Page 6291 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991
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The thing that strikes me so much about this First Assembly, as someone who has read fairly deeply in Australian political history, is how it took 50 years in Australia for responsible government to evolve into a two-party system, really from the 1850s to the first decade of Federation in the State parliaments, and it took the first decade of the Commonwealth Parliament for the system to evolve. It has really taken three years for us here to go through that process.
I think we are going through, in three years, the process that was gone through in that first 50 years of responsible government in Australia, from fractured interest groups into a stable two-party system. It is certainly my view, and the view of our party, that that is what the electors want. They will see that the system that was tried in the States and that operated for the first decade of the Commonwealth does not provide stable government; it provides chaos and it will go the way of the three XIs of Alfred Deakin's famous comment in the Federal Parliament in the first decade of Federation.
Mr Speaker, I would like to join in the thanks that everyone has offered to Assembly staff and to all the political staff. People working on ministerial staffs and opposition staffs put in the same long hours and hard work as members and Ministers, but they do not get the recognition and the thanks for it, sometimes. So, I thank everyone who has served on my staff in the 18 months I have been here. Also, as Mr Jensen specifically said, I certainly thank my spouse. Families of politicians get it hard. It is difficult enough without children; but I certainly feel for members who have children, young or not so young, because politics does make a demand on your time. We who are in the public eye have to accept that; but it is difficult on families, and I certainly would like to thank my wife Helen for accepting the impositions that that has put upon her. Merry Christmas.
Valedictory
DR KINLOCH (8.21): No-one has been saying "Thank you, Mr Speaker", but may we all say, "Thank you, Mr Speaker". I had the pleasure of speaking with David earlier today on a somewhat historical note and I was saying that, whatever else happens, one day his CV will be in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. This is going to be true for all of us. We are an historic Assembly. It has been a great thrill for me, and I know for all of you, to be here for this first ever Assembly. I wish Paul Whalan were here with us, too, to join in that. I hope that 50 years from now, 100 years from now, we will all be cosily enclosed in some computer edition of the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Mr Kaine: Or have streets named after us.
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