Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

It is good to see you smiling, Mr Speaker, as we near the end of the year. I cannot recall having ever spoken at this valedictory opportunity, even though I have been a member here since 1996. Some people are cynical about the valedictories. I want to place on record that what I like most about them is that people speak from the heart. The notes are a gentle reminder of the vast number of people that we all have an obligation to thank and a responsibility to thank. The best part of it is you can take a moment to reflect on, regain and display the human qualities that make us all, hopefully, good representatives of the Australian people.

First and foremost, I want to start within this chamber. When I first came into parliament in 1996 I drew a very deep breath when I walked through the doors just over there for the first time into what is an effective coliseum. I sat in the chair next to where the member for Werriwa now sits. I was put up there at that time because the then government whip was not a great fan of mine, it is fair to say, and he deemed it appropriate for me to be furthest away from the chair and the action. I do not know whether I should disclose this to you, Mr Speaker, but I was the first Liberal MP thrown out by a Liberal Speaker. You would not believe why that occurred. I was so far up the back that when I interjected the member for Bradfield had to repeat my interjection so it would be heard. Of course, it was Speaker Halverson at the time and he was deaf in his right ear, which was rather convenient for the government sitting to the right-hand side of the Speaker. One day he knew there were numerous interjections coming from the right-hand side of the chamber, but he could not pin it on anyone because his hearing was a little limited. He saw my lips moving and he threw me out. The worst part of it was that I was chewing gum—I had not said a word! I have never chewed gum in this chamber since because I feared being thrown out by the Speaker.

What I love about this chamber is the humanity in it. Not everyone who might watch the six o’clock news and see just a few seconds of activity in the chamber would be able to identify that there is great humanity in this chamber. There is a great deal of respect across the chamber for each other and I think that overwhelmingly there is a great deal of respect for the chamber itself and what it stands for. Each time in the 18 sitting weeks and numerous others when I drive to Canberra, I look at the building and take a little breath because I know it is an immense privilege to represent others in the parliament of the people, and particularly in the chamber of the people.

As the Leader of the House very genuinely said, it has been a tough year going from government to opposition. I was very privileged to be a minister for eight years, and in those eight years there were not many days that passed by when I did not have the opportunity to engage in banter in the chamber. It is quite a transition from government to opposition, but I do want to place on record that, even though you can understand the government using the full force of its numbers in this place, the Leader of the House has gone out of his way to communicate with me on numerous occasions—outside sitting weeks and during sitting weeks—and to keep me informed of what the government was seeking to achieve in the chamber. Whilst we have disagreed at various times, and on many occasions the government presented to us a range of things as a fait accompli, he would at least let me know it was coming before it hit me. I do appreciate the fact that he has endeavoured to do that.

The interesting thing is that I have known Albo, the Leader of the House, for many years. We both came into this place in 1996 with our whips not being very fond of us as new members. In the case of the Leader of the House, Leo McLeay was the Chief Opposition Whip and he and the member for Grayndler had a rich and vibrant history. The member for Grayndler walked into the office of the Chief Opposition Whip and said, ‘I haven’t got an office’—I am sure he will not mind me telling this story—and Leo McLeay, without even looking up, got out a map of Parliament House and said, ‘On my reckoning, this office over here is the furthest away from mine, and that will be yours.’

I can beat that. Alan Cadman was Chief Government Whip at the time. I came down to Parliament House and looked around and he had not given me an office at all. I went to his office to complain that I had not been given an office. He said, ‘Oh, what an oversight that is.’ He put me in an office to share with Ian Causley! I thought, ‘Hang on, I thought I got my own office in Parliament House—I’m a new member.’ I went to complain again and he said, ‘Oh, we’ll fix that up.’ Little did I know that he had allocated me a storage room in Parliament House. I am not joking. I walked into the room and it was full of furniture, boxes and everything else. They said, ‘Don’t worry, Mr Hockey, it will take a few days but you will get an office.’ I said, ‘Can I have a TV, as well? Is that okay?’ They said, ‘Yes, that’s okay.’ So we both had colourful starts to our careers in this place.

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