New Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell has got on the front foot in her maiden speech to state parliament, rejecting claims of racism while flagging water and immigration as two major bugbears to tackle in her term.
Ms Tyrrell addressed parliament for the first time on Tuesday, and said she would fight for people in her region.
The One Nation member — Victoria’s first — also rebuffed accusations of racism levelled at her.
Ms Tyrrell, who moved to the region five years ago, spoke about her First Nations heritage.
“Already individuals in this chamber have stood in front of the media claiming that I am a racist without even giving me the opportunity to first introduce myself,” Ms Tyrrell said.
“I forgive you for your hasty and ill-informed words. I forgive you for failing to properly represent your constituents and falling victim to the petty name-calling that, unfortunately, so many modern-day politicians fall victim to.”
The new MP also said she would fight for net-zero immigration, “an issue that many perceive as a topic to falsely brand my party racist”, despite immigration largely being a federal issue.
“When we say our policy is net-zero immigration, many everyday Victorians assume that means none at all,” Ms Tyrrell said.
“It simply means that we wish to see that immigration numbers do not exceed the amount of those leaving Victoria.
“It’s not about race or culture — it’s about numbers. It is a resource policy.”
She said homelessness was increasing, schools were full and hospitals had strained resources, creating a “serious issue with our current population”.
“It is outright cruel to add more people to the population of those already struggling to get by,” she said.
Ms Tyrrell also pleaded with her fellow parliamentarians that as Australia added more diversity to the “rich tapestry of Australian culture” to not lose any of that culture along the way.
“Don’t erase our history, culture and uniqueness as we pave our own path through this chapter in our story,” she said.
Ms Tyrrell also said she would continue to fight “to see water returned to the land, no matter where I am” after moving to Invergordon in 2018, noticing fellow farmers struggling with water prices.
“We all deserve to have access to affordable, fresh and local produce, but we can’t grow it without water,” she said.