Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senators, as many of you will know, shortly after the Senate rose last year our Deputy Clerk, Maureen Weeks, announced her intention to retire. It was perhaps her intention to slip away without fanfare at a time of her own choosing, but I thought it important that the Senate should formally record its gratitude for her many years of expert advice, guidance and support.

Maureen led the Senate's Committee Office, Table Office and Procedure Office before her appointment as Deputy Clerk three years ago. She had long experience as secretary to numerous parliamentary committees, culminating in her recent stint as Secretary of the Senate Privileges Committee. She was also Deputy Clerk of the ACT Legislative Assembly, having joined the assembly secretariat at its inception.

Maureen is held in high esteem by senators and staff alike and by her colleagues past and present. In retiring she departs with almost four decades of exemplary service to two parliaments, a rare and valuable contribution to the nation's public life. She has been a tutor, a mentor and an inspiration to scores of Senate staff, undertaking her myriad duties with good grace, great humour and aplomb. Maureen has now embarked on a period of leave pending her retirement, and I know you will join me in thanking her for her years of dedicated service to the Senate and the parliament.

I'm also pleased to inform the Senate that, after a highly competitive selection process, Clerk Assistant (Procedure) Jackie Morris will become the new Deputy Clerk of the Senate. The competitive nature of the process only goes to underscore the very high calibre of the staff who support the work of all of us here in the Senate. Jackie has a long record of achievement in committee and procedural roles, and I know senators will join me in congratulating her on her promotion.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of government senators, may I firstly thank Maureen Weeks for her contribution to the Senate over a very, very long time. Many of us have worked closely with her, in opposition and in government, and there is no question that she made an outstanding contribution to the operations of this place—and, indeed, of course, she achieved the high office of Deputy Clerk. True to form, perhaps, she left in a somewhat unusual fashion, without letting any of us know before the end of the year, perhaps from a desire to leave without much fanfare. On behalf of government senators, let me join you, Mr President, in wishing her all the very best for a very happy and satisfying retirement.

May I also join you, Mr President, on behalf of government senators, in congratulating Jackie Morris on her appointment. She obviously comes very highly credentialed and highly experienced into this role, and we look forward to working with her in this new role.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the opposition, I first associate myself with the remarks you have made in relation to Maureen Weeks, Mr President. I spoke to Maureen prior to her departure and I want to put on the public record the letter that I sent to her on behalf of opposition senators, which expressed our thanks and our recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the parliament. I indicated to her in that letter how grateful the opposition was for the work that she has done during her current role, and in previous roles, to support us in the Senate, both as we have been in opposition and during the last Labor government. I express my personal thanks for the assistance to me.

I made this point: the strength of the Senate and capacity of senators rest on the advice and support we receive. We are very fortunate to be served by experienced parliamentary officers of the highest calibre, and Maureen has been a leader in this regard. Her dedication to her work is outstanding, and many senators and staff have been fortunate to benefit from her counsel. I would like to thank Maureen for the assistance she provides to the Deputy President and in her role as Secretary of the Committee of Privileges, which obviously has taken a significant volume of work in recent times, with a focus on protecting the privileges of senators in this place from overreach by the executive and executive agencies. This is a very important task.

Mr President, you said in your statement that Maureen Weeks had made a rare contribution to public life. I would associate us with that and augment it by saying she has made a rare contribution to this institution and, through it, to the Australian democracy. This institution is so critical to the functioning and to the principles of the Australian democracy. Many of the conventions that our democracy depends on at times have been somewhat amiss in recent years, and at various times over many years, and it is this institution which has been a bulwark of democracy in this country. That could not occur without the dedication of the clerks and other staff of the Senate. I thank Maureen for her contribution to this institution and, through it, to the Australian democracy.

I also join with you, Mr President, and the Leader of Government in the Senate in welcoming Jackie Morris. That is an outstanding appointment, and an appointment we thoroughly support, insofar as it's not for us to support or not.

I will make a historic point. There was a very long period when this Senate had people who were part of the institution for many years. I'm thinking of Rosemary Laing and Harry Evans. We have had a changing of the guard, and I hope that this new team—not that the Clerk is new anymore, but, by Harry Evans's standards, he's new and very young—will make the sort of contribution we've seen from those giants who have held these positions in previous years.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to associate the Greens with the remarks that have been made by both of the leaders just now. I add our sincere thanks for the years of dedication that Maureen Weeks has provided to this institution of democracy. We have always found her advice to be professional, clear and timely. That's deeply appreciated to make our democracy function. We wish her all the very best for the new chapter of her life. We also warmly welcome the appointment of Jackie Morris to the role. We have also found her to be incredibly professional, very fast and very good at her role. One final remark: it's fantastic to see senior women in this place.