After 16 years in Parliament, the incumbent Member for Thornlie, Chris Tallentire, has bid farewell to Parliament House in a candid and honest valedictory speech, reflecting on his successes, failures, and the moments that shaped the course of his political career.
In September 2008, Tallentire was elected as the Member for Gosnells, but was thrown into opposition after the election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Liberals forming a coalition with the WA Nationals and independents.
In his valedictory speech to Parliament, Tallentire began by looking back on those early years, recalling being part of a team in shock, hurled into opposition, yet held firm by strong leadership, a defining experience that shaped and guided him throughout his career.
“For me, it was all new, and I revelled in learning the many facets of the new job,” Tallentire said.
“I was imbued with a great sense of pride, a sense of honour, about the opportunity given to me by the people of the Gosnells electorate. Now, 16 years later, my sense of that honour and privilege has not dimmed.”
For five years, Tallentire served as the Shadow Minister for Environment, where he played a key role in shaping policy and advocating for environmental issues, including the container deposit scheme.
In 2017, Labor was elected into government, and Tallentire’s journey took a new turn, with power bringing a whole new world of possibilities.
“For eight years, we were an extremely effective and disciplined opposition. For the past two parliamentary terms, we have been an extraordinarily good government,” he said.
“Being a local member in the party of government is like an aligning of the stars. Major projects suddenly become possible.”
One of those projects is the Thornlie-Cockburn passenger rail link, which Tallentire said is one of his proudest achievements in Parliament for his electorate.
“From the moment of my election in 2008, I began campaigning for the Thornlie line to be extended to the Mandurah line with a station at Nicholson Road,” he said.
“No doubt, this is the single-biggest piece of infrastructure that I have been able to gain for the people of the Gosnells and now Thornlie electorate.”
As the Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change from 2013 to 2017 and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Water and Forestry from 2017 to 2021, Tallentire said his biggest disappointment was the state’s ‘environmental decline,’ an issue he feels he should have had the greatest influence on.
However, he believes, “There is a cabal of lobbyists, spruikers, and industry peak body leaders who are primed to attack any measures designed to protect biodiversity.”
He hopes this can change and is calling on the government to conduct a comprehensive state of the environment report.
“Although it will never be an easy pill for government to swallow, a WA state of the environment report is urgently needed,” Tallentire said.
“Sadly, it will quantify how much we have lost since the last report in 2007, but that is useful information for countering the wilful ignorance that abounds amongst interest groups, who get a disproportionately large hearing in our media.”
Tallentire said he has always found engaging with the community in his local electorate, which was Gosnells from 2008 to 2017 and Thornlie since, especially rewarding.
“As a local member you soon learn that supporting local initiatives can make a real difference to people’s day-to-day lives.”
“Such initiatives include the commencement of the Gosnells Community Men’s Shed, the local park run at Homestead Park, congratulating people who have gone to the trouble of creating a beautiful garden through my top garden program and rewarding students who walk, wheel or ride to school, instilling a lifelong fondness for healthy active travel.”
As Thornlie is now one of the most diverse electorates in WA, Tallentire also sought to highlight the multiculturalism that has grown in the suburbs of Gosnells, Thornlie, and Maddington.
“Once the area was predominantly white Anglo; now we are a cohesive community with people from many cultural and religious backgrounds,” he said.
“The success of our multiculturalism comes from the hardworking nature of those newly arrived Australians. They work hard and have the full respect of their neighbours.”
After thanking his family, colleagues, and friends, Tallentire returned his bike locker key to Parliamentary Services after serving his community for nearly two decades.
“I leave this Parliament a wiser person. I have an enormous sense of gratitude for being given the opportunity to serve the people of Western Australia and for being part of this parliamentary institution,” he said.
“Thank you to the wonderful people of the Thornlie electorate, who have given me the honour to represent them.”
