I've Found My Personal Tony Robbins

In December our daughter Ruby was born. A little sister for our three-year-old Leo.

In March, after three months of paternity leave, I returned to Canberra for my other job as the federal Member for Perth.

The Parliament House I returned to was different. People were lacking the usual spring in their step. Lacking pride in their workplace. Rightly angry about the treatment of women in our workplace, and workplaces across Australia.

All politicians and staff have had to work harder than usual to motivate themselves.

For me, that has meant listening more to the person my wife Jess describes as "our little motivational speaker".

The last few months of politics have made me grateful for a personal coach with the wisdom of a three-year-old.

Leo has lots of sayings collected from us, childcare, family and friends.

Ever since Jess appointed him as our in-home motivational speaker, I have noticed his positive everything-is-an-adventure attitude is inescapable.

The more I listen to him the happier I am. More hopeful for our future.

"Teamwork makes the dreamwork" is definitely his favourite. It applies to building space stations with Duplo through to helping me empty the dishwasher.

Parliament was home to a good dose of teamwork at the peak of the response to the coronavirus crisis. Legislation was passed; the national interest was the policy test.

Right now, the Australian dream could do with a little more teamwork.

 "Sharing is caring" is a close second favourite. Implied within is that caring is a good and universal value.

A little more caring would go a long way right now. You only need to watch an hour of question time to know Parliament isn't the caring place it could be.

Leo respects and appreciates his body too. Whenever he is able to help it is "because of my super strong muscles", which do all the hard jobs from putting away toys to giving baby Ruby a hug.

"What is your superpower?" he asks daily. For him it is running and jumping. I tried to claim my superpower was listening. He disagreed and anointed my superpower was the ability to lift him up and carry him home from the park.

Either way - he recognises the strength within all of us. And when it comes to  politics - I truly believe that our superpower is the ability to change the lives of working families.

Medicare was a superhero for the sick; the NDIS a superhero for people with disability. If we get childcare funding right, it could be a superhero for our post-pandemic economy.

The thing that makes Leo a next-level, Tony Robbins-meets-Oprah style of motivational speaker is that he even has a favourite tree.

Every time we walk, he points it out: "That's my favourite tree, Daddy".

Imagine if we all appreciated nature in such a pure way.

This kid would vote for action on climate change to save his favourite tree. Simple as that.

No debate. No lost decade of action.

I am grateful for Leo's motivational sayings as our Parliament works through our current challenges.

The cultural change our Parliament, government and nation needs is not easy.  It is, however, necessary and urgent.

When we head back to Canberra in May, I am taking the whole family with me.

Including our little motivational speaker.