I have to say to the previous speaker, the member for Cowan, that I do enjoy her addresses.

My dear friend Barry Jones has a dear friend. I recall hearing his dear friend Phillip Adams say on his 'little wireless program' some time ago that he's very nervous when he hears a politician talk of the national interest, because it usually means the politician's interest. I would not like to alarm Mr Adams, but I want to refer obliquely to the national interest as I see it in this place, and I quote former leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who said: 'I firmly believe that any man in public life, or woman, who thinks that politics to him or her is just a job that will provide him with an income is making the most gross of all errors. The truth is that we must be servants of the people, but, in order to be servants of the people, we are not to be servile. We are not to look at every problem and then say, "Will this be popular or will this not be popular?" Because if that is the kind of leadership you're going to get, it will lead the country to disaster. It is not a matter of saying, "Will this please somebody," it is a matter of saying, "Is this the right thing to do if Australia is going to grow, if the country is going to become richer and or more powerful, if employment is to rise, if living standards are to rise," and, sir, that presents a problem which is a great challenge to many a man of character, honesty and imagination.'

When we come to a proposition like this—'in the national interest'—I say the decisions that we make in this House, the decisions the executive make, and the decisions that we make as individuals can sometimes be very difficult. We test those often against the will of the people who elect us to the parliament, the people who actually put their pencils on pieces of paper to say, 'I want this person to represent me in this house.' This is crucially important to our national wellbeing. That's why I've always been a very strong supporter of compulsory voting, because everybody—everybody!—goes into that booth and has a go and says: 'This is who I want to support me. And if I can't get that one to support me, I get two or three other chances by ticking the other boxes.' It's a very, very good system to decide who represents—and what did they do at the last election? The whole nation came and voted, and they were within one seat or two seats of who held the majority in this House.

The people of Australia made their decision, and they expect us to not only represent them and their interests; they expect us to represent our parties that clearly put us here and they expect us to make decisions at a national level having regard to what is said in our party rooms, what is said in our caucus, and to bravely then make a decision.

As a woman said to me one day, 'We didn't put you in there to be a yes-man; we put you in there to make decisions on our behalf.' Throughout my many years in this place—although I've been thrown out more times than anybody else in the history of the parliament and am still here—

An honourable member:  Welcome back.

Thank you very much. I have had 21 years and I've seen very good people in this place wrestle with their conscience. There is a difference between the opposition—and I'm not talking about the Independents—and the Liberal Party. When Andrew Fisher formed the Labor Party and put the coalition together he said, 'If you vote against us, you leave.' Menzies said the opposite. He said, 'You can disagree with us and still stay within the confines of the party,' although that could be very uncomfortable at times. Many members have come into this House and spoken with heartfelt determination and confidence on behalf of the people that they represent. We respect them taking the opportunity to do that. It is an absolute privilege to serve in this House. I hope for all of us our first focus is the national interest.

I've spoken before of opportunity arising from adversity. I learned this week from Landcare, NRM Regions Australia, Australian Land Conservation Alliance and Pew Charitable Trusts that more than 100 conservation, land management and farming organisations have come together to support a proposal for thousands of workers to be employed to deliver practical conservation and land management activities across the country.

We as a nation are learning that we need to nurture this land on its terms and not ours to take responsibility for the ravages of the land since the second peoples arrival. So how can we go about repairing it? One way worth considering is working with a nature employment program, which would build on the long-term efforts of volunteers and charitable organisations in the conservation and land management sector and not reinvent the wheel. It would support people already invested in communities. It would offer opportunities for safe, meaningful and socially beneficial work during the period of economic recovery while leaving enduring benefits for locals, tourism, farm businesses and, of course, the environment. This initiative is part of an enduring commitment to Australia's land, water, wildlife and strong grassroots network. It is a deep commitment to supporting those in need.

