenes  by  the  secretariat  and  the  members  who
volunteer  their time  that really  makes  our  party  what it  is. As  a former
vice-president, I have had the privilege of volunteering my time  to  the  party
alongside some great people. I thank our past president, the Honourable Dr David
Kemp; our current president, Tony Snell; the  state director, Damien Mantach; my
successor as country vice-president, Peter McWilliam; and Frank Greenstein.
President, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about another great
Liberal whose name will be  known to only a few. Ruby Scott is from Warragul and
let us just say she has been around the party for a while.

Many years ago Ruby Scott went through the Liberal Party membership list to look
for members who had not been to  a meeting. She found my name. I had just joined
the party after university, but it was Ruby who rang me up and actually asked me
to  come  to  a  local  meeting.  I thank  Ruby for  taking that  initiative and
encouraging me to become actively involved in the Liberal Party. Politics  needs
more people like Ruby to encourage others to become involved. As  members of our
respective political parties, we all need to be  encouraging the next generation
of leaders for our state and nation.
In  closing I want to thank  my parents, George and Bev Ronalds, for bringing me
up like they have; for instilling in me a strong  Christian faith and the strong
Liberal Party values I have talked about  this morning. Going into Parliament is
a big decision,  and  along with Peter and  Pam  Hill, I thank  them  for  their
encouragement and practical help with my two daughters.

And to  Madeline and Arabella, my two  beautiful daughters, I hope I set for you
an  example you will want  to  follow and that my  time  in this Parliament will
finish with a  society  that you are both growing up in  that is a little better
than it is today. Thank you.
  Honourable members applauded.