MR S.N. AUBREY (Scarborough) [5.16 pm]: I would like to congratulate Hon Michelle Roberts on her appointment to the role of Speaker. It is an honour to have been in the chamber to witness the historic moment of the state’s first female Speaker being elected, and I wish her all the best in the role going forward.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

I would also like to acknowledge the former member for Scarborough, Liza Harvey, and thank her for her 12 years of service to our community.

I am beyond grateful to the people of the Scarborough electorate for placing their trust in me to be the member of Parliament who works hard to represent their interests in this place. Scarborough is my home, and it has been for near on a decade. I will raise my kids here one day, and I expect that it will be my forever home.

Scarborough is its own little bubble in our city. It is close to the CBD for work, with the state’s best beaches on our doorstep. There is no better place to watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean than Sunset Hill on the Scarborough foreshore. Scarborough truly is a special place, and in this I am completely unbiased!

There is so much it has to offer. These are just some of the things that make it special to me: going for a run around Lake Gwelup; catching a wave at Trigg Beach; snorkelling at Mettams Pool in North Beach; enjoying the view of both the city and the ocean from Doubleview Hill; shopping at Karrinyup; patrolling Scarborough’s long, white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters as a surf lifesaver; and, what could potentially be the electorate’s jewel in the crown, the Ikea at Innaloo!

I have a strong connection to my home, and I will never be prouder than on election night when I was standing on the balcony of my club—the Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club—when I learnt that I had been elected as the member who represents this beautiful and unique part of the world.

I want to take a moment to say to everyone in Parliament that if there is ever a moment when they wonder why there is so much beach sand around, I apologise in advance. Second only to its natural beauty is the community of Scarborough. People from all walks of life are drawn to its beauty and laid-back lifestyle. It has a strong local vibe and our community welcomes anyone who wants to enjoy what Scarborough has to offer. Scarborough is home to much of the untouched natural beauty that makes WA one of the best places in the world.

There is a strong desire in the Scarborough community to preserve this natural beauty and way of life, but also to see Scarborough reach its potential, and it welcomes anyone who wants to share what Scarborough has to offer. I share this desire and I look forward to working hard with the community and finding a way forward that finds a balance that everyone can be at peace with.

The backbone of Scarborough’s community is its schools, community groups and sporting clubs. I take a moment to welcome two honoured guests who are here today—school captains of Scarborough Primary School, Toloa Madden and Maya Westaway. I was extremely honoured by how Toloa and Maya so graciously welcomed me to their school’s Anzac service and I wanted to repay that honour. Scarborough Primary School’s motto is “Strive”. Being leaders of a school is no small feat. I commend your courage in stepping up and I am sure that you will be future leaders of the Scarborough community.

Scarborough Primary School is the third smallest primary school in WA by land size. Although it is small in size, it is big in heart and it plays a large role in strengthening our community, as do all of our schools. I am proud, as part of the McGowan Labor government, to have been able to deliver a $7.9 million commitment to upgrade Scarborough Primary School to provide extra classrooms for the school.

This upgrade will accommodate the growing number of students and give them back play space that is currently being taken up by transportable buildings. Being the third-smallest primary school in the state, this play space is vital in the children’s physical and mental development. Physical activity and a sense of belonging to your community is incredibly important to the well-being of children and adults alike.

I know firsthand how fulfilling this can be, from being a member of Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club and protecting my community on the beach as a surf lifesaver. As Scarborough’s new local member and an active community member, I aim to support all clubs to the best of my ability, to increase participation and integration with the wider community and with each other.

By supporting each other, we can be stronger together as a community. One threat that Scarborough as a coastal electorate faces is from rising sea levels that are resulting from climate change.

It is with great pride that I stand here as part of a government that has been taking the threat of climate change seriously. With the appointment of the state’s first-ever Minister for Climate Action and Minister for Hydrogen Industry, I am confident in our state’s ability to create sustainable solutions, as well as new local green jobs in hydrogen, carbon farming, green manufacturing, and waste and recycling.

I look forward to working as a part of the McGowan Labor government to continue the efforts that will protect the future of our state and Scarborough from the threat of climate change. As the youngest member of this Parliament, it is my generation that will have to face the harshest effects of climate change.

Diversity is strength, and it fills me with pride to be standing here and looking out across at my 52 Labor colleagues, especially with an almost 50 per cent representation of women. It is an encouraging sign that our Parliament will lead the way forward towards a fairer and more equitable society for everyone—one that better reflects the Western Australian community.

With the retirement of fellow tradesmen MPs Mick Murray and Fran Logan, I take up the mantle as the only tradesman in this Parliament. I am eager to share my experiences as a tradie, a sparky, a fly-in fly-out worker, a surf lifesaver and the youngest member of this house.