Federal and state investment in this initiative would result in both immediate and long-term return. According to Ernst & Young's assessment of the program proposal, a $500,000 investment would result in 6,690 jobs, a $1.2 billion dollar long-term economic investment and would reward practical local action to protect and restore the natural environment by restoring rivers, wetlands and coastal habitats. Reducing soil erosion, controlling weeds and planting trees are obvious outcomes. Strengthening the social capital of our communities is often more difficult to see but critical in the long-term health of our people.

In these uncertain times, we are in need of a social glue that helps stick us together. Such a grassroots approach can do that. It builds a sense of belonging in the community, can lift the spirit and give hope after the battering many regional communities have endured through the ravages of droughts, floods and bushfires. In rebuilding our nation, let us not forget the land on which it stands and be ready to learn old ways which have stood the test of time.

It's time to listen with generous hearts, not fearful minds and not selfish egos in a lust for power or wealth. It's time to dig deep and find what we are really made of. Care of each other, our communities and the land on which we live is our priority. Once we get this right, the rest will unfold as it should. We can continue to find opportunity in adversity. It seems to be what we do best in this nation. This is a call to the government to bless the regions.

John Howard provided a leadership legacy on national land and water policy and planning, but in the last 10 years the state and federal governments are offering little more than short-term kneejerk reactions. John Howard said at the press club in 2007 “The way you’ve got a better outcome with this is to clean up the over-allocation which obviously was a problem, do something about making the irrigation system more sustainable and more efficient, and end squabbling over running the basin.”

The politicisation of water has devasted this country – its people, communities, its water ways, its flora and fauna. For over a quarter of a century, Australia was at the forefront of progressive water reform.  No longer. Where is the wisdom we need to live humbly and gratefully in this country? Letting the market rip without sound governance, regulation and effective policing is resulting in water trading benefits accruing to the wealthy few to the detriment of the many in the Murray Darling Basin. This is a matter of justice, not money.

First we need an audit. According the Wentworth Group of Eminent Scientists, floodplain harvesting across the tributaries of the Darling is much larger than officially recognised. Satellite image work suggests it is very much larger.  Measurement rather than uncalibrated modelling is what is needed.  This is an urgent priority. Second we need effective governance to re-establish functions previously provided the National Water Commission and the COAG Standing Committee on Environment and Water. Third we need to include indigenous leaders, their water rights and their values regarding water. Strategic leadership is crucial but where is it? We are in crisis.

There is no light to shine on mismanagement, the political agenda and possible corruption. We need to look at the whole system rigorously, and honestly audit water accounts, track progress, implement change and drive innovative policy based on learning not desire. Are we afraid to audit our water management outcomes and the health of our rivers? Are we afraid of what an audit may show?

That is just as I see it.

John Howard provided a leadership legacy on national land and policy and planning, but in the last 10 years state and federal governments have offered little more than short-term knee-jerk reactions. In 2007, John Howard said that we need to clean up overallocation, make the irrigation system more sustainable and efficient and end squabbling over the Murray-Darling Basin.

For over a quarter of a century, Australia was at the forefront of progressive water reform. No longer! Where is the wisdom we need to live humbly and gratefully in this country? Letting the market rip without sound governance, regulation and effective policing is resulting in water-trading benefits accruing to the wealthy few, to the detriment of the many in the Murray-Darling Basin. This is a matter of justice, not money.

Firstly, we need an audit. According to the Wentworth Group of eminent scientists, satellite imaging of flood plain harvesting across the tributaries of the Darling shows it's very much larger than officially recognised. We need measurement, not uncalibrated modelling. This is an urgent priority. Secondly, we need effective governance to re-establish functions previously provided by the National Water Commission and the COAG Standing Committee on Environment and Water. This is vital. Thirdly, we need to include Indigenous leaders—their water rights and values regarding water.

The whole system needs honest auditing. We need policy based on facts, not self-interest or corruption. Or are we afraid of what an honest audit of the health of our rivers may show?

