![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Remember back when I posted about politicians who'd crossed the floor to vote for the abolition of immigration detention 'fees'?
At the time, I wrote to two of the Coalition MPs I'd seen giving speeches in the Parliament that were pure conscience - and which, no doubt, drew big targets on their backs. It was a hell of a brave thing to do, especially given the state of Opposition politics lately. In the email, I thanked them for the stand they were taking on such an important issue.
Anyway ...
I've now received emails from Russell Broadbent and Petro Georgiou, thanking me, and assuring me that they'd passed on the sentiments to others who'd voted with them.
For the record, those politicians are Danna Vale and Judi Moylan. I plan to write my thanks to them, as well.
Petro Georgiou also included the text of his speech to Parliament, taken from Hansard. Here's an extract from the very end:
The members of this House are legislators in a
21st century Australia—a civil society, a
precious society, a country under the rule of
law which is generally just and equitable. We
are also human beings, with good and bad
instincts, and we are capable of making good
and bad decisions. Our fellow citizens have put
us into this place, temporarily, so that we can
pursue decent public policy outcomes for our
society and legislate decent law. No advanced
society should allow on its statutes a law
which so degrades and humiliates fellow
human beings who are legitimately calling on
our protection. We have an obligation to our
own generation and to future generations to
support this bill. I will support the bill and I
commend it to the House.
Goddamn right.
It's actually really encouraging to get personalised responses. Too often, any replies to what we send our representatives are form letters, about as personal as a rubber stamp. That's if they reply at all. Both Russell Broadbend and Petro Georgiou took the time to answer my email in some detail, and Georgiou was thoughtful enough to attach his speech. Self-promotion? Of course. I'm not so naive as to think they wouldn't be thinking that there is a definite benefit in paying this kind of attention to people's feelings. Nonetheless ... I think it's a damn good thing, and there should be more of it.
I'm looking at you, Mr. Rudd.
At the time, I wrote to two of the Coalition MPs I'd seen giving speeches in the Parliament that were pure conscience - and which, no doubt, drew big targets on their backs. It was a hell of a brave thing to do, especially given the state of Opposition politics lately. In the email, I thanked them for the stand they were taking on such an important issue.
Anyway ...
I've now received emails from Russell Broadbent and Petro Georgiou, thanking me, and assuring me that they'd passed on the sentiments to others who'd voted with them.
For the record, those politicians are Danna Vale and Judi Moylan. I plan to write my thanks to them, as well.
Petro Georgiou also included the text of his speech to Parliament, taken from Hansard. Here's an extract from the very end:
The members of this House are legislators in a
21st century Australia—a civil society, a
precious society, a country under the rule of
law which is generally just and equitable. We
are also human beings, with good and bad
instincts, and we are capable of making good
and bad decisions. Our fellow citizens have put
us into this place, temporarily, so that we can
pursue decent public policy outcomes for our
society and legislate decent law. No advanced
society should allow on its statutes a law
which so degrades and humiliates fellow
human beings who are legitimately calling on
our protection. We have an obligation to our
own generation and to future generations to
support this bill. I will support the bill and I
commend it to the House.
Goddamn right.
It's actually really encouraging to get personalised responses. Too often, any replies to what we send our representatives are form letters, about as personal as a rubber stamp. That's if they reply at all. Both Russell Broadbend and Petro Georgiou took the time to answer my email in some detail, and Georgiou was thoughtful enough to attach his speech. Self-promotion? Of course. I'm not so naive as to think they wouldn't be thinking that there is a definite benefit in paying this kind of attention to people's feelings. Nonetheless ... I think it's a damn good thing, and there should be more of it.
I'm looking at you, Mr. Rudd.
