Betty Kiernan
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Speech by Betty Kiernan MEMBER FOR MOUNT ISA Hansard Tuesday, 31 October 2006 MAIDEN SPEECH Mrs KIERNAN (Mount Isa—ALP) (2.50 pm): I am pleased, proud and most of all very privileged to speak for the first time in this House as the member for Mount Isa. On behalf of the people of my electorate, I extend our sincere congratulations on the election of the Hon. Mike Reynolds as Speaker of this parliament. As members representing people in electorates north of the Tropic of Capricorn and, in my case, west of the Great Divide, it is indeed a pleasure to keep the esteemed position of Speaker in the north. It is of great personal pride for me to stand here today as the representative for the seat of Mount Isa while I join this 52nd Parliament in a historic fourth term for the Labor Party. I am delighted and somewhat humbled at my good fortune. I believe I am making personal history today by being the first woman to be elected and, indeed, the first born member for the seat. My father, James, and my mother, Mary, travelled to Mount Isa in the early 1950s by train from Grafton, where my brothers and sisters, Ian, Francis, David and Pamela, were born. I was the last child and the only Queenslander of the family. My father moved to Mount Isa to work initially in the mine as an electrician. He left the mine to work for the Cloncurry Shire Council, the then administrator of Mount Isa, to manage the town power supply. Dad worked for the electrical authority through all manner of change up until his death. As life would have it, my husband’s father, Jim, was also a power man and worked for 35 years at the Mica Creek Power Station—a fine connection, if I say so myself. I am most certainly more than conscious of the high standard and the level of representation given to the Mount Isa electorate by Tony McGrady and his equally hardworking, well-respected and loved wife, Sandra. Tony’s contribution over some 33 years in both local and state government will stand alone in the record books. While Tony held senior ministerial positions in both the Goss and Beattie governments, he remained first and foremost the member for Mount Isa, widely known as a man of integrity, a man who was incredibly well respected and who stood steadfast in his promotion, representation and passion for the needs of the electorate and the north-west generally. While I am indeed the first woman to be elected to the seat of Mount Isa, I might say that at no time during the election campaign was my gender raised as an issue. The expectation of the electors was to place their trust in a person who was willing not only to address the business of state but also to be a person to look out for them and their families’ quality of life in every facet. There is little doubt that many great women and men have represented the needs, desires and aspirations of the people of the north-west, and I pay tribute to them. They are from all walks of life. They are the humble and the great. I personally have had the pleasure of working with some exceptional people who I know have made and who continue to make a difference. There is a spirit and dogged perseverance which remains evident today from their efforts, both individually and collectively. It is, therefore, such a privilege and great honour for me to be here today representing my home. I wish to also recognise and thank the large number of people who assisted and supported me during the campaign and on polling day. Every polling booth across the electorate had workers throughout the day, and their commitment and work, done in some cases in isolation, is appreciated totally. I thank my File name: kier2006_10_31_48.fm Page : 1 of 4 Speech by Betty Kiernan extracted from Hansard of Tuesday, 31 October 2006 campaign manager, Tony McGrady, branch members, the AWU, the Queensland Council of Unions and those who worked so hard in both the Mount Isa and Brisbane party offices. In particular I thank my organiser, Anthony Chisholm, for his hard work, support and guidance. I thank the state secretary, Milton Dick, and I thank sincerely the many others who made financial and other contributions, large and small. Collectively they have put me here today. I thank Premier Beattie and Dr Heather Beattie for taking the time to come to Mount Isa, and more particularly Camooweal, during the campaign. The commitment, personal energy and goodwill demonstrated was witnessed as confirming the valuable contribution which our part of the world makes. The visit also gave our pioneering drovers the recognition they so rightly deserve. At a personal level, I know how impossible my success would have been without the wonderful support, encouragement and love given by my husband, Philip, our son, Nathan, and his wonderful wife, Kim, our youngest son, Jeremy, who has deferred his university studies to assist in the family business, and my wonderful mother-in-law and best friend, Vi, who, as our remaining parent, is our rock and our inspiration. To my nephews, their wives and children who all reside in Mount Isa, my love and thanks. To our wonderful friends, both near and far, I thank you one and all for your unconditional support, love and encouragement which you have shown to me and our family in this new chapter of our lives. To Greg and Michelle Jackwitz, our special thanks. To Robyn Turner, who over 20 years ago shared and inspired me with her passion and unwavering belief in the Australian Labor Party, I give my thanks and I will treasure our friendship for life. To Lindy, Susan and Melissa, my wonderful, funny and committed electoral staff, you have given me your trust and I have no doubt that you will keep me grounded. We serve together. The seat of Mount Isa was created in 1972 and originally represented the shire of Mount Isa. Today, through redistributions, it represents 20 traditional owner clans, 10 shires, one city, 17 towns and one port—all in an area bigger than the state of Victoria. It is in the context of such vastness and diversity that I wish to pay my tribute to the places and, more importantly, the people who live in the Mount Isa electorate. Let us go now on a quick road trip around our backyard—367,305 square kilometres of it—and in doing so I recognise the traditional people as we pass through their country. We enter the electorate in Guwa country. This is the home of Winton, known by the famous words of Banjo Paterson, who penned Waltzing Matilda at Dagworth Station near Winton in January 1895. It is, as we all know, Australia’s unofficial national anthem. This rich history is preserved in the Waltzing Matilda Centre. Winton is also the official birthplace of Qantas. The first and only meeting of directors was held in the town in February 1921. I would especially like to acknowledge the wonderful, vibrant, caring members of the 60s and Better group and I look forward to working with them over the coming years. We now go north on the Matilda Highway, in Wunumara country, to the small township of McKinlay, another birthplace of an airline, MacAir—born McKinlay Air Charter—today a modern airline servicing rural and remote areas of our state and, in particular, all major centres in the Mount Isa electorate. It is home also to Crocodile Dundee’s watering hole, the Walkabout Creek Hotel. Let us go up the road to Kynuna and the Combo Waterhole. Situated a few kilometres south of Kynuna is reportedly the site of the famous billabong in Waltzing Matilda. Kynuna, like McKinlay, boasts an equally famous pub, the Blue Heeler. Across a few paddocks rich in fossils one can attend the Corfield Cup—the bush version. Airlines and pubs, it appears, are the products of this part of the world. Still heading north is Julia Creek, a town which through the leadership of Mayor Paul Woodhouse is leading the way with the mantra ‘can do’ and maintaining and sustaining a quality of life for her residents. Julia Creek holds the highly popular Dirt and Dust Triathlon, an event that attracts word-class athletes. Taking a somewhat sharp turn we head over to Boulia, Pitta Pitta country, the home of the famous Min Min light, apparently witnessed again just recently. There are many myths in respect to the Min Min light and apparently they are not all centred on that famous Bundy product which some of us use medicinally or for social purposes. We are now some 1,719 kilometres from where we sit today in this state’s capital. Boulia is a small settlement of approximately 300 people. It is the administrative centre of an area covering 61,000 square kilometres which boasts a total shire population of less than 600. Further north to Dajarra through Yulluna and Waluwarra homeland. Dajarra, 150 kilometres south of Mount Isa, has been our home since 1979. I make no apology for my love of this community and particularly the families of the little town—the Marshall, Dempsey, Major, Bismark, Punch and Costello families—who will remain our extended family for the rest of our lives and that of our children. Dajarra in its own right is historical. In its heyday it was the largest trucking centre in the world.