I would like to talk today about opportunity and adversity—opportunity and adversity in a nation where, for the last 25 years, we've had a pretty good run, but it has left us lazy and at the beck and call of other nations in regard to the things that are essential to us on a daily basis, such as our drugs and our food. There are a lot of other areas, perhaps our timber into the future. We import a lot of timber. The daily drugs we thought were manufactured here turned out to be manufactured in China and other places. We were found wanting by COVID. We haven't come to a roundabout; we've got a stack of opportunities. We've actually come to a T-intersection. The nation has to decide whether we go this way and positively look after ourselves in manufacturing all the things we need to sustain our activity, or we go that way—and down that road it's 'woe is me'.

I believe not only my constituency but every other constituency in Australia can actually see the needs in front of us, especially the environment—things such as Landcare. This is a great opportunity for us as a nation to ask: What can we practically do for the environment as part of the COVID response? What can we do in manufacturing that will make us resilient to any attacks that may come upon this nation, whether they be intentional or not, in our dealings with other countries? What are the sorts of things do we have to do as individuals, as small businesses, as families to make us far more resilient than COVID has found us to be?

I believe our forefathers, when their backs were to the wall, were able to produce in this country inventions and innovative opportunities that were desperately needed for the time. They did it. Here's our opportunity in this time of adversity. Our great opportunity in this time of adversity is to think through the issues and make sure that we provide for the next generation to come a far more resilient, independent Australia. That will take many forms. But let's take the opportunity now that this adverse situation for our nation has presented us with, and there are many areas. I'm relying on people right across this nation to say, 'Yes, we'll take up that challenge to find a replacement for our needs that are coming in by imports now,' and we will be the resilient nation that the world looks upon from the response that we give now to this opportunity in adversity.

My difficulty is that I lived in the real world for nearly 35 years, really employing people. I'm reminded of one very precious employee who has just passed away. She began with me when she had very young children. She could only work a very few casual hours, which suited her. Then, a number of years later, when her children went to school, she said, 'Can I work from 9.30 till three, so I'll be there when the kids leave and when they get home?' No problem. When the kids were a little bit older, she worked full time, and she was one of the most marvellous employees you could ever have. Then there was the young girl who walked in to see me and said: 'Russell, I don't have a resume, because I haven't had a job. Can I work for you for nothing?' Of course, I put her on. She never worked for me for nothing. We paid not only the award but over the award to every one of our employees. That was an insurance policy.

Why is this bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020, and everything we do on industrial relations so complicated? Why are there so many people, with so many agendas, who just want to confuse others, especially the general public? My staff at BL & BM Broadbent Drapers—or whatever we were—worked under the federal award. The federal award says, 'This is what you pay a casual employee; it's about 50 per cent higher than what you pay a permanent part-time employee, who gets all the benefits that go with being a full-time employee.' Simple. Then holiday time came, and, under that award, I had to pay all of my staff 17½ per cent more per week than when they were working in the business. It's part of the award; just accept it. It was uncomplicated: 'Here are the rules; this is what a casual is.' To me, a casual employee is someone who wants to work casually or can be called in, and, in my experience, it suited them to be a casual employee and get a higher rate of pay for the hours that they worked, as compared to those that worked full time or permanent part time. I'll say that again. A permanent part-time worker was somebody in your business who worked certain hours every week, and those hours could be varied at any time. They accepted that. More importantly, they knew what their hours would be for the week and what their wage would be for the week, and that suited them and me.

On top of that, we had some 20 full-time employees, with all the benefits that accrued to them, including superannuation, sick leave, holiday pay and all the other benefits.

Now we've got to spend time putting into legislation matters between employees and employers that I thought would have been so simple. In fact, the previous speaker painted a terrible picture of employers as I know them. The most precious part of a small business is often not their stock or their product or their presentation or the building or the fit-out. It's actually their staff because, if your staff or your employees are not engaging with your customers, you don't have a business. They're the ones who engage, and they're the ones who bring the people back into the business. You can get the product and you can get the people in there, but, if you don't have the precious people to work with you, you don't have a business in small business.

