Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am here to place on record my thanks. My thanks go to the transport office, to Greg, Maureen, Joy, Jessica, Judy, Catherine and John. I will not tell you which ones are my favourites. I say thanks to the Reverend Peter Rose, our parliamentary chaplain, who is retiring this day, and to David Elder, our Clerk, and the clerks that have gone before him in my time—Lyn Barlin, Ian Harris and Bernard Wright. I also thank our clerks team and the Deputy Clerk, Claressa Surtees; I particularly thank her for the help she has given me. There are the ministerial staff and government liaison officers; the Whip's office and their staff; the attendants, Luc and his team in the chamber; and those in the Library—angels of knowledge and accuracy, ably headed up by Diane Heriot. There are the cleaners, the gardeners, the catering staff, Tim in the parliamentary dining room, the Hansard staff, the telephone operators, committee staff and support, our security team and particularly the AFP.

I thank my fellow parliamentarians—to those who are staying on to the next parliament, and those who are leaving—when this place changes and you leave, the personalities will change and the parliament will change and it will not be the same without you. I thank the Speaker and Deputy Speaker and all the deputy speakers who have given their time and effort on our behalf. My staff, Jennifer and Pru, make sure I am in the right place at the right time in this House—they are angels of my own. Cynthia Cotton, my landlady, has been a special blessing to me for the last four years and four months. She is now moving on to greater things and a new stage in her life, and I want to wish Cynthia all the best in the changes that are to come for her.

We in this parliament cannot do our job without the staff and support we get. I have seen criticisms of the benefits that accrue to members of parliament and the support those criticisms get from around this building at odd times in papers that want to make a push about the facilities we are given here. The facilities we are given here are a real gift to us in that that gift enables us to do our job in this place on behalf of our constituents. We really appreciate all the support that surrounds us.

So I say to the parliament today: I wish those who are leaving—and there is one here today; Jill—the best yet to come for you. For all of you who are leaving the parliament by choice, the best is yet to come. Thank God I was born in this great south land, this great nation of Australia. We are a wealthy nation with so much to give. We have some problems to sort out. Together, in the new parliament, we will sort those problems.