NEW Labor senator Deb O'Neill wants visitation rights to her old chamber for a good cause - to increase awareness of the effort to close the gap on Aboriginal disadvantage.
During her first Senate speech on Wednesday, in which she read from a centuries-old John Donne poem, the former lower house MP flagged her desire to see a joint sitting of federal parliament when the prime minister and the opposition leader provide the yearly Closing the Gap report card.
"Until we overcome the 20-year life-expectancy gap, we cannot turn our heads away," she told the Senate.
Senator O'Neill lost her marginal lower house Central Coast NSW seat of Robertson at the September 7 election but has moved to the upper house, filling the vacancy left by Bob Carr, who resigned six weeks after being re-elected.
The former teacher gave the Senate an impromptu literature lesson, reading an extract from a 1669 poem, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, by John Donne.
She said the poem explained how strong the love at home bound people, despite great distances - which rang true for politicians' families.
"My dear family, you can always be assured that my heart is with you, and when my work is done I'll be home, hang in there with me," Senator O'Neill said as her three adult children, Caitlin, Brianna and Noah, watched from the public gallery.
Senator O'Neill explained what she believed constituted quality teaching and learning in Australian schools and how the Gonski needs-based funding model was long overdue.
"In our hearts we know the power of a great teacher to effect great learning ... we know education is an investment worth making," Senator O'Neill said.
"Money is part of the answer."
She pleaded for the "war of words" on school funding to end, otherwise students would be the ultimate casualties.
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