Lots of businesses have only two, three or four employees, so they've got to be good. They've got to be engaging with their customers. They've got to have a relationship with their customers. These things that are so important can't be written in a bill. It says here, 'We've got to provide for those people who are doing the wrong thing.' Yet, all the time, we're bagging the thousands of employers in this country who are doing the right thing by looking after their employees and treating them as a very special part of the whole operation. That's how business works. So when we say, 'This bill provides certainty to business and employees by clearly defining what it means to be a casual employee, and giving eligible casual employees a statutory pathway to a permanent full-time job if they wish,' I would have thought that that would be a natural because, when you find a fantastic, terrific, reliable, energetic employee, you want to have them on board and in the business as much as you can. Why does it have to be defined in legislation?

I can't find anything in this legislation that the opposition shouldn't be supporting. They're trying to find parts of this legislation that they can have a fight about, and there's not a lot here to have a fight about. As far as our economic circumstances go, the fact that wages have flatlined has been the case throughout the world. We have gone through this economic difficulty and this difficult time. Every nation in the world has seen their labour market flatline. What we've had to cope with in this last 12 months has been devastating for so many small businesses and for many medium-sized businesses that have had to pull back.

As a former businessperson, I am concerned about how we will fare as we go into the next six months and the six months after that. These are going to be difficult times for this nation, and, of course, you're going to fall back on and rely on your best employees. You can have as much input yourself as you like, but you still have to rely on the employees who are the face of your business to the world. Whether you're a franchise business—a very large franchise or a small franchise—or an independent operator, you're still seeking good employees all the time. The people I meet that want a job and can't get a job are quite often older. That disappoints me greatly. I notice that some franchise businesses are going out of their way to employ older people because they're reliable, they do the job and they turn up.

But too many older Australians are not getting the opportunities. I'm saying 'older Australians', but it starts to get hard at 45. That's why small businesses who know somebody who knows somebody are able to get that sort of person into a job that they wouldn't otherwise get just from a resume. Small businesses are the people that will be affected by this bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020.

All the government has done here is go out of its way to put some flexibility into the marketplace to make it easier for people to get a job, to make it simpler for employees to understand what they need to do, and to make sure there's some cooperation in that whole menage that is business, especially small business. I can't talk about big business. I don't know it; I haven't experienced it. But I've experienced some terrible days in small business, because I was in business in 1990, when interest rates were 22½ per cent and business had huge downturns. We survived, but only just. Do you know why we survived? Because we had fantastic people working with us that carried us through, that were there every day, on time, working with each other and not leaving until their job was done.

If you're going to do the things that we've done as a government to extend JobKeeper and thrust into business—the decisions were made so quickly, knowing that businesses had to keep going and had to keep their relationships with their employees. That was what the JobKeeper program was all about. This bill comes in to support everything that the government was doing in its approach to COVID recovery. This bill supports that. This bill should be supported by every parliamentarian in the House; instead they're making lame excuses about why they can't possibly support this. This bill is not unreasonable when it comes to employee-employer relations. For me, it complicates things that should be a no-brainer. It complicates things that should be just a cooperative effect on a basic arrangement between employer and employee. I've always been a supporter of far more flexible industrial relations processes. Be they industry based or based on a particular sector, I don't mind, as long as both the employer and the employee are happy.

Some of the biggest failures on industrial relations haven't been with small businesses. Who have they been with? Very, very large businesses. But did we scream and go after them? No. We're not painting those huge conglomerates as out of order. Theirs was just a mistake. But, if a small-business person makes a mistake, they're painted into a corner, and that's not fair. There should be some protections built around those too, because it's a huge risk to open a business. It was hard then, and, with all the regulations we've put on business since, it's even harder now—much harder. You risk your family, mortgage your house and have a go. You end up employing people, then more, then more and then more, and when you're reasonably successful these days you pay payroll tax. We have every incentive for people not to do well in business, as far as I'm concerned, especially in our tax regime, because it's harsher on small business than on making sure the large conglomerates, who can pay a fortune, pay the minimal amount of tax. As for the small businesses, like the tyre retailers, what are they doing? They're just selling tyres; they're not in the business of minimising their tax.

