We said we’d make history and we did. I am so proud to be the first Aboriginal woman in the Victorian Parliament.
It’s hard to put into words how I’m feeling right now. What a night. What a campaign. What an incredible team.
As the numbers stand right now, the Greens recorded a swing of 11%, gaining 55% of the two party-preferred vote.
Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri Land Council who gave permission for me to do business on their land, and pay my respects to their elders both past and present and to their neighbouring clans, and acknowledge that their sovereignty has never been ceded.
I’d like to congratulate and thank Clare Burns for a hard-fought race. It was a difficult contest given the untimely death of Fiona Richardson and I have so much respect for the legacy she left. My heart goes out to her family.
I also want to send my heartfelt thanks to the people of Northcote, Fairfield, Thornbury, Alphington and Preston South who have put their faith in me.
I’m so lucky to live in such a compassionate, engaged, environmentally conscious community that cares so much about building a better future for all of us.
As a kid who left school at 14, I can’t tell you what it means to take my place as a strong Aboriginal voice at the heart of our Victorian Parliament.
Tonight, and throughout this campaign, I’ve received so many messages from Aboriginal people, not just in Victoria but all over this country who are sharing this moment. You cannot under-estimate what this means to so many people.
My family and my culture made me who I am today. They are the reason I got into politics and they’re the reason I’m heading to Parliament.
I’ve fought for the environment and I’ve fought for social justice my whole life and that’s why I joined the Greens. And it’s these values that I’ll continue to uphold as your representative for Northcote.
Lastly, a huge thank you to my amazing team of volunteers who have worked day and night for months to get us to this point.
This was a true grassroots community campaign. A campaign led by locals, for locals. This is yours, we’ve done this together.
We turned Northcote Green.
