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

on indulgence—Can I join with you, Mr Speaker. We had Steve Quick, along with his colleagues from the gallery, at the Lodge last night, and there his colleagues got me to present him with the work they had done putting together a compendium of handwritten messages expressing their love, in some cases, for Steve and for the extraordinary work that he has done. Steve has been in the gallery since 1988. He has been at Seven the entire time, which is quite an advertisement for Seven, it must be said, when you have that longevity and consistency with one employer. I know that, in that time, he has trained his camera on nine prime ministers, and he has covered 13 election campaigns and around 40 budgets, in different ways, across that period. I think, after all that, Steve has well and truly earned a wonderful retirement.

One of the things about the pictures and the coverage that go into the lounge rooms, or the still pictures in newspapers, is that quite often the operators don't get seen. This is unlike Mark Riley, of course, who is the most prominent of the Channel 7 presenters. However, the work that they do behind the scenes is just as important. One of the things that I've found is the unequivocal courtesy and respect that every single camera operator in this building has, whether they be the still photographers or the people who shoot moving pictures and record us. They are incredibly dignified in the way that they conduct themselves. They are always there before the press conferences, because they're the ones who set them up, and they leave afterwards. When everyone else—the people in front of the camera and the people asking the questions—has gone, they're still there. And they are then going to the studios to make sure that the pictures make sense and to put it all together.

Steve: I pay tribute to you, mate, and I thank you for the work you have done and the engagement I have had with you. I also think this tribute symbolises the respect held by all of us in this Chamber for the people behind the cameras.

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