News / Transport
Read bows out with message of hope
Brunswick MP delivers farewell speech in Parliament
Mark Phillips
Leave a comment
Brunswick MP Tim Read gave his valedictory speech to Parliament on Wednesday night which lamented growing inequality and the decline of public trust in governments and institutions, but also expressed hope for the future.
Read is retiring from Parliament after being diagnosed late last year with cancer, for which he is continuing to receive treatment. He was elected in 2018, becoming the first Greens member to hold the seat.
Speaking to a packed chamber and public gallery, which included members of his family and former Greens leader Samantha Ratnam, Read urged his colleagues to “put smiles on faces”.
“Despite the theatrics most of us are here for the right reasons,” he said.
“We all want good outcomes for Victorians. We disagree on a lot, but few are here for mercenary reasons. Politicians are unfairly maligned.
“For me politics is the work you do, to improve people’s circumstances, not just now, but in the future. Politics is hope in motion.”
Read said trust in politics could be partly restored by strengthening democratic institutions, including a more powerful anti-corruption commission, banning political donations from property developers and electoral reform.
He criticised the scapegoating of immigrant communities and expressed a desire for more people of colour in Parliament.
He called for an accelerating the switch towards renewable energy sources and for rental caps to address growing intergenerational equality.
At the conclusion of his 13-minute speech, Read received a standing ovation and was congratulated by most members of the Legislative Assembly, including new Premier Ben Carroll.
Merri-bek Councillor Adam Pulford – who was watching from the public gallery, has been pre-selected as the Greens’ candidate for Brunswick at the state election on November 28, while Labor has chosen political staffer Gabe Steger.
Transport forum in Coburg North
Voters will have their first chance to hear from candidates for the seat of Pascoe Vale at a public forum next week.
The debate has been organised by the Metropolitan Transport Forum and Merri-bek Council next Wednesday night.
The MTF, which is an advocacy group whose members include local government, transport companies and environmental organisations, has decided to shift its focus from Brunswick to Pascoe Vale for this election.
Pascoe Vale includes parts of Brunswick West along with Coburg and Coburg North and is held by Labor’s Anthony Cianflone with a slender margin of 2% over the Greens, making it the current government’s fifth most vulnerable seat.
As in 2022, Cianflone is facing off against former Merri-bek Mayor Angelica Panopoulos for the Greens.
Both Cianflone and Panopoulos have confirmed their attendance at next week’s forum, as has Victorian Socialists’ Yasemin Shamsili.
Among the issues on the agenda are duplicating, upgrading and extending the Upfield railway line; accessible tram stops on Sydney Road; and more frequent, reliable and direct bus services in Merri-bek.
Road safety will also be discussed, including the crash hotspots of Moreland Road and Murray Road in Coburg North.
Candidates are also expected to be asked for their position on improving cycling networks in Merri-bek, where currently fewer than 2% of all trips under five kilometres are made by bike.
The 90-minute forum will be moderated by Merri-bek Mayor Nat Abboud.
It will begin at 6.30pm at the Merlynston Hall, 1 Novian Street, Coburg North.
If you liked this story, have you thought about supporting our work?
We are an independent, volunteer-run hyperlocal news organisation owned and run by the people in your community. With your support, we can continue to produce unique and valuable local journalism for Brunswick, Coburg and the inner north of Melbourne.
Latest stories:
- Read bows out with message of hope
- Brunswick family in new battle to keep the sun shining
- Injury-ravaged NOBs outclassed by flag favourites
Leave a comment
At Brunswick Voice, we welcome the comments and contributions of our readers on the issues discussed in our articles. Please keep your commentary on-topic. All comments are subject to the guidelines outlined below.
Please ensure your comments comply with these guidelines:
• Respect others
• Criticise ideas, not people
• No offensive or defamatory language
Commenters are encouraged to use their real name or a variation of their real name (e.g. first name and initial). Offensive or clearly fake screen names will not be accepted, as will those that intentionally impersonate or misrepresent others.
Comments on this article are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on. Please be aware there may be a delay in comments appearing on the site until they are approved by the moderator.
We reserve the right to refuse approval to any comments and no further discussion will be entered into if a comment is refused approval or deleted.
Our collection and use of your details are governed by our Privacy Policy and our Terms & Conditions.