One question I often get asked is: What is someone like you doing in politics? The answer is too long to explain in a taxi, at the pub or on the doorstep, so I will share it here today. I was sitting at Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse after completing a five-day hike of the Cape to Cape Walk Track when I received a phone call from Ellie Whiteaker, Assistant State Secretary of the WA Labor Party, who asked whether I would put up my hand for preselection for Scarborough. I was a little bit surprised myself, but once I had overcome the initial shock, I saw an opportunity to really step up for my community and, to me, that is everything.

I have been guided through my whole life by a quote by Albert Pine — What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. I have held the belief from a young age that my purpose in life should be to work for others, to lift up those around me, and to serve my community, my state and my country. I want you to imagine that it is 45 degrees, with 100 per cent humidity and no cloud cover, and you are surrounded by red dirt and loud machinery, and standing on top of a stacker.

For those who do not know what a stacker is, it is a large machine that stands about 50 metres tall that stacks ore into a stockpile before it is loaded onto the ships. I was standing there at the age of 21, looking out over the Dampier Peninsula and the Indian Ocean, thinking to myself that I was absolutely miserable. I love my trade and I am very good at it, but it is not my passion. I had a very long, hard look at myself that day and I realised that I was off course. I had lost my way. I was sacrificing my body and my mind in the pursuit of money, and, for me, it has never been about money; it has been about purpose and service. From that day, things changed.

Twenty-one turned out to be a big year for me. I completed my electrical apprenticeship and became a qualified sparky. I began my first FIFO job, I moved out of home, I came out to my friends and family, and I joined the Australian Labor Party.

My parents guided me through life and gave me the tools to succeed, but they never forced their beliefs on me when it came to religion or politics. I joined the WA Labor Party because of my values—values that the Labor Party shares and that my parents instilled in me to guide me through life to be a good person.

Those values continue to guide me to this day—compassion, fairness, equality, integrity and a mission to work hard for the greater good of all. When I joined the Labor Party, I was looking for a way to fulfil that purpose—to find my way again. I vividly remember walking into my first branch meeting, lost and unsure. On that day I met someone who confirmed everything that I was hoping for. From there, I knew I belonged. He was the beacon that showed me that I was on the right path, that the Labor Party is the party that works for a better future for all.

That man, that beacon, is sitting in this house and has been for some time. That man is none other than Minister Templeman. I am grateful to Minister Templeman for being kind and genuine towards an impressionable young man who was finding his way in the world. I hope to live up to being the same calibre of local member as Minister Templeman—to be that beacon that shines brightly for the people of Scarborough and who can show people that there is a better future for all under a Labor government. But I will leave the singing to him!

After that meeting, I continued to transition towards politics, hitting the campaign trail, going back to school and getting into university, all the while continuing to work FIFO in the mining industry. Mining is ingrained in my family’s history as it is in our state’s history. My grandfather on my mum’s side, affectionately known as Gung Gung, was the first baby born at Blackrange mining town. He was one of the first to work at Hamersley Iron’s East Intercourse Island project before the township of Dampier was even founded. Over 50 years later, I would follow in his footsteps.

As I ventured up north in 2012 for my first mining role, I worked at East Intercourse Island as a fixed plant maintenance electrician. My grandfather on my dad’s side, Walter, was a coalmine worker in Wales, and my father, when he immigrated to Australia, laid railway tracks in the Kimberley, before he settled down as an educator to raise and support our family. I have no living memory of my grandfathers. They both died when I was very young, but I am proud to have followed in their footsteps and, knowing they were both staunch Labor supporters, I know that they would have been proud to see their grandson standing here as a Labor member of Parliament.

Times were incredibly tough for my grandparents and parents in the mining industry. We have made considerable strides to improve the lives and conditions of the mining workforce, their families left at home and the mining communities. But we still have a way to go.

Mental health is an issue that I continually faced during my seven years in the mining industry, not just as a sparky, but as a supervisor, an enterprise bargaining agreement negotiator, an elected safety and health representative, and a mines rescue and emergency response team member. During that time, I not only supported my colleagues in their struggle with mental health, but also fought my own battles. As a result, I fought and succeeded in bringing about changes that improved the lives and mental health of my colleagues and friends in a small way.

Only those who have experienced working FIFO or who have family working FIFO can understand the conditions we withstand—the gruelling heat; the social isolation from friends and family; and the long hours, long swings, shiftwork, high-risk tasks and much more. We duked it out shift by shift, sacrificing our well-being while trying to build a better future for ourselves and our families.

In those arduous times, we looked to each other for support and we leant on each other. The gleaming light that shone through it all was the camaraderie and larrikinism, and the strength and resilience to overcome great challenges through grit and hard work. The bonds we shared and the challenges that we overcame speak to what it is to be Australian.

