Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 26 May, Tasmania saw a change in both the premiership and the deputy premiership, with the election of David Bartlett as Premier and Lara Giddings as Deputy Premier and the farewell of Paul Lennon, as both Premier and a member of parliament. I would like to pay tribute to the contribution of Paul Lennon to the Labor Party—which, of course, has not ended—to the Tasmanian parliament and to the Tasmanian people in particular. Paul Lennon is Hobart born, like me, and went to St Virgils College, where I went to school. He went into the Storemen and Packers Union after school and he rose through the union ranks. He became state secretary of his union and also Secretary of the Tasmanian Trades and Labour Council. He entered the Tasmanian parliament in 1990 and had a most distinguished and colourful career in that parliament.

Paul Lennon was a very loyal Deputy Premier to the late Jim Bacon. He played a significant role in the re-emergence of Tasmania into the 21st century and it becoming a prosperous, innovative and forward-looking state. I thank Paul Lennon very much for his contribution, particularly as he became a reluctant Premier after the death of his very good friend Jim Bacon. I thank Paul for everything he has done for the state and for me personally and particularly for my electorate of Braddon. Paul would not die wondering; he was prepared to go to it and make it happen, and we are grateful to Paul for that.

Of course we must welcome the new Premier, David Bartlett—the new boy on the block. David went to my old school Hobart College. He comes from Taroona and built a career with his Bachelor of Science in computer science and his Graduate Diploma of Business in professional management from the University of Tasmania. He became an adviser to David Crean, our very distinguished former Treasurer, and made his way through those innovative circles to be elected to the Tasmanian parliament in April 2004. While there, he became very much a popular member and was re-elected again in 2006. He had taken up the position of the Minister for Education prior to becoming the Deputy Premier and now the Premier, and he is working his way through very innovative and forward-looking changes to the education system in Tasmania. I note that he has held on to that portfolio. I wish him well. He is energetic and young and has vision and, along with Deputy Premier Lara Giddings in the important area of health, he will take our state forward. I look forward to working with them very much into the future. I thank Paul Lennon for his great contribution.