Maiden Speech
Maria Kovacic

Senator KOVACIC (New South Wales) (17:01): I stand before you to deliver my maiden speech as a senator. I'm humbled and honoured to have been entrusted with this responsibility, and I'm committed to serving the interests of New South Wales and Australia with dedication and integrity. I have the deepest gratitude to the New South Wales Liberal Party and our members for this opportunity, to those who have supported me and placed their faith in my ability to be a voice for change. This is a unique opportunity to serve my country, and I do not intend to waste it.

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I remain acutely aware that my arrival in this place has come in the shadow of sadness, as I fill the vacancy that was left by the late senator Jim Molan. Senator Molan left an indelible mark, both through his contributions on the floor of this chamber and in his life of service. Jim was a distinguished soldier and military commander, an honourable senator and a tireless advocate for a stronger and more secure Australia. His legacy is an example to us all.

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Australia has long been a nation of opportunity, and these opportunities have blessed my family. I am the daughter of Croatian migrants. In his early 20s my dad left his home in the small village of Turcinovici in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a refugee of the Cold War, forced to flee because a Communist government took away the freedoms and rights that we too often take for granted in Australia—the right to speak freely, the freedom to worship the god of your choice and the right to earn a living through your own endeavours.

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He arrived at the Bonegilla migrant camp in Victoria to an unknown country, an unknown people and an unknown language. But, buoyed by this new land of opportunity, he rolled up his sleeves and he got to work. He picked fruit in Mildura, cut cane in North Queensland, mined opals in Lightning Ridge, laboured on the Snowy scheme and, as I discovered only a few years ago, worked in the asbestos mines in Wittenoom. He did what he needed to make a living, without fanfare or victimhood.

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After he settled in Canberra he met my mother, Luca, whose story is a different kind of brave. She grew up in the small town of Misi, near Livno, some 100 kilometres from my father's home town. Her own father died during the Second World War, leaving her young mother with four small children. Their uncle took them in, but they all had to work to earn their keep. My mother had only two years of education. Being both female and poor, education was a luxury preserved for her only brother.

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My mother's daily job was to tend sheep, and she had many lively tales of battling antagonists, such as a story about a two-headed snake, which she tells us she felled with a rock to protect her flock! As we laughed, she insisted it was a true story—you will have to ask her later. Her determination and sharp intellect defy her lack of formal education, and she laid the foundations for the person that I am today.

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For my parents to make that choice to leave their home to move to the other side of the world was an act of extraordinary courage and confidence to seek a new life and opportunity. And for Australia to welcome my parents and the hundreds of thousands like them was the act of a country with extraordinary courage and confidence—to give a new life and opportunity. My brother, Mirko, and I were fortunate to be born here in Ngunnawal country and to be part of Australia's multicultural history.

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With a deep respect and regard for our Croatian roots, we are first and foremost proud and grateful Australians. I acknowledge my beautiful parents: my mother, Luca, in the gallery today, and also my father, Ivan, who is unable to be here due to his ill health. Hvala Tata i Mama. I acknowledge also my mother's sister, my much-loved Tetka Zorka, and my beautiful mother-in-law Barbara, both kind and resilient women.

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Our parents taught us to think about the future and not to simply accept things the way that they are: to seize opportunities, to be change-makers and to fight for things that matter. This is my family history, my story and the fabric of who I am. It is special to me, but it is not unique. It is a migrant story, one that I share with millions of Australians. Together, these stories are a part of Australia's history, sitting alongside the experience of our Indigenous First Peoples, with over 65,000 years of culture and custodianship of this land, and our British heritage and its institutions which we have inherited. This is the story of Australia: a tale of courage, hope and opportunity.

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I was born in Queanbeyan and grew up in Canberra. During my teens, every Sunday we drove to church and I watched as something very special rose into existence. It captured my attention and awe, and it really felt special. It was the evolution of this building, our Parliament House, that rose before me between 1980 and 1987. That girl on her way to church might have dreamt, but never would have believed, that she would one day be a part of the decisions that were being made here. And in making those decisions, I will be guided by principles of liberalism.

I'm proud to be a progressive liberal. At the heart of that liberalism is a belief in the inalienable rights of the individual's personal and economic freedoms. I believe in the freedom of speech, religion and association.

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I believe in universal access to education and each person's right to seek work and to start their own business. That makes free markets and competition, and that's simply an expression of free people—that we must have the freedom to choose the way we live our own lives without fear of discrimination or exploitation; that every person must be treated equally before the law, irrespective of their gender, their culture, their religion, their sexuality, their wealth or their privilege. These rights are inalienable, not because a government or a politician says they are but because they are an essential part of our humanity.

