Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Unusually, I would like to dwell on a remark by the Leader of the House in commencing the valedictories. He talked about the Indigenous welcome and apology that started this parliament and in particular he commended the honourable member for Bradfield, the then Leader of the Opposition. The member for Bradfield gave the apology bipartisan support and, indeed, supported the Indigenous opening. It was not easy, but the apology would not have had the great meaning in Australia that it has, and that I think it will mark in history, without his bipartisan support. So, like the Leader of the House, I put on the Hansard record something that I have publicly said on a number of occasions and thank him and his party for that bipartisan support. On a less generous note, I observe how jealous I was of the class of 2007 for having in their very first parliament an Indigenous welcome and an apology—something many of us had waited many years for.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the role you play. Reflecting on my behaviour, I suspect—in fact I know—that I have not always lived up to the standards that you expect of honourable members. But I am grateful that you have not used the full force of the standing orders and precedent to exercise your authority, and in that regard I thank you for your generosity.

Chief whips do not get to choose whom they work with as Leader of the House. That is true in my case, but even if I did have a choice I would not want to work with anyone other than Mr Albanese, the Leader of the House. As Deputy Manager of Opposition Business, then Manager of Opposition Business and now Leader of the House, he has commanded my respect—and loyalty too. I think that we have developed a close friendship and good teamwork. Mr Albanese commented on the role of Jo Haylen. She is one of those many young women who work in this organisation for us. She is an outstanding talent, and her ability to do her job in the exemplary fashion that she does simply astounds me. The Leader of the House of course does not have a modest portfolio or responsibilities but rather large ones. In a joking manner, I have often called Jo the ‘acting leader of the House’. We do have a very good relationship and I am very thankful for the way she does her work and all the cooperation she extends.

Perhaps it is unusual for me to mention the Chief Opposition Whip, Alex Somlyay, but when I was Chief Opposition Whip I had an excellent relationship with Kerry Bartlett, the then Chief Government Whip. I did not think that I was a slouch in opposition, but now that I have a better understanding of the role of Chief Government Whip I have even greater respect for Kerry. I think Alex carries on the tradition. Whips are required to make many verbal agreements during the day and the week. Alex is a man of honour and he has never broken his word to me, and I trust I have never broken my word to him. Whips do not always agree with leaders of the House or even with managers of opposition business, but I am fond of saying that if I have an agreement with Alex, it is bankable. I thank him and his staff because we both need to cooperate well.

The whips, of course, control the Main Committee, something that is sometimes lost on the leaders of the House or the managers of opposition business. Nothing can be done without the agreement of the two whips. We also organise the selection committee, where there are a fine set of papers and extensive minutes, to determine private members’ business. This is all done at an informal meeting between the whips, including the Nationals’ whip, Kay Hull. It is done very quickly and efficiently and the decisions are recorded by James Rees from the Table Office. So lots of things that make this place work are really done by agreement between whips. I again thank Alex and wish him and his wife, Jenny, all the best for Christmas for New Year—and the same to Kay.

Of course, there are two other government whips: Jill Hall, who has been with me since I first became a whip and put my L-plates on, and, more recently, Chris Hayes. We operate as a team. I think people do not understand the influence that Jill and Chris have, but I am certainly very much dependent on them and their judgement, which I very highly regard. Jill and Chris run the Main Committee, and I would like to thank and acknowledge the role played by not only them but also their staff, who do an outstanding job.

The Leader of the House thanked Anna George. I would like to say that Anna George works for me, but I may be unintentionally misleading the House! Lots of people feel that I work for Anna George, and certainly I do. Anna is a very calm, efficient person who quietly goes about her business, is never fazed, always has a bright smile and treats everyone as she finds them. I could not do my job without Anna George. I would like to acknowledge the role that Joy Brogan and Matthew Tredwell play as well. In addition, I acknowledge my electorate staff Rose Maccarone, Nicole Seniloli, Barbara Williams and Ron De La Cuadra.

I acknowledge the role the clerks play and the advice that they have provided me with over the last 12 months. In fact, I extend my sympathy to Mr Harris, because there has been a section of the standing orders that he has had to provide remedial courses for so that I can fully appreciate their import. We are all dependent on their sage advice. Both Ian and Bernard are no exception.

The Leader of the House mentioned Tony Levy and the staff who work with him, the parliamentary liaison officers. I think that for the outstanding job that they do it is somewhat of a disgrace that they work out of a dogbox. I thank you, Tony, for all the work you do.

My office is particularly close to the Table Office. Surprisingly, I felt that Peter Mason had a mid-life crisis. He assures me that that was not the case and took five months of long service leave. We were all a little worried about how his shoes would be filled, but I think James Rees has stepped up to the plate in a magnificent fashion. I sincerely thank him for all his good work.

We have a lot to do with the Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms, Claressa Surtees, and the staff who work for her. Unfortunately one of Claressa’s jobs is to control the media, if that is not putting too fine a point on it. She does an excellent job. She does not always endear herself to people because she carries out the requirements of her job, but I certainly value the contribution she makes and I wish I had always let her know of some of the arrangements that we had made with the media. I also sincerely thank Rod and the other staff in her office.

We have a caucus training unit that is headed up by Koula Alexiadis. Although that unit reports to and works for the Special Minister of State under the changed arrangements, I do have an informal arrangement with that group and I would certainly like to thank Koula and her team for the outstanding job that they do.

I certainly wish my backbench a very happy Christmas. I hope they have time to spend with their families, have a break and recharge the batteries. I also thank the staff who work tirelessly for them and do a great job. Whips require a lot of assistance, cooperation and goodwill from ministers, the backbench and their staff to be effective. We have certainly received that in full measure. We sincerely thank them for it and we could not do our jobs without it.

Last, but not least, we have the honourable member for Banks as the chairman of caucus. There are a number of decisions that I need to take or implement in consultation with the honourable member for Banks. People on our side think he is doing an outstanding job and I would like to thank him for all his assistance and the easy way it is to work with him.

I think it has been a difficult year for all opposition members—a long year for you. I certainly hope that you are able to spend time with your families and are able to recharge yourselves. The political contest is a keen one and a hard one, and we all run down our batteries, I regret to say. We recuperate with our families and, with our communities, they charge us up and give us new energy and insight. I hope all members recharge their batteries, and I certainly hope opposition members do so.

See this speech in context