Macalister MP Melissa McMahon gives maiden speech in Parliament

Working families, the Defence Force and emergency service personnel were acknowledged when Macalister MP Melissa McMahon gave her maiden speech in state Parliament last week.

New Macalister MP Melissa McMahon made her maiden speech last week.

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Working families, the Defence Force and emergency service personnel were acknowledged when Macalister MP Melissa McMahon gave her maiden speech in state Parliament last week.

Mrs McMahon, who lives in Cornubia, told the House she ran for the newly-created seat of Macalister after her mother, father and husband were made redundant when the Newman government axed thousands of frontline service jobs in 2013.

MP Melissa McMahon gives her maiden speech in Parliament.

“It was the sacking of over 14,000 Queenslanders in 2013 that compelled me to join the Labor Party.”

She also spoke of giving birth three months prematurely to her son and of life growing up in a working-class family which moved depending on housing commission homes.

She said her leadership qualities came from her time in the Army, which she joined when she was 18.

Mrs McMahon said the seat had the Beenleigh Rum Distillery, Teys Meat works and the Beenleigh Historical society.