Tears and gratitude as giant-slayers lead maiden speeches

Leader-slayer Ali France has wiped away tears as she paid tribute to her son, who urged her to run before he lost his battle with cancer, as she leads new Labor MPs in giving their first speeches.

Rhiannon Down

Anthony Albanese with Ali France after she delivered her maiden speech in the House of Representatives. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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6 hours ago

Labor hero Ali France has wiped away tears as she paid tribute to her son, who urged her to run before he lost his battle with cancer, as she led new government MPs in giving their first speeches.

In her maiden address to parliament since she vanquished ex-Liberal leader Peter Dutton in the southeast Queensland seat of Dickson, Ms France described her seven-year journey “as a single mum, with one leg, battling one of the most prolific politicians of our time” to become the first MP to unseat an opposition leader.

She was followed by Melbourne MP Sarah Witty, who unseated former Greens leader Adam Bandt in another upset defeat, in delivering her maiden speech on Tuesday night.

Ms France said her unlikely victory in Dickson was the culmination of “hundreds of little steps” rather than the execution of a master plan, with her son Henry encouraging her to recontest the seat for a third time.

Ms France signs the affirmation of allegiance in the House of Representatives on Tuesday in Canberra. Picture: Getty Images

Ms France wiped away tears as she spoke about Henry, who died from leukaemia in February last year at age 18, describing how he told her not to use his battle with cancer as an “excuse” not to run.

“The week before, he was able to come home for a couple of nights,” Ms France said.

“He asked to sleep in my bed, next to his mum, like he did for years when he was little. I watched him breath all night, in awe of him, his courage and his ability to smile every day despite unbelievable pain and the never-ending hospital stays and treatment.”

Sarah Witty delivers her maiden speech. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

She said the “mother of all unconscious bias and discrimination” came for her after she was pinned by an out-of-control car and had to have her leg amputated. “Landing a job was incredibly difficult for me,” she said. “People only saw disability. It’s like I was born the day of my accident. No one cared what was on my CV.”

Ms France thanked Anthony Albanese and former Queensland premier Steven Miles – who was watching from the gallery – for their “unwavering” support to run in Dickson for a third time. She paid tribute to the influence of her father, former Labor Queensland tourism minister Peter Lawlor, for imparting a commitment to Labor values in her from a young age.

Ms Witty fought back tears as she described her experience of several pregnancy losses that led her to become a “mother to all children” through foster care.

“I remember one day after a devastating loss, my mum gently said to me: ‘Maybe you’re meant to be a mum for all children,’ ” she said. “At the time, her words hit a wall. I was too shattered to hear them or to let them in.

“The ache was too fresh, too sharp, but her words stayed with me, and slowly, 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.”

Ms Witty spoke about her commitment to combating homelessness as the “harshest symptom” of a societal failure and her belief that climate change should be treated as the “defining issue of our time”.

She also spoke about her love for her electorate, declaring that Melbourne’s inner suburbs cannot “become a playground for the wealthy, a place where only the privileged can afford to live”.