Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

National Literacy and Numeracy Week, which starts on Monday and runs for a week, is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate reading and literature and to remind ourselves that there should always be opportunities in life to curl up with a good book. So I thought it was appropriate today, the last sitting day before we start National Literacy and Numeracy Week, to talk about some books that people might be contemplating reading.

I have been looking at some of the websites of our great publishing houses. My attention was drawn to the website of Melbourne University Press, which of course is going to be publishing the memoirs of the member for Higgins. When I looked at the website I found that the motto of Melbourne University Press is ‘books with spine’. Books with spine from a politician without one! We await this great entry into the literary world. Mr Speaker, you would be aware that some movies fail so badly that they go straight to DVD; well, I am betting this one goes straight to paperback! It will not be a very hard spine when that one is published.

I am sure that this book with the very soft spine—or perhaps without a spine at all—will be the subject of much discussion at tomorrow night’s testimonial dinner for the member for Higgins. Of course, on the question of reading there will be ‘what’s on the printed menu?’ Prawns for entree? No spine there. Chicken for main course? A good thought. And, of course, jelly for dessert—what else?

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