Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That this House place on record its appreciation of the long and meritorious service to the parliament by the Clerk of the House, Mr B. C. Wright, and extends to him and his wife and family every wish for a healthy and happy retirement.

Forty-one years of service is an extraordinary record. In a world where nothing lasts, one thing has lasted for 41 years, and that is Bernard Wright's service to this parliament. It has been long—obviously. It has been meritorious—of course. And it has been motivated by a love of this institution—a love that I would say is unmatched by any person currently serving in this place. I have known Bernard Wright for 24 of those 41 years, since turning up back in 1990 as a staffer. I can remember discussing with Bernard and his fellow clerks various parliamentary tactics which oppositions might use in the face of a rampant government, and Bernard's advice was good. His advice was just as frank and fearless with me as, I am sure, in other times and in other places, it has been frank and fearless with members opposite.

But what has motivated Bernard and what has been characteristic of Bernard at all times—apart from his utter impartiality and total dedication to the welfare of this parliament—is his legal skill, his profound understanding of the standing orders, his appreciation of how the standing orders could be changed and improved at any time and, above all else, his great love of this institution. We all say we love the parliament, and I suspect if we were not in this parliament most of us would miss it. But the fact is, we all too often love this parliament as, I regret to say, a vehicle for ourselves. But Bernard and other occupants of his office love this parliament as a forum for democracy and as the great council of our nation. We are so indebted to the Clerk's Office and to the various people who have held that office as the true guardians—the true keepers of the spirit and the ethos and the values—of this great institution.

Bernard, you have been utterly fastidious, utterly dedicated and utterly faithful to your task. You have been a very model of a public servant, and you have been a great patriot. So, as the 28th Prime Minister, I salute the 15th Clerk. The fact that there have been 28 prime ministers but only 15 clerks shows the longevity of clerks in office, and it shows the dedication of those who have held that office.

While I am on my feet, I probably should make some of the customary acknowledgements which we do at this time of the year. As well as thanking Bernard and the other clerks and all of the others who make this House operate—the Hansard staff, the attendants, the drivers, the cleaners and everyone who makes our life in this building possible—I would thank my own staff. They are indomitably led by Peta Credlin, someone who has had a little more publicity lately then she would like and who is undoubtedly the fiercest political warrior that it has ever been my privilege to work with. I thank my colleagues, so ably led by the Deputy Prime Minister, my own deputy leader, my frontbench and my backbench.

This has been a big year for everyone in this parliament but it has been a particularly big year for members of the coalition. What can we say about 2013? It marks the withdrawal of Australian troops in Uruzgan Province after almost a decade. Our troops have done a magnificent job but they have paid a high price, and we hope that their years of service and sacrifice will be honoured by a province and a country which respects the values that we tried to bring to that province and which honours the sacrifice and the service that Australian troops and others brought to that province.

We have had floods in Queensland. We have had fires in New South Wales. But, so often in this country, nature at its worst brings out Australians at their best. I am very conscious of the fact that this is the quarter century, the 25th anniversary, of this new Parliament House. I acknowledge the fact that, along with you, Madam Speaker, three others currently in this building were in the former building and were here as members of parliament on the day this building opened: the member for Lingiari, who has served diligently in this House; the member for Berowra, the Father of the House and distinguished Chief Government Whip, who has served in so many capacities, always with honour and always with distinction; and, of course, Senator Boswell, the Father of the Senate.

I suppose inevitably, for us, the big thing this year was the election and the change of government. I note that there have only been seven changes of government federally since 1945. I also note that each change of government has been accompanied by high hopes on the part of the people that it will turn out to have been change for the better. I am determined to ensure that the change of government that took place earlier this year is indeed change for the better and I am determined to ensure that it is a very long time indeed before this country again has three Prime Ministers in one year—not a great record, three Prime Ministers in one year.

One thing that obviously has not changed for the better is the departure of our Clerk. I know he will find a valiant, a diligent and a capable successor, because that is what happens in this place. But the fact is that Bernard Wright has been a servant of this parliament without peer, without equal. We will miss him, we honour him and we wish him all the best for the future.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to second the Prime Minister's motion and, on behalf of the opposition, to thank Bernard Wright for more than four decades of dedicated service in this place. What must be a day of mixed emotion for Bernard and for his family is a sad day for all of us who have worked closely with him. Anyone here, be it the Father of the House or the newer members, who has dealt with him in his various roles would have been impressed with his deep knowledge of the intricacies of parliamentary procedure. He worked for the department of immigration before moving to the bills and papers office the next year, and he has not left parliament since. He served as private secretary to the Speaker and secretary to the Privileges Committee. But it is in his work as Clerk that he found his calling. The role of Clerk, like all of the roles in parliament, nearly always goes unheralded. However, I can assure you that, by those of us from this side—formerly from that side—that work does not go unnoticed and it is certainly appreciated.

While we engage across the dispatch boxes in the debate or the political argument of the day of parliament, Bernard and his team go about their business in a quiet, a careful and a thoroughly professional manner. On a personal note, I should add that Bernard has always gone out of his way to assist those who are less experienced than he. Bernard Wright, I suspect, is like all truly modest people—I suspect he does not realise how appreciated he is by all the rest of us. Dedicated parliamentary professionals like Bernard make our jobs easier. They are here before parliament commences and they are here after it rises.

I thank Bernard for his years of dedicated service to this place. I wish him well for the years ahead. I thank his family for lending him to this institution, the parliament of Australia. Of course, if he misses the to and fro of federal parliament, I am sure that, from all of us on both sides, he has a standing invitation to attend any question time he feels like. Bernard, thank you very much from the opposition.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to join the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in extending congratulations to Bernard Wright on his career as Clerk of the parliament and to wish him good health and every happiness in his retirement.

