David Southwick, the newly elected Liberal Member for Caulfield, gave his maiden speech in parliament yesterday. Southwick outlined his career and his background, as well as acknowledging and thanking colleagues, supporters and friends. We’ve selected an extract of his speech which directly concerns Glen Eira and its issues –

“In describing my electorate of Caulfield I explained that we are proud of our location and are gifted with beautiful open spaces. Unfortunately the growth in development in recent years has threatened our local amenity. The city of Glen Eira is reported to have the lowest amount of public space in Melbourne. This report is concerning as it includes the Crown land at Caulfield Racecourse, which is currently not easily accessible to the public. I look forward to working with various stakeholders to get a better use of this public land for the community, while at the same time ensuring that the needs of racing are appropriately met on this historic site.

I have a real passion for youth and kids. They are our future and the opportunity to get things right. In particular we have a lot of work to do in early childhood development. Although there are no easy answers to this we need to ensure that the child is put first in any of our policy decisions. Government should provide a framework that recognises the need for a holistic view of the child. I know the coalition government will not be afraid to make some hard decisions in these important areas.

Education and training is an important area in which I hope to play a role. Non-government organisations promoting early intervention programs that engage business and community should be encouraged and supported. I look forward to working with my government colleagues to provide pathways and opportunities for our youth.