Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also thank the House. Firstly, I congratulate you, Mr Speaker, on your re-election albeit you looked rather unwilling as you were dragged to the chair this morning! I worked with you in the last parliament as the Second Deputy Speaker and I certainly look forward to working with you in this parliament as the Second Deputy Speaker. I thank also the member for Sturt and the member for Cowper for their very kind words. I think I should put them on my campaign team for the next election because sometimes you need someone who can find some very good things to say about you as the member as you go to your constituency for re-election, so I do thank the member for Sturt and the member for Cowper for their very kind words.

To the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Nationals I thank you for your very kind words. There is a generous nature expressed at these times. It is on occasions like this that we really see the best of this parliament, because there are days when, I think, we all feel rather ashamed of what is being presented to the general public. So I thank each and every one of you for your very kind words.

I thank the member for Fisher for his comments in relation to working together. It is important in this parliament and as you outlined in your remarks, Mr Speaker, this is a unique parliament. I think each and every one of us is very privileged to be a part of what is a very unique parliament. The ethnic and religious mix of people coming from many walks of life that makes up this parliament shows that it really is now the House of Representatives of the people of Australia.

I say to the member for Chisholm that in the last parliament I worked very, very well with you. You and I had a great working relationship. I appreciated the staff that you had organising the daily routines. It is an arduous job and you did it very, very well. I thank you for the way we worked together in the last parliament. I am sure you will find things to do in this forthcoming parliament, and I do commiserate with you for not being nominated by your own side for a position in the Deputy Speaker’s role.

It is a great privilege to be returned from the seat of Maranoa to the federal parliament. It may be of interest to the member for Fisher to know that Sir Charles Adermann was, in fact, the member for Maranoa prior to becoming the member for Fisher. He was not Deputy Speaker while he was the member for Maranoa but he did become the Deputy Speaker when he became the member for Fisher. He, as a member of the Country Party at that time, gave a great service to this parliament. I am sure we will be able to work as neighbours together for the betterment of this parliament.

I want to say one other thing, because it is a great honour for me today to have the treasurer of the federal divisional council, Mrs Ann Gibbes from Roma, with me here today. Every member needs a good treasurer just like a parliament and a government need a good treasurer. Mrs Gibbes’s uncle, Mr Campbell, was, in fact, one of the founders of the Country Party. Ann, it is great to have you here today. You are a great treasurer and you also have the history and family background with your uncle, Mr Alan Campbell, who is one of the founders of the Country Party, which became the National Party and which now in Queensland has joined with the Liberal Party to become the Liberal National Party. It is wonderful to have you here and it is a great honour not only to serve the people of Maranoa but to serve in this parliament as the Second Deputy Speaker. I look forward to working with everyone as we bring forward some of these reforms to make sure that they can work in the best interests of all Australians and I thank the House.

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