Page178 - Week 01 - Thursday, 3 December 2020
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In my 20s I faltered when faced with climate change. It was too big, too confronting for me. I turned away my face, for which I am sorry. I do not plan to turn away a second time.
Like many Canberrans, I moved here to work for the public service. I made the active choice to live here, to settle down and raise a family, to serve the Australian community in a quiet, humble sort of way.
The stillbirth of our son, Connor Jack Braddock, taught me how bad things can happen to good people, providing me with a greater understanding of the tragedies, the challenges and the sadness that many carry in their hearts.
I am a carer to my wife, who has mental and physical disabilities, and I have had my own experiences with depression. I get the silent battles that happen within people’s heads. I can categorically state to you, “You are not alone.”
Becoming a father to twins not only introduced me to extreme sleep deprivation but opened my eyes to how we are mere temporary caretakers of our environs. In time, we pass on the baton of this responsibility to our children.
Finally, being a father to a child with additional needs is an enormous ongoing parenting challenge. It was also a marked lesson in humility when I realised that my then three-year-old daughter was a much better negotiator than I am.
Many in our community are doing the best they can in the circumstances in which they find themselves, with the tools they have at their disposal. I am not blind to the unscrupulous who move amongst us, but they are the few as compared to the many. In my view, it is the role of government to provide the support and the tools to enable people’s best to be better. To everyone in the community of Yerrabi, whether you are struggling or not, I say, “I am here to serve you.”
Thirty years ago, Gungahlin was a sheep paddock. Now it is home to 81,000 people. This brings great vibrancy and potential. Gungahlin is in the process of defining itself. Stories are not yet written. Gungahlin is not weighed down by traditions and expectations. We do, however, need to build our confidence in our own identity, embrace who we are, and proudly push back against those who look down on our home.
Ms Castley yesterday proudly owned the term of being a Charnwood chick. Today, I will claim being a Bonner boy. We need to be proud of our still-building suburbs, home to so many people new to Canberra, and proud of our green spaces. We need to revel in the finest playgrounds. We need to embrace the many cultures coming together and the opportunities that are found in such a setting.
I love how diverse Yerrabi is. There are 38 different nationalities represented in my children’s school. It reminds me that we, as a group of representatives, need to ensure that those in Canberra’s multicultural community have their voices effectively brought into this Assembly. I promise that I will make this a personal priority of mine.
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