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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 5300 ..

MRS BURKE (continuing):

I have you at the top of my list, Mr Speaker. I thank you very much for keeping me-I mean this place-under control. It has been a very interesting and entertaining few months since I returned to this Assembly. It is a place I love to be. I love my job and I appreciate the people I work with, though we may give each other a hard time from time to time.

I agree with Mr Hargreaves about Hansard. I think you do a great job, guys and girls. So, thank you for that. To the secretariat, congratulations, and thank you so much for everything that Bryan Guest has done. He deserves his retirement. I particularly thank Siobhan Leyne for understanding and patience with the Health Committee. To my colleagues on the Health Committee, Ms MacDonald, and our chair, Kerrie Tucker, thank you for your support and help.

Where would we be without the chamber support and executive support? Particularly I am thinking today of Sandra Viney, working through the new contracts. If you are listening, Sandra, thank you very much. The library staff have been so accommodating; nothing is too much trouble. Then there is the long-suffering Barry Schilg-good old Barry! Wherever you are Barry, I hope you are listening. Have a beaut Christmas, rest up-and go those Holdens!

I particularly thank a few people who have come to mind. I thank minister Bill Wood for being very long suffering, for the brilliant DLOs that he has had in his office-Pat Madigan and Sue McInnes to name two-and all his other good staff. I have known those two people for a long time, so I can only name them. I look forward to another round with the boxing gloves on next year, Minister, and sorting out these problems. We'll get it right.

I thank my colleagues for their help this year. It has been of great value to have such a supportive team. We are a good team. We get on well, we can have a laugh together and we work through things together, which is great. I particularly thank my leader, Brendan Smyth, for his guidance, leadership and friendship.

I thank my family. A few members have done this. They are often the unsung heroes in our lives. We are so focused on this place and we all work very long hours, we are very dedicated, so I thank my family-my husband, my daughter, my son-in-law and grandchildren-very much. They make it all possible, as Ms Gallagher has said.

I thank most sincerely my staffer, David Bell. For us it's been an interesting year, a steep learning curve for us both, and we are still growing.

Again I wish all other members in this place a really excellent break. Let's make sure that we rest up and rejuvenate. We have got a big year ahead of us. I look forward to another action-packed and busy election year ahead.

Valedictory

MR CORNWELL (5.49): I extend my thanks to the staff of this building, not only here in the chamber but in the various engine rooms where they operate. I don't know that we always appreciate just how efficient they are and how well the whole place turns over. Without them it would be very difficult.

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