Wednesday, 1 July 2026

Federation Chamber 

Mr Tim Wilson MP: 

What does it mean to belong for young Australians? Ruth Sharma is 11 years old and she felt compelled to write a speech defending the right of every family to belong. No child should have to make this case. In Ruth's own words:

Australia belongs to everyone—no matter who you are, or what religion you practise. We share a common bond that unites us.

Ruth Sharma didn't write 'One Australia. One Heart' because she wanted to. She wrote it because she felt she had to. That should tell this parliament everything it needs to know about the challenges young Australians face and the importance of unity. We don't want a government that divides us. We don't want alternatives that divide us. What we want is a country of one land and one people with one destiny. So thank you, Ruth. Thank you for your courage and for reminding this parliament what we owe every child in this country. We need to make sure we're stewards who hand forward to the next generation a better country than the one we inherited. At the age of 11, you can already see the type of Australia we should want and we should be building. I hope for the generations to come that they will reflect on your important words of 'One Australia. One Heart', which tells a direct story about the type of nation that we should want to be.