Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is quite a special day in the history of this parliament in that it will be the last day that the Clerk of the House, Mr Bernard Wright, will be with us serving in that capacity. I want to say, before I call the Prime Minister, that it has been an honour and a privilege to know the Clerk of the House. The Clerk has served here for 42 years. He first came to the Treasury 42 years ago. He commenced in the Public Service as a casual in 1966. He then began his long-term career as a graduate trainee with the Department of Immigration on 22 February 1971. He was promoted to the Department of the House of Representatives as a parliamentary officer on 1 February 1972, and then into the Clerk's Office in 1973. He served at a senior executive level with the Committee Office, the Procedures Office and the corporate area of the department. He was Deputy Clerk from 1997 to 2009 and Registrar of Members Interests from 1997 to 2009. He was appointed Clerk in 2009. He has an arts degree from the Australian National University, majoring in political science and Asian studies.

It has been an honour to know Bernard Wright. I first had dealings with him when I became a member of this House and had to learn the standing orders of this place, as distinct from the standing orders of another place, and they are very different. They are very important to the work in this place. Through periods of serving as a committee chair, including a very difficult period, his guidance and knowledge in carrying out meeting structures correctly at all times was something without which the work would not have been done.

We have in the gallery with us today Mrs Marie Wright, Mr Wright's wife, Mrs Catherine Wright, his daughter, Mr James Wright, his son, Mrs Linda Hall, his daughter-in-law, Ms Catherine Cornish, his sister, Louise McDonald, who is a member of the family, Ms Louise Forster and Ms Lynette Eager. They are all people who are very close to the Clerk who has served us so well. I know that the House will miss his ability, miss his dedication and miss his quiet spoken advice which comes freely to all of us without bias, and will wish him well in his retirement.