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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (28 April) . . Page.. 34 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

Mr Speaker, you will see that this Labor Caucus will be squarely focused on its task. It will provide the people of Canberra with an effective opposition regardless of whether some here do not fully appreciate the need for that role while others would wish to subjugate it. We will be a positive force in this Assembly and a positive influence in the Territory. The next 31/2 years will present our Caucus with a new array of challenges, each one requiring our commitment, dedication and hard work. I am very confident that the Opposition is ready, willing and more than able to tackle the challenge ahead and in so doing make its positive contribution to the Assembly and, through it, the Territory. Therefore, my message to the people of Canberra is: We have a new Assembly, a new Labor team and a new playing field; and we will not fail in giving you the choice you deserve.

MR HARGREAVES (11.29): Mr Speaker, I rise in the chamber today with an awareness of the awesome responsibility I now have to the people of Canberra. It is customary in inaugural speeches to thank those who have contributed to one's election, and I wish to continue that tradition. I wish to thank my campaign manager, Jim Mallett, for his support, both professional and personal, over a long campaign; Michael Lindfield, Andrew Barr, Mark O'Neill and Keith Warren for their support and, of course, that of their families who supported them. Without the support of the many members of the Labor Party in the electorate, of course, I would not have had the opportunity in the first place. There were many people who guided me, assisted me and kept me focused on the task. To name them all would be far too long a task. Suffice it to say that they were the ones who ensured that I remained focused on my task - that of representing the people of Brindabella in the correct way, through talking with them and being with them. To my wife, Jenny, and my family, I owe a great deal. They were my sanity insurance; they supported me and kept me sane, although my colleague to the right might dispute that point. Without that support I would have stumbled along the way.

I owe an enormous amount of gratitude for the support from two former members of this Assembly, Terry Connolly and Annette Ellis, now the Federal member for Namadgi and hopefully soon to be the new member for Canberra. It is Annette's devotion to the people she represents which sets the standard for me in this new role. She has on many occasions put service to her constituents above personal needs; and hers is a genuine love of Tuggeranong and South Woden, which I am sure will be the same for the redistributed electorate of Canberra. If I can do as good a job of representing the people in Brindabella as Annette did as a member of this Assembly, I shall have succeeded.

Mr Speaker, I feel most honoured to be able to take my seat in this Assembly. It is a heavy responsibility which is to be taken seriously. We have the responsibility to provide sound and representative governance. But what does this mean? To me, it is the chance to give effect to the vision we all share for the people of Canberra. But where do visions come from? They do not just materialise in a dream; they come from many years of association with the ordinary people with whom we live. It is the culmination of the multitude of influences we experience as we go about our daily lives. In my case, it is through my association with community groups, with many ordinary people

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