Page 6274 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991
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duties and the mostly amicable manner in which the parliamentary process was conducted. That, of course, does not play down the torrid times which resulted in the two changes of government, but highlights just how riotous this parliament could have become if it were not for the underlying goodwill and the desire to do what is best for our community.
I wish to personally thank all members for the guidance and encouragement that they have offered to me throughout my period as Speaker of this Assembly. I consider that I have been bestowed with a great privilege, for which I will be forever grateful. In conclusion, I offer my thanks for the splendid efforts of members of staff, the Clerks at the table, the secretariat staff, the library staff, the Australian Protective Service and Wormald staff, officers of the ACT Government Service and officers of the Parliamentary Counsel, and Professor Douglas Whalan, to whom we owe a considerable debt.
I take this opportunity to wish those members who are contesting the election all the success that they deserve, and to wish members and their partners and all those people I have mentioned, and any I may have inadvertently missed, a merry Christmas, and a safe, happy and prosperous new year.
Valedictory
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (7.30): I think that the Hansard record will show that I very rarely speak in the adjournment debate. I think that most of us say more than we should during the normal debates in this Assembly and much of what has been said in the adjournment debate has been idle chatter anyway. I do not say that of all of it, but a great deal of it has been. I think this is an occasion, however, when some comment is called for. This Assembly was born in discontent on the part of the community. We were elected by a system that people did not understand and still do not understand, and there remains, I believe, some disillusionment in the general community about the fact that this Assembly exists.
I believe, however, that history will show that the first three years of the life of this Assembly have, in fact, been quite productive and very successful. I think our record in tackling the problems of today has been very good. I doubt whether any parliament in Australia, at its birth, has had to confront the issues that we had to confront - and not the least of those has been the hostility, if you like, towards the fact that we were even here. We inherited enormous financial problems from the Commonwealth, and those financial problems have not yet been dealt with fully. There remains, I believe, a further transition period, and perhaps the next Assembly will,
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