Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

To be elected to this House is an honour bestowed on relatively few Australians, and it is a matter of great pride for all of us to take our seats in this House and to represent our electorates from far and wide across Australia. Some of us had careers in other professions and industries before we became elected representatives. I think it is fair to say that the transition from private citizen to public figure is not for the faint-hearted. Many of us are driven by the same desire—to see a better life for all Australians—and most members of parliament are passionate about their beliefs and what they want to achieve for Australia. We have different views on either side of the House as to how we should get there; nevertheless, we are driven by a desire to improve the lives of fellow Australians. We work hard on the laws, policies and programs that will make a difference to people.

Much of the work that we do as members of parliament is not readily apparent—the committee work, the delegations, the debates, the parliamentary work generally and also the constituent work back in our electorates, as we attend to constituent inquiries and attend functions. The days are as varied as they are long. It is a fact that most people view members of parliament and their activities through the prism of the Australian media. It is a fact that the press gallery here is charged with the responsibility of reporting fairly and objectively on the goings-on inside this parliament. Probably most people’s impressions of what parliamentarians do are formed by their views on what they see on the nightly news—the vision of question time. Perhaps their first and lasting impression of members of parliament is formed from that nightly news vision. I think that is a matter for us all to ponder over the weeks ahead.

Of course, question time is a very necessary part of our democratic process. It is the moment when government ministers are required to answer questions put to them by the opposition and by their own side. On occasions, it can be a matter of pure theatre. In fact, it would be fair to say that the member for Higgins provided the most superb performances that I think I will have the pleasure of watching in parliament. His sense of comic timing and his wit regularly brought the House down—metaphorically speaking—and we certainly miss his daily performances. The level of humour that he brought to question time is sadly missing, although I must say that the exchange this afternoon between the Deputy Prime Minister and the shadow minister for education might rate as one of those moments.

It has been said before that, given the manner in which government ministers answer—or do not answer—questions, we should rename question time and call it ‘answer time’. This has been a suggestion put to me by Luke Hartsuyker on more than one occasion. Perhaps, if we called it ‘answer time’, it might evoke a different response. I do acknowledge, though, the Treasurer amongst the frontbench of the government. I might not like the answers he provides; I might not think he is giving an answer. Nevertheless, he does usually show a considered interest in addressing the issue about which I am trying to elicit information, and he usually gives considered respect to the questions that I ask. I do wish the Treasurer and the government all the best over the coming months, because Australia does face an economic slowdown and we do need steady and considered leadership on economic issues. So I wish the Treasurer, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the government ministers all the very best as they tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

Among my own colleagues, I particularly thank the Leader of the Opposition for his support. The Leader of the Opposition has proven himself to be a truly worthy and capable leader of our great party. He impresses immediately with his confidence, his ability and his intelligence, and I believe he will make a great Prime Minister of this country. I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his friendship. We have known each other for many, many years, and we are very good friends. I thank him for his friendship, and I also wish Malcolm, his wife, Lucy, and their family, Alex and Daisy, the very best for the Christmas season.

I pay tribute to the member for Bradfield. I was honoured to serve as his deputy. He showed enormous determination in seeking to provide leadership to our party at a time when it was shattered, after the last election. After 11½ years in government, for us to lose—and to lose, essentially, our leadership team in the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the Minister for Foreign Affairs—was a very difficult time for us, and the member for Bradfield, Brendan Nelson, took on what must be the most difficult task in Australian politics. He performed admirably, and he has the admiration and respect of both sides of the House.

I pay tribute to my shadow ministers and to the Manager of Opposition Business in the House. Joe has quite a task every day to keep the business of opposition flowing. With regard to our interchange throughout the day, all I can say is: Joe, I am glad they cannot lip-read as you and I work out some tactics that we hope our leader will agree with. I pay tribute to my Senate colleagues—in particular the leadership team, Senators Minchin, Abetz and Coonan. Together, the shadow ministry has performed extremely well over the last 12 months. In fact, as evidenced by the robust debates that we have in our party room meetings, our whole team has been dedicated, enthusiastic and eager to hold the government to account, to act as a credible opposition, to develop alternative policies and to make us an attractive proposition for consideration by the Australian public at the election that we assume will take place sometime in 2010.

