Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I endorse your remarks, Mr President, and the remarks of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, particularly with respect to the extraordinarily hard working, professional and diligent officers and officials of this great chamber. For Harry Evans, this is an august occasion. Our longest serving Clerk is retiring. We wish him well. Again, I congratulate Rosemary Laing on her succession as Clerk. We wish her all the very best in her new role and the very best to all those who support Rosemary in her very important duties. To the Black Rod, I thank you for all you have done this year.

I want to thank you, Mr President, for the way you have presided over this chamber so professionally and, I think, fairly and impartially throughout this year. I thank the government for the extent to which there has been cooperation between the government and the opposition. As we all know, to make this chamber work at all cooperation is essential. It is not like the House of Representatives. Unless there is some degree of cooperation, nothing will happen in this chamber. I thank them at least for that. I thank the government for their sympathies for the interesting week or two that we have just had. We are trying to learn from the Labor Party, as best we can, how to manage these affairs—perhaps we are still learning.

May I also express my sympathies to the government, who have no doubt been receiving phone calls from Mr Rudd wherever he may be, saying, ‘What on earth are you guys doing?’ We wish Mr Rudd a happy Christmas as well. I particularly want to thank Senator Parry for the tremendous job he has done this year wearing two hats for the opposition, as Chief Opposition Whip and as Manager of Opposition Business—a unique combination. He has done superbly well and we thank him for that.