This bill should be supported by this parliament. This bill should go through with cheers and roars. That's what I think about this bill. This bill is an opportunity for the opposition to show themselves to be a participant in the COVID recovery. This bill will give employees some security and employers confidence to offer secure part-time employment. What more can you want than that? That is delivered to you; it's handed to you on a platter. It's regulating your opportunity for work. Today I'd like to see a new Australia where employer and employee come together to strengthen our economy at every level and where we actually put our families first and put our nation first and put our businesses first so we can all prosper together. That was my philosophy in my business, and we were hugely successful until I came to this position, when I turned a very good business into a very small business. I've got to be honest with you; this lifestyle I chose takes its toll. But I commend every small business out there and all the employees who work with them.

I commend this bill to the House. I commend this bill to the House even when I've been in places where I haven't commended bills to the House. But I do commend this one, because I believe that we need more flexibility and more opportunity for people to work in this new time.

 

In the recent opinion piece by the Hon. Ken Wyatt AM, member for Hasluck and Minister for Indigenous Australians, he wrote:

"Wiradjuri Elder Isabel Reid was born in Wagga Wagga in 1932.

One afternoon, she was walking home from school with her brother and sister when she was taken from her family by the government. Her parents did not know what happened to their children.

Aunty Isabel was to become a domestic servant, sent to the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home, where wages for her work were paid to the NSW government.

She was denied the opportunity of a good education, denied a bond to her family, community and country, and was targeted for no other reason than the fact she was Aboriginal.

Today Aunty Isabel is one of the oldest living survivors of the Stolen Generation—"

and last month Ken was able to meet and talk with her in Canberra, as she was honoured as the New South Wales Senior Australian of the Year and nominated for Senior Australian of the Year. He wrote:

She reflected on her own journey, "My life is pretty simple, what I do, I do for my community and for all the children out there that need the helping hand that I didn't get way back then."

She was one of thousands. It's unimaginable for us that our children could disappear off the street and we wouldn't know where they'd gone.

I've lived my whole time as a parliamentarian through all the processes of denial and obfuscation, of saying that they were doing the right thing at the time, of people saying, 'But they were good people, trying to do the right thing.' No, they were mistakes. When the apology came, from Kevin Rudd—and I was there that day—in that moment, I really thought, 'This is the day when the world changes for Indigenous people.'

I really believed that.

I read an article today from Ross Gittins that talked about Philip Lowe's management of the economy and how the management is not to make it any worse than it already is, not to make the difficulties we're facing any worse than they already are. What has management done in Indigenous affairs since the apology? I think all we've achieved, if anything, is not to make it worse than it was. All the indicators tell you we haven't made it better, we haven't broken through the barrier and we haven't changed things for so many people.

My support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart caused some controversy. I have no idea why, because it seems to me a no-brainer that we give a voice. We talk about treaty, and we talk about truth telling. The truth is: we've got it wrong all the way through. We haven't allowed the Indigenous community to partake in the decision-making of the nation, from Murray-Darling water to the management of the forests to understanding how Australia needs to be farmed in the way they farmed before the British and other nations arrived here. They have been so resilient, still standing today as the oldest culture in the world. They're knocked about. They're not in good nick. Their children are not getting the education they should be getting. Their adults are not getting the opportunities they should be receiving from this nation.

It's not about money; it's about recognition of the past and bravely facing the present and the future. These things are not hard, but they are difficult. They're difficult for us to achieve in a community that desperately needs our statement from our hearts back to them. The Statement from the Heart to us was a generous offer of reconciliation. It's up to us, as this parliament, to resolve our issues and offer them our hearts for a changed world for the future.

