Vietnam Veterans’ Remembrance Day and the 45th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan is a timely moment to consider the ongoing costs of war, according to Greens Veterans’ Affairs spokesperson Penny Wright.

“As a society we send people off to serve on our behalf.  We must then ensure that we look after them properly when they return,” Senator Wright said.

Greens Senator Penny Wright this evening made her inaugural speech, setting out her vision for a “kinder, fairer” Australia that addresses “the growing gulf between those who are doing well and those who are not”.

“I want to see an inclusive Australia – where all people can participate fully and achieve their best,” she said.

“Services such as good quality public transport, housing, health and education allow everyone to share the benefits of living in a community and having their basic needs met.

E&OE

Thank you Mr President.

It is a tremendous honour to stand here as a Senator for my state of South Australia.  And I am also very proud to be representing the Australian Greens.  As Greens, we are guided in all we do by four clear principles -  social justice,  environmental sustainability,  peace, and participatory democracy. 

First, I would like to acknowledge that we are standing on the lands of the Ngunnawal people and I pay my respects to their elders and their peoples.   Indeed, everywhere we stand in Australia we are standing on Aboriginal lands.  Those of us who came later are privileged to share this ancient continent with the original Australians.   It is just that we acknowledge their rightful place - their prior occupation over 60,000 years and their sovereignty - in the Constitution -  and in our everyday lives. 

New Greens Senator for South Australia Penny Wright will deliver her first speech in the Australian Parliament tomorrow evening.

In the speech Senator Wright will lament a society of “have-lots” and “have-littles”, describing the need to value “each person fully, irrespective of their income or status, dismantling barriers and creating conditions that enable people to participate fully in the life of the community”.

“Universal quality public education is crucial for a fair and thriving society and I have witnessed the increasing fracturing of schooling and the exodus of parents from the public system with regret,” Senator Wright says.

A recent survey showed that Firefighting is the second most respected profession in Australia.  And that’s not surprising: every day, all around Australia, firefighters put their personal safety at risk to save lives, preserve property and serve the community. The immediate risks firefighters face are pretty obvious but, sadly, it’s the less-obvious, longer term risks that are even more lethal. What most of us don’t know – and I’ve been learning quickly – is that that firefighters are much more likely to die of cancer than burns.

National Homeless Persons’ Week has just finished.  It comes around once a year.  Sadly, homelessness itself is a more persistent phenomenon; it’s with us every day, it sticks around.  Despite attention from governments and huge efforts from the community sector it’s hard to budge.

Having a week dedicated to awareness of homelessness is a good thing.  It stimulates discussion about the seemingly intractable nature of the problem and challenges us to think about whether (and how) we can overcome it.  We know the answer to this question must be “yes” because the alternative is unthinkable.  The stories and experiences we hear about during the week confirm this.

Greens Social Inclusion spokesperson Penny Wright will join thousands of walkers expected to turn out at the Hutt St Centre’s ‘Walk a Mile in My Boots’ event tomorrow (Friday) morning.
 

“Homeless Persons’ Week is a timely moment to think of those who sleep rough in parks, cars and shelters as well as those without long-term housing,” Senator Wright said.
 

“It’s important to remember that homeless people do not choose their circumstances.