Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, can I take the opportunity to wish you and all the parliamentary team a wonderful Christmas, a restful Christmas and a very happy New Year. Can I also express my deep appreciation to my colleagues for all that they have done this year. I know it is hard and in many ways I have been there before.

A government member: You were right up here!

In fact I was right up there. That is where I started in '96, when Peter Costello delivered that budget. But I want to say to you: thank you so much for your support. I deeply appreciate it, and what I appreciate most is that you share with me and the rest of the government the desire to make Australia a better place, and that is a deep desire.

I do want to take the opportunity to wish the member for McMahon a very good Christmas and a happy New Year. He, like me, has young children. He has a very tolerant wife—I am sure Bec is very tolerant—and I certainly wish Grace and Max all the best from Santa Claus. It is a discrete moment that I will never share, but each year I do dress up as Santa Claus for my children.

An honourable member interjecting—

That is right. And I do not know that I can get down the chimney, but I give it a reasonable shot. Can I also take the opportunity to thank my staff, who have done an outstanding job during the year, led by Grant Lovett, who has done a great job. We have chaired the G20 this year with the same number of staff and are trying to have the year of reform and deliver what we have had to deliver this year, and at the same time lead the world in the economic debate. It has been incredibly challenging. It has been a blessing in a sense that most of the G7—all of the G7—are in the Northern Hemisphere. That means that we make calls and do our work for the G20 in the middle of the night, and during the day we do the work that Australians expect domestically.

Finally, I want to take the opportunity to thank my wife and children for what they have been through this year.

A government member: Hear, hear! He has married well.

I did. I am the patron of the 'men who punch above their weight club', which is saying something in my case! They have put up with a hell of a lot in so many different areas. I suspect other treasurers have been in the very same place, but it has been very difficult for them, and I am so grateful for their forbearance.

To the people of Australia, the most important reason why we are all here: I do not doubt the goodwill of the Labor Party, the Independents, the Greens or anyone else. I know deep in our hearts we have a desire to see Australia a better place, to see our nation more prosperous and we are all going to work in that direction. I really hope that in 2015 Australia is an even better nation than the best dreams of the best Australians. I have absolute confidence that Australia's future is better right now than at any time during my lifetime, and that everyone will continue to work as hard as they possibly can to make sure that dream comes through. Thank you very much.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, in the same vein as the Treasurer, can I also wish him all the very best for Christmas and his family: Melissa, Xavier, Adelaide and Ignatius. The role of the Treasurer is an onerous one, and one which takes its toll on the incumbent and their family, and I wish them a restful break because they do deserve it. They do put up with a lot. I know the Treasurer will take this in the vein in which I say this at Christmas: I agree with him; he did marry well. In fact, I regard Melissa as the economic brains of the outfit! She is a very fine judge, and I hope he takes her advice regularly.

He mentioned that he punches above his weight. I will share with the House a little secret: in the lead-up to the last election we conducted a focus group and the focus group was shown a picture of my family, and one of the voters noted that I was punching above my weight as well in that particular instance. The Treasurer and I have from time to time run into each other on the weekends with our families in Sydney at various attractions. I know he has a beautiful family and I know they would be looking forward to a very nice break.

Can I, on the behalf of the opposition, thank the public servants of the Treasury portfolio for their work for the government of the day—the Treasury itself, ASIC, APRA, ACCC, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Royal Australian Mint and other Treasury portfolio agencies. They are all very fine public servants, and it has been a big year with Australia hosting the G20. The Treasury was one of the lead agencies and, in terms of the preparation which occurred under both governments—the Gillard-Rudd government and the Abbott government—they did Australia proud.

Can I particularly wish the outgoing Treasury Secretary, Dr Parkinson, all the very best. Also, on a personal note there is one other very senior Treasury officer who has left since my time as Treasurer—David Gruen, who has gone to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. I wish him the very best. I know he has not retired, but I do wish him the very best.

I thank my shadow Treasury team in parliament: the members for Fraser, Oxley and Chifley—a very fine team, thank you for your support over the year. Can I thank all my parliamentary colleagues, but particularly members of the shadow Treasury team; my friend the Manager of Opposition Business and shadow Minister for Finance, with whom of course I work very closely; and the other members of the leadership team in the opposition.

Of course, we all point out that our own staff make our lives tolerable. Can I thank my staff led by my chief of staff James Cullen. This year is our 10th anniversary together for James Cullen and I. I did remark that we might want to mark that by a weekend away, but we did not get around to that. He has been with me for 10 years and he is now my chief of staff, and a better friend or more loyal staff member I could not have ever wished for. Also, I thank Hugh Hartigan, Alistair Beasley and Claire Brosnan in my electorate office, and Carole Field, Ninos Aaron, Thomas McCudden, Theresa Alphonse and Raj Kumar.

Also, as others have done, I thank the people who make this people work—the attendants, the cleaners who work through the night and all the security who are particularly under pressure in this environment. They carry out their role with great humour but very effectively. I also think the Comcar drivers, particularly in my case John Stikovic, and even John Chapman, who insists on playing the South Sydney theme song every time I get in the car! Madam Speaker, he may do the same for you!

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Even to Victorians!

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Even to Victorians! I thank all who have been involved in the body politic over the last 12 months. We are a robust debating chamber and a robust body politic, but we are not meant to be an echo chamber. Australia's democracy is a contest of ideas, one we all participate in willingly and one for which I think Australia is the better. Merry Christmas to you, Madam Speaker, and may you have a very good break as well.