Hansard debates

Ms HARTLAND (Western Metropolitan) (By leave) (14:05:47) — I have been an MP in this place for 11 years, but I have been involved in politics from a very young age. I think I was probably about eight when I went to picket lines with my dad, who worked at the State Electricity Commission and the briquette factory. My parents were both very active union and ALP people. I gave out how-to-vote cards with them at council, state and federal elections for the ALP.

When I was 17 I moved from Morwell to Melbourne and I quickly became involved in community campaigns, everything from protests in Collingwood against the construction of the Eastern Freeway — so I have a long history around freeways — to Coode Island. I was so active in community politics that I actually met my husband, Victor Moore, on a picket line. We spent our honeymoon on the picket line to save the Upfield train line when he was working for the railways and got wind that they were going to take up the tracks. They moved a caravan there; it was so romantic. We have actually managed to spend 37 pretty good years together.

I joined the Greens during the Tampa incident because I needed to be in a party that had compassion at its soul. When I became an MP 11 years ago, to say it was a shock would be an understatement. You just have to look at that first photo of me, Sue and Greg; I look like I was a rabbit in the headlights. In the days following the election — some people here would remember those roller-coaster days — we did not actually know who had won for quite some time. That final button was pressed and I was told I had not won. I went home, turned off my phone and ate a large amount of chocolate ice cream. The next morning at 7 o'clock Greg Barber rang me and said, 'You're 70 votes behind. The VEC are going to call a recount'. Alison Clarke, who was then our state organiser at the Greens office, organised 100 scrutineers to come and watch the ballot. I had young people who had never scrutineered before come out to me and say, 'I found one for you. I found one'. They were so excited.

They actually found 200 votes that belonged to me, and at 4.00 a.m. the next day my campaign manager, Liz Ingham, called to say that I was the new member for the western suburbs. I was so excited, but I had to go to work at the Western Region Health Centre, which is now Cohealth, and resign on the spot. They were great and they let me go straightaway, because I literally had to come into Parliament that afternoon. I have had the privilege of working with them over the last 11 years on a range of issues around health and dental care.

Two days later I was sworn in in this place, but it was not actually my first time in this Parliament because I had worked here as a kitchen hand. But when I first came back — and I was allowed up the front stairs, because in the days when I worked in the kitchen we were only allowed to come through the back door — I got to be with people I had worked with all that time ago, like Robyn Rogers and Russel Bowman, who unfortunately left us far too early. They thought it was extremely funny that I had gone from the kitchen to the chamber, and we would tease each other about it: 'Well, you can get your own cup of tea; you know where the kettle is'.

There were people who behaved very well during that time. Henry Barlow was actually the person who had thought that he had been elected, and he got the phone call at 4 o'clock in the morning where they said, 'Sorry, you haven't been elected'. At that time he was Matt Viney's whips clerk. We saw each other here in the Parliament and we talked about it. He was unbelievably gracious about what must have been for him a very difficult situation and a huge disappointment.

Over the last 11 years I think both the Greens and I have had many achievements, such as dying with dignity laws, safe injecting rooms, creating and protecting our abortion laws, truck bans in the inner west, Footscray Hospital redevelopment funding, smoking bans in outdoor dining areas and tobacco divestment in the Victorian Funds Management Corporation. But with all of these campaigns I cannot claim them for the Greens or for myself, because they were all campaigns that had a multitude of people involved in them.

The classic one was end-of-life choices. It was the Greens' campaign for the last 10 years, it was the work that Ms Patten had done and it was having a courageous health minister and the community backing us up. But it was also especially people like Sue Jensen, who was prepared to be very public about her disease and tell people that she had a right to speak and think for herself and she had the right to choose when she would go. The debate was long and difficult, but there are two people in particular I do want to thank. To Gavin, because you stood on your feet for more hours than I have ever seen anybody stand on their feet and not just collapse in a heap. I know you had a huge amount of sugar, but you know, we did it. To Nazih, because even though you did not support the bill you managed that committee of the whole in the most dignified manner that I have ever seen a committee done, and it was greatly appreciated.

I have managed to help a large range of community groups with their campaigns, and I have helped train them to advocate for themselves. One of the interesting highlights I have had in the Parliament was when there was a debate and a dispute about Auslan funding. With the President's assistance we had an Auslan interpreter on the floor of the chamber and we had several hundred deaf people in the gallery watching the debate, and they could do that because there was an Auslan interpreter. I think it was one of those debates that really highlighted what a Parliament can actually do.

For me there are campaigns that are unfinished. One is presumptive legislation for firefighters, because we have talked about it so much and firefighters who protect us deserve our protection. I hope that happens soon. It became very personal for me because I worked with many firefighters, career and volunteer, who had cancer and were not eligible to get compensation. I did not feel like I could look them in the eye unless I was campaigning for presumptive legislation. I cannot name everybody in that campaign, but I particularly want to mention Brian Potter, who gave the last years of his life as a whistleblower on Fiskville and to campaign on presumptive legislation. I feel honoured to have the Potter family, especially Di, now as my friends.

