Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, what a year 2022 has been! Of course, 21 May was the key date in my life this year and a key date in changing the government of this country. When that occurs, you change the direction of the country. But it has also been a very difficult year in so many ways. We have continued to see the impact of climate change, with more frequent and more intense events. The town of Forbes in the member for Riverina's electorate has now suffered five floods in the last 12 months or so. It is just extraordinary. As Prime Minister, I have visited Rochester and Bendigo in Victoria, I have visited Parkes, Forbes, Lismore and other places in New South Wales and I have visited northern Tasmania, all looking at the impact of these devastating floods. I have been speaking with Premier Malinauskas in South Australia this week because the floodwaters are headed across the border into the Riverland, and this remains a very difficult time.

I do hope, as we head into the Christmas break, that we see an alleviation of these conditions. But, once again, it has been a reminder that, at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character. Whether it be our emergency services personnel—SES, police, people who work for federal and state departments, the people in government services providing that on-ground support for people or the members of the Australian Defence Force who have been deployed very quickly into the areas in which they have been needed—or whether it just be members of the community who will drive hundreds of kilometres upon hearing that their fellow Australians are facing hard times to help clear up debris and build sandbags for people to build those temporary levees, we see extraordinary heroism from Australians during difficult times.

At a time when many families are able to sit around at Christmas and speak about what a great year they've had and enjoy each other's company, it is important to remember that, for many Australians who have lost loved ones or who are alone and doing it tough, it can be a difficult time at Christmas. I spend every Christmas morning with Reverend Bill Crews in Ashfield at the Exodus Foundation, where he feeds literally thousands of people. It's a reminder as well of how tough so many people are doing it in the community. Last year, of course, there were COVID restrictions, so people, by and large, were getting takeaway meals. What was extraordinary was that the queues for Christmas lunch began at 6 am in order to get a proper feed on Christmas Day and in order for children to get the gifts that are handed out at that wonderful loaves-and-fishes restaurant—it's actually the church—on Liverpool Road in Ashfield. This year I look forward to going for the first time as Prime Minister and sharing my morning with those wonderful people and with the quite remarkable Reverend Bill Crews. I pay tribute to all of those at this time of the year who help out the disadvantaged and the vulnerable.

Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition and I, and the Leader of the Greens and others, attended the Kmart-Salvos wishing tree that's out in the foyer. There are so many charities and people who do great work at this time. I acknowledge as well that so many members of this parliament will be opening their doors, their arms and their hearts at this time to help people in their constituencies.

I want to wish all members of the parliament well during this season. I wish the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Nationals, the crossbenchers and my own colleagues all the best for the break. I said in the caucus on Tuesday—I encouraged people—that there will be no better time to have some time off than the summer break in the year of an election. So I hope people do take a bit of time to have a rest. An election period is one in which, as well as us, our families and those close to us feel a lot of pressure, and spending time with loved ones is always worthwhile.

I thank the people who are closest to me. My partner, Jodie Haydon, is someone who didn't have a political life and suddenly she was in camera shots with Brigitte Macron and engaging in a range of activities which, a few years ago, a coastie—as she proudly calls herself—from the Central Coast of New South Wales would not have anticipated. But she has, I think, represented Australia at appropriate times with dignity and honour, and I pay tribute to her and I thank her for sharing this journey with me.

I thank my best mate, who happens to be my son, Nathan. He is a great young man. He will turn 22 next week. It goes quick. So I say to those in this chamber with little ones: cherish every moment because, before you look, they will be six foot four and informing you about the latest musical trends! It's been terrific as well to have him by my side, each and every day. Whether physically or not, he is by my side, and we talk every single day on the phone. He was a little bit jealous yesterday that Amy from Amyl and the Sniffers was in my office, and he will get a surprise next week when he sees the recording that she made for his birthday, next Thursday. It's okay, he's 22; he's not watching parliament—nor are any of his friends. There's a lot more to do in the Inner West of Sydney than watch parliament, I assure you. To them both, I thank them.