I am proud to be standing here as part of a government that delivered the code of practice for mentally healthy workplaces for fly-in fly-out workers in the resources and construction sectors. I was on the ground representing over 50 colleagues as a safety and health representative when the code was released. It acknowledges the issues and gives a clear framework on how to take practical steps to improve mental health and culture in the mining workforce.

I hope that during my time in this place, I can assist in furthering that work and increasing the uptake of those measures across the industry to prevent any further suicides of any more of my friends and colleagues. I have big shoes to fill now, being the only tradesman in this house, but, as most tradies know, it is hard work that wins the day. I know that I am up to the task.

Winning the seat of Scarborough at the election was no easy task. When I was first preselected as the candidate, I had the honour to be out with the Premier on a walk around the Scarborough foreshore—an experience to say the least. The Premier was rushed upon by adoring members of the public wanting selfies and expressing their gratitude, and was being cheered on by people in passing cars.

I was mistaken for both a contestant on The Bachelor and one of the Premier’s bodyguards. In a brief, quiet moment, I asked the Premier for his advice on how best to tackle the monumental challenge in front of me. Among other advice, the Premier said something that struck a chord: “Leave no stone unturned.”

The Scarborough campaign worked incredibly hard to ensure that Scarborough knew it had a clear alternative this election. With over 10,000 doors knocked on, 5,000 phone calls made, and every booth staffed, we delivered the largest grassroots campaign Scarborough has ever seen by a Labor candidate. We left no stone unturned.

Words will never match my gratitude to my team for their hard work throughout the campaign. To Martin Pritchard, your wisdom and counsel as my campaign director kept me grounded, at times much more than I wanted to be, but certainly needed to be. To Emma Collyer, my campaign manager, your commitment, hard work and patience drove me to work harder than I ever thought possible. To Donna Leckie, your vibrancy and energy lifted me up when I needed it most.

Everyone falls down occasionally, and during an eight-month campaign when you are working both full-time and campaigning, it was definitely not uncommon for me to fall down. To both of these incredible women, thank you for being there to remind me what I was fighting for and being my support.

To my field team, Lucy, Ally, Ben, Ryan and Giacomo, I feel like field campaigning is often neglected as it is seen as the unglamorous side of politics for some, but it is the most important. Talking to the community at the doors and on the phones is truly the best way to not only show them who is listening, but also actually understand the mindset and the issues of the electorate.

Thank you for your hard work, standing alongside me and helping me reach out to my community. Thank you to all of my volunteers who stood on pre-poll, handed out on election day, letterboxed, doorknocked, or called. This win could not have been achieved without you. Thanks to the Telfer boys who always had my back, even when you had to listen to me talk about politics all day like a broken record.

To my surf club friends, your hard work and support gave me the energy to push further, knowing I had my surf club family by my side. To my incredible family who have supported me from near and far, I would not be standing up here without you.

My whole life I have been supported by strong women, so I would like to make a special mention of my mother, Christine, my sister, Rhian, and my nana, Jean. When I was asked to run, the first person I spoke to was my mum, and, as always, she told me to strive, because she remembered that 14-year-old boy who once came up to her and asked her why she supported Labor. That was because Labor fights for the greater good and a fairer future for all. By standing for Labor I could help in that fight. Mum, Rhian, nana, your support means the world to me and I owe you everything, I love you.

Thank you to the union support, especially from my own trade union, the Electrical Trades Union. Us sparkies know how to work hard to get the job done and support each other in doing so. To Tim Picton, State Secretary, Ellie Whiteaker, Assistant State Secretary, and to all of the WA Labor Party office, I would like to thank you for monumental efforts in supporting me and the Scarborough campaign, and I would also like to congratulate you on a job bloody well done.

To my party mentors, Hon Klara Andric, now member for South Metropolitan, you have always seen potential in me that I commonly failed to see in myself. Thank you for pushing me to meet my potential and congratulations on your election to the Legislative Council of Western Australia. You are more than deserving.

Jann McFarlane, former federal member for Stirling, your mentorship and advice during the campaign and to this day have been invaluable. It is no surprise to me that it will be a steep learning curve going from electrician to parliamentarian, but I have confidence knowing that I am part of this state’s strongest and largest ever Labor caucus and I have all of your support.

To team Scarborough, Lucy Morrison, Shannon Griffiths and Sophie Kerr, you have been by my side working hard throughout the campaign, and I am extremely grateful to have you stay by my side as part of team Scarborough going forward. I cannot be everywhere at once and each of you are an extension of me. I have complete faith that you will represent me well and take special care of the Scarborough electorate when I am elsewhere serving the community.

Last, but not least, to the Premier, Mark McGowan, your effort throughout the campaign whilst managing a global pandemic and the most successful government in recent history was nothing short of inspiring. Thank you for leading by example, working hard for the people of Western Australia and supporting us during the campaign. I look forward to following your example and doing the same as the first Labor member for Scarborough in over 30 years, which makes me the first Labor member for Scarborough in my lifetime!