Young gun senator Sam Dastyari wants to "stop the politics" in the national conversation about asylum seekers.
Senator Dastyari, 30, who is the youngest senator after taking that title from Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, delivered his first speech to parliament on Wednesday.
The former NSW ALP state secretary reflected on his earliest memories of life in Australia after his family fled Iran in 1988.
"Australia was consumed by a nationwide party," Senator Dastyari said.
He felt then prime minister Bob Hawke was talking directly to his five-year-old self while addressing the nation on Australia Day in 1988.
"When (Hawke) said `In Australia, there is no hierarchy of descent; there must be no privilege of origin. The commitment is all," Senator Dastyari said.
"Like all of you, my commitment is to Australia's future."
Senator Dastyari acknowledged the sacrifices made by his parents, Naser and Ella, to give him and his sister a better life in Australia by long hours driving taxis and working in a small cake shop.
"While Mum and Dad never imagined that I would have the great privilege of standing before you all today, the fact that it is possible is testament to why they, and so many others, took that leap into the unknown," he said.
"They recognised that only by moving to this great country, could they be certain that their children would grow up facing choices, rather than barriers."
He believes in a Big Australia and wants to see the heat taken out of the asylum-seeker debate.
"It is time for us to have a real conversation ...(one) that isn't about the number of boats, but about the names, faces and stories of the people they bring. We really need to ... stop the politics."
Senator Dastyari paid tribute to his wife Helen and daughters Hannah, 2, and Eloise, 12 weeks old, who were watching, as were frontbenchers Chris Bowen, Jason Clare, Joel Fitzgibbon and Mark Butler.
"Convincing you to marry me (Helen) is the best campaign I have ever run," he said.
