While families have been struggling to balance the household budget, both Coles and Woolies made more than $1 billion in after-tax profits in the previous financial year.

Too often, we’re left questioning whether the decisions made by those in power are made for the right reasons.

The community that brought me to this parliament brought me here with a very clear mandate to ask for greater scrutiny, to shine a light into dark corners, to turn up the torch and, indeed, to turn up the heat when I see something that isn’t right.

House prices continue to grow, and the average home now costs more than 16x the average annual income.

I want to see students right across Australia, no matter their socioeconomic status, do the very best they can.

Before coming to this place, my life’s work was as a nurse, a midwife and a public health researcher.

When men and women make that decision to serve, it’s fair that their government in turn takes care of them. But, as a nation, we are not doing enough to deliver on our end of this bargain.

Quality early childhood education is transformational.

Cherie told me that “We are trapped in this constant cycle of renting and moving every year.”

This undermines public trust in Governments and in politicians who are elected to make decisions and spend taxpayer money on our behalf, in the public interest and for the common good.