Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House do now adjourn.

In doing so, can I wish everybody a very happy Christmas and a peaceful Christmas this year and a very relaxing summer after what's been another exciting and gruelling year in 2017 but a very successful one, of course, for the government, and particularly today—a very historic one to end on for all sides of the House.

I would like to thank very briefly all those people who make the parliament work as well as it does, from the clerks right through to the attendants and the Comcar drivers. I won't go through the list of all the various people who help us, across the Table Office, the drafters and others, because it's too long and I think people have had quite enough today. But suffice it to say that we do appreciate very much the staff of the parliament, who make us look as good as they possibly can, which is not easy, and make sure that our democracy functions extremely well on behalf of the people of Australia.

I'd also like to thank my counterpart, the Manager of Opposition Business, who's also spent most of the day here in the House ensuring that the debate on marriage equality ran smoothly, and for his general pleasant demeanour, which makes my job a lot easier as Leader of the House. On that note, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and I'm sure he'll want to make a couple of quick comments as well.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I join with the comments made by the Leader of the House in thanking you in your role and also thanking the clerks, the attendants—all the people who make this building work—our own staff, who work extraordinary hours, and the people who do all the different logistics around the building and make sure that we get to and from all the things that we have to be able to reach to do our jobs properly.

May I also, in acknowledging this, simply join in extending the best wishes for Christmas to each and every member. I thank the Leader of the House for the fact that we have a continuing agreement that we will never, never say anything untrue to each other—which also involves us often going for periods of time without talking to each other! Shortly before the week of parliament was cancelled, there was a message I'd been waiting to have returned for quite some time. But the agreement that we will always be honest and straight with each other has always been followed, and I respect that and I think that helps build the sort of trust that's allowed us to get through a week like this, where almost every member of parliament wanted to make speeches, many wanted to make multiple speeches, and yet we got through without gagging the debate. That wouldn't have been possible without that cooperation.

I know lots of people at different times of the year talk about different festivals and observe them, and, in my part of Sydney, I work on the basis that, in a multicultural country, everybody celebrates everything. So, when we're coming up to feasts like this that are important to me, I—in that exact same spirit as people who would wish me a happy Eid or a happy Hanukkah or a happy Deepavali—wish everybody all the peace and joy of Christmas.

It is, for many people, a joyous time of the year, but often it's a hard time of year for people as well. It's a time when it really comes home who might not be at the table for a lot of families as well. So, for each and every one, I wish them a peaceful and safe time, with all the joy of Christmas.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the House. I thank the Manager of Opposition Business. And to all members: I wish you a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you early next year. On that note, the House stands adjourned.

House adjourned at 19:51