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It is the protection of these rights that must be the central concern of good governance. I say to my new colleagues that we must be vigilant against threats to Australian liberalism from both right-wing populism and left-wing preoccupations with an equality of outcomes. Modern challenges are changing the role of government: national security threats, climate change, unbridled big tech, inflation and economic uncertainty all require government action because it is only as a collective that we can address these problems.

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At the same time, the challenges Australians face in their day-to-day lives demand a government that is focused on policies which empower the individual and the family by extending and enlarging opportunities. 'Opportunity' means giving people real control over their own lives, by shifting power from Canberra to the individual. This means reducing the size of government and sharpening its focus on the root causes of disadvantage and inequality. It means policies which are focused on people, not on protecting vested interests. I am here to set an agenda of opportunity—opportunity that helps Australians achieve their own goals. Opportunity comes in many forms, but I believe its foundations lie in key pillars that are crucial for building our nation's future: home ownership, small business and women's economic participation.

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I spent the better part of the last two decades working with people to help them buy their own homes, to realise the great Australian dream. This was my world before politics. I've seen firsthand how difficult it is for young Australians to buy their first home. Simply working hard does not appear to be enough anymore. Average property prices as a multiple of wages have more than doubled over the last 30 years. The task of saving for a deposit is even more challenging when rents are also on the rise. As a consequence, if you are under 40 you are less likely to own a home today than at any other time in the modern era. This has a financial and a human impact.

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Australians want the security and comfort that come with home ownership. The issue of housing strikes at the very heart of our community's wellbeing and stability. The boom in house prices is driving wealth inequality between property owners and renters and exacerbating intergenerational inequity between young and old. Those who are not part of the very wealthy struggle to break into the market and have to live further away from their childhood homes, their jobs and established community links. I want Australians to be able to own a home. I do not believe that expansions in government-owned public housing will ever be enough to be a serious solution to this crisis. Moreover, government housing will not give people the stability and security that come with having a home to call your own.

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It is our duty as leaders to explore innovative policy solutions that balance the aspirations of the next generation with the realities of our housing market. We must allow Australians the choice to unlock and access their own money to buy their own homes. It is an uncontested fact that owning your own home in retirement—not your super balance, but owning your own home—is the single most important factor to ensure living with security and dignity. Yet we cannot access some of our own savings to actually buy our own homes.

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This is particularly the case for women over 55—the fastest-growing cohort of homeless in our country. A woman over 55 in crisis, or any person in crisis for that matter, can access their super for emergency expenses but not for a deposit to buy their own home. How does that make any sense at all? You can spend it, but you can't invest it in an asset that will bring you security. It is a counterintuitive government policy which hinders the individual and economic empowerment of Australians, especially women.

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The federal government must do more to ensure the supply of homes is increased. The key is to incentivise state and local governments that are prepared to take on more housing, by offering funding for transport, better infrastructure and protection of existing open spaces. We should not be afraid to consider tax changes, whether they be capping the number of properties that can be negatively geared, working with the states to replace stamp duty or, at a minimum, correcting decades of bracket creep. A serious plan by this parliament has to deal with the housing crisis and would go a long way to restoring the electorate's faith in political leadership solving big problems and delivering reform.

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I believe that economic freedoms are just as important as personal freedoms and that the opportunity to start your own business should be encouraged. Founding and running my own financial services business was one of the most rewarding things that I have done, but my business began in difficult circumstances. While I was blessed to have three children by the time I was 25, life has many twists and turns, and a few years later I found myself a single mother burdened with substantial debts. Soon after that, I received an eviction notice for the house I was living in with my children. I was alone, had no money and was soon to have no roof over my and my children's heads. It was a turning point in my life. As I sat on our front steps of that rental home clutching that notice I wept, but I promised myself and my children that I would never find myself in that situation again.

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Like my parents before me, I seized an opportunity in the most difficult of times. I worked hard. I worked long hours and on weekends, writing mortgages and small business loans all over Western Sydney, and I built a future for myself and my children. That is the transformative opportunity that small business provides.

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Small and family businesses are the backbone of Australia. They create jobs and invigorate local communities. Whether they are a company like mine or a local shop, a community pharmacy, a sole trader or a startup working on cutting-edge tech from the founder's garage, small businesses fuel economic growth, innovation and creativity. Yet these enterprises are increasingly at risk and face an array of hurdles from bureaucratic red tape to uneven market competition. As a nation, we must recognise their vital role and provide them with the necessary support not only to survive but to grow and succeed.