To my colleagues: the Deputy Prime Minister—who is working, as he should be! At the risk of making an inappropriate disclosure, he's where I will be soon, in a room where you can't hear the parliament, doing his job as defence minister of this country. I cannot think of a more loyal, reliable deputy to have. That brings stability to our show that is so important, and I thank him for his support and for the work that he's doing.

To the Leader of the House—it's a good job being the Leader of the House. It actually is the only job in this building that I've asked for and thought about what I would want to do, when I was here. The parliament matters. This is not a debating society. It's how we make laws. It's how a democracy functions. The Leader of the House does a terrific job.

To the extraordinary frontbench team that I have, led by the economic team with the Treasurer and the finance minister, both Jim and Katy have done an extraordinary job, in difficult times, to craft the budget very quickly. We're already crafting a second budget, so there'll be two budgets within the first 12 months of the government that I lead. That presents significant challenges, but they have done an extraordinary job.

It's no great secret that the person who introduced me, on that night of 21 May, is someone who I've been very close to for a long, long period of time. When we were in a Young Labor together, you would have got pretty good odds on Penny Wong being the Leader of the Government in the Senate and me being the leader of the government in the House of Representatives, given where we came from within the Labor Party. Penny Wong remains such an incredible friend, confidant and extraordinary foreign minister. I assure the House that in meetings I have with leaders at G20, APEC and summits I've held recently, at the PIF, Penny Wong is so warmly regarded and respected. That's a good thing for Australia—a very good thing for Australia—that that's the case.

To the rest of the team in the Senate, led by Penny and her deputy, Don Farrell, they do an extraordinary job as well and I thank all of them. I thank the parliamentary staff as well, the clerks and all the people who keep things going, the people who clean our office, the Parliamentary Library, the people who work in the cafeteria, and the cleaners of my office—not the least, Maria and Anna—who see to it that my office is a lovely place to be every morning.

I acknowledge as well some special people—my security. I won't name them, for obvious reasons. It is the most challenging change in my life, which is full of positives. They have a difficult job having someone like me who likes spontaneity and says, 'In half an hour we're going to do this.' For Midnight Oil's final gig at the Hordern Pavilion, security said, 'We've got seats for you, but we know you're not going to stay in the seats, so we've organised special things to try to keep you secure.' They do an amazing job. They do advance work, including overseas, which presents significant challenges. I know that they provide protection for the Leader of the Opposition and a range of people as well. They are diligent and discrete and they keep us safe, which is part of their job. I thank them very much for that.

I thank Glyn Davis, the head of my Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; all departmental heads; and, indeed, every single public servant in this great country. There has been a change of more than half of the heads of the Public Service. People were ready to move on. The people who have come into those organisations have undertaken their role diligently. Being a public servant is an honourable profession. I pay tribute to every one of them. They have all of my respect.

We had drinks last night with the DPM, the Leader of the Opposition and others for the RAAF staff who look after us as well. It's great getting to know them personally. I think it was difficult for all of us last night to recognise them out of their uniforms. That was a way of thanking them.

I thank the ADF personnel who are serving us overseas. It is a great honour as Prime Minister to go to our bases overseas, spend time with them and just say thank you. These people put their own lives at risk in order to keep all of us safe and to represent Australia. I thank all of our serving defence personnel and I thank as well our veterans who have served this country. It's a very important role that they play.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the job that you are doing on behalf of the parliament to make sure that high standards are implemented. The way that you carry yourself in this place brings dignity and respect to this chamber. I wish you well, as I do all of the parliament here.

I turn to some of my personal staff. I thank my Chief of Staff, Tim Gartrell. Tim Gartrell worked for me with my campaign director in 1996 for the electorate of Grayndler, so you can say we've been together for a while. He worked in my electorate office when I was first elected. He went on to be the National Secretary of the Labor Party in 2007 and worked on the successful campaign that made Kevin Rudd the Prime Minister. He then went on to work in the private sector. He came back to be the campaign director for the successful 'yes' campaign for marriage equality that helped to change this nation for the better. Tim is a great friend. When I became Leader of the Labor Party, had that great honour, I contacted him and said, 'Right, you're coming back.' He made that commitment, and back indeed he has come. He plays such an important role in the office and leads an extraordinary team.

