Mrs GREENE (Bass) - Honourable Speaker, congratulations on your election as Speaker to this place. I rise today with pride and a deep sense of responsibility as I deliver my first speech in this place. Thank you for indulging me as I share a little about myself, why I am here and what I believe in.

I begin by acknowledging the Palawa people, the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet. I pay my respects to elders past and present, and I recognise that sovereignty was never ceded. I commit to walking alongside Aboriginal Tasmanians in the fight for truth, justice, and treaty.

To the people of Bass, thank you. You have placed your trust in me, and I intend to honour it every single day.

My story begins with family. My grandfather migrated to Tasmania in the 1950s from Segusino in Italy and worked on the Hydro Dam project at Trevallyn. He was part of the generation that quite literally helped build this state. He came here chasing opportunity, seeking something better, and worked hard to make a life. His story is one of sacrifice and quiet contribution. He was one of the thousands of migrants who left behind familiar landscapes, language, and family.

The Hydro schemes they built did not just generate electricity, they generated opportunity - powering industries, jobs, and communities for decades to come. They built the assets that belong to every Tasmanian. Migrants to this state brought with them not only their skills and their labour, but also cultures, traditions, and the values that enrich our community and make it vibrant. My grandfather's legacy, and the legacy of so many other migrants, is that our state is at its best when we welcome people, when we are inclusive, when we value their contribution, and when we commit to building a future together.

I did not grow up imagining a life in politics. I grew up in Carrick, a small country town in Meander Valley, attending Hagley Farm Primary School and then later St Patrick's College in Launceston. My first job was behind the counter at Birchalls in Launceston. Birchalls was the oldest bookshop in Tasmania, and they started trading in 1844. Birchalls closed its doors a few years ago, but I know that many people in Launceston have very fond memories of that shop, and I certainly made some lifelong friends there.

I later had the opportunity to work for Senator Helen Polley and Geoff Lyons in the federal parliament, where I learned about parliamentary process and the responsibility of serving the community. I have also worked in banking and the early childhood education and care sector. Each of these roles taught me something different, but all of them grounded me in service and community.

Like many of you in this room, before I entered this place, I had the opportunity to serve in local government, serving on West Tamar Council for the last five years and the last three as Deputy Mayor. That role taught me a lot about collaboration, accountability, and the importance of being accessible to the people that you serve. It also grounded me in the practical realities of what our communities need, how to manage a budget and how to get things done. I am very proud of my time on West Tamar Council, particularly in improving governance, in encouraging tourism to our region, and contributing to the expansion of Legana and the new Industrial Tech Hub - which we have recently seen FermenTas HQ open, which is very exciting. I am sure that that new precinct there will generate lots of jobs for northern Tasmania.

It was not until I found my place in the union movement that all these experiences came together - a place where I could fight for fairness and where I found my voice. Over the last decade, I have worked as an organiser for the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), supporting public sector workers across this state and advocating for the services that Tasmanians rely on. I am a unionist to my core and that will never change.

The Tasmanian public sector is under immense pressure at the moment, and I will be bringing their stories to this Chamber. I have seen the lengths that workers go to and what it takes to hold a broken system together. I have seen the effects of understaffing and under-resourcing, the tough decisions that are made under pressure and the broken complaint system that has a real impact on workplaces. However, I've seen the love that people pour into their work, and I've also seen innovation and excellence, despite all those pressures.

It's been a privilege to work alongside thousands of public sector workers and learn from what they do. Organising and representing workers has taught me the importance of consultation, negotiation, and persistence, skills that are just as vital in the parliament as they are in the workplace.

Experience has shown me that progress doesn't come from shouting the loudest, but from building relationships, finding common ground, and never losing sight of the people you are fighting for. That's the approach that I bring to this parliament: collaborative, grounded in real stories, and focused on outcomes that make life better for Tasmanians.

Looking back on my time at CPSU, I was fortunate to work with three very different but equally remarkable leaders. Tom Lynch was the person you wanted in the room when things were falling apart. Calm, steady and smart, he has that rare ability to take the heat out of a crisis, cut through the noise and bring everything back to what matters.

Thirza White, by contrast, brought a different kind of energy. Dynamic and brilliant, with an instinct for knowing the right move at the right moment, working with her meant momentum, and she has this amazing ability to inspire those around her.

My friend, Natalie Jones, more recently has taken a leadership role at the CPSU. She's clever and insightful, very quick on her feet, and she has a way of making complex challenges seem much more manageable. Natalie's strength is seeing the angles that others have missed and knuckling down and getting a job done.

Together, Tom's steadiness, Thirza's drive, and Natalie's insight showed me the many faces of leadership.

I also acknowledge my former colleagues at CPSU, some of whom are in the gallery today: Gabrielle Robertson, Kylie Farrell, Gareth Davies, Trina Meurant, Jo Roberts, Craig Greer, Debra Bradley, Phil Gath, Lilli Midgley, and John Retallick. I can't thank that team enough for their support of me over the last few years, but particularly in the lead-up to this state election.

