Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

No, I can see that I am not the only one. The member for Deakin, Mr Barresi, must have the same track record with technology that I have. Reps IT make a real difference, and they are very courteous and efficient. To the cleaners throughout this building—you sometimes see them if you are here late or here early—thank you for doing a terrific job. To the Comcar drivers: thank you. We are all very reliant on them not only for taking us around but also for their good cheer. Sometimes your best conversation of the day is the one you have with your Comcar driver. To the security staff who are perpetually required to let me back into my office: thank you very much for your patience. To the catering staff and to the Protective Services officers: thank you for everything that you do.

I also want to convey my thanks to Aussie’s. I did have a New Year’s resolution about giving up coffee. Like all good New Year’s resolutions, it persisted for a period but it has not persisted for the whole year. I am a big consumer of Aussie’s coffee. Looking around the chamber, I do not think I am alone in that. I think we are all pretty big consumers of coffee. Aussie’s makes a real difference.

Beyond my colleagues, I would also like to convey my thanks to Tim Gartrell and his team at the national secretariat. We work closely with them. They do a tremendous job. Can I also convey my thanks to Greg Combet and Sharan Burrow for their support. They come in for some mentions in dispatches in this parliament where their names are not always used kindly. They are very important to us on this side of the House. They are very passionate believers for working people and for industrial rights. Whilst the government might not agree with that passion, I think that passion is to be respected. I convey my thanks to Greg and Sharan.

This has been a year in which my office has made a special study of the Danish royal family. You might be wondering why. That is because we have had a parliamentary intern, Mette Hansen, working with us. Mette is Danish and has been completing a parliamentary research project in our office. I thank Mette for everything she has done, completely unpaid. I would have to say that in the recent period she has learnt some amazing things about Australian political life. Whether they will be the sorts of stories we want told overseas, I am not sure; but I thank Mette for all the work that she has done.

I also convey my thanks to my portfolio staff—to Kimberley Gardiner, my media adviser, who in the way of these things works ridiculous hours. My thanks also go to Silvana Anthony, who has terrified the tactics committee into submission but has done a tremendous job each and every day. To Lesley Russell, who has been with me for a considerable period—I have always said that if I had to choose between Lesley and the whole health department, I would pick Lesley—my thanks go to her for all her hard work. My thanks to Rondah Rietveld, who travels extensively with me and who works on some very important parts of the portfolio and important parts of the work that I do travelling around the country. I would also like to thank my electorate office staff who do such a great job for me in the electorate of Lalor and who are well respected by the people there. My thanks to the Fitzgerald sisters—Michelle and Vicki—both of whom work in my office and who are referred to by me as ‘bad Fitzy’ and ‘good Fitzy’. I will let people work out which one is which. My thanks also go to Carlos Baldovino, who has been with me since the start, to John Ballestrino, and to our newest addition, Rachael Purcell. They all do a tremendous job.

I conclude by thanking the attendants in this place. We have, I think, a great relationship with them. To Bruce, Brian and Lupco: thank you very much for everything you do. I do not know how you manage to keep even the most vaguely interested look on your face, hour after hour—but, remarkably, you do. I have never seen an attendant sleeping in a chair, and you would forgive them for sleeping through most of it. Thank you very much.

To Hansard, who always manage to make us look like we said something interesting, even when we said something completely ridiculous: my thanks go to them as well. The compliments of the season to all—even to the press gallery and the lone representative up there. We will see you all in the new year.

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