The Parliamentary Service Act requires that a person cannot be appointed as Clerk unless the Speaker is satisfied:

… that the person has extensive knowledge of, and experience in, relevant Parliamentary law, procedure and practice.

Bernard Wright served for 37 years before he was appointed Clerk, and he clearly filled that criteria. Indeed, his service as Clerk of this parliament has demonstrated that he not only has that experience but has all of the qualities that are required to make an excellent Clerk of this parliament. He has had a remarkable period of service to the parliament—much longer than that of any member of the House. His service to the parliament has been enduring.

What has impressed us all is his never-ending courtesy, his patience and his assistance. I guess one of the first things I noticed was his attention to detail—sometimes detail that the rest of us may have considered to be trivia. Nonetheless, he had a determination that everything needed to be right. He certainly added to the dignity of the office in the way in which he conducted his duties. He held the important responsibility of leader of a team of people who served this House. He has certainly fulfilled his responsibilities with great dignity.

Bernard, thank you very much for your personal friendship and the assistance you have provided to me and my colleagues. Thanks go to your family for what they have undoubtedly given up over the years. Bernard, you have shared the unreasonable hours that are sometimes expected of those who work in this place, and we hope that you are now able to enjoy your retirement in a degree of relaxation, and to take up your hobbies. I guess you will need to learn some hobbies, because I do not know that you have had much time outside of this place in the past. We certainly wish you the best possible health and the wonderful privilege of being with your family for a long retirement.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased and honoured to be able to make a contribution to this debate. It is entirely appropriate that the whole House acknowledge the contribution of Bernard Wright, a true adornment to this parliament. He has a genuine love of the parliament. He has played an extraordinary role in ensuring the proper functioning of the parliament.

In order to indicate to the Clerk that I have listened to his advice, I intend quoting from House of Representatives Practice which is, to Bernard Wright, the bible of belief in this parliament. It indicates that the office of the Clerk of the House has its origins in the House of Commons in England. It indicates that the first appointment was in 1363. Interestingly, it says something that I did not know; you always learn something from this big green book! The word 'clerk' simply meant someone who could read and write. Since many members then could do neither, one of the clerk's main functions was to read out petitions and, later, bills and other documents to House. That is interesting, because you have to know where you come from to know why you are here and where you are going.

Bernard Wright's experience has come to the fore. I had the benefit of his wise counsel both in government and in opposition—in particular, I must say, during the last parliament. The last parliament was a difficult parliament. There was a lot of personal tension in the chamber and outside, due to the fact that it is unusual for Australia to have minority parliament. Throughout all of that, Bernard—no matter how difficult things might have been and how unhelpful members of parliament, myself included, might have been at particular times—kept his cool and kept his counsel. He ensured that this parliament functioned effectively and that the government functioned effectively. His eyes were only ever on one thing—not on any partisan outcome but on outcomes which resulted in the parliament being held in the high regard that it should be held in. That has always been his sole focus.

There were difficult circumstances, such as changeovers of Speaker during the last parliament. Perhaps some of the stories will remain for Bernard's book! I am sure that would make an interesting read. He indicated to me in a discussion we had in the last week that I should be writing a book. He said that he hoped that I had kept a diary of the last parliament. My diary would not be as interesting as his, because, since everyone could talk with him in a manner of trust, Bernard Wright knew everything that was going on. You could get advice about whether you were on the right path or the wrong path. Advice was put forward in such a way that you knew that experience came to the fore. There are some people in this chamber who have a bit of knowledge of the standing orders—including you, Madam Speaker. But all of us combined pale into insignificance in comparison to the knowledge that Bernard Wright has. He will be a real loss to this parliament.

I conclude by saying this. His professional conduct is one thing. Sometimes we speak about a separation of professional conduct and personal conduct. With Bernard Wright you cannot separate the two. He is a gentleman. His character comes through in the way that he does his work. If he did not have that character his work would not have been as effective, no matter how great his knowledge of the standing orders, of the history of this parliament and of the history of democracy. We have worked particularly closely over the decade when I was in the member for Sturt's and the member of Watson's position. It was a privilege to work with you, Bernard Wright. I thank you, and I acknowledge your contribution to this great Australian democracy.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not think it would be appropriate if I let this opportunity pass without recording my thanks to Bernard as a friend and as a professional officer of this parliament who has never compromised his role but is still able to work with all of us. As you would all know, I have known most of his relatively recent predecessors—that is, over 40 years—and I would not want to draw invidious comparisons because all of them have been fine, professional officers. But, to me, Bernard Wright has been unique in the way in which he has carried out that role—not just as a fearless adviser but also as a person who brings to the role a very considerable degree of intellectual leadership, as demonstrated in the many volumes of the Practice that some of us have on our shelves. I cannot say I have used the Practice as frequently as Madam Speaker, but it has been invaluable. Bernard, thank you very much for your friendship.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am going to put the motion in a moment, which I think we should pass by acclamation and standing in our places. But, first, Bernard has passed me a note which I think I would like to convey to you all. He says, 'Thank you very much for your generous words.' He has also thanked the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of The Nationals, the member for Grayndler and others for their most generous remarks. He says, 'It has been an honour to have worked for the House. I wish all members the very best.' How typical of Bernard to pass me a note to say thank you to people and do it in such a gracious way! Could we all stand in our places.

Question agreed to, honourable members standing in their places.