I thank, in particular, Marika and Bell, in my office, who look after my diary and all the day-to-day things that they have to do. They do an extraordinary job. As does Liz Fitch, who leads my media team.

It is a fact that my office has more women in senior leadership roles than we've seen previously. That's a good thing, and that's something that we've changed, not just in the caucus, with 54 out of 103 members of the Labor caucus being women, but in the delegation to APEC, the G20 and ASEAN Summit—my chief foreign affairs adviser, my chief media adviser, my chief national security adviser, the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the local ambassador in Indonesia as well as the ambassador in Thailand. At one stage it struck me that I was the only man in a briefing of nine senior people representing Australia's international interests. That is a big change on where we've been in the past. They are all, of course, absolutely there on merit. They are good, experienced people.

The nature of being Prime Minister means I'm not around the electorate as much as I used to be. I thank Tim Murray and my electorate office team for holding the fort during the weekly demonstrations that are held outside of my office. I say to the people who are engaged in that: all you are doing is stopping vulnerable people from getting social security support, getting immigration support and getting Medicare support. I'm not there most Thursdays when there's one or most Tuesdays when there's another. But that is something my office team have to deal with, and they perform remarkably well.

I know issues about numbers of staffing have been raised with me once or twice this year. I assure you, working in the electorate office of the Prime Minister, you'll know what busy means! They get calls from all over the country for legitimate issues, but sometimes they can be just robocampaigns into electorate offices, which don't really shift opinion. So they have to deal with those issues.

To all members here, I conclude by wishing everyone a very joyous Christmas. May it be a time for those people of faith where they reflect on their faith and on the birth of Jesus Christ and what it means in their life. For other Australians who it means a chance to catch up with family, I hope it's as good and peaceful as it can be.

I look forward to coming back next year. It's been quite a year of significant achievement for the government. Whether people agree with our agenda or not, you cannot argue against the fact that we have been very serious about implementing the commitments we made to the electorate in our first six months—going through the list, as I have to ensure that the commitments we made are fulfilled—and it's objective that I have. There's more to do next year, and I look forward to returning here next year with a renewed sense of vigour and excitement. To those people on this side of the chamber, I say this: don't take it for granted. We won't. We will ensure as a government that there is no hubris, no taking it for granted and that we work methodically.

I say to the opposition, and to the crossbench as well, that I remain someone whose door is open. I attended the actual Prime Minister's office in 2019 on the day that parliament began. That was the last time I was in that office until I went in as Prime Minister. The Leader of the Opposition has been in their many, many times, as have crossbenchers and other members of parliament, and as has the leader of the National Party. My door is open. I see and take my responsibility to lead the country, and to engage with each and every member, in a serious way. It doesn't mean I'm not a Labor Prime Minister who was born Labor and will die Labor; that is who I am. It doesn't mean that I think we have all of the answers, because none of us do; we're much better off when we're working in a collaborative way. So we will stick to our values, but we're certainly up for collaboration and working in a better way so that politics functions better, because that is what the Australian people expect of us. Merry Christmas!

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for his words. Mr Speaker, we live in the greatest country in the world; there's no question about that. That's not just because the Socceroos are now through to the final 16, I might say! It was a great goal this morning. A lot of people will be going to work pretty tired today. The sporting achievements of the last year have been incredible for our country. We know it's summer when there's a cricket test in Perth. The second day will start a little bit later on today. The West Indies are obviously a good team, but I think the Australians have started very well, and that is always a good sign when we're coming into summer.

