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

Madam Speaker, I start my valedictory by wishing you, personally, a lovely Merry Christmas, and I wish the same to other members who share the chair. I acknowledge the Prime Minister and, in turn, wish him and his family, the Deputy Prime Minister and other members of the government a good break. I trust the government will return refreshed in the new year. I look forward to identifying areas of bipartisanship upon which we can work together.

As this very long year winds up we pause to reflect on the 12 months past and to look forward to the year ahead. I first speak to the thousands of Holden workers and their families and also to the 1,100 workers and their families at Gove, who have also had terrible news, so recently, about their jobs. The opposition understand the distress, particularly at this time of the year, that is caused by the uncertainty that they face. We will continue to stand up for their futures every day in this place.

In our wide brown land all too often we face drought, flood and bushfires. Amidst the devastation and despair I always feel a sense of pride when I have the opportunity to meet families who have stared these challenges in the face and pushed forward, just as I am thankful for the emergency services workers and volunteers who support them along the way. So it was this year. We began with the devastating fires in Tasmania, the worst in over 30 years, during one of the state's harshest heatwaves. The resilience of the township of Donnelly, which was one of the hardest hit, is testament to the Australian spirit that we have seen before in tough times. The Australian will was also tested in Queensland. Resilient people who too often feel the brunt of nature's ferocity once again faced serious floods. More recently I toured the devastation in the Blue Mountains after bushfires, which along with other fires in New South Wales took the homes of hundreds of families and tested the spirit of local communities. I take this moment to offer, on behalf of the opposition, our thoughts to those Australians facing these and similar challenges.

During this time of family and friends we should also pause to thank those Australians serving our nation overseas in our military forces. In late October along with the Prime Minister I had the opportunity to meet with Australians serving in Afghanistan. I wish them well this festive season; I also wish them a safe return. I thank all Australians serving overseas in our armed forces, in our diplomatic service and in our Public Service. We also thank their families for lending them to Australia in the service of our nation. As those families approach the festive season with an empty chair at the table we want you to know our gratitude for your sacrifice.

This year people were tested right around the world—from unrest in Egypt and Syria to the shock of the bombings at the Boston Marathon and the devastation across the Philippines and Vietnam caused by Typhoon Haiyan. The Prime Minister and I have recently returned from South Africa, where this week we attended the memorial service for Nelson Mandela. The world will continue to mourn the loss of this great leader, and each of us should seek inspiration from his words and actions about reconciliation and forgiveness, particularly at this time of year.

In 2013 we lost many great Australians: Chrissie Amphlett, an icon to Australian music lovers—men and women alike; Mr Yunupingu, 1992 Australian of the Year and a singer for Yothu Yindi, but more importantly a truly wonderful man who represented his people with passion and purpose. He will be a wonderful chapter in the Australian story for generations to come; Peter Harvey, a man with a four-decade-long commitment to Australian journalism; Rusty Priest, the indomitable former president of the RSL.

There were many Australians recognised at home and abroad. Del Kathryn Barton won her second Archibald Prize for her fantastic portrait of the Australian icon, Hugo Weaving. In literature Michelle de Kretser won the Miles Franklin Award for Questions of Travel. Melbourne's own Wally De Backer won three Grammy Awards including record of the year. The Socceroos qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Black Caviar was retired after an unprecedented run of 25 wins and no losses. We lost the Ashes, but now we are just one test win away from reclaiming them. I look forward to Mitchell Johnson continuing to tear through the English in Perth starting tomorrow and again in Melbourne on Boxing Day.

Election years are particularly demanding, and this year was no different. I personally thank, once again, the people of Maribyrnong for electing me to serve them in this place. We are a vibrant, strong, diverse and proud community. It is a privilege to represent each and every one of them. I want to acknowledge the Labor Party members and volunteers in Maribyrnong who supported me by giving their time so freely this year. Not one of us would be in this place without our members, neighbours, friends and volunteers helping with the doorknocking, the phoning, the putting up of posters and the spending of hours handing out pamphlets and promoting our case.

