Teal urges bold changes for Australia's future
Nicolette Boele, who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore, called for MPs to be bold and brave in their decision-making in the next three years.
Ms Boele won the former blue-ribbon seat by just 26 votes in one of the closest results in Australian election history, with the final outcome going down to a recount.
In her maiden speech to parliament, she said big reforms similar to John Howard's gun restrictions and Gough Whitlam's Medicare are necessary to ensure long-term systemic issues are dealt with.
"Politics as usual isn't working," Ms Boele told the House of Representatives on Monday.
"Difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought, or a plebiscite scheduled, or important decisions are made in the dark.
"Independents like me have been elected to put people back into the process of creating our future. This is how we fix things."
However, the independent's future in the parliament remains under a cloud, with her Liberal opponent Gisele Kapterian launching a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result.
While Ms Kapterian won the first count in Bradfield by eight votes, the recount put Ms Boele ahead by 26.
The independent did not mention the court challenge in her speech, instead talking about her family who spurred her on to become who she is.
Ms Boele spoke of her parents' arrival from the Netherlands and their initial confusion at Australian customs.
"Like so many in this nation, when they arrived, there were challenges fitting in, finding their tribe and that sense of belonging," she said.
"For my mum, it was finally being invited by school mums to join a morning tea and being told to bring a plate, which she did, literally."
Before entering parliament, Ms Boele worked in finance and the clean energy sector for three decades.
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