Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to join others in extending good wishes and appreciation to those who work in this place and to extend good wishes to the people of Australia as we approach another Christmas season. As others have mentioned, it has been an eventful year. We have a new Prime Minister, a new paradigm and, if you look back over the past 12 months, we have a new Leader of the Opposition and a new clerk. All of these people have made a contribution to the year. It has also been a year when the seasonal cycles seem to have changed. The dams are full and the Murray-Darling Basin is almost full. That has demonstrated to us once again that nature is able to achieve what government policies, Basin Plans and Copenhagen conferences can never achieve. It certainly has lifted the spirits of all Australians to know that perhaps we are entering a better run of seasonal conditions. We should not forget that in Western Australia the season has been unfavourable. Indeed, there is evidence of growing drought in that state and isolated pockets in other parts of Australia as well have not enjoyed the more abundant season.

During the year, the Afghanistan war has become more intense. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition both mentioned the loss of life. Let us acknowledge on this occasion the service and sacrifice of our soldiers in peacekeeping operations around the world and in places like Afghanistan. The task is dangerous but they undertake their work with bravery and commitment to our country.

This has obviously been a tumultuous year in politics. Our parliament is different from the way it was. It will undoubtedly take some time for us all to get used to it. We have had a close election, delivering a government which now has the responsibility of ensuring our country is able to progress in an efficient and competent way. The role of the parliament is critical to the proper functioning of our democracy. I take this opportunity to thank once again the staff who serve the democratic processes of our country so well through the way in which they assist members of parliament and the parliamentary process to achieve its objectives. On a day-to-day basis we perhaps do not say thank you to them as often as we should. We appreciate the glass of water, the opening of the door, the little things that happen. With the flurry of day-to-day activity, perhaps with other things on our minds, we do not always recognise as promptly and as warmly as we should the tremendous contributions these people make to ensure the parliament works well.

Among others, I mention the Serjeant-at-Arms and his staff, the attendants, the security people, the Comcar drivers, Tim and the dining room staff, the nurses, the cleaners, the people in the library and those who record in Hansard what we say—and sometimes translate it into the language which we intended to use but did not. We appreciate those who look after our travel arrangements, the childcare workers and those who provide all the other services of the parliament.

The press gallery can be a challenge but we know that they also play an important role in a robust democracy. The advent of 24-hour news cycles—the 24-hour ABC program, the work of Sky and now A-PAC television—have certainly increased the coverage of the parliament. I particularly welcome A-PAC television, which, sadly, not many people have access to. It shows more of the parliament than just the traditional conflict of question time. It shows the real workings of the parliament and raises the esteem of the public about the work of the parliament and, in particular, allows many backbenchers, who make very good contributions to parliamentary debates, to be heard. Their words are often not reported in the media but, in reality, their contributions are important. This greater television coverage gives many other people an opportunity to be seen for the work they do in this place.

I thank the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, and his deputy, Julie Bishop. We work well together as a team and it is a privilege to work with them. Indeed, I pay a special tribute to Tony Abbott, who in any fair-minded assessment would have to be regarded as the man of the year in Australian politics. This time last year, the opposition was at a pretty low ebb, almost in a state of despair. No-one thought we were even remotely competitive in the political contest, but that has turned around and turned around so quickly that we had an election that was the closest in at least 70 years. A lot of the tribute and credit for that certainly belongs to Tony Abbott. I have watched closely the dedication and commitment that he has given to the task. He has certainly shown, through his leadership, a willingness to look at the issues and to address them in a comprehensive and, in many ways, a bold and innovative way. So I pay tribute to the leadership that he has provided. It has been a real privilege to work with him.

I acknowledge my Nationals colleagues: my deputy, Nigel Scullion, and Senators Joyce and Nash—the leaders in the Senate—who have worked very effectively as a team. I appreciate also the work of the whips: Alex Somlyay in the old parliament and now Warren Entsch. I also acknowledge the terrific role that Kay Hull played over the years as whip. She is an extraordinary individual. It was remarkable to go to her tribute function in her electorate. There are probably more things named after Kay Hull in Wagga than I have seen of any other serving member of parliament in their lifetime. She made an extraordinary contribution and will never be forgotten. Mark Coulton is doing an excellent job as the new Nationals whip. They battle on without any staff. I might say to the Leader of the House, who has moved into the place: it is high time that the Nationals’ whip staffing was restored. For the first time really since whips had clerks, this government has taken away the clerical assistance to the Nationals and, frankly, it ought to be restored in the interests of a fair and proper functioning of parliament.

I also acknowledge Brad Henderson and the team in the Nationals secretariat and also acknowledge the cooperative relationship we have had with Brian Loughnane and the Liberal Party secretariat. They worked very hard during the election campaign—in the case of the Nationals, always with very limited budgets—but they were able to achieve the best result that our party has received since World War II. We acknowledge their contribution.

I also thank my Canberra staff, David Whitrow and the team. Most of them have been with me since the days of government and sometimes a long time before that. That dedication is greatly appreciated. I also thank my electorate staff, again all of whom have been with me a very long time—some since the beginning of my time in the parliament, some having served my predecessor. Those people are really special and the contribution that they make is much appreciated. So thank you to all of those who have served the parliament, who have made the contribution, who have helped our country to address some of the key issues over the recent period and who are also committed to doing that again in the future.

Christmas is a very special time of the year. It is an occasion when families can get together and enjoy one another’s company. We love to have the people we know and who are special to us around us at Christmas time. But Christmas is more than just decorations and gifts and parties. The celebrations and symbols of Christmas highlight the joyous reason for our festivities: the birth of Jesus Christ. Those who seek to take Christmas out of the holidays, or Christ out of Christmas, just lose the central reason for the celebrations and their meaning and purpose. The true spirit of Christmas, though, also means that we should think of those less fortunate—the homeless, the jobless, those who are sick or those who are spending Christmas alone this year. In the context of earlier remarks today, we think over Christmas especially of those who have lost loved ones in tragedies like the New Zealand coalmine disaster, those who have a loved one lost during the Afghanistan war and in other tragedies.

Finally, I appeal to Australians travelling this Christmas to be safe on the road. We committed our nation some years ago to reducing the road toll by 40 per cent by 2010. Very good progress was made, particularly in the early period of that target, towards reducing the road toll, but for some reason or other the last year or so has not been so good. Now we are setting new targets, and they should be ambitious as well. The road toll is about having good roads and good infrastructure, but it is also about careful driving. We all think that we are good drivers, but there are other people on the road who perhaps are not that good. At Christmas time in particular we need to make sure that we are observant and careful. There are a lot of temptations at Christmas time, but we should be patient during this festive season so that we can enjoy them and not have a family celebration in any way tinged by the tragedy of a heavy Christmas road toll. Please drive safely on our crowded roads.

Finally, I acknowledge those who will work over the Christmas period when others are taking leave—those who will be on hand to deal with the disasters that so often seem to happen over the Christmas period: the bushfires and the floods that seem to predominate around the Christmas holiday period. We appreciate the commitment of our emergency services personnel, the armed forces, police, ambulance and hospital staff, the people who work in nursing homes and childcare facilities. We need them whether it is holiday time or not and we appreciate their sacrifice.

We have had an exciting year in the parliament. I acknowledge those who have contributed to the past year and extend my very best wishes to them and their families for a wonderful Christmas season. I hope they will come back refreshed from the holiday, ready again to confront the issues that are important to our nation and make sure that as a parliament we can continue the vital work of building a better country so that all people can enjoy and appreciate the great privilege we have to live in Australia.

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