I'd like to start by asking a question about the Greens. It's this: in the twelve years they've had representation in Victoria's parliament can anyone name one thing they have achieved?
Let's remember that the Greens have been sitting in the state parliament since 2006, often holding an effective balance of power. In this time Labor has removed discrimination when it comes to our ART laws, decriminalised abortion and provided for voluntary assisted dying. For starters. Whilst standing resolutely for and with all those in Victoria who depend on government, and delivering economic growth and jobs growth which leads the nation.
So - what's the point of the Victorian Greens, if we are interested in a politics which makes a difference to our communities and to the lives of others? What difference have they made?
Let's keep asking these questions, which expose one of two fundamental truths which shape the political contest in Melbourne's inner city.
That the Greens remain a party of protest.
While, as we know, the next election cannot be about protest, it must be about making a difference.
We must call out the reckless indifference of the Greens to the work, indeed very the conception, of government in changing the way we live.
And we must also close the gaps in the political marketplace, which have enabled this vanity project to continue.
Which takes me to the second truth.
We can't rely simply on calling out the Greens is we are to continue to represent inner city electorates, and form Labor governments in our own right. Don't forget: these two things go together.
We must do better.
At telling our story, explaining the work that we do and why it matters so very much. Everywhere in our state and indeed our country.
In the aftermath of the Northcote loss I read comments from - anonymous - figures in our party's reactionary wing, suggesting that we were too progressive, too left wing in Victorian Labor and that losing the inner city was an inevitable product of social change.
I say reactionary because this is just what these people are. They ask us to chose the path of Calwell and reject the Whitlam legacy.
They ask us to accept that there is a fundamental division between the groups which have made up Labor's support base since the 1960s, and that this cannot be reconciled.
Taking this to its logical conclusion, they ask us to give up - not just on the seats nearest the CBD, but on our role as a party of government.
So tonight I join Richard and Jen in rejecting this nonsense.
The Labor story doesn't have a chapter in it about giving up. And there's no place for one in it.
As we all know, it's Labor that has enlarged Australia, in Manning Clark's terms, and made our country a better and fairer place. From instituting the age pension to founding the NDIS our Party and our movement has not only challenged the status quo but changed it. Every substantial social and economic reform worth the name is the work of Labor. Very often driven in the branches, and the culture of the inner city ALP in Melbourne, which contains so many monuments to that work of Labor and symbols of our successes - from the Trades hall and the 8 hour memorial to the Parkville precinct.
In Victoria, it's John Cain, Joan Kirner, Steve Bracks, John Brumby and Daniel Andrews who have made us much more than the Massachusetts of the South - we are the social laboratory of the 21st century.
Labor's body of work matters, and so does our resolve to carry it on. With inequality at levels not seen since the Great Depression, there is work to be done and which can be done. We are making a difference, and we must finish the job - holding to the mantra that we are all in this together, that the fight for better and more equal society is a shared concern.
As a party and a movement we simply cannot walk away from anyone who could form part of our movement for change. We cannot blame voters when they don't chose us, rather we must redouble our efforts to regain their trust. This is true in the regions, the outer suburbs and in the inner city.
And we cannot allow others to appropriate our work, or our responsibilities.
This comes down to our people, in very large part. We need to value them - you - more.
We need to trust you more, and support you more too.
We have to recognise how tough it's been for inner city activists and provide you with all the tools you need to win the fight here. Daniel Andrews, and the government he has led so well, provides the soundest of foundations. We will build on these, led by the wonderful people we are here to support tonight. By recognising our challenge here, as everywhere, is to bring our politics closer to the lives of all those we seek to represent.
This isn't too hard. Not with the story we have to tell, and those with the passion and capacity to take it further. None more so than Richard and Jen.
Richard Wynne has been for me the embodiment of Labor values. Unswerving in his commitment to social and economic justice, unblinking in standing up for what's right. Richard has consistently been a voice for the voiceless and most marginalised - bringing these perspectives to the centre of our politics, forcing these concerns to be heard.
And an effective local member and minister. Who has never shied away from a fight, or from his sense of purpose - to stretch the possibilities of politics and to make every day count. I can't imagine our state parliament without you.
Jen Kanis.
I've never seen a more inspirational campaign that that which you ran in the Melbourne by election. You were every thing I've tried to say tonight. And did it so much better than I could ever say: your personal qualities shone then, as they did in your time in office.
That you have not had the opportunity to play a leading role in the Andrews government - so far - is a tragedy. I can't wait for you to get that chance, and to see you uncompromising intellect, compassion and determination brought into the service of the wider community. You are needed in public life, it is that simple.
So, Richard and Jen, I'm proud to know you and prouder of the work you do.
I am determined to join with everyone who is here tonight to back you both in.
It's not so much that we can do this, as we must.
And we will.