STUDENTS in Monash are being encouraged to learn about veteran service and Australian wartime history by asking the question, ‘what does commemoration look like in our community?’

Russell Broadbent said the Anzac Day Schools’ Awards were now open and were about honouring the service and sacrifice of Australians from the First World War to modern day conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

“Australia has a rich military history and the Anzac Day Schools’ Awards are an opportunity for students in Monash to learn more about our contribution over the years and how we now commemorate as a community,” Mr Broadbent said.

“2020 meant the cancellation of many Anzac Day services and we saw communities adapt and find different ways to commemorate.

“The theme centres on the importance of commemorations and asks students to look at how society and commemorations have changed over time.

“The Awards also help ensure our future generations grow up with a recognition and respect for the sacrifice of all who have served in the protection of our country and way of life.

“I encourage all schools across Monash to take part in this competition and I look forward to seeing what students come up with,” Mr Broadbent said.

The national winner’s school will receive $5,000, a trophy and a certificate. There will also be state and territory winners, with the schools receiving $3,000 and a certificate. Winners in the special categories will receive $2,000 and a certificate.

Entries for the Awards are now open and will close on Wednesday, 30 June 2021. For further information, including on award categories, judging, criteria and how to apply visit the Anzac Portal website - https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/research-education/competitions/anzac-day-schools-awards

Here in Warragul, like so many other cities and communities across Australia, we have a problem. And that problem is the scourge of ice, also known as crystal methamphetamine.

The ice epidemic is devastating and overwhelming families across Australia – with no respect for age or socio-economic background. Health professionals warn that an entire generation may be at risk and police say they’ve never seen anything like it.

More than any other drug, ice has a crippling effect not only on only the user, but on their families. Many parents find themselves trying to support loved ones but feel ill-equipped to do so. This is exacerbated by the volatility and chaos which often results from ice addiction.

This insidious disease in our community is increasing at an alarming rate. And while there’s no one size fits all approach to addressing it, what we do know, is that we must respond as a community.

The Local Drug Action Team Program works to tackle issues through community partnerships that educate and prevent harm. They achieve their goal of reducing drug associated issues by tailoring responses to the unique needs of a particular community.

There are currently more than 230 teams operating across Australia and our government is looking to fund a further 40 in 2021.

If you want to make a difference to alcohol and other drug use in your community, you can visit the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website for further details about the Local Drug Action Team Program (https://community.adf.org.au/local-drug-action-teams/ldat-apply/).

If we have learned anything from the events of 2020, it’s that a supportive community can make an incredible difference to our health and wellbeing. It’s vital that we, as a community with the assistance of initiatives such as the Local Drug Action Team Program, actively educate and support young people.

That’s just as I see it.

My story is not as colourful or as uplifting as the member for Parramatta's was. My story is about the tragedy that happens across Australia every day where people make mistakes on our roads—and they have tragic consequences. This particular tragedy was on my patch. A couple and their daughter, leaving a major theme park that is actually in country Victoria, out of the metropolitan area, crossing across the highway were struck by a truck doing 80 kilometres an hour. The gentleman died at the scene, the mum was critically injured and the baby was taken to hospital.

I have just come from a meeting with the roads minister, Scott Buchholz, who is now looking at ways we can alleviate this particular problem at this intersection at Gumbuya World. The worst part about this is that these people were Melbourne residents coming into country Victoria, on country highways without the supports that you have in urban areas. Gumbuya World has a permit to put 8,000 cars through that intersection every day. The traffic coming down the highway travels at 100 kilometres an hour on that part of the highway. The intersection is at the top of a hill, so the visibility to your right and to your left is very difficult.

The ways around it cost a lot of money. We can't put an overpass on every intersection right across the whole of Victoria everywhere there's a place. We also can't help that people will come out of a happy day at a theme park with their wife and daughter—'Gee, we've had a great day'—and mum is in the back of the car with the daughter and, bang, they're gone. And the trauma is not just a trauma for that family, who were Australians who came here to make a new life; around that accident were a whole lot of my constituents who saw what happened. One young girl who dragged the young girl out of the back of the car and took her away from the scene is, of course, traumatised.