I thank the members of the great Australian Labor Party who not only embraced our democratic process for the election of leader but also actively engaged and participated in it. It is a testament to our party and our movement that, in a year of election defeat, more Australians now wish to join the Labor Party. There is clearly more work to do, but we are a stronger, more representative and larger party and movement because of our members, and I thank them.

I acknowledge the ongoing contribution of small and family enterprises to creating communities and strong businesses for all of the Australian economy. I also acknowledge Australia's trade unionists, who represent the wishes and hopes of millions of Australians who go to work every day. A special acknowledgement goes to Labor's national secretary, George Wright, and his hardworking team. They have had a big and challenging year. Similarly I acknowledge all state secretaries and branches across the nation. You should take the opportunity to have a break over coming weeks, for you will be straight back to work in the new year as we face elections around the nation in coming months.

To my remarkable deputy, Tanya Plibersek, member for Sydney: Merry Christmas to you, Michael and your family. Working with you over the last few weeks and months has been a pleasure. You are a light of the Labor Party, and I look forward to working with you as we hold the government to account between now and the next election. To senators Penny Wong and Stephen Conroy and the opposition Senate team: I thank you for the work you do in the other place, and I wish you and your families well over this festive season. To the remarkable members of the Labor caucus: thank you; I am grateful to be surrounded in our task by so many Labor talents and warriors. I particularly mention welcome new Labor members of the class of 2013. We have worked hard and have endeavoured to do our best to achieve good outcomes for the future of all Australians.

It was President Lincoln who she said, 'Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.' Labor must do the same. We deserve to be proud of our legacy. I will endeavour to fight for it every day in this parliament alongside my remarkable team. Speaking of Labor's legacy, I acknowledge the members of our movement who have left this place in the course of the year. In particular I acknowledge the achievements of former Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard. Without you both Australia would not have said sorry, we would not have got through the global financial crisis in the manner we did, and we would not have achieved the educational reforms that we created or the National Disability Insurance Scheme. These are great reforms reflecting true Labor values. You have both left your mark in this parliament, and you deserve to be acknowledged for what you achieved for the Australian people.

To Labor staff both here in parliament and out serving in electorates around the country: thank you for your commitment and dedication. It is the hard work of each and every one of you that grows into the great Labor reforms and victories, and I—and we—thank you for it. I also thank the secretary and staff of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and the secretary and staff of the Treasury, who worked closely and cooperatively with me as minister in the course of the year.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the press gallery. We on this side value the contributions and insights you bring to the Australian polity and its politics. You play an important role in our parliament. You never hesitate to point out when we are wrong and then challenge us when we claim to be right. We hope that the festive season treats you all well and that you return next year hungry for truth once again.

We know that if it was just politicians in this place then nothing would ever get done. As I said earlier—but I wish to say it again—I acknowledge the pivotal role played by the outgoing Clerk of the House of Representatives, Bernard Wright, by David Elder, the Deputy Clerk and incoming Clerk, and by all your teams. To everyone else who manages the operation of the House—the Serjeant-at-Arms, Robyn McClelland, and everyone in the Serjeant's office, the Table Office, the Parliamentary Library, Hansard as well as all the attendants in the chamber—I say thank you. I thank the Comcar drivers here and around Australia, who manage to get us from A to B, particularly when our schedules change, when we are running late and—sometimes—when we are not sure where we are going. I say a special thank you to Steve and Bill, my drivers in Melbourne, for their good driving and better humour. I must mention and wish a Merry Christmas to the Parliament House staff from the Department of Parliamentary Services, the gym, Aussies and the dining rooms as well as the security staff and the wonderful cleaning staff—including Olga, who greets our office every day with a smile and a joke at any hour of the day or night. Surely the hill would not be such a bright place without the contributions of all those who work here.

