View the Speaker's profile

The Speaker, the Hon Milton Dick MP, grew up and went to school on the south side of Brisbane and now proudly lives locally in the electorate of Oxley. Prior to being elected the Federal Member for Oxley, Milton served as the Brisbane City Councillor for the Richlands Ward from 2008 – 2016 and was elected Leader of the Opposition in 2012.

Milton believes in delivering for his community and standing up for local residents. He believes everyone deserves access to quality and affordable education and health care, regardless of where they live.

After finishing his studies at the University of Queensland, Milton went on to work as an adviser in the Federal Government before working at both state and local government levels.

In the Parliament, Milton has served on several committees including the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. He was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2022. He is committed to promoting and improving civic education of Australia's Parliament and democracy.

Milton prides himself on always being there to help people, no matter how big or small the issue may be.

Here's an extract of his first speech, which you can read from his First Speech page:

It is a cold winter's night in 1944 on board HMAS Ararat, an Australian warship positioned in the newly captured Allied territory of Cape Gloucester, New Britain. Life on board Ararat is not easy. Sailors carry out their minesweeping and antisubmarine duties in cramped conditions and are exposed to high rates of pneumonia and tuberculosis. One young sailor on board Ararat works tirelessly performing his duties as a signalman on the upper deck. He knows that, if the ship is to come under fire, it will be he who is responsible for a signal to call for a rescue and will likely go down with the ship if the vessel is ultimately bombed. That young man was my father, Allan Baxter Dick, who served his country through the Second World War, enlisting at the age of only 20, serving in the Second Australian Imperial Force until Allied victory in the Pacific.

Fast forward 70 years to this time last week and, as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program, I was privileged to be on a similar sized vessel, the HMAS Maryborough, in the Timor Sea. This not only reminded me of my father's brave and dedicated service to this nation but reminded me of the service of those women and men who protect our borders, freedom and democracy. Whilst my father served in the Navy, my mother, Joan, who is with us in the gallery today, trained as a nurse at the St Martin's repatriation hospital. Like my father, Mum has also dedicated her life to one of service, working as a midwife throughout her career, providing the same compassion and care for others as she did her family.

View the Member's profile

Keith Wolahan was elected as the Federal Member for Menzies in 2022.

He was born in Dublin in 1977 and migrated with his family to Melbourne in 1988.

In 1993 his family proudly became Australian citizens and soon after, Keith was elected school captain of Ringwood Secondary College. His part-time job was at Eastland McDonald’s.

Keith was educated at the University of Melbourne (Politics and Economics) and Monash University (Law with Honours), where he was awarded the Sir Charles Lowe Prize for Best Advocate. He later completed a Masters of International Relations at the University of Cambridge.

After graduating in 2005, Keith worked as a lawyer with national commercial firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques, before becoming a barrister in 2010. At the Bar he specialised in commercial and consumer trials.

Keith also served in the Australian Army, completing part-time officer training at Duntroon, reaching the rank of Captain. He qualified as a commando, serving several periods of full-time service within Special Operations Command, including one tour of Timor-Leste (2007) and three combat tours in Afghanistan (2008, 2009/10, 2014).

In the 2011 Australia Day Honours, he was decorated with a Commendation for Distinguished Service for performance of duty in action as a platoon commander.

Together with his wife Sarah, they are raising their two children and trying to train a dog called Jet.

Here's an extract of his first speech, which you can read from his First Speech page:

We will be tested, and we will make decisions. You are entitled to know how I will find my way. When you look to a map to guide you, there is a choice to be made. Shall I use magnetic north or true north? Magnetic north is easily distracted, including by devices. From time to time you may find yourself with a crowd but you might be lost. True north is a fixed point and never shifts, even if you find yourself standing alone. My true north will always be family and the values of free enterprise and individual freedom.

View the Member's profile

My family and I escaped war-torn Vietnam in April 1975. We survived the treacherous sea journey on an overcrowded boat and lived in squalid refugee camps for four years.

We settled in Wollongong and I quickly learned English and adapted to my new homeland. We later moved to Cabramatta where I completed my HSC and then graduated at Macquarie University. I became a journalist with the Fairfield Champion and then later worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, both in radio and television. Since 2008, I have dedicated myself to contributing back to my community, working tirelessly to advocate and fight for resources and services to improve the living standards for our residents and their families.

My almost two decades of journalism, and my decade-long of working within the political arena, have provided me with extensive experience and understanding of how to effectively fight for our city and people. I am honoured to be given the opportunity to serve my community on Fairfield City Council and elected Deputy Mayor where I have fought and spoke up for our needs. On 21st May 2022, I was privileged and honoured to be elected as an Independent Federal Member for Fowler to the 47th Parliament of Australia, one of the 1240 Members of Parliament elected to the House since Federation. I’m the first Independent of Vietnamese refugee background to be elected to the seat of Fowler.

Here's an extract of her first speech, which you can read from her First Speech page:

I remember the years in refugee camps, dreaming of being able to lie on a proper bed, to have a proper home and to go to a proper school. I remember the moment when we were accepted to be resettled as refugees in Australia, known to many back in refugee camps as the island with the best education system in the world, and I remember, as we stepped out of Kingsford Smith Airport, the feeling of gratitude and freedom. We were filled with hope as we looked out onto a horizon of endless possibilities.