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While there is no silver bullet that will help small business, we must do more to ensure our markets are competitive and monopolies are broken up, regulations are streamlined, funding options are accessible and assistance is tailored, such as inclusion in government and commercial procurement. I will always advocate for a tax system that fosters entrepreneurship and rewards risk.

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Before entering this place, much of my community work has been focused on the economic empowerment of women. With my friend Amanda Rose, I cofounded Western Sydney Women. Our goal was to support all women to build financial literacy and enter the workforce, from helping identify jobs and manage money to preparing resumes and even organising clothing for job interviews—creating the foundations for a better future. Amanda's unwavering support and commitment has impacted the lives of many women, including my own.

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Understanding your financial position can be a great liberator. I've seen firsthand that a job not only gives an income to support yourself and your family but is also a chance to build a future and a meaningful career. Women's participation in the Australian economy is an imperative. The untapped potential of women in the workforce is a resource that, when harnessed, can drive our nation's prosperity. We must address systemic barriers, from the exorbitant costs of child care and the lack of parental leave support to the gender pay gap and underrepresentation in leadership roles.

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A family should not have to do the math as to whether mum or dad—and, let's face it, it's usually mum—can afford to go back to work after a baby arrives. It is troubling that the cost of two children in child care absorbs almost the entirety of the average after-tax female income. While many women may rightfully choose to stay home, particularly in the early years, I believe this should be a choice, not a predetermined financial impost. We should explore new policy solutions like tax deductibility of childcare costs, particularly for small and family business owners, and remove red tape, which drives up costs for private operators. Good social policy can also be good economic policy—again, the remit of courageous leadership.

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I acknowledge a broader issue in our politics relating to how we speak about, and the importance we place on, issues that predominantly affect women. It is often felt that, while women were speaking up, Canberra was not listening, resulting in real frustration with politics. This is a longstanding problem that persists over multiple governments.

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There are no simple solutions here, but I am proud to be part of a wider network of women and men within my party focused on this challenge. I acknowledge the contributions of Charlotte Mortlock, Natalie Ward, Jacqui Munro, Sally Betts, Jane Buncle, Gisele Kapterian, Clare Batch, Rebecca Vonhoff and Alex Schuman for being the driving force that each of you are.

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In the world of politics, it's easy to get lost in the chaos and challenges, and in self, but I stand here today with a heart full of gratitude, knowing that I couldn't have reached this point without the support of the people who fill this gallery. I'm grateful to my friends Julian Leeser and Matt Kean, who saw me when others didn't. We are fortunate to have a person of Julian's character in our parliament. Matt is another person of conviction, a fellow Liberal fighter for the environment and women's economic empowerment. I acknowledge all of our broader local Liberal family, in particular Brian Jepsen, Andrew Jetson and Ray and Penny Becchio. I am thankful to James Wallace, Trent Zimmerman, Alex Hawke, David Begg and Andrew Bragg, all of whom provided invaluable support and guidance to me and backed me in when it mattered the most.

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To my wonderful team: how lucky am I? You are each brilliant in your own way, and I am grateful for your commitment and support. To my brother, Mirko, his beautiful family and my much-loved cousins and friends: I want to express my deepest thanks to all of you for being my steadfast allies and pillars of strength. To my husband, Glenn: well, blue team got interesting! Thank you for standing by my side and for walking with me through life's many challenges and adventures, not the least of which was embarking on this political journey. We share a beautiful blended family: Ana, Iva, Jack, Kate, Ricky, Joe and Eliza, and, of course, two beautiful grandchildren, Milo and Zoe.

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Thank you to each of you for your love, support and encouragement. But I want to say something in particular to my daughters, Ana and Iva. You are the living definition of my purpose. Without you I would not be here today, no question. Every time I thought I couldn't, you were the reason I could. When things became impossibly hard, you were the reason I continued. By your own example you each gave me the courage and the strength to keep fighting so that one day I could stand here and start fighting for others.

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To my new colleagues: I'm mindful that the respect and trust of the electorate can only be achieved if we work together to earn it by making policy that creates opportunity for all Australians—that opens up each person's own pathways to prosperity and security. It is not only our role, Madam President, but our responsibility—our duty—to make this happen.

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I conclude with the words of one of the first women to sit in this parliament, the great Liberal Dame Enid Lyons, who has captured a sentiment that strikes me as I begin this journey:

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I hope that I shall never forget that everything that takes place in this chamber goes out somewhere to strike a human heart, to influence the life of some fellow being, and I believe this, too, with all my heart that the duty of every government, whether in this country or any other, is to see that no man, because of the condition of his life, shall ever need lose his vision of the city of God.

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Thank you.

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