Matt Keogh.
Camera IconMatt Keogh. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Burt’s Matt Keogh prioritises infrastructure and justice in maiden speech to Parliament

Francis CurroComment News

INFRUSTRUCTURE and justice were some of the issues Burt MP Matt Keogh spoke about in his first speech to the House of Representatives on Monday.

Mr Keogh delivered his maiden speech in Parliament as the first person ever to be elected as the representative of Burt.

The seat was created for the 2016 Federal Election and Keogh defeated Liberal candidate Matt O’Sullivan .

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In his speech Mr Keogh said the suburbs of Burt had been overlooked for infrastructure and community investment for many years by Liberal State and Federal Governments, and suffers high unemployment.

“Burt is home to a large number of mining FIFO workers and many working in or running small businesses involved in the construction industry, as well as growing numbers in retail and hospitality,” he said.

He said he wanted to continue to press for better funding for access to justice and closing the Indigenous Justice Gap.

“These are two issues about which I am particularly passionate and I hope to be able to improve through my time in the Parliament,” he said.

“Not only is justice delayed, justice denied but justice that is unaffordable is no justice at all.

“The more people are unable to afford to access our justice system, to correct injustices and obtain legal remedies, the nefarious members of our society can take advantage of others, infringe their rights and undermine their financial security, by operating with effective impunity because those they wrong cannot bring justice to bear.”

Mr Keogh thanked those who supported him through his Burt and Canning campaigns; he ran against Andrew Hastie in the Canning by-election following the death of Don Randall last year.

“There are far too many people to mention by name that deserve my thanks for their assistance in the Canning by-election and Burt campaigns; people that believed in ‘Yes we Canning’ and in ‘Building a better Burt’.

“I’m humbled to see so many even here today,” he said.