I acknowledge my personal electorate staff, including those staff members who have moved on to bigger and better things following the election. I thank in particular my former chief of staff, Mat Tinkler, and my current chief of staff, Ken Macpherson, for their dedication and leadership. This part of my notes, which was prepared for me by my staff, tell me that my staff are all too wonderful and that it would take too long to list their qualities individually! So instead I will say that it has been a long and tough year for each of you, whether you have been with me throughout the year or have only joined my office in recent weeks. I am impressed every day by the capacity of my staff for hard work and by their good humour, dedication, collegiality and their ability to go with me for runs at odd hours and at short notice! Your capacity to give each other special names—such as Fifi, Seamie, Paps, KBJ, Fossil and Monkey—is slightly strange. But they are certainly endearing to some! In all seriousness I take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank each member of my staff; well done, team.

Lastly and most importantly, I thank my family. Chloe, Georgette, Rupert and Clementine: I love you and I thank you for your love and support. You are the most important people in the world to me. I look forward to coming home tonight, as I do at the end of every sitting week, to spend time with you. I also thank my mother and my brother, Robert, and his family. All too often the sacrifices that our families make so we can follow our paths and vocations are forgotten. We in this place are volunteers: we choose to seek the privilege of representing our electorates and participating in the important debates about the direction and future of our nation. But none of us can perform without the support of our families. Our families often get much of the downside and little of the upside.

In conclusion I say that this really has been a long year, complete with many highs and lows. I trust that, once everyone has had their fill of presents, ham and festive cheer, we will all have the opportunity to sit down with loved ones and enjoy what is really important. This is a very special time of year, and I once again wish everyone a safe and happy festive season.

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

As today marks the last sitting day of the year—a long and somewhat tumultuous year—it is appropriate that we pause to say thank you to those who supported members of parliament in their role over this period. Among them I include people who supported us in our homes and in our offices and the people of Australia, who have entrusted us with a great responsibility of managing our nation as parliamentarians.

I am pleased to extend my very best wishes to all of those who have been mentioned previously in these valedictory remarks and to extend my Christmas wishes to all of those who help make this parliament work. Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, I hope you may convey to Madam Speaker and the rest of the Speaker's panel our thanks for the work that you do in managing the parliament and in making sure that the parliamentary process works well. There are several thousand people in this building, and to manage what is a mini city requires a lot of people to do their work well so that we can manage the affairs of state and the activities of this parliament smoothly.

There has already been mention of the Clerk and his successor today. I again express my gratitude for their service and wish them well over the Christmas period. To all of their supporting staff as well: our thanks to you. If there is some message that might come to them as a result of today's appointment, it is that you only have to wait 30 years and it might be your turn to be Clerk! We certainly appreciate the role of the whole team and the way they serve the committees and every element of the working of the parliament. That includes the attendants and the Serjeant, who courteously welcome us into this building and make sure that everything is arranged as it ought to be. We appreciate their courteous attention and patient advice and the cheerful nature with which they go about their duties no matter what time of the day or night it might be.

Particular acknowledgement needs to go: to the Hansard staff; to the 2020 staff, whom we tend to call on far too often because electronic equipment hardly ever seems to work correctly; to the Reps IT people for their constant support; to the Comcar drivers we particularly appreciate; to the staff in the catering sections of the parliament, who do a remarkable job, often under difficult circumstances, and we appreciate their work; and to the FCM Travel Solutions people, relatively new to the task and so still in some ways learning all of our idiosyncrasies, and in their first year in the job I thank them for the work they have done. Also there are the unsung heroes of the building: the Limro cleaning staff. Maria, Anna and Lucia particularly look after our part of the building and we thank them very much for their service. So our thanks go to all those who work in the parliament for making this year's activities work smoothly.

I also acknowledge my colleagues in the chamber—and, indeed, those on the opposite side. This past year has been a tumultuous one. I do not think history will look kindly on the last parliament. It was raucous, and I do not think it reflected well on the process of our democracy. We are all anxious to make sure that the next parliament works better and achieves the kind of reform and progress that we want for our country. It has been a demanding year, and so we will very much be looking forward to this break—this Christmas period—to refresh and to move forward. It was an election year, and I acknowledge: my Nationals colleagues; the federal secretariat; those who helped us through the election campaign; and my parliamentary colleagues. All these people worked so hard to achieve the outcome that occurred: a change of government—a rare change of government and one which I think offers hope and opportunities for the future.

