Mr KING (5:19 PM) —Mr Deputy Speaker Jenkins and my parliamentary colleagues, I am very honoured to speak in this House for the first time as the elected representative of the people of Wentworth. I congratulate you, Mr Deputy Speaker, on your election, and my Liberal and National colleagues on the election result. I commend the member for Bennelong on being elected for a third term as Prime Minister and I commend the government that he leads for the economic environment that holds our country in such good stead around the world. I also pay tribute to this parliament. We have established our parliament based on the Westminster system. For a century it has been the cornerstone of our democracy. It has directed our nation to its present status as one of the outstanding examples in the world of government by the people for the people.

The strivings of our predecessors in this place have laid for us the foundation for its second century. It is a privilege for every member, and me in particular, to have the honour of serving as one of its members and to carry out the trust given to us by the people of Australia. I also wish to pay tribute to those who have served, and continue to serve, in Australia's armed forces. But for the supreme sacrifices of our brave men and women of Australia, our nation would not have survived during its first century. Lastly, I wish to pay tribute to all people who make up our great Commonwealth. Our Aboriginal people, our immigrant forebears and our new Australians have contributed immensely to our cultural heritage. The diversity of rich cultural backgrounds has produced, and is producing, a heritage that reinforces the common bonds so vital to the enormous strength of our great nation.

My seat is named after William Charles Wentworth, the intrepid explorer who, with Blaxland and Lawson, first crossed the Blue Mountains to reveal the magnificent potential of our regions. I am used to addressing courts, but while I was out doorknocking I discovered something about Wentworth which I am sure most of my electors know. In Wentworth, the name is held in such respect that in each of the 21 suburbs making up the division there is a street or road referring to Wentworth or his family.

My presence in this House today is the result of a collective effort. I sincerely thank my electors for showing such confidence in my capacity to represent their interests. I warmly thank the party members and community supporters in Wentworth who worked tirelessly to ensure an increased majority. Our campaign team was successfully and professionally led by Councillor Sally Betts, ably assisted by Mrs Bev Martin, Mrs Rosemary Foot, Mrs Jessie Bartos, Jill Grove, the Hon. Don Harwin MLC, Peter Debnam MP, Arthur Hankin—a dear friend who now sadly lies ill in St Vincent's Hospital—Trent Zimmerman, the bush poet Michael Darby and a host of wonderful volunteers, with whom it was such a pleasure to work. I also thank the Prime Minister and the ministers who visited my electorate during the campaign, especially the retiring ministers—the Hon. Peter Reith, the Hon. John Fahey and the Hon. Michael Wooldridge. Your visit to the electorate, Prime Minister, with Mrs Howard, immediately after your return from Washington after the September 11 tragedy was a source of great inspiration to me as you were warmly and affectionately greeted by the electorate.

I especially acknowledge the presence today of the President of the New South Wales Liberal Party, Mrs Chris McDiven—who vigorously leads the organisation that it was once my privilege to lead during the premierships of the reforming Greiner and Fahey governments—and of the many friends who have made the trip from Sydney.

I also thank my devoted and inspirational family for honouring me with their presence—especially my parents, Ted and Col, and my brothers, Ross and Stephen, and their families, for driving all the way from New England. I also thank another irrepressible New Englander, the former father of this House and previous Speaker, the Rt Hon. Ian Sinclair, and his wife Rosemary and my wife's family for attending. Ian and Rosemary have made their own special contributions to our country but to me their greatest contribution will always be Fiona—my wonderful wife, equal partner and mother to our three much loved sons, Hamish, Aldy and Archie.

The seat of Wentworth shines, by water and sunlight. Its world famous beaches, from Clovelly to Bondi, and its harbour foreshores, from Watson's Bay to Darling Point, reflect the relaxed lifestyle but also strong and public-spirited local communities. Being close to the centre of Sydney, the most international of all cities as measured by the number of languages spoken, cultural diversity is Wentworth's hallmark. From the large Jewish and Russian communities to the busy Greek and Chinese communities and the vibrant gay and lesbian communities, Wentworth is a microcosm of our changing society. It has been home to me for half of my life and all of my married life. It is a wonderful place to live.

As the smallest and most densely populated seat in the nation, it has some of the problems faced by contemporary cities— crime rates that are too high, road congestion and a stressed, ageing infrastructure. But these are offset by some of the most public-spirited, caring people in the Commonwealth. Indeed, four of the five surviving former prime ministers of this country live or have lived in my electorate, including all three former ALP prime ministers. I asked some of them why they chose to live in Wentworth and what they expected of their local MP. As to the first question, they variously confirmed the attractions of a good lifestyle and a diversity of people. As to the second question, the answer was uniform: `Follow my example.'