I have spent my union career backing in the people who hold this state together - the workers who are the backbone of this state. They're the ones who answer the call when things go wrong, who carry whole communities through disasters, and who show up quietly every day and make things work. They are essential. Workers in hospitals and schools, librarians, dispatchers, youth workers, social workers, park rangers, ICT workers, biosecurity officers, Homes Tasmania employees, child safety officers, administrative staff, emergency services workers, court staff, lab techs, people practitioners. I've advocated for them, sat in their break rooms, organised through their hardships, cultural changes, budget cuts, program changes, and restructures, negotiated with them and elevated their voices. That advocacy will continue in this place, because our communities rely on those services.

I also wish to acknowledge the other unions that I've worked closely with over the last decade, particularly HACSU, including my northern comrades Laura Binns, Ben Vigers, Meghan Thomas,  Geoff Blyth,  Mashuka Khan,  Danny McCormick,  Lucas Digney, Vivek Foot, and Kristen Swain - those are my children, sorry. He almost made it through.

I also thank and acknowledge SDA, AWU, TWU, AMWU, ANMF, ASU, and the AEU. I've stood with their members and they have backed in mine - that is solidarity. I also acknowledge the work of Unions Tasmania in advocating for the some 50,000-strong union members in this state in their fight for safer workplaces and better wages and conditions.

My advocacy has not just been about workplaces, it's also been about families, children, and communities, because they are the reason that strong services matter. There is nothing more important to me than the health and wellbeing of children and young people. For more than 15 years, I've chosen to support and volunteer my time in organisations dedicated to this cause, because that's where our collective future begins.

For five years, I served as the board chair of Laurel House, the sexual assault counselling and support service in the North and North-West of Tasmania. That experience left me with no doubt that the fight against sexual violence is not won with empty words or hollow promises. It begins with proper political will, resources, and the courage to face uncomfortable truths in our society. Survivors deserve nothing less.

I've also had the opportunity to serve as a long-time board member of Playgroup Tasmania. I believe that every family deserves connection and support in those early years, and Playgroup Tasmania has been providing those services for generations of Tasmanians.

As a life member of the Child Health Association of Tasmania, later known as Families Tasmania, I know the difference that support can make for a family. For over 100 years, this organisation delivered services offering maternal health advice and family support. Its closure was more than the end of an organisation, it was the loss of a trusted voice for families.

We know that too many children in Tasmania are growing up in poverty. Too many families are facing impossible choices between rent and food, between medication and fuel. Children and young people are falling through the cracks, and we can and we must do better. I believe deeply that every child deserves to grow up safe, supported, and protected from harm, because too often it's women and children who pay the price for society's failure to act. Every person deserves to feel safe in their own home, in their relationships, and in community.

At this point, I acknowledge the honourable Michelle O'Byrne, former Speaker of the House, for her lifelong contribution to the Labor movement, but particularly for her advocacy for children, family and sexual violence, and women. Together, we advocated for stronger family violence supports and legislation alongside our friend and advocate Ali Butcher, whose loss is deeply felt. I am so pleased to see that Michelle has recently been appointed as the Ambassador for Gender Equality, a role that reflects her dedication and leadership.

We have a lot to do in this term of parliament, and you probably have a fair idea about the things that are important to me from what I have spoken about today, but before I move on to my thank-yous and close, I also want to speak very briefly about the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.

The commission of inquiry laid bare harrowing truths, not just from decades ago but from the present day. It was a reckoning and it must be a turning point. One of the clearest recommendations was to close Ashley Youth Detention Centre in Deloraine, and that must happen. We owe it to survivors and we owe it to everybody who bravely shared their story. I believe that commitments and promises matter. Closing Ashley Youth Detention Centre is especially important to me, because someone very close to me was mistreated there, and I can tell you that that harm doesn't just disappear. It lingers and it hurts generations to come.

I hope to use my time in parliament to genuinely advance the causes that I care deeply about and for the benefit of my community. I thank the incredible people who helped me get here today, people who believed in me - Labor members, friends, family and volunteers. Campaigning is never a solo act, and mine certainly wasn't. To EMILY's List, thank you for backing in women like me. To Pamela Anderson, your fierce resolve helps more women make it into these halls. To my campaign team, thank you to every volunteer who knocked on the door, handed out a flyer, made a call. I really appreciate it.

Hunter Meaney, your drive and your leadership carried us through even when we had nothing else left in the tank. I also acknowledge Young Labor and my broader campaign volunteers - and there's a lot of them. Tom Snow, Princess Delaney, Vadan Radulovic, Gavin Howorth, Tamnay Kabir, Michael Campbell, Vincent Chen, Corey Perkins, Seamus Donellan, Isobel Grizelj, Robert Gemmell, Alec Hayes, Jack Hodson, Craig Horwood, Mia Jankulovska, Dylan Kumar, Callum Rees, Reggie Michelson, Sammy Sastradipradja, Skye Wilson, Sam Goss, Kerry Sun, Lucy Fawcett, Oliver Shepherd-Bayly, Elliott Bell, Alice Phair, Sue Robinson, Brae Caplin, Rob and Sue Griffin, Rose Walker and Jack Budgeon, I would not be here without you.