Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

I do not know if he is operating an MRI these days, but he probably still shudders when he hears people refer to MRIs. Of course Jenny has served in other capacities—in aged care and most recently in education—and for a period of time now she has served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition to Simon Crean, Mark Latham and Kim Beazley. In that time, she has been a real foundation stone for our caucus. As a matter of personality, Jenny is a very warm and friendly person. She has been relied on by caucus members because of that, and they have sought her advice, counsel and support. She has been a very important part of generating Labor’s policies, and I know specifically that that is going to continue. I offer my best wishes to Kim and Jenny as we move into the Christmas season.

I also take this opportunity to mention some members of Kim Beazley’s staff who, particularly as I have been Manager of Opposition Business, have played a considerable role in working with me. I would like to specifically acknowledge David Fredericks —‘Freddo’, as we all know him—Jim Chalmers, Michael Cooney and Jack Lake. I have worked closely with each of them, and I wish them the best in these times and for the forthcoming Christmas season. I hope to see all of them back around the Labor Party at some point in the future. You never know: people come and go in this business, but they have made a considerable contribution to Labor in the last period. I also acknowledge Jenny’s chief of staff, David. We have relied on him for tactics and for other support, and he has made a great contribution as well.

I wish all of my colleagues the best in this Christmas season. I particularly acknowledge ‘Rogie’, as he is known to me. I do like to get that on the Hansard record at this time of year. I have popularised it with the Independents; there are some knowing nods down there from the member for New England and the member for Calare. Rogie and I work closely together, day in, day out, during sitting days. A great whip requires some tact and, I would have to say, from time to time some occasional flashes of temper, and Roger manages to display both at precisely the right time. We do need a bit of discipline in temper from time to time, and Rogie manages to display it. Michael Danby and Jill Hall, as Deputy Opposition Whips, work closely with Roger. Jill gets to do division counts with Stewie. That would strain the tolerance of a lesser person, but of course it never strains Jill’s tolerance. I thank them very much for their support.

I thank the people who have worked with me on the tactics committee in my job as Manager of Opposition Business. This caused great hilarity last year but I will try it again: my thanks go to ‘Albo’, to Anthony Albanese, who has worked closely with me as Deputy Manager of Opposition Business. I thank the member for Perth, who is in the chamber, and the member for Lilley, who has also worked hard on the tactics committee. I also thank the Leader of the Opposition, Kevin Rudd, who has put in some hard yards on the tactics committee. We are all there striving to do the best we can. Each day we get plenty of critical reviews from Labor colleagues, but I think that is all part of the process and we do try hard. Of course Jenny has served on the tactics committee too. I thank everybody who has served on the tactics committee.

Mr Speaker, my change of role from Manager of Opposition Business should not be seen as a change of demeanour. I am sure we will continue to hear warnings and general threats uttered by you in the direction of the member for Lalor. I hope you do not find that too much of a strain. I certainly do wish you and your family the best over the Christmas season. Doing what you have to do all day, every day, for a job, I think you most certainly deserve your holidays and I wish you the very best as you proceed to take those holidays.

Last year I referred to Ian and Bernie as the only two blokes in the place who have any idea what is going on. Twelve months later I still absolutely believe that. If they did not know what was going on, there would be no hope for the rest of us. I thank you very much for your counsel, advice and support. If you could convey my thanks to the staff in the Clerk’s office as well, I would be very grateful.

To the Leader of the House, Tony Abbott: I feel that we might be at the stage of a break-up of a great political partnership. I am not concerned about that somehow. We have in health performed what has been referred to as the Punch and Judy show. I always feel a bit regretful that I got the role of Judy rather than the role of Punch—but these things happen. Between one thing and another—he as Leader of the House and I as Manager of Opposition Business, as well as the health portfolio—we have spent a fair bit of time together. I would say of the Leader of the House that he is always far easier to deal with outside this chamber than he is to deal with within it. I am sure that we will continue to see each other outside the chamber, irrespective of changes of roles. And I am sure that we will continue to hurl abuse at each other inside this chamber, irrespective of changes of roles as well. But we do have to work cooperatively together in terms of the logistics of the House, and we have managed to do that without too much consternation during the year. So I convey my thanks to the Leader of the House and to his staff and, most notably, to Paris, who is very important to us in terms of liaison.

I thank Judy Middlebrook and her staff. We are very reliant on chamber research on this side of the table. They do us proud every time we ask them for information very quickly. I convey my thanks to Rod Carn and the staff in the Serjeant-at-Arms Office for all the work that they do. My thanks to Tony Levy, who does the parliamentary liaison officer job. It really ought to qualify you for an ambassadorial appointment as soon as you have done it for a few years. It is a very delicate job liaising between the government and the opposition, but Tony, of course, does it well. To Dalma, with her imminent retirement: thank you very much for everything you have done. I am sure you are going to enjoy some different experiences outside of here and will get to wear some different clothes for a change from what we always see you in. Our thoughts are with you as you move into the next stage of your life. You never know where we might see you around the building in some sort of continuing capacity.

We are very reliant on the staff of the Parliamentary Library. We put upon them unreasonable deadlines for huge amounts of information, and they very often come up with the goods. They do not often disappoint. They are under special strain, given the limitations of their resources, but they do manage to work magic for the opposition, and I thank them very much.

To the people throughout the building who make a difference to us: I want to thank Reps IT. I do not know if it is just me who is always ringing Reps IT—

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