I thank my party colleagues: deputy leader Barnaby Joyce and the leaders in the Senate; Nigel Scullion and Fiona Nash; the whips, who do a terrific job in arranging affairs for us; and Mark Coulton and George Christensen and their staff. I thank my frontbench colleagues as well, most of whom are learning to be ministers or parliamentary secretaries for the first time and, I am sure, enjoying the challenge. In that context I join the Leader of the Opposition in acknowledging the help that we get from our departments in putting together the business agenda and helping us to deliver on our policy platform. There is often a lot said about blue books and red books, but the reality is that they are the plans the department has already put in place when a new government comes to office to deliver on its election manifesto. For that reason the work that they do backs up and helps us to achieve our objectives but also gives us the support and the information we need to make good decisions in a timely way.

The people of Australia put their faith in a new government. They expect this to be a parliament where the government can pursue its agenda, keep its promises and deliver a positive plan for the future. I say as Leader of the Nationals that I will certainly be doing what I can to make sure that regional Australia is not forgotten in all of the big national economic discussions and all the important decisions that are made for the future of our country.

Indeed, regional Australia is more often than not in the news because of the disasters—because of the troubles that come. As I think back on this year it was in January when there were fires in Tasmania, there was successive flooding in my own electorate and neighbouring electorates had some of the most disastrous flooding we have seen in our region for 100 years. In some cases it was the worst ever. There has certainly been enormous damage and a huge rebuilding task which will go on yet for several years. Indeed, some parts of Queensland now have been in flood recovery and rebuilding for about three years and there is still quite a lot of work to be done to restore the roads and infrastructure that everyone needs; and then lately there have been extensive fires through New South Wales.

One of my great hopes for this Christmas season is that it can be a disaster-free season for all Australians. We have had some pretty unhappy Christmas times—or particularly New Year times—over recent years. We have had enough of those disasters, and I pray that this will be a Christmas season which will be safe for everyone and where we can all enjoy the spirit of Christmas and the hopes and aspirations for the New Year without being interrupted by disaster.

I wish everyone within these parliamentary walls and those in the community whom we serve a very happy and safe Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. As transport minister, I appeal to people to drive safely this Christmas. Our roads are getting better and we spend more time in more comprehensive training for drivers, but accidents spoil too many Christmases and too many families' celebrations. I urge everybody to take the extra time and allow a little bit of extra time so that they can get to their destinations safely.

I hope that everyone has the opportunity for a well-deserved break over this period and I look forward to joining everybody back in this chamber in February so that we can get on with the business of making the change that needs to be made and delivering the government that Australians want so that there can be the confidence for our country to grow and prosper in the years ahead.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity, as is traditional at this time of year, to spend just a few minutes reflecting on the last 12 months.

The Leader of the Opposition talked a lot about the challenges that we have faced in Australia and around the world—the natural disasters and some of the acts of violence—and I will not cover those again. He also spoke about some of the notable Australians and notable leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, whom we have lost this year. Again, I will not speak of those.

What I do want to reflect on briefly is this time of year, which gives us the opportunity for gratitude, for empathy and for solidarity. Of course, we have heard in this last week about the tragic loss of the jobs of the Holden workers—2,900 people who will, I expect, be spending a very sad Christmas indeed sitting around the dining table, wondering what the future holds for them and other workers who have lost their jobs. The Holden workers have been the most prominent. We have heard about the jobs lost in Gove, the jobs lost at Qantas and a number of other companies—and, of course, there are the unspoken job losses that we hear of as well.

Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, you will know, representing as you do an electorate that was affected by flood not so long ago, that we have had the tragedies of the most recent fires in the Blue Mountains and in the Hunter area. But it is not just those who are affected by these recent natural disasters who suffer at this time of year; there are many people from January last year who still have not rebuilt their homes and whose lives are still not back to normal. There are people who have experienced all manner of difficulties and suffering and who have lost people who they love this year. I say to them that at this time of year we think of them. We feel empathy for their experiences. We stand with them in solidarity and we think with gratitude on what we still have even when we have suffered loss. We think with gratitude on what we still have.