The departments have been terrific with me today, and so has Michael McCormack's office and their staff and Scott Buchholz, in understanding the trauma conveyed to me from my constituents about this tragic event. I actually don't know the outcome for the family. I hope the mother has survived. I hope she will be back with the daughter as soon as possible. But it's up to me, as the local member, to do all I can on behalf of my constituents and the community and all the people that come to Gumbuya World to get an outcome on their behalf that will make this place safer.

Hi, I’ve just been to the celebration of the life of John Charles Vinall OAM - they called him Jack Vinall. A fantastic eulogy by his son, Peter, who was all the way from Canada.

I met Jack Vinall as the Mayor of Morwell, back when we were doing local government reform. He was also a good friend of my wife’s uncle, Bruce Webster, and uncle Bruce Webster spoke very highly of this man I was to meet, Jack Vinall. He was an impressive man.

As I was walking out of the funeral, I was talking to Graham Middlemiss - an old friend of the council of the Latrobe Shire. Graham and I talked about the stories of Jack Vinall - the stories told of the crayfish, down in the Morwell river, the beer that was his father’s around the open fire cooking the cray fish. Of a different time, of an era of fun and family and joy; and Jack was the man, he was a skally wag, he was a born leader, he was a very, very good sportsman – football, cricket, coach, administrator, leader, leader once again - for the whole of Latrobe Valley. He knew change needed to come from the local government - he was one of the Mayors that went on to be a Commissioner with local government down in South Gippsland.

In this story it spoke to me of a different era - an era of times past, of family, fun, joy, pleasure. Of a simpler time - not the difficulty we face today and in these years. They were times when the dairy farmers did well, and Jack did well and travelled the world. He led his community beautifully throughout the whole of his life, he led his family – he was a great family man, family orientated. A simpler time when fun was had fishing for crayfish down at the Morwell River with children and rabbits, with dogs and family.

It was very important, the celebration today, because Jack was the quintessential Latrobe Valley person - part of the young farmers movement, community based, community driven, loved his community, loved everything all about it - and it reflected in the ceremony today.

I just wanted to tell Jack Vinall’s story because that was an era gone, but an era that was something very special that we don’t have today. We don’t have the families that are connected, where they all support one another. Jack laughed, Jack cried – he lost his daughter, lost his wife; which was heartbreaking for him, and he wasn’t as good in his later years. But this man made an amazing contribution in a time when Australia was far simpler, far happier I think, than this day. He was a man of great standing, and it was a great honour to be at his get together family celebration today at Kernot hall.
So, to the family, to Jack, and to everybody that was participating today, thanks for telling the stories, and thanks for the life of Jack Vinall.

That’s just as I see it.

The Regional Forestry Agreements took great thought, effort and political will throughout the Hawke, Keating and Howard years.

Our people paid a great price to achieve consensus, in order to have a sustainable timber industry. There are those who have found ways to circumvent the RFAs, to the detriment of regional com-munities, and the Australian people.

To close down our industry and import timber products abrogates our responsibility in two ways:

1. We exploit other nations which do not have the environmental safeguards we do

2. We fail to become self-sufficient in managing this essential product

Has COVID taught us nothing? It is time to take a step back and have a long hard look at what we are doing and what we are re-sponsible for. We have to look after ourselves because no one else will. This is simple but not easy. Regional communities need to be listened to because lip service will no longer cut it. We need to work with our indigenous forestry experts. We must invest ourselves in our timber industry communities, if not, who will? It will take brave, intelligent leaders to be honest, without regard for political consequences. Or have politicians just become lazy pandering to minorities with no skin in the game? May common sense prevail. This is a matter of survival, not ideological warfare.

That’s just as I see it.