We live in the best country in the world because of the finest among us, and they of course include the Australian Defence Force members. The Prime Minister was good enough to acknowledge in particular those who are working overseas, some in extreme conditions, and will be over this Christmas, in absentia and isolated from families. I acknowledge the men and women of the Australian Defence Force for the work they've done domestically as well over the course of the last 12 months: the deployments to flood ravaged areas, providing evacuations out of northern New South Wales and many other locations, including, most recently, in Shepparton and broader rural Victoria and New South Wales. Their work never stops. They work with us in a way that we see and they work for us in many parts of the world in circumstances that will never be acknowledged. The work of the Australian Defence Force, ASIO, ASIS, the Australian Federal Police—all of the agencies in keeping us safe and our equity safe internationally over Christmas—is something we should never take for granted.

I want to say thank you very much to all of my colleagues. I have the most incredible team. I feel very fortunate to be in the position of Leader of the Liberal Party and to have a deputy like the member for Farrer, Sussan Ley, a person of great personal integrity and somebody who is widely respected on both sides of this chamber. I feel similarly about the Leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, who's a good friend, a fellow Queenslander and somebody I've been able to work with very closely. Coalition is integral to the success of our side of politics. John Howard instilled that in all of us at a very young age. I continue that fine tradition with a great deal of respect for the nuances and differences that we have from time to time, but it is a very strong partnership and long may that be the case.

I want to say thank you very much to our team here: the shadow cabinet, the shadow ministry, the Manager of Opposition Business. I have some agreement on different issues with the Prime Minister, but my view is that Leader of the House and Manager of Opposition Business are two of the most dreadful jobs in this place—and I say that from experience! Being Leader of the House, particularly when there are very finely balanced numbers in this House, is not always a pleasurable task.

It distracts from your day job—there's no question about that! I have incredible colleagues in this chamber and in the other. I acknowledge the work of Senator Birmingham and all of our Senate team. Our whips do an incredible job. I said at our coalition Christmas party last night that the nuance and the ability to work across the aisle and deal with different debates in a respectful way, and to manage all of that and make it look as though nothing is wrong and everything is going swimmingly, is a pretty big undertaking by the whips. Our Chief Opposition Whip, Bert van Manen, is away crook at the moment but will be back soon. Our team here and in the Senate do an incredible job.

Mr Speaker, I want to acknowledge the work you've given to the parliament since May and that of the Deputy Speaker, the member for Newcastle, and the Second Deputy Speaker, the member for Moore. I acknowledge also the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk, the clerk assistants, the Serjeant-at-Arms, the Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services and all of the public servants and contractors who ensure that this parliament is well oiled and runs well. As the Prime Minister pointed out at Tony Abbott's portrait unveiling yesterday, it's the most visited building in the country, and we should be incredibly proud of it. We should be more proud of it than we actually are.

This institution has survived many circumstances and many periods in our history when people would seek to undo our past or disregard the traditions that we have, but they're worth standing up for, worth fighting for. They're worth the sacrifice that colleagues on both sides of the parliament have made over the course of the last 12 months and the price that our families pay as well, when we're down here for 20 weeks of the year and on the road for most of the rest of the year. The sacrifice is worth it, because this country deserves a very bright future. As I say to kids when I go to schools in my electorate, 'There are good and bad people on both sides of politics, but the vast majority are good and have only the best interests of our country at heart.' If we're embarking on that destination, as parties we may on occasion take different paths to get there, but, ultimately, we have the same good intent for our country.

Prime Minister, I want to say to you, Jodie and Nathan that I hope you get some rest and a good break this year. It's been a long and arduous period since May. It always is for an incoming government when the international engagement commences, and a lot of that had built up because during COVID we weren't able to travel overseas for a period of time, and our officials and diplomats were restricted in their own movements. Australia being back on the international stage has been a good thing. As you know, the coalition supported much of the activity and much of the achievement because it's important for the world, both our friends and our foes, to understand that there is a united position and that we will always fight for the best interests of our country.

