Page 2856 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 19 September 2006
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the legal affairs committee, which performs the functions of a scrutiny of bills committee. I would like to say formally on the record—I have said this to Mr Stefaniak within the committee itself—that I thank Bill for his service to the committee. Bill is one of the most amiable people you could work with on a committee. Stop pointing at yourself, Mr Mulcahy; that is not going to be attributed to you. Bill is a very amiable person to deal with. However, I have no doubt that should I transgress the law, Mr Stefaniak would be urging that I be locked up and the key be thrown away.
I do not think you could find a committee with more disparate views than those of the current three members of the legal affairs committee. Deb Foskey, Mr Stefaniak and I have found a way, on a continuous basis, to work together in spite of the fact that we have had some issues on which we have not always seen eye to eye, including, most notably, the preventative detention orders bill which was before us at the beginning of the year.
It has certainly been educational from my perspective to serve with you, Bill, and I thank you for your service. I am also hoping that Mr Seselja might break your mould a little bit and not necessarily advocate locking up and throwing away the key.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (11.42): I too rise to say thank you to Mr Stefaniak and farewell him formally. Mr Stefaniak is both “amia-Bill” and “affa-Bill”. If I had had longer I could have thought of heaps more words to describe him. He is certainly a very good companion at conferences and I really appreciated working with him. I find it hard to understand how Mr Stefaniak can listen to most learned opinions for two or three days on issues such as sentencing and alternatives to imprisonment and still come and stand here in front of the house and revert to a default position which, I guess, is hard-wired. This just shows the contradictions and how sensible it is not to indulge in stereotypes. Bill is probably someone who would make way for an ant. However, when we were recently debating the ACT’s version of the terrorism laws he said things that really sent a bit of a chill down my spine—but he did so in the nicest possible way. So it is amazing what you can get away with.
It just shows you that manner is as important as matter in getting along on this planet, and Bill is someone who gets along on the planet very well. I am sorry that he is going. Our environment and working conditions will be different, and Karin MacDonald and I are looking forward to this new challenge. I am hoping that we can manage to complete our inquiries in the same harmonious style in which we have conducted them up until now.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for the Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11.45): The last time I heard speeches like this was when people were leaving the Assembly altogether. Bill, it has been nice working with you, mate. Bill came to this Assembly back in the early nineties as a young man with a full head of hair and all the ambition under the sun, fresh out of law school and working for Bernard Collaery. Well, I have to ask you: what would you rather do? You would rather be the leader of the opposition, wouldn’t you?
Mr Speaker, on a slightly serious note, it is significant that so many people have stood up and said something about, as it were, a person leaving the chair of the committee. It just
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