It has been a curious year—a hung parliament and an election year—and people have seen conflict from us this year almost entirely. If you watch the television at night, you would think that that is all that politics is about—that it was all about conflict. But we do achieve things here and we achieve them, thinking about what we owe to the people who send us here—looking after their jobs during the global financial crisis, for example. As health minister, there are many things that I look back on with pride. So I do say to our constituents that we endeavour every day to deserve the faith that you have placed in us and we thank you for the faith that you have placed in us. We will try to deserve it.

Of course none of the good work that we do could be done without the people who make this place tick. We have heard so much just now about Bernard Wright and what a wonderful job he has done over so many years with his encyclopedic knowledge of parliamentary procedure. I do want to join with others in especially thanking Bernard Wright for his dedication to this place and for his dedication to the true meaning and spirit of the Westminster parliamentary system. I want to say how proud I am to have worked with him. So thank you, Bernard; I know that every single one of us wishes you and your family the very, very best for your retirement. We will miss you.

Of course you have the good sense in your workplace to be very careful about the people who will follow you, and it is wonderful to have David Elder here with us today. We know we can be absolutely confident that the same incredible level of dedication we have seen from you, Bernard, we will see also from David. I am sure that he is already training his successor for 15 or 20 years from now.

I want to start by acknowledging the dedication and professionalism of the cleaning staff. Our time in the ministerial wing was actually made so much nicer because Anna, Lucia and all of the cleaning staff were so happy to greet us as we walked in in the morning. Sometimes it actually felt like coming home. Every now and again I would also get a little cuddle and that really would make my day. We now see Olga every day in the Reps wing. I wish her and her family a merry Christmas too.

I thank everyone who manages the good operations of this House: the Serjeant-at-Arms, Robyn McClelland; everyone in the Serjeant's office and the Table Office; all of the attendants in the chamber, especially Luch—and I do not know whether he is still here—who looks after us so well and keeps us hydrated; the Hansard reporters; and the wonderful security team that we have here in Parliament House. I used to really like it as a new member when occasionally they would stop me as I was coming in and ask for my ID tag. It made me feel very young. But they do not do that any more, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is always great to get a cheery hello when it is minus six outside and it is 6 am and still dark. At least there is a cheery hello when we walk in here.

To the staff at Aussie's and the staff cafeteria, thank you. I want to particularly single out Agnes at Aussie's. I do not know how she remembers everybody's names and faces, but she does. As for the COMCAR drivers, I have made many a friend over the years with the COMCAR drivers and I want to say that I really value the friendship that they have given me.

The staff of the Parliamentary Library, the smartest people in the place, are always the best ones to get on your table if you are at a trivia night. I thank them for the work they do. And I thank everyone who physically maintains this building. As someone said earlier, it is like a small city—the tradespeople, the gardeners, the curators, and all of the people on the maintenance team; I thank them.

People have spoken about the pressures on our families of the work that we have chosen and I want to acknowledge not just my colleagues today, and not just my leader, Bill Shorten, and his wonderful wife, Chloe, but also the families of all of those on this side and on that side, and of course our staff who have really put up with a lot. I want to thank my staff in particular—my shadow ministerial staff, my ministerial staff and my electorate staff—for their support over so many months and years. We have lost a lot of colleagues this year, some of them at the election and some of them through retirement, and my thoughts at this time of year are with them also. I hope that life outside of this place is treating you well.

