Page 4088 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 30 November 2022
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gardener, because he has to do it all by himself. He is a really dedicated son and a very good friend, and he moved from full time to part-time work to support me in this job.
I want to tell a story that has stuck in my head, and I hope you will indulge me if it runs over. It is not very long, but it is quite striking. He was in the hospital with my daughter the other week—they were visiting someone—and she came over a bit faint, so she vomited and collapsed, and he managed to catch the vomit in one hand, catch the child in the other hand, sweep everybody out of the door to safety and fresh air, and he did not drop a thing.
That is just the kind of guy that he is. I feel like it is a pretty good metaphor for what it must be like to support a politician. I know who he is in that anecdote. I am not sure which of the hands that I am. I am one of those. But it actually would not be possible without them. Thank you.
Valedictory
MR CAIN (Ginninderra) (4.38): It has been just over two years since I was elected as a local MLA for Ginninderra. When I thought about what this new role required of me, I thought, “I’ll have to be in the Assembly for a certain time, probably on a committee or two; then what else do I do?” I reminded myself that my primary duty is to my electorate. I am a local member, and I am thrilled to support the people of Ginninderra, which is most of Belconnen, obviously. It is hard not to forget that it is Belconnen as well as the region of Ginninderra.
My office has always been very constituent heavy. We have answered emails; we have answered those phone calls. In some cases they have not always been responded to by others. Even this year, I have written, according to my senior adviser, 127 letters to the government, each one requesting action from the community or from community groups, whether it is related to planning, housing or basic city services.
I am sorry that Mr Steel is not here, because I wanted to give him the prize for being the recipient of the most letters from me, that being 58. Mr Gentleman is here; second prize, Mr Gentleman: 31 letters. Minister Cheyne, 18; Ms Berry, seven; Ms Vassarotti, seven; Mr Rattenbury only three—I will need to work on the Attorney-General shadow role a bit harder, I think—and Mr Barr, three. The majority of these have been on behalf of the Ginninderra community.
With respect to doorknocking, I have certainly not done as much as I wanted to, but I look forward to getting back to that after we finish this week. Again I look forward to some of those surprised reactions when I doorknock, which include, “Don’t bother talking to me; I vote Labor or Green,” and my response is, “I’m not here for that; I’m here because I’m your local member.” That does stop a few people in their tracks. Of course, the other surprising response is, “Is there an election on?” I would say, depending on the time when I doorknock, “Yes, in about three years,” or 2½ years, or two years. It does surprise a few people that they are being doorknocked midterm.
The mobile office is also a very important part, particularly, of my weekend regime, with a focus on Kippax, Hawker, Jamison, Charnwood and the larger centres in
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