I see my commitment this way: to do my very best to represent the proper concerns and interests of each and every one of my electors, no matter who they are and whom they voted for—Green, Labor, Liberal or Democrat. According to Malcom Mackerras, Wentworth is only one of 35 continuing federation seats. Of those, it is one of only two seats to have consistently returned a conservative candidate. I am very much indebted to each of those predecessors—some very illustrious—for their consistent contribution to our nation's welfare. I would especially mention Dr John Hewson and Caroline for their support of my campaign, and my immediate predecessor, Andrew Thomson. I wish him and Suyura well for the future.

For me it is humbling and ironic that, whereas I now represent a closely settled electorate, I was born in Bingara in the electorate of Gwydir—or New England as it is now—a sparse wheat town in northern New South Wales, where the stress of drought and disease meant that life was at times hard. But it was a life that I loved. Around the kitchen table, Mum loved to talk about politics—the new state movement and the status of the government of one of my constituents, in particular. There, too, I learned values that still matter to me—thrift, teamwork, contempt for injustice, respect for religion and family, and a love of the Australian way of life.

I see the fundamentals of contemporary liberalism as rejecting all forms of socialism but also as seeing the need to modify the excesses of the free market by adjusting its framework while not interfering in its operation. To me, liberalism is summed up by the word `equity'. In the political context it connotes the familiar liberal values of freedom, choice and independence—but superimposed with compassion, the rule of law and respect for the sanctity of human relationships, especially the family.

There are three national issues of currency about which I feel passionately. Of all the achievements of the last term, I believe that one of the most important will be our government's unwavering commitment to the war on terrorism. I feel strongly about this, and not simply because I am an officer in the Naval Reserve. Let me explain. In July of last year I was asked by Mr Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO, to lead a delegation to Auschwitz in Poland and to report to UNESCO on the management and upkeep of this significant world heritage sanctuary. What I saw there, nearly 50 years after World War II, would pain all but the hardest of hearts. It brought tears to my eyes. Today in my electorate there are still many Australians who are so physically marked by Auschwitz, Belsen and the other death camps that, as I have observed, they cannot speak of it except with such anguish that is unbearable.

My report, which was accepted by UNESCO, and the events of September 11 lead me to ask this House to commit itself to two objectives. The first of these is to do all we can to bring the Middle East conflict to a peaceful resolution so that Israelis can at last have that peaceful and secure homeland which they so earnestly desire, while recognising the legitimate expectation of Palestinians to their own homeland. The second is that we should totally back the government's stand to wipe out terrorism from the globe. This government has positioned our defence forces well for that purpose through the white paper. I would hope, however, that we will not diminish our commitment to that plan by taking from its budget to meet short-term operational needs. I was pleased to hear the Treasurer say that very thing earlier today.

The war on terrorism will be difficult to bring to a conclusion. Terrorists do not declare war under the Hague convention. As the conflict spreads, an effective coalition will come under strain. I therefore ask this House to give consideration to suggesting to our American friends and allies that the prosecution of the fight to its best advantage be not by the United States of America alone but spearheaded by a new, small coalition team, including the United States, and assisted by an agency whose tasks are to identify terrorists wherever they may be and to coordinate their pursuit. But let us not forget the broader international context, in which democracy and its values must prevail over despotism and hate and in which we will continue to help to ease the sufferings of humanity—those displaced by war and persecution, those who suffer from AIDS, especially in our region, and those we help through education and cultural programs.

Most, perhaps all, of the 22 new members feel fortunate that we enter the parliament in the third term of a government that has brought about major economic reform with good results. The facts show that Australia enjoys a growth rate of three per cent— which is likely to accelerate to the forecast four per cent by year's end—and an underlying inflation rate of between two per cent and 2.25 per cent. Significantly, these outcomes have been achieved as globalisation has gathered pace. The challenge for us now is to ensure that we take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the global economy and especially by what is sometimes called the intangible economy. If Ireland by that means can become the tiger of Europe, Australia can become the lion of Asia. Britain, for example, has responded accordingly by recently establishing its own e-ministry.

My electorate has a particularly high number of Internet users and is highly computer literate, but it is not atypical. Therefore, to give impetus and direction to the emerging opportunities, I see five key issues for government to consider and to strive towards: first, to identify the new jobs of the future; second, to develop Australia's network and capital capacity; third, to promote our capacity to the rest of the world; fourth, to work with Austrade to assist the expanding opportunities for Australian business; and, fifth, to ensure equity in access to infrastructure and opportunity throughout Australia. Let me suggest in this same context that every practice and statute that limits Australian business from exploiting global opportunities ought to be reviewed. A good example is the current review of the Trade Practices Act and the limiting definition of `market', with its tendency to restrict the expansion of some growing Australian businesses.

