Members statement: New term of parliament
I rise to thank the residents of Prahran for re-electing me as the member for Prahran – it is a huge honour – and to thank the volunteers and the supporters who worked so hard and lent a helping hand on our campaign. It is deeply appreciated. I am really looking forward to working with our community to progress our local priorities: upgrading public housing; accessible, safer, climate-friendly transport; creating a Prahran arts and education precinct; reviving our local shopping strips; and the many others.
When I look at this Parliament, with more Greens than ever elected to the lower house and a progressive upper house, I really do think of what is possible: criminal justice reform, First Nations justice, legalising cannabis and drug law reform, ending homelessness, making sure that everyone has got a safe and secure place to call home, stopping new coal and gas projects, going further and faster to 100 per cent renewables, ending duck shooting, stopping logging of our native forests, and systemic reform to reduce the cost of living like rent controls, genuinely free public education and increasing wages for our essential workers, not suppressing them. All this and more is possible in this Parliament. In fact we have never had a better opportunity to achieve progressive change for the people of Victoria. I really encourage all members to seize the moment.