Page 4175 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 December 2022
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Thank you to Rafe. Rafe reached out to me, I think, before anyone else, shortly after my election. Rafe is an amazing young man: his observations, his ability to deliver and his skills are so far in excess of anything I could have expected to have when stepping in as a new member. He has made things work brilliantly in my office. I cannot say enough good things about him.
Thank you to Paddy, who came to my office from the leader’s office—from Elizabeth Lee’s office. His manner and the way that he engages with people from across this Assembly, all staff, is just phenomenal. Paddy, I am always in awe of you. You are a great guy.
Thank you to Anton, the most recent member of my team. Anton is a fantastic, quiet and effective deliverer. He has stepped into my team absolutely effectively on very short notice, and I am incredibly grateful.
I would like to thank, especially, the members of the public service who endured my questioning through estimates and annual reports. I know that it is no small thing for those public servants to sit and be questioned by politicians, and I really appreciate the way they deal professionally with us all the time.
My staff suggested that I thank every single organisation by name that I have met with in the past four months. I am not sure I have got quite enough time to fit that in, but I do want to say thank you to all of those organisations and all of those representatives. I want to say thank you to everyone who has approached me at mobile offices—it is not easy to step forward and talk to your politician. And I really want to thank the thousands of people who have put up with me turning up unannounced on their doorstep to introduce myself and have a chat, sometimes at very inconvenient times.
Finally, I must thank my family—I could not be here if I did not have their support—and my wife Nicole. No-one warns a family what it is going to be like when a member of the family ends up being a politician in this place. It is incredibly difficult, and she puts up with, endures and supports me through a huge amount.
Thank you to my kids, Cayleigh and Dylan. They are still my inspiration. They still keep me going, and I am looking forward to seeing them when I get home this evening. Finally, to everyone in this place: thank you for making the past four months absolutely incredible, and Merry Christmas.
Valedictory
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (4.37): I want to express my deepest gratitude to the people in my electorate who have given me their trust to be their voice and a representative in the Legislative Assembly. It has been great getting to know them through emails, letters and meeting them at the shops, including Woolworths, Aldi and Coles cashiers. Thank you for stopping by for a chat. I also want to acknowledge and give thanks to the stakeholders and the people of Canberra who have engaged with me in regard to my portfolio of correction services; families, youth and community services; domestic violence; and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. Thank you for your insights, guidance and brilliant, brilliant knowledge in
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