For the three years prior to my nomination as candidate, I had the honour of being Chair of the Australian Heritage Commission and also, in 2001, President of the World Heritage Assembly. The protection of Australia's heritage and wonderfully unique environment has always been close to my heart. We live in one of the few countries whose biodiversity is so rich that it has been given the nomenclature of `megadiverse'. Our heritage, both indigenous and post-settlement, is a source of enormous pride to all Australians. When parliament was dissolved in October, it had before it a bill to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to extend the reforms of that legislation to the identification and conservation of our natural and cultural heritage. I know from my role in the commission that this legislation is vitally important. I sincerely hope the government proceeds with the passage of the bill as a priority.

One of the great achievements of this government has been the establishment of the Natural Heritage Trust. Its structure reflects the liberal view that environmental remediation should occur in partnership with local communities and not exclusively by regulatory and bureaucratic processes as favoured by our opponents. In the country, the community remains enthusiastic about this program and its very welcome priorities for dealing with the problems of salinity, land degradation, excessive tree clearing and poor water quality. In the city, the Commonwealth has played an important supporting role to help communities and councils restore remnant bushland, improve coastal water quality and, through the government's greenhouse response, also improve air quality. I favour a continuing Commonwealth leadership role in these areas because for so many of the electors in Wentworth there is no greater concern than the future of the suburbs. I therefore commend the Governor-General in this address-in-reply on the new Natural Heritage Trust programs and greenhouse programs mentioned yesterday.

Another area where I believe the leadership role can be enhanced is in the management and protection of Sydney Harbour. Ten years ago as Mayor of Woollahra I promoted and improved the holistic management of the harbour's heritage sites. I was therefore genuinely thrilled when the Prime Minister announced the creation of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to ensure that significant Commonwealth owned land is kept in community ownership and used forever.

Currently the trust has a life of 10 years, after which the lands will be transferred to the government of New South Wales, largely for inclusion in Sydney Harbour National Park. But recent events suggest—and particularly those concerning the old quarantine station—that we need to refocus on the longer term. This harbour is part of our nation's heritage. Interest in its future lies beyond the borders of my city and state. Indeed, the potential listing of the Sydney Opera House on the World Heritage List— which I support—shows that part, if not all, of the harbour has international significance. I would therefore argue that the Commonwealth should re-evaluate whether it devolves itself fully of responsibility for the protection of sites such as those managed by the trust. To my mind there is a clear case for the federal and state governments to establish a permanent and joint authority for the management of community assets around the harbour, both those currently owned by the Commonwealth and the states. Such an outcome would recognise the legitimate interest that the Commonwealth has in the harbour and enhance its protection in the long term.

Looking back, our modern nation has prospered due to the strength of our growing economy and our preparedness to take a stand. Some would say we have defied gravity. In the first century, through sheer grit we got started; in the second, through inspiration a nation was founded; and in this, our third century, the second of Federation and the first of the new millennium, I say, `Let's really get going. Let's build the nation.'

The big challenges have often been stated: the need to revive the dry interior, to replenish our inland river system, to repair our struggling farms, to address the problems of salinity and to fill our regions. In the cities, where most of our people now live, perhaps the greatest challenge of all is to build a new infrastructure that will ensure universal access to a good quality of life: user-friendly roads, better transport systems, accessible aged care facilities and a measure of public open space and local amenity—in short, sustainable suburbs.

The opportunity is upon us, with a sound economy with an edge, strong and effective leadership—even ideas and inspiration, as the millennial observations of Mr Jeff Kennett and Mr Dick Pratt suggest—and a good start already made on some. In my electorate, I will be conducting a series of forums with all levels of government later this year to consider one possible set of options to address the lack of a sound road and transport infrastructure and the possible future for light rail. I would like to think that each of us perhaps would do what we could to ensure that in 100 years time Australians will look back with pride on a century of nation building.

I look forward to being part of a team that has led this country so successfully over the last two terms of the parliament. I have every reason to believe, and confidence, that the next term will be just as successful. I thank the House for the opportunity to make these remarks and I look forward to contributing to the business of this parliament, to the advantage of the Australian people. And in 20 years time, when my two adolescent sons and youngster reflect on the state of our country, I trust that they will be able to say that Australia enjoys a parliament whose decisions have been guided by equity, that our country is strong, that our culture is robust, that the level of prosperity of all Australians has improved and that Dad has played his part in achieving those outcomes.