I also want to acknowledge those people who work behind the scenes here. The Prime Minister mentioned Maria and Anna. There's Lucia as well and the other cleaners who keep the building in impeccable condition. The maintenance people, the gardeners, the security staff—everybody has a great deal of pride in their work in this place, and I'm very pleased with the relationships we have with them. The respect that they show to us, and I think that we show to them, is something that makes this place tick.

I want to say thank you very much to my personal staff, both here in Canberra and at Strathpine in my electorate: Alex Dalgleish, Tom Fleming, Nicole Chant and the whole team. Many of my staff have been with me through various portfolios. They're obviously unemployable elsewhere, otherwise why would they want to stick around with me! I really am very fortunate that they've been so loyal over a long period of time. Through babies and different life events, they've been able to stick with what is a very difficult job. Thanks also to Jacqui Cooper and to all of the electorate staff. As the Prime Minister pointed out, electoral staff cop a lot. As the staff of not only the Leader of the Opposition but the Minister for Defence and Minister for Home Affairs before that, my electorate staff have copped protests, people climbing up on the roof and people barging into the front of the office. The disgraceful disrespect that's demonstrated towards people who are just trying to help those who are genuinely in need of help in our electorate is something that's completely unacceptable. Peaceful protest, objection, debate and freedom of speech are integral to our freedom, but some of the conduct, particularly towards women in those electoral offices, is not acceptable, and it should be condemned.

I too want to say thank you very much to the Australian Federal Police for the work they do, especially my close personal protection team. They also spend a lot of time away from their family, and, as the Prime Minister pointed out, every movement is scripted. If you want to go down to the servo on a Saturday morning and fill up the jerry can and come back, you need to give half an hour's notice for everything. I remember I once snuck off without telling the team, and I was dobbed in by the static team who were at home. They rang up the close personal protection team who then called me to see where I was going, like I'd absconded. I was literally just going down to the servo for 10 minutes. It's hard to describe the work that they do, but I thank them for the respect that they have for us and for our way of life, our privacy; it's an incredible intrusion. I'm blessed with three beautiful children and an amazingly supportive wife. They cop the death threats and all the rest of it as well, but they're stoic and put up with it because of the atmosphere that the AFP create both on the road and at home in protecting my family when I'm not there. So, thank you to them.

Rebecca turns 21 in March, and my sons are Harry and Tom. Harry has just finished year 12. He's been to schoolies on the Gold Coast, the most stressful part of my life over the course of the last couple of weeks. I had a message from Kirilly to say that he'd contracted a mild case of COVID and would have to come home early. I texted back, 'Gold.' He came back, he recovered and he wanted to return. We convinced him that wasn't a good idea, so two down, one to go next year for schoolies—we'll see how we go! But equally, we can't do it without our families. They're the most important thing in life, and my kids have obviously had their 100 hours getting their licences over the last couple of years. They've all done that with a police car in the rear-vision mirror. When you pull out from a stop sign or you're turning to go down the street, you've got to allow for two cars to turn, not just one. It's quite a skill, as the Prime Minister would appreciate. The kids have done it with great aplomb, without complaint, although they did complain about the police being at school with bum bags on. I said, 'Nobody will notice who they are.' They said, 'Dad, they're wearing bum bags at school and they're not that discreet!' They put up with a lot as well.

I want to close by acknowledging those who are much less fortunate than us and who will do it tough this Christmas. We were at a function yesterday, as the Prime Minister pointed out, recognising the work of the Salvos. I've had a great deal of pleasure and honour to be the Red Shield Appeal chairman in my local area for almost 20 years. The work they do, the lives they save and the people they influence—they're quite remarkable. The Salvos are one of many organisations that will be hard at work while we're having a knees-up enjoying ourselves with family and friends at Christmas lunch and over the break. For the work they provide to those who are less fortunate, I thank them. We were at another function yesterday with Redkite. The Minister for Health and Aged Care and I were there. Redkite supports kids who have cancer. These kids are sick and some of them will be attending hospitals over Christmas as well. Spare them a thought.

