Hansard debates

  Mr PERERA (Cranbourne) - I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate
the Speaker  on  her  elevation  to her  position. I  am certain  that with  her
experience she will uphold the integrity of her office and that of the house.
I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the  land on which we
stand here today - the Kulin nation - and pay my respects to their elders.

It is indeed an honour to have been  elected to  the 55th  Victorian Parliament,
the supreme institution of  Victoria. Many commentators  heralded my election to
Parliament as  historic. Indeed it is significant in many respects due to my Sri
Lankan origins. I take  pride in being the first person born and educated on the
Indian subcontinent to have been elected to a lower house of Parliament anywhere
in Australia.
I was overwhelmingly  endorsed  by  a  predominantly Anglo-Saxon electorate with
approximately  74 per  cent of the population born in Australia.  It is  a great
pleasure to  be included  in a  long list  of Labor members  of Parliament  from
diverse  backgrounds.  Yet  again  Victoria  has demonstrated  that  it  is  the
multicultural capital of Australia.  I celebrate this  tolerance, and in a  loud
and clear  voice I call on the  rest of the world to  learn  from the example of
Victoria.

I was born  as the only child to a Sri Lankan middle-income  Catholic family. My
late mother, Hilda  Perera, an English teacher  by profession, was  a practising
Catholic with  a  politically conservative background. My father, Edmund Perera,
was a member of the  oldest socialist party of Sri  Lanka, the Lanka Sama Samaja
Party,  which was formed in 1935  with  two  primary  objectives:  one,  to  win
independence  from  the  British   colonial  rule;  and  two,  to  establish  an
egalitarian society.
In  the  1930s caste  system,  a  social ranking  based  on ancestral profession
prevailed  in the then  semi-feudalistic Sri Lankan  society. Under this  system
low-caste  women  were  forced  to  be  present  with  bare  upper  bodies  when
encountering members of the  powerful feudal class. At  such meetings members of
the  low-caste  communities were forced  to  bow down and  salute this so-called
superior species.

The  Sama  Samajist introduced  their  own  egalitarian approach  to  uplift the
conditions  of  the downtrodden while fighting vigorously  against  the  British
colonial rule within and outside the state council.
By profession my  father managed plantations with  large labour forces and never
had  union membership, although  he  had a close  working relationship with  the
unions  affiliated with the socialist movement. He firmly held the view that the
organised working  class  would  play  a  leading role in shaping the destiny of
society. Had it not  been for  my father's  political influence I would not have
taken up the challenge to work my way into the Parliament.
After university education I started my career as a software  developer  in  the
information  technology industry where trade union roots were not the strongest.
I joined  the Australian Services  Union  after recognising  the  admirable role
played by the union movement.

In  response to  the  unconventional inaugural speech,  with a strong  political
flavour, made by the member  for Bass, I wish to  put on the record that  it  is
with great pride that I hold union membership.
In  the lead-up  to the  1992 Victorian election it was  crystal clear  that the
Liberal-National  coalition  was going to  come into power  with an overwhelming
majority. It   had  the agenda not  only  to take away the  basic  rights of the
working  men  and  women of  Victoria  but also threatened  the  very democratic
institutions on which our society is built.
With  my political  upbringing,  under these  circumstances  it would have  been
irresponsible to  be a bystander  and watch  the clock  being turned  back in  a
Reganite-Thatcherite fashion.

This was the  trigger for me to join  the Australian Labor Party which  not only
believes in the principles of equity, fairness and equality but also was capable
of forming an alternative government to stop the  threat  of  the dismantling of
the very fabric of our society.
Success in parliamentary elections is not a solo effort. My great  campaign team
contributed immensely to the massive victory we enjoyed in Cranbourne.  Campaign
advisers,  fundraising teams, zone  leaders and foot  soldiers  all played their
voluntary roles  with dedication to  reach our common objective.  The Cranbourne
foot soldiers did a fantastic job by covering  more than 5000 households between
just a handful of them.
I cannot name them all, and when naming only a few  of them one runs the risk of
offending those not mentioned. However, it would be remiss of me not to 

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mention  campaign manager Barbara  Kuhl and campaign  director Lee Tarlamis  who
worked around the clock to achieve this outcome.
I would  like  to  acknowledge  the  moral  support  and mentoring given by Alan
Griffin, federal member for  Bruce, and  also the support of many members of the
wider Sri Lankan community in Victoria.
I record  my appreciation for the roles played by the members of Frankston North
and Cranbourne ALP  branches. I  would also  like to  thank the  members of  the
Carrum  Downs  ALP  branch who came  together  as  a  unified  team  and  worked
diligently in so many different ways for nearly a decade to deliver this result.
My family who are  here  tonight,  wife Iranganie and children Judy and Rangana,
have been a tremendous support in all my political campaigns.

