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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4492 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

time to time does not hurt. Politicians, particularly here in the ACT, having regard to the rocky road we travelled to get to where we are, should stop being defensive about this parliament and about our performance in it. This is a great parliament. It is a credit to the ACT. People of the ACT are not quite sure about that, but it is a good parliament that does very good work.

Once again I thank the Clerk and all the staff-I will not go through them individually-for their tremendous support. I thank each staff member in our respective offices. Have a great Christmas; have a great break; have a great holiday season. I look forward to working with each and every one of you again next year.

Valedictory

MR CORBELL (Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations) (9.45): I want to thank a number of people who have assisted me throughout the year. As Mr Stanhope rightly said, it is the people who work in our offices who often see most closely the dilemmas, panics, crises, good things and bad things that occur day to day in this place.

I certainly could not have survived this year without the support and hard work of the people in my office. I would like to thank them and to acknowledge them-my chief of staff, Rohan Goyne, with his unflappable Mount Rushmore-like appearance; Gina Pinkas, my planning adviser, who has seen the tonnes of papers on planning issues that go through my office; my media adviser, Kym Connolly, who has kept up a steady stream of excellent and thought-provoking stories; my office manager, Joy Nicholls, who has the most amazing job of trying to manage my diary; and my receptionist, Marilyn Cordner, who is ever cheerful and polite in welcoming guests to my office and assisting in the overall tasks of the office.

I acknowledge also the DLOs who have worked in my office-Sean Moysey, from the Chief Minister's Department; Megan Hansford, Anne Moroney, Helen McKeown and Valerie Spencer from PALM; and Matthew Clissold from the Department of Education, Youth and Family Services. Thank you for your ongoing support and assistance throughout the year.

My Assembly colleagues, I thank you for your comradeship and companionship over the past year. It has been an amazing year for the Labor Party, one that I will certainly always remember. I look forward to many more to come.

Mr Speaker, thank you for your ongoing support and principled stand on a range of issues that many within and outside the Labor Party admire you for. Thank you for your role in your new position this year.

Members of the Assembly, thank you for the opportunity to work with you throughout the year. It has been an interesting time. May everyone have a peaceful and safe holiday season.

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