Who is Rowan Holzberger, the new Member for Forde

Newly-elected Forde MP Rowan Holzberger is putting housing front and centre as he steps foot into the first Labor Party caucus since the election.

The 52-year-old Beenleigh resident hit the ground running last Friday after officially declaring victory over LNP incumbent Bert van Manen, who held the seat for 15 years.

With a mix of nerves and excitement, Mr Holzberger joined his new colleagues in Canberra to re-appoint prime minister Anthony Albanese – a man he has known since age 14 – as party leader.

Amid all the talk of swings, seats and portfolios, Mr Holzberger outlined a clear agenda for Forde.

“The overwhelming challenge that people have in Ford is housing,” he said.

He pointed to the government’s plans to deliver new social housing and a help to buy scheme.

“My job is to fight for as much of that to happen in our local area as possible,” he said.

While Labor is on track to secure well over 90 seats in the House of Representatives, Mr Holzberger warned against mistaking the results for voter satisfaction.

“We shouldn’t draw the conclusion that people are happy with the way the country is at the moment. There are as many people hurting today as there were at the election, especially in our community,” he said.

Though Mr Holzberger’s chances at securing a ministerial portfolio are slim this new to parliament, it’s a role he has no particular aspirations for.

His priority, he said, is Forde.

“I don’t want to run a government department. I want to be the best representative that I can for our area.”

Mr Holzberger was born Brisbane, and moved with his family to the old mining town of Broken Hill when he was 11.

It was there he was witness to one of Australia’s brutalities – homelessness.

“I remember seeing a homeless person when I was about 11, and thinking how can this be? How can this exist in our world?”

This is a cliche told by many of the left’s most famous politicians. And a sentiment most seldom act on.

But Mr Holzberger said his sense of equality never left.

“I have always felt a sense of justice,” he said.

While Mr Holzberger is new to parliament, this isn’t his first exposure to the world of politics.

After moving to Adelaide for university, Mr Holzberger worked for an MP during the Keating government.

But when Labor lost the election in 1996, Mr Holzberger returned to Broken Hill where he worked as a fitter and machinist, then a farmer on a sheep and cattle station, and even had a contract mustering business.

“That really made me who I am today. It was such an inspiration when it came to their work ethic and that real Aussie attitude about having a go, and really putting your heart and effort into a job,” he said.

Mr Holzberger moved back to Brisbane and then to the Gold Coast running a business, before settling in Beenleigh, where he has worked since 2006.