Finally, I want to say to all Australians that we hope that, despite the very intense year that they have had to put up with, the media that they have experienced in a hung parliament and an election campaign, we will continue to endeavour to deserve your trust. Thank you to all of those in my electorate, in particular, those who put their faith in me; thank you to Labor Party members and unionists, who have worked so hard on our campaigns; and again, to those people who experienced hardship and difficulty this year, our thoughts are especially with you.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise at the end of 2013 and declare that this parliamentary year is over. If you looked at the photographs of the now member for Grayndler and the now Leader of the House 3½ years ago, we would have looked much younger men. During the election campaign my staff were using a photograph of me at the dispatch box for a fundraising event, and I said to the staff: 'You can't use that photograph. That is ridiculously misrepresenting my age.' They said, 'What do you mean?' I said: 'There is no grey in that man's hair at all. You can't use that photograph. How old is that photograph?' They said, 'Three years old.'

At the beginning of the 2010 parliament I looked a much younger man, as did the member for Grayndler, and the last parliament, from 2010 to 2013, certainly drew us closer—and I think it almost killed both of us, but we got through it. We got through an election and, happily, the coalition won it and we are sitting on the right side of the House. I think most people will say that this last parliament and the year 2013 could not end soon enough—I am sure members of parliament would like this debate tonight to end as soon as possible as well, so I will not delay the House for long.

There are a couple of things I would like to say. I would like to start by acknowledging and recognising the service of Bernard Wright as the Clerk. I have been here for 21 years, and Bernard has been here twice as long as that. Every moment that I have served in the parliament, Bernard Wright has been serving alongside us. I must say, being Clerk of the House would be one of the hardest jobs in the parliament—David Elder is now taking over and we welcome him in doing so.

The Clerk of the House, like most good zookeepers, cannot get too close to the animals in the zoo. Only three months ago I was on the other side of the chamber as the Manager of Opposition Business in the House, trying to hold the government of the day to account, and the advice that Bernard Wright would give me was as impartial, dispassionate and non-political as the advice that I am sure he is now giving the current opposition. It is a hard job because it is hard to become close friends with a particular individual in the parliament as they might be serving in a different capacity at any particular point in time. You have to maintain that impartiality, and you cannot be a good Clerk or Deputy Clerk—or any of the Clerks or Assistant Clerks—unless you have maintained that impartiality over a very long time.

In spite of that, Bernard and I have become good friends. I do try to be friends with most people in this place. While I certainly am prepared to take up my party's cudgels in any fight, I still think one can have good personal relationships with people on both sides of the House. Bernard and I have managed to establish a very warm friendship over a long period, but he has never allowed that friendship to intrude upon his impartiality as the Clerk, Deputy Clerk or Assistant Clerk.

It is always a sad day when somebody retires after 42 years. People come and go in this place. The public are always shocked when I tell them the average length of service is about 7½ years, which means there are a lot of 'oncers' in this building—people who come and go, make a contribution and then leave the place. They either retire or get defeated. Most of them get defeated in preselections or at the hands of the electorate. Very few people get to choose their time of retirement from this place. So a long period of time in this House is very rare, and 42 years in this place—since 1972—is a remarkable, remarkable achievement. I salute Bernard and his family. I am so pleased they were here today to hear all the lovely things being said about Bernard, and he deserved every one of them.

I also, in ending this year, thank many of the new people who have taken up positions since the change of government: Annette Cronin, Suzannah Ward and Tim Moore, who are now the House parliamentary liaison officers; David Elder, who will become the Clerk from January, and I look forward to working with him; Robyn McClelland, the Serjeant-at-Arms; the government's whips team, Philip Ruddock, Nola Marino and the member for Wright, Scott Buchholz; and the opposition whips office. I thank the previous opposition whips and the previous government whips. It has been a tumultuous year. There were many different government whips over that time. We have had three prime ministers this year. The whips, of course, have quite a job keeping everybody here on the straight and narrow, and one would not underestimate how much pastoral care the whips provide in this place. I have been here over 20 years, as I said, and the whips have rarely had to provide pastoral care for me. But I do know that the whips provide a lot of support for members of parliament, especially because they are a long way from home and have familial issues. The whips find out about it all. They are very discreet and they keep a lot of people on the straight and narrow. Without the whips, the place could not work well. I would also like to thank the Table Office, including: James Rees and Sarah Fielder; Peter Quiggin from the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, who sits with me now on the Parliamentary Business Committee; and Anne Dowd, Anne O'Connor and David Belgrove, who are the legislative team in the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and who will have a very busy time over summer as we prepare for our sittings next year.

