I have decided not to seek a 7th term in Parliament.
Thirty years ago, I joined the Australian Workers’ Union, driven by the belief that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential.
That’s what fair wages, safe workplaces and decent conditions are all about – recognising the merit and worth and dignity of every individual.
That’s the same principle that brought me to Parliament in 2007.
A determination to stand up for the underdog, for people who don’t start out in life with the same set of advantages as others.
And something else AWU members taught me is that – in the end - all of us are only passing through.
What matters is whether we leave the place better than we found it.
That’s the challenge I’ve always been up for - and it’s why I’m proud to serve in this Government.
I genuinely consider myself one of the luckiest people in politics.
I’ve been the Member for Maribyrnong, a community I love.
I have served in portfolios I care about – bushfire reconstruction, Superannuation, Industrial Relations, Government Services and – starting my career as Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and finishing as Minister for the NDIS.
And for nearly 6 years, I had the great privilege of serving as Leader of the party and the movement that has been an irreplaceable part of my life.
None of this would have been possible without the love, patience and support of my family – and the sacrifices Chloe, Rupert, Georgette and Clementine have made for me.
Chloe has been a tower of love and strength – and shown more courage than I dreamed existed.
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I will thank others later, because today is not my valedictory – there’s plenty more work to be done.
But I do want to take this chance to offer a couple of reflections.
When I was voted Labor Leader after the 2013 election, the party was at a low ebb.
We’d been reduced to 55 seats, our worst result since 1996.
And we were up against an ascendant Abbott Government armed with a fierce ideological agenda.
The 2014 Budget was the centre of that.
An attempt to dismantle Medicare, slash funding for schools and hospitals, make it harder for people to go to university, rip-up the safety net for pensioners and young people looking for work.
As well as walk away from renewable energy, abolish ARENA, turn our back on climate action.
And if you look back to the commentary at the time, there were many who said Labor should simply roll over and support these visionary ideas.
Including some who argued it would be “smart politics” for us to let people feel the pain of these cuts.
Instead, we backed ourselves, we stood united.
We looked to Australians not just for their approval - we trusted in their instinct for fairness.
We argued on the policy - and we took responsibility for putting forward positive alternatives.
And that put the pressure back onto the other side.
Not every idea succeeded, believe me, I get that.
We did not win every battle. But we never stopped trying.
And whether it was:
- Saving Medicare
- Real action on climate change
- Marriage Equality
- Advancing First Nations representation in our ranks
- Championing wages and conditions – including 10 days’ paid family and domestic violence leave.
- Setting a target of 50 per cent women MPs by 2025
- A Banking Royal Commission
- Or tax reform
These were hard fights, worth having.
Just as the Robodebt Royal Commission, which this Prime Minister backed in Shadow Cabinet from Day One, is changing social services for the better.
Even Labor’s tax cuts – delivering for every Australian, including low and middle income earners, instead of flat rate for the top end – was a battle that started many years ago.
This is always when Labor is at our best - when we are a party of ambition and compassion.
When we use the power of politics to stand up for those who are denied power by the circumstances of their birth or the shafts of fate.
The Prime Minister gets that, it’s what drives the Government.
It’s what continues to drive me.
I can assure people with disability, their carers and those who love them – I love the NDIS. I helped create it. We have repaired it. I will always defend it. I will use every minute left in this job to secure the future of the Scheme and ensure it continues to empower with choice and control and give Australians the chance to fulfil their potential.
And the same goes for everyone who relies on Services Australia.
We still have work to do this term to ensure our citizens can access services quickly and accurately and equitably.
And that digital transformation prioritises people being able to control their personal data.
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I’ve experienced some extraordinary highs in the last 17 years.
And let’s face it, some pretty difficult lows.
But there is not a single day I would hand back.
Because – every day - I know how lucky I have been to have had the chance to serve.
Like many people in their 50s, I had started to think about what comes next.
I have a choice: to seek more terms in Parliament, or to step into a new career while I’m still relatively young enough to make that choice and can choose a career consistent with my values, ideals and experience.
Core to the future of Australia is ensuring our nation can choose its own path – that means choosing education, choosing skills and re-skilling and choosing lifelong knowledge acquisition.
That’s why I’m excited to say that, from February next year, I’ll be serving as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra.
Education is the modern means of taking someone from disadvantage to advantage in a way nothing else in society can do. Universities have a critical role here.
The hopes and dreams of Australians lift when given the opportunity to fulfil individual potential. And the hopes and dreams of a nation are lifted too.
I’m looking forward to joining a University that has been rated number one in the world for reducing inequalities, where 40 per cent of graduates are the first in their family to obtain a degree
That was my Mum’s story – to me, this is the fair go in action.
I’ve gratefully accepted the Prime Minister’s request that I remain serving in the Cabinet and continue to deliver on our first term reform agenda for the NDIS and Government Services.
And I’m thankful to be leaving Parliament while there are still people who want me to stay…
…and while I still feel have more to give: to this great country and the remarkable people who call it home.
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