Initially we lived at Villawood Migrant Settlement Centre, but as soon as they could Mum and Dad bought a "Temporary Dwelling" – a single garage with an outside toilet and shower in Bankstown.

Our family lived in that one bedroom for many years. Those were the best of years of my life, when the family was living on top of each other, sharing the true experiences of life.

I watched my parents struggle to clothe and feed the family – Dad working two jobs as a foundry-man and office cleaner, Mum as the presser in the hospital laundry.

I worked as the local paper boy when I was 10 to buy my first pushbike. At 15, I was ready to take on the world as an apprentice fitter-toolmaker, proud to be a tradesman.

When my wife Cynthia and I had our twin boys, David & Robbie in 1991, and then our daughter Samantha in 1993, it was an awakening. I could see why my parents had strived so hard to provide the best opportunities they could for my brother, sisters and me. As they said: "It's all about the children and their future"

I ran for parliament because I wanted to create a better future for my children, and all children. I want them to have the opportunities and choices that I had as a teenager, with a real choice in career and education paths.

We have come a long way, and whilst big improvements have been made, more needs to be done to cement those changes for our children’s future.