Pill testing has given me the chance to work with a whole range of people, but I want to give special thanks to Adriana, who lost her son at a festival. If there had been pill testing, he may not have died. For parents to talk about how their children die from overdoses, they have to break through a huge stigma and huge barriers, but Adriana has been prepared to be that person; she has been the human face of the issue.

I have so many people to thank. The staff in this place are quite amazing. The clerks, who I know I can go to at any time and ask the big questions and the really silly questions, are always there for me and they always give me good information. The table office staff, who are always scanning things for me or printing things for me and figuring out where I have to find something. Hansard, who always took the ums and ahs out of my speeches and somehow managed to understand my extremely dyslexic notes. I am sure they all compared them and thought, 'What is she trying to say there?'. The catering staff, who have kept us well fed and always been extraordinarily friendly. The attendants, who are actually the ones, as we all know, who know what is going on — they know the gossip. They know what time we are going to start and what time we are going to finish. They have always got a smile and often some fairly bad jokes, but they always make you laugh. The library, who just know everything and know how to find things. You go to them and you say, 'Well, I think it was printed then and I think this was the author', and somehow they find it even when you can only give them half the information. The press gallery, who at times you are in conflict with, but usually they report what we say pretty fairly, and I have really appreciated that.

I would especially like to thank all elected Greens, whether they be local, state or federal. I would particularly like to thank my colleagues here — all the Sams. The Greens are going to pass a by-law that no more Sams are to be elected to the Parliament; it just is too confusing. To Sue and Ellen and Nina and Lidia, you have been such an amazing team and such an amazing support to me. I do particularly want to say something about Sue and Greg because we have been the dynamic trio for a very, very long time. Whilst Sue is the last of that dynamic trio, she will continue to do the amazing work she has always done. I particularly want to thank Sue as Queen of Committee — I think everybody calls her that, so I do not think there is any secret there — who has sat with me during difficult committees and helped me because I just never got the hang of the process. She would always say, 'Put it there, put it there. You'll be right, you'll be right'. She just always did that wonderfully.

Thank you to all those Greens members who give huge hours to get us elected, and particularly to my staff over the last 11 years: Liz, Jon, Gabriel, May, Adele, Gavan, Josie, Steph, Melanie, Domenica, Clarissa, Judy and Mark. You always worked really hard to make me look good. Grammar and spelling and writing are not my strong points, and you always made sure that whatever went out in my name was actually legible, and I so appreciate that.

To all my friends, who I have not seen very much of in the last 11 years, I will be seeing you soon. And to Huong Truong, who will replace me in the next few weeks, she will be an amazing MP. In talking about Huong, I also want to thank Bernadette Thomas, Simon Crawford and Georgia Webster, who were the other candidates who put themselves forward for preselection. They behaved with grace and dignity. We all know preselections can be a pretty hard thing, but they behaved wonderfully.

And thank you to all of you, especially those who have popped into the office over the last few days and said, 'We may not agree, but I've really enjoyed working with you'; and to Mr Leane, thank you for your very lovely members statement yesterday. Yes, you did make me cry; it is all right. You do form strange friendships in this place. Even when you totally disagree there are often times and moments when you do agree and you can talk and you can form those friendships.

At times I know that this place really feels painfully slow, but then I remember 12 years ago there were no Greens in the Victorian Parliament. Then there were three, then there were seven and then we got Lidia Thorpe in the Assembly elected, the first Aboriginal woman in the Victorian Parliament, and our team grew to eight. I am so proud to be part of a family that stands up — goodness gracious, party, not family. Thanks for that, Hansard; I know you would fix it for me anyway.

Ms Dunn — They are not going to now.

Ms HARTLAND — I know they're not.

I am really proud to be a member of the Greens because it is a party that stands up for the things I believe are important. I will be going into retirement knowing that I am leaving behind a brilliant team of Greens MPs who will never give up on the issues that matter to me. But of course while I am retiring from Parliament, I am not retiring from politics, and I will continue to advocate for my community. Some members of the government may think, 'She's not going to give up, and she's just going to be as painful as she ever was'. I take that as a compliment; it is fine. I am going to continue to stand up for the issues that matter.

My final words are for Victor. Ours has been an equal partnership. You have given me love, support and very good advice, and you continue to make me laugh, which I think is not bad after 37 years.

And finally, unlike many politicians I am actually leaving at a time of my choosing. I know there have been various theories about why I am leaving, but it is just simply that I have run out of steam. This job takes 120 per cent and I do not have that anymore. But I have really enjoyed my time here. I felt extremely privileged to be an MP, to be representing the western suburbs and to be an advocate. It has been a great time, but I promise not to be one of those politicians who then snipes from the sidelines, or the ex-politicians. And I will be seeing you. You can all invite me in for lunch or a cup of tea and we can just chat. Thank you very much for these amazing 11 years.

Honourable members applauded.