Page 3992 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 1 December 2021
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little bit these days. I am not as fit as I once was, but I enjoy playing cricket and playing with my cricket team, the Barton Cricket Club.
I hope that there are plenty of clubs still around, because during the COVID period this government has not supported our sporting clubs and recreation groups. They have really struggled. They have not been able to secure sponsorship, such as financial sponsorship to keep their clubs operating. I asked the government whether they would be prepared to waive ground hire fees. They said no. I hope that this government may come to their senses and offer some sort of support for our sporting and recreation community.
With respect to disability issues, it has certainly been a bit of an eye-opener for me. I had shadow responsibility for Indigenous affairs in the last term. I learned a lot in that space. There is so much that can be done in the disability space. There is a lot of work that we could do, and I am certainly looking forward to advocating for that community, and advocating for change.
Similarly, the skills portfolio is another area where this government has its eyes only on its own institution, CIT. Whilst I do advocate for and appreciate the hard work of CIT and all of their teachers for their students, there also needs to be adequate support for our independent RTOs in the ACT.
Moving on to emergency services, this is another portfolio on which I am looking forward to spending a bit of time. Recently, the government have proposed to inject a bit of money into the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre. We will certainly be watching what they do in this space to ensure that they do deliver it and that they stick to the time frame. We need to ensure that they put police on the beat; we need police officers. We do not just need more space; we need more officers on the beat.
I want to thank everyone in this Assembly who helps with the smooth operation of this parliament. I want to thank the attendants, the committee team, the library, OLA HR and the finance crew. Without their commitment, this place would not be able to function and operate in the way it does.
Of course, I thank my office staff. I have an amazing team helping me to perform my Assembly duties, my portfolios, my committee work and, of course, my electorate duties. I want to thank my senior adviser, Karin Oerlemans, who has been a great support with my portfolio and Assembly duties. I thank Ewan Brown—aka the old man—for providing his wise counsel and valuable policy input; he has been a great support to me over many years. I thank Kaylee Dorris, who has brought added expertise to our communications and has been a dedicated performer in all electorate-related matters within the electorate and the Assembly. She has certainly built a strong relationship with people in our community. That vital skill is needed if any office is to be successful.
I want to thank my family—my wife and my son, Blake—for their support, my volunteers, and the broader Canberra Liberals family. None of us on this side of the chamber would be here without the support of our Liberal volunteers.
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