Latest news with #Ali France
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Ali France, who unseated Peter Dutton, delivers emotional first speech to parliament
Newly-elected Labor MPs Ali France and Sarah Witty delivered their first speeches to the House of Representatives on Tuesday night. Ali France, the MP who unseated Peter Dutton at the May election, paid tribute to her late son in an emotional maiden speech. France stunned political pundits when she beat Dutton, making him the first federal opposition leader to lose his own seat. 'He was convinced I would win' France spoke of the painful loss of her 19-year-old son Henry, who died from leukaemia in February 2024 after an 18-month battle. She said her late son was the driving force of her campaign. "He told me many times, that this election was my time," she said in the speech. "He was convinced I would win and said a number of times, 'don't make me the excuse for you not doing important things'. "His words, his courage, were with me every day of the campaign. Henry was instrumental in getting me to this place." France told the House of Representatives her journey to becoming an MP was not "a lifelong dream. Rather, it was hundreds of little steps." The single mother of two recalled the day she and her other son were hit by a car in 2011, in which she lost her leg, as a day she "was supposed to die". She was taking her youngest son Zac, then four years old, to an appointment at a Brisbane shopping centre when an out-of-control car came veering towards them. Her left leg was crushed from her thigh down as she was pinned against another vehicle. Martin Wullschleger, the trauma surgeon whose split-second decision to amputate saved France's life, was in the gallery to hear her maiden speech. Six surgeries in four years, PTSD and severe pain left France at the lowest point in her life. The refugee and surgeon also watched on from the gallery. 'People only saw disability' France described being pretty angry by the time she joined Labor in 2016. "Landing a job was incredibly difficult for me. People only saw disability," she said. She said her "epic journey" to sitting in federal parliament was not part of any grand plan, but rather the result of hundreds of little steps. France contested the seat of Dickson twice before defeating Dutton in the 2025 election. 'Our moment to fix the system' Experienced foster carer Sarah Witty beat former Greens leader Adam Bandt in the May election, and took the seat of Melbourne back to Labor for the first time in 15 years. It was one of the biggest upsets of the election and while she never expected to win, from her first day on the campaign trail, her appetite for change was clear. In her maiden speech, Witty thanked former Greens leader Adam Bandt, whom she unseated in the electorate of Melbourne. Labor member for Melbourne Sarah Witty delivered her first speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas The Richmond local also paid tribute to the city she now represents. "We are the home of the eight-hour working day and the union movement. The Victorian Trades Hall, the oldest continuously operating trades hall in the world, stands proudly in my electorate." Witty said Medicare, childcare and housing are at the top of her priorities for her constituents. "Homelessness is the harshest symptom of this failure," she said. "Safe houses are all that's needed… Without that foundation, everything else — health, work, education becomes so much harder. This is our moment to fix the system." She told the chamber that representing Melbourne is "not just an honour. It's a calling". "I bring with me the voices of renters demanding Justice, of people demanding climate action, of communities demanding to be heard, not managed." Witty and France were the first people elected at the May poll to give their maiden speech in the 48th parliament, with other first-term MPs to deliver their remarks in coming days. With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Chalmers, Ley in tears as France pays tribute to late son in first parliamentary speech
Federal politicians from across the aisle have been brought to tears as new Labor MP Ali France delivered an emotional first speech, where she paid tribute to her late teenage son as being "instrumental" to her success in defeating then-Liberal leader Peter Dutton. Among those wiping away tears on the floor of parliament on Tuesday night were Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, as well as Ms France herself as she reflected on some of her final moments with her 19-year-old son Henry, who passed away from leukaemia in February 2024. But her speech was also filled with pride, as she addressed the "epic journey" to becoming the first person in Australian history to unseat an opposition leader. "Winning Dickson was highly unlikely, and to some, an insurmountable mountain," she said. "It took seven years to climb, as a single mum, with one leg, battling one of the most prolific politicians of our time." But her journey to Canberra was not sad nor happy, but "human," she said, as she promised her life experience would shape her contribution to public life. When Ms France won the Brisbane seat, she was still grieving Henry's death, just over a year earlier. "The week before [he passed], he was able to come home for a couple of nights," she said. As he slept beside her, she was in awe of his courage and continual smile, despite "unbelievable pain and the never-ending hospital stays and treatments." "I am so, so grateful for those hours," she said, wiping away tears. "He told me many times that this election was my time. "He was convinced I would win and said a number of times, 'don't make me the excuse for you not doing important things.' "His words, his courage were with me every day of the campaign. "Henry was instrumental in getting me to this place." Ms France also spoke about building resilience, re-learning how to walk after one of her legs was crushed by a car in 2011. The doctors who saved her life and helped her walk again were among the list of people she thanked in her first speech, as they watched on from the gallery above. Also in attendance was her former boss and Queensland Labor leader, Steven Miles, whom she thanked for his support, alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and others. She attributed succeeding — and putting an end to Mr Dutton's more than 20-year political career — to "a lifetime of small acts of kindness and support from so many good people." "Kindness, a helping hand, opportunity, and open doors have got me here, and that's what I will be giving to the people of Dickson," she said. Also delivering her first speech on the opening day of parliament was the new member for Melbourne, Labor's Sarah Witty, who unseated former Greens leader Adam Bandt. Alongside her passion for Melbourne, she spoke about pregnancy loss and becoming a foster parent. "Over 10-plus years, we endured heartache after heartache, pregnancy after pregnancy, ending in loss," she told the House of Representatives. "I remember one day, after a devastating loss, my mum gently said to me, 'maybe you were meant to be a mum for all children?'" At the time, she was too shattered to hear those words, but they stuck. "As the fog of grief lifted, I opened my heart and myself to a new path — I stepped into the world of foster care, not out of ease, but out of a deep need to turn my pain into something positive." The cohort of new MPs will continue to deliver their first speeches, with Wednesday also marking the first Question Time of the new parliament.
