Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After 17-and-a-bit years, this is my last speech in this place as the member for Parkes. I want to say how proud I have been to represent such a wonderful part of Australia. The people of Australia need to know that my constituents feed them and clothe them, keep their lights on, and work every day. The unemployment rate in the Parkes electorate is below the national average. But a word of warning: do not take these people for granted.

In the last three years, despite the cessation of work on the Inland Rail and other government decisions, no senior ministers have been here. We've had a few nondescript senators wander through from time to time but no senior ministers. The people of Parkes are not happy about this. To show you the contempt the Labor Party has for the Parkes electorate, we're on the eve of an election—apparently it's going to be called tomorrow—and they don't have a candidate yet. They don't have a candidate for the seat of Parkes. Jamie Chaffey has been out there. He's knocked on about 22,000 doors and has been campaigning for eight months. That's how seriously the National Party takes representation in this place. In what has notionally been considered a safe seat, I have a candidate out there who has been working for eight months. It has been a great privilege, but it's time to move on.