I thank the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker—particularly the new Speaker, who I think is fulfilling the role with charm and elegance and a firm hand on both sides of the House which I think we look forward to when we come back in February. She will turn out to be a great Speaker. I thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, for your length of service and for your good work in that chair, and the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Mitchell from McEwen. I hope he will turn out to be a great Second Deputy Speaker. He is very feisty, so he might need to think over the summer about how he continues to be feisty and impartial at the same time, but I am sure he will manage it. He had quite a scare at the election campaign, so no doubt he will be looking forward to the end of the year as well. I thank the Speaker's panel: the members for McMillan, Moore, Solomon, Hughes, Pearce, Bonner and Braddon. I thank my Deputy Leader of the House, the member for Cowper.

In closing, I thank all the staff who make the parliament work as well as they do. I have often given this speech, so I will not single them out again for fear of reputation, but I thank all the people who make the parliament operate. As the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said, this building is like a very small town and it operates very efficiently and effectively. I am very grateful for all the good work that the staff do, from the drivers and the cleaners right through to all the parliamentary staff and our own political staff, who do a tremendous job.

In closing this year, 2013, I note that over the last three years there have been times when I think the former Leader of the House and I saved the parliament from potentially even worse outcomes than the public saw. I look forward to working with the Manager of Opposition Business in the House, who I have now known for some time and have much in common with, both of us being republicans and Catholics. I am sure that we will be able to successfully manage the parliament for the good of the Australian people. While we will not always agree, hopefully we will both be able to act with good faith in the way that I have previously enjoyed in my relationship with the member for Grayndler.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will be very brief with my comments, because I am mindful that while we make long speeches about how hard it is on families, we are also determining whether or not people will see their families tonight.

First I will just refer briefly to Bernard Wright. As a new member of the parliament I was told very early on by the Clerk of the Legislative Council in New South Wales the extent to which I would be able to trust the clerks when I got to Canberra. I spent a bit of time very early on talking to Bernard, who was sitting in the chair where David Elder now sits. He was the one who would give us strategic opposition advice. I realised very quickly how correct the advice I had been given was.

Of all the different arms and agencies of government and the public service throughout Australia, I cannot think of one other than the clerks of the parliament that has always kept the confidences that were placed in it. I cannot think of another institution that has always done so, without exception. It means that members of parliament can have absolute trust in their dealings and provide complete transparency as to what they would like to achieve in the parliament with the knowledge, first, that they would be given accurate advice and, second, that what they have requested will be told to no-one. That actually means not merely that we have a properly functioning chamber, but that we are allowed to have a democratic one. The advice from the clerks is the only pathway that actually guarantees this. Bernard Wright has excelled at that. I think we often forget when we quote House of Representatives Practice that the editor of it is Bernard Wright. He will be deeply missed. David Elder, I am very pleased that one of the few parts of Australian democracy that has a logical career path is the clerks, and I am very much looking forward to you moving into that role.

I am not going to go through a list of the different people we all want to thank. It has been done many times and I am mindful of the time of the day. Christmas time for many people is not only a time of joy but is often a time of grief and a time that is very dangerous for many people in Australia. So I simply, from the opposition, wish people the best and to keep safe.

I am mindful that over recent years people have often used terms like 'greetings of the season' or 'happy holidays'. In my part of Sydney, which is one of the most diverse parts of Australia, people have always been very generous with me. If they are celebrating an eid they have wished me 'Eid Mubarak'. If they are celebrating Deepavali they have wished me 'Happy Deepavali'. I was mindful of the moment when people were being sworn into this parliament only a few weeks ago, when in the one group we had people taking an affirmation, people swearing on the Bible, someone swearing on the Koran and someone swearing on the Torah. I think we are getting closer to an Australian parliament that mirrors the diversity of Australian society.

In the same spirit that people have always wished me the best for their festivals may I as Manager of Opposition Business wish everybody the peace and joy of Christmas.