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

We are here on the last parliamentary day so it is appropriate to take this opportunity to offer some remarks as we move towards the summer and Christmas season. I know it always seems a little bit strange for us to be making Christmas remarks when Australians are still very hard at work. For those listening to the broadcast I want to assure them that when the House rises at the end of today we too will all continue to be hard at work. The government will be hard at work governing and every member of the parliament will be hard at work in their constituencies. We know this is a very busy time of year with end-of-year functions, most particularly those very special end-of-year events that members of parliament attend and rejoice in. But it is our last parliamentary day, so it is the right time to reflect on what has happened in 2010 and to record some hopes for the year ahead. And we should note that as the parliament ends the Ashes series starts, so the summer season is upon us.

At the end of what has been a tough election year it is easy to dwell on the differences between us, and of course those differences are very real. But at this time I do want to say to the parliament: we are all Australians, we are all people of this place and as a people, as a nation, we have got so much to be grateful for. Even as Australians go about what can be the day-to-day struggle of their lives, there is much to be proud of and much to be grateful for. I want to genuinely wish everyone well in this building and beyond, and across the political divide, as the year comes to an end.

There have been some very happy days during this year. It was a good year for the fans of Sydney FC, it was a good year for the fans of St George and—whilst it really, really pains me to say it!—it was a good year for Collingwood fans as well. A drought has come to an end in the eastern states of Australia, and that is good news. Our Jessica Watson sailed her way into the history books and into many Australians’ hearts with her brave venture of sailing solo around the world. Our Mary MacKillop has been recognised by the world and, on a different note, the victims of Dr Patel in Bundaberg found some justice. It has been a year of a tough election but it has also been a year of parliamentary reform, including an independent Speaker, improvements to question time and an acknowledgement of country on sitting days. These are good things.

It was a year with sad days as well. We lost some great Australians this year: Peter Porter and Joan Sutherland, Jim Kennan and Ken Wriedt, Peter Bowers, Bobbi Sykes and Frank Fenner. And we lost some great young Australians too: from the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, Sapper Jacob Moerland and Sapper Darren Smith; from the 2nd Commando Regiment, Private Timothy Aplin, Private Scott Palmer and Private Benjamin Chuck; from the 6 RAR, Private Nathan Bewes, Private Tomas Dale, Private Grant Kirby and Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney; and from the Special Air Service Regiment, Trooper Jason Brown. We remember them. We are proud that our country has produced such Australians in the past and I am very confident that our country will continue to produce Australians of their quality in the future.

I know I speak for all in this House and all in this country when I say we are especially thinking at this time, and will over the Christmas season, of our troops, the mates of the men that I have just named, who are serving overseas. We are so proud of them. We trust that they get some relief and some respite over the Christmas season and that they have the opportunity, even from afar, to speak to and touch base with their families back home. We wish for all of them a safe return.

At this time of the year we of course celebrate the values of peace and goodwill that bring us all together as Australians. Christmas is a time of great significance for those of religious faith, but it is a time of great significance for all of us. It is a time when, whatever your background, you can come together and acknowledge the role and meaning of Christmas in our nation’s heritage of belief. As a season of giving, it is also a time when we redouble our efforts for those less fortunate in our society and strive to include them much more in our circle of generosity. Our congratulations go to so many Australians who, each and every year, make the Christmas season their time of good works and extend a helping hand to those less fortunate in our society. Of course, while many in the nation take a holiday, there are always those people who keep everything that we need running. Our doctors, our nurses, our police, our firefighters and our transport workers will all work through this Christmas season so we are kept safe and sound and secure and have the services we need.

There are many people to acknowledge and thank. I will briefly list those who deserve our thanks. My brevity does not reflect the depth of emotion in our thanks; the depth of emotion is very strong indeed. First, to the Leader of the Opposition and his wife and family: I trust he takes a long, long holiday—12 months would be perfect! But, whatever he takes, I trust he enjoys it and enjoys time with family and friends. Mr Speaker, we know that you cannot take a long, long holiday, because parliament will be back, but I suspect during your days of holiday you are not going to miss us very much. To those who assist you in the Speaker’s chair, also, I send our goodwill—and I suspect they are not going to miss us very much. To the Parliamentary Liaison Office, our thanks for the work that you do. To the Clerk and Deputy Clerk, who always have the good grace to pretend that they miss us even if they do not, thank you for the work that you do to keep the parliament functioning. We wish you the best at this time of year. To the Serjeant-at-Arms and to the attendants who look after us so well—particularly me during question time; I am a ferocious consumer of water—thank you very much for your assistance. To the Parliamentary Library, which we rely on so much for advice and assistance, thanks for all of your efforts on behalf of members of parliament. To the Hansard staff, for making us sound better than we did in real life, thank you. To the staff of the Table Office and to the Parliamentary Relations Office, thank you for your work.

Of course, this parliament has within it people who do a lot of work but whose occupations are not necessarily recognised all that often. There are the gardeners, the cooks, the switchboard operators, the computer experts, security and people who do myriad other jobs. We see the cleaners who assist us in our offices day to day and thank them when we see them, but their work is often not done within our line of sight, so we do not get the opportunity to say thanks to them. I take that opportunity now. Thanks to Aussies for the great coffee, which is so required. Thanks to those who are providing child care in this parliament, finally. Thanks to the travel agents, who assist us as we move around the country, and to the broadcasting staff, who make sure people in Australia know what is happening in this place. Thanks to the Comcar drivers, who are not just a source of transport but a source of good cheer and good humour as we come in early in the morning and go back very late at night. Thanks to the press gallery. We do not have them in grand attendance right now, and it is not every day that we think they deserve our thanks—but they do, and I am sure that is a spirit shared across the parliament. I see the shadow Treasurer nodding to that. They do an important job broadcasting our words and taking the events of this place to the nation.

To my Labor team, my great thanks to the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer. It has been a tough period and he has been a remarkable source of strength and support. To my cabinet, ministerial and parliamentary secretary colleagues, my thanks go to each of them for their hard work and diligence and personal support for me. To the Leader of the House, Anthony Albanese, who has literally, in our view, worked a miracle in this parliament, my very sincere thanks. To our Senate team, we now share a bit more understanding of what it is like to be in a chamber where the executive does not necessarily have the numbers—

See this speech in context