STEVE Kamper recalled how, as a youth of Greek heritage growing up in Sans Souci, he and his siblings were made to feel "different" despite being born in Australia.
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This was quite common, the new MP for Rockdale said in his inaugural speech in Parliament.
"I remember hanging out after school at Spiro's Worksburgers [hamburger shop], hearing customers coming in and placing their orders: 'Plain burger, packet of chips and a Coke, thanks wog'."
Mr Kamper said times had changed and multiculturalism was now "the beating heart of our society, and it pumps life through Rockdale every day".
"These days we take immense pride in our diversity, but it was not always so.
"Growing up, I remember feeling a deep sense of shame when my mother would speak Greek to me in public.
"Now I feel ashamed that I was ever embarrassed by my mum."
Mr Kamper said he was driven to assimilate and threw himself into Australian life, playing all types of sport and being "first up on the hill at Jubilee oval, barracking for my beloved St George Dragons".
"It was not until much later in life that I found confidence in myself, in my family and our traditions," he said.
Mr Kamper said his mother Fotini was the strongest, bravest woman he knew, and the moral compass of their family.
"When she was 19, with not a word of English and nothing but the clothes on her back, she left her village and migrated to Australia," he said.
"Mum had seen nothing but a bleak future in a dying town.
"She risked everything to make her way to our great nation so that we could have a better life."
Mr Kamper said his father's parents migrated from a small northern Greek village during the early 1920s, and found "their new village" in Broken Hill.
"From humble roots and an immigrant background, Dad built a successful family accounting practice . . .," he said.
CALL FOR ACTION ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Steve Kamper called for more to be done to combat domestic violence and for a major overhaul of the taxation system because he believes it curbs business growth.
‘‘I cannot find words strong enough to express the disgust I hold for domestic violence,’’ he said.
‘‘I have spent my entire life surrounded by strong women — my mother, my sisters, my wife and my wonderful daughters.
‘‘I cannot comprehend how anybody would ever want to hurt any of them.
‘‘Domestic violence claims the lives of two women every week in Australia and it sickens me that we are not doing enough to end this problem.
‘‘We need to focus on early intervention and education ... get the message out there in our schools that, if Dad hits Mum, it is not normal and it is not all right.’’
Mr Kamper said his wife Magdalene was the person most responsible for him becoming an MP.
He said, as he lay ‘‘moping and feeling sorry for myself’’ after his 2011 election defeat, ‘‘she told me to get up off my arse, get back to work and keep fighting to represent the community I love’’.
