Page 1992 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 23 June 2021
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Sustainable Building and Construction) (4.49): Today I had the pleasure of attending the CPSU thank-you morning tea with Minister Gentleman to celebrate World Public Service Day. I know a number of officers of members of the Assembly were also in attendance.
This day was designated by the United Nations in 2002 to celebrate the work that public servants do for their community. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank them for the work that they do. Our city and what makes it great is largely thanks to the work of public servants.
As noted today, this has been particularly evident throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Public servants have adapted, established and communicated the new government responses. They have delivered world-class frontline health services. They have maintained the parks that were used a lot more, and they totally changed their teaching methods to teach our kids remotely. They showed extreme resilience by doing all of this while having to adapt to the stresses of the pandemic themselves, such as working from home and dealing with having their own kids being taught from home.
A number of us that sit in this chamber have been public servants in the past, in both the federal and the ACT public service. We know from personal experience the rewarding and important work that occurs when we serve the public. I would particularly like to thank the public servants in the directorates of my ministerial portfolios: Housing ACT, within the Community Services Directorate; the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate; and Major Projects Canberra. They have helped me to learn the ropes over the last few months and have taken my enthusiasm in their stride after coming straight into a ministerial role after being elected.
Every day I am impressed and inspired by the professionalism and the dedication to making people’s lives better, solving people’s problems and making this city an even better place to live. It has been a pleasure to reconnect with some old colleagues and be advised by people who have chosen to bring their talents and their skills into these parts of the public service. So to every public servant today, and those in the Office of the Legislative Assembly as well, thank you, and celebrate the difference that you make to our lives every day.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
The Assembly adjourned at 4.52 pm.
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