My son-in-law  Suranga Gamage,  who is also here - an above-average young man  -
played an unenviable  role  as  my  campaign secretary to deliver victory at the
last election.
Many  of  my  parliamentary  colleagues in their  inaugural  speeches  mentioned
beautiful wines  and other products on offer in their electorates. As Victorians
we need to explore new markets and promote ourselves internationally. It is very
disconcerting to learn that Victoria's annual trade with India is as low as $300
million per annum.  India  with a population of over 1.2 billion encompasses the
second silicon valley where large  volumes  of  IT  services are supplied to the
world market. Western Australia has two trade offices in India. It is about time
we  contemplated establishing a Victorian  trade office in  India to service the
entire Indian subcontinent.

Cranbourne,  the electorate I  represent,  has its unique  problems and exciting
opportunities.  The  electorate is divided between Casey and Frankston councils.
Cranbourne is a reasonably young electorate with a median age of 31, compared to
the Victorian median age of 35.  It  also  has  a low-income household structure
with a  median  weekly household  income  of  $796, compared  to  the  Victorian
equivalent of $812 per week.
The  City  of Casey  is  Victoria's fastest growing  municipality  and the third
fastest  growing  in  Australia, with an average of 80 families per week  moving
into the city. Within  the Frankston municipality,  Carrum Downs and  Langwarrin
are the fastest growing areas, with an influx of young families. Between October
2001  and  November  2002 the  voting  population in  the  Cranbourne electorate
increased by approximately 1636, which is around 5 per cent annual growth.

Manufacturing and other labour-intensive industries have never been the forte of
my  electorate.  My constituents  have  to travel  to  industrial  hubs such  as
Dandenong, Mordialloc, Mulgrave, Melbourne city and  other places for work. This
is an issue which needs consideration.
It is not rocket science to understand how important road infrastructure, public
transport, increased public health  services, improved education  facilities and
public safety measures are  to an electorate  like  Cranbourne where middle  and
low-income families have chosen to live. To name some of the Bracks government's
initiatives in my electorate: a  proposed $5 million state-of-the-art Cranbourne
police station; the first secondary college for Carrum Downs; and duplication of
sections of busy Thompsons and Cranbourne-Frankston roads.
Carrum Downs, situated in the centre of my electorate, has been reliant upon the
larger centres of Frankston and Cranbourne for many services.

A local  public transport network  would  link the area  with  broader community
access  to  a wide variety of services and activities. Thanks to  the  visionary
Bracks government, these issues are and will continue to be addressed and I will
work diligently towards  that  end. I believe the future growth and wellbeing of
my electorate  will be  reliant to  a  greater  extent  upon the  growth of  the
regional tourist industry.
Cranbourne  is  the gateway to Phillip Island, well known for the penguin parade
and  motor races and as a holiday destination. The horse  racing industry  has a
high profile in Cranbourne, with Australia's largest training centre. Cranbourne
Racecourse is  one of  the rare  places  that  offers  three types  of racing  -
thoroughbred, harness and greyhound.
In  Cranbourne  we have the  renowned  Royal Botanic Gardens  which is currently
developing the Australian Garden with an extensive range of native flora.

It will also include a state-of-the-art visitor centre.
We have a  newly built arts theatre in Cranbourne. This would be  an ideal venue
for an annual event, such as an emerging performing  arts  festival  to  promote
young and upcoming  artists  in the region.  Unfortunately, the only  well-known
annual event we have currently is the bikers breakfast during the Phillip Island
Motorcycle  Grand  Prix. The McLelland  Gallery situated in  Langwarrin  is well
known for its sculptures and beautiful pieces of art. The former Monterey High 

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School site that has been reacquired, cleaned up, fenced and  delivered  to  the
community as public open space by the Bracks government  would be  an ideal site
for  a  much-needed park for  recreational facilities that  could  incorporate a
community garden. This vision will only be realised with Frankston City  Council
playing  a proactive role  working  in tandem with  the  state government, local
community groups and interested commercial operators.
These are  only a few of the attractions within my electorate. The south-eastern
region has enormous potential as a  tourist destination. A concrete  strategy to
promote tourism within the region would attract visionary private  operators. It
is important to formulate a regional tourism strategy, considering the impact of
the extension of both the Monash and  Scoresby freeways. Particular focus should
be given to the economic benefits of  tourism such as investment, small business
growth and employment within a sustainable tourism framework.

I pay tribute to  all the  voters in  the Cranbourne  electorate for  having the
faith to  elect me to represent them  as their  local member  of Parliament.  In
conclusion, I foresee the  Cranbourne electorate as a  secure, quality place  to
live by the provision of  public services that keep pace with the growth in  the
community and diverse developments that are both environmentally sustainable and
provide economic opportunities locally. I take it as an honour and  a  privilege
to be elected as  a state member of Parliament to lead  the way towards the most
exciting task of  making the Cranbourne electorate a vibrant place to live, work
and visit.