We can all assist in restoring public faith in the political processes by being true to our policies and to ourselves. This is a big ask, but I for one am determined to earn the respect of the people I represent by contributing to the fair and effective public debate of issues which directly affect the quality of lives of Australian families. The issues we, as senators, will discuss and decide are the very issues which will determine what sort of life my daughters, and indeed the next generation, will experience. The achievements of Labor in the form of Medicare, the social security safety net, affordable and accessible child care, school retention rates, Aboriginal reconciliation, the accord, universal superannuation, the forest conservation reserve system, coast and land care, law reform, APEC and providing a vision for the Australian republic have all contributed to the shaping of our identity as a community. The need for sustainable jobs is at the forefront of public concern and has seen Labor implement comprehensive strategies, such as Working Nation, as a means of addressing this basic right of employment.
Labor puts job creation and job security at the top of our list of priorities.
We saw this proud legacy being adopted by the coalition during the election campaign in its desperation to win government. Subsequently, we have seen the same legacy tossed out the window as the coalition settles into its real agenda. It is this ideology whi ch will alienate this government from the people. Dry economic rhetoric and conservative propaganda promoting the new individualism will not fool the electorate. It will only serve to remind voters of the high price they are being forced to pay under the coalition.