We do live in the best country in the world, and in part it's a great country because of the many people I've acknowledged today. I wish everybody a good break, a good rest. It has been a long year, and we deserve a break before we come back with great gusto in 2023.

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

TTLEPROUD (—) (): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Firstly, I wish you a Merry Christmas. As someone who came into this parliament with you in 2016, I think there is some sense of pride about your ascension and the fact that someone from our cohort has come to lead this parliament. So congratulations, and I wish you and your family every festive greeting. To you and the parliament's staff and attendants, from our Comcar drivers right through to our gardeners and cleaners, who keep this place moving: thank you. It should never be taken for granted what they do for this parliament in making it run the way it should.

Thank you to the Prime Minister and his family, particularly Jodie and Nathan—you would not find a finer young man; he is genuinely a beautiful young man. To the Labor Party, I'd like to say thank you and congratulations, in all sincerity. I wish you and your families a festive season, one in which you have the time to reflect and are able to enjoy your families. To Peter, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Liberal Party: I wish you all the best during the festive season. Thank you for your respect for our coalition and your respect for the National Party and its values and principles, as we respect yours. I say to my party, the National Party: thank you for the honour that you've bestowed on me to be the leader of our great party, which is steeped in great tradition. Thank you to the crossbench, and we wish you festive season's greetings as well.

I'd like to particularly thank not just staff of the National Party but all staff, whether they be ministerial leaders or even electorate staff. They take on a great burden, and they take this on with a sense of dignity in the face, sometimes, of great adversity. We should never forget what they go through. Particularly when there is a change of government, there are many lost friends who aren't coming back—who didn't come back after the election. They are sometimes the human toll of democracy, and we should respect and honour those people who, unfortunately, didn't come back and who have had to find new occupations. It is important for us to acknowledge those men and women, fine young men and women, who come and are prepared to put their convictions behind a politician. That takes great courage, and great respect should be shown to them.

To those in regional, rural and remote areas who are doing it pretty tough at the moment with floods: thank you for your courage in a time of adversity. This is a time where we see this great nation coming together, where this thing called servant leadership comes forward and where the local community put their arms around each other and makes sure that they bring the community through, day by day and step by step. We should be proud that we have a nation that can do that, whether that be through the ADF and those ADF personnel who are out there on the front line or whether it be the emergency service personnel, who are prepared, in many cases, to put their lives on the line for no pay and who volunteer their lives to save their fellow Australians. That's servant leadership.

That's something we as Australians should look up to, and we must understand that this great place has a responsibility to honour that in making sure that, while there is debate, and fierce debate sometimes, we respect what Australia should really be about and what our democracy should be about: empowering those great Australians who are prepared to do anything and put their lives on the line for their fellow Australians in their darkest hour. It is something that we are the custodians of, and we should take that deeply seriously.

To people particularly in regional areas at the moment who are doing it pretty tough with floods: our thoughts are with you, and as a parliament we will be with you. When we get to this time of the year, it becomes even more difficult than other times, and, for those who have lost loved ones, tragically, this will be a hard period. So it's important that we honour and respect that and that we as a parliament know that the great privilege that we've been given to stand in this place, which very few have been given in our nation's history, includes a responsibility to continue to support them as they go through their journey.

It is a great honour to be in this place. Thank you to my family, Amelia and the boys, who hopefully will get to see me a little bit—for a couple of weeks anyway. I thank them and the families of all those who reside here, as well as the staff, who sacrifice so much. We are the volunteers; they are the conscripts that put up with so much. In your darkest hour, if you don't have that support of your family, it takes a lot to get through. To have that support at home—until you've sat in these chairs and understood that it is difficult—to say thank you seems too little. To the families of all that reside in this place, this is a time to reflect and to honour you, to thank you and to understand that our great country is built on that principle of family. It's what keeps us together. It will drive this nation and it will keep us through the dark times and the good together as a nation. On behalf of the National Party family, to your families, I say: merry Christmas, and let's have a great 2023.