I also pay tribute to the National Party—in particular their leader, Warren Truss, the member for Wide Bay. I have been in this parliament and observed a number of National Party leaders: Tim Fischer, John Anderson, Mark Vaile and now Warren Truss. All are thoroughly decent people, totally committed to their cause and the people they represent. In the case of Warren Truss, he is a man whose integrity is without question. I attended the National Party’s Christmas event last night, and I must say that they look better out of costume. I think the 1970s look said it all, but I will not go there. It is a fact that the Liberal and National parties have been the most successful political partnership in Australia’s history, and together we are a formidable team. I also acknowledge the whips—the member for Fairfax, the member for Ryan, the member for Forrest and, from the National Party, the member for Riverina and the member for Hinkler—who all do a sterling job in herding the members into the right place at the right time.

There is an old saying—I do not know who first said it—that goes along these lines: if you want a friend in politics, buy a dog. I beg to differ. I have met many fine people in my 10 years in politics, and I count many of the opposition members as my friends. Some of my closest friends today are former members of this place. I think it is a rather unfortunate impression that we give of our political and parliamentary colleagues, for we do find true friendship amongst our colleagues here.

I particularly want to single out some of my Western Australian colleagues. We are quite a team here in the House of Representatives. We hold 11 out of 15 seats—I hope the member for Brand is feeling somewhat vulnerable—and, together with our Senate colleagues from the West, we make the long trip back and forth across the Nullarbor more times than I care to remember. I thank them for their incredible loyalty and support. We certainly pulled together as a team at the recent state election that saw a Liberal government elected and effectively took the first brick out of the wall-to-wall state, territory and federal Labor government scene.

I take this opportunity to place on record my admiration for Senator Chris Ellison, who will be leaving the parliament this year. Chris has had a fine career as a senator—some 15 years representing Western Australia in the finest tradition of Western Australian senators. His dedication to his task, his calm demeanour, his intelligence and his experience will be sadly missed not only by the party but also by the Senate and members in this House.

I also comment and thank the staff in the House of Representatives. Mr Speaker, thank you for your courtesy this year. I have to say that, having been in this place for 10 years, it came as a shock to me to be thrown out earlier in the year. But I certainly deserved it and, although I am scarred by the experience, I will try very hard not to repeat the event. I thank the Speaker for his dedication to his task, to the clerks, to the attendants and to all those who ensure that this place runs as smoothly as the Speaker is able to achieve.

There are thousands and thousands of people who ensure that this parliament runs smoothly, not only the public servants—a whole army of people in the Public Service—but also the thousands of people that work inside this place when parliament is sitting. Some of them have been here for such a long time. This morning one of my staff was talking to the man who waters the plants, Carl. Carl has been in that job for 22 years. I think that gives us some indication of the dedicated service of so many people who in their own way make a contribution to the smooth running of the federal parliament.

I thank my staff, particularly my chief of staff, Murray; my press secretary, Kate; my senior adviser, Dave; and my adviser, Rochelle. We are a small but talented team. They are fiercely loyal to me and dedicated to my wellbeing. I also thank my electorate office staff—Kirsten, Sue, Judy, Rachael and Georgina. They have to mind the shop while I am on my frequent trips to Canberra and the eastern states, and I am so often absent. They do a wonderful job ensuring that the constituents in my electorate get to see me when they need to and get answers to questions and support and advice when they need it.

Finally, I thank the people of my electorate of Curtin. They have now re-elected me on four occasions. I recommit that in 2009 I will work very hard in representing their interests in this place and that I will dedicate all my efforts, energies and abilities to ensure that their interests are appropriately represented here. I take this opportunity to wish all members a safe, happy and prosperous Christmas and New Year.

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