Page 4127 - Week 13 - Thursday, 6 December 2007
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Mr Speaker, happy Christmas to you, to all of my Labor colleagues, members of the opposition and Dr Foskey. I wish you and your families a safe and happy Christmas. And in closing I would like to thank my partner, Anthony, for putting up with me most of the year and the early morning phone calls from the media and from Liz. It has been perhaps a slightly easier year in 2007 than it was for us in 2006, but we are very, very optimistic about a positive year ahead for 2008. I am going to boldly predict a premiership for the Hawthorn football club and some very important social reform to occur in the ACT next year.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (6.28): Mr Speaker, I would like to start by thanking you and all your staff, the Clerk and the staff who assist us in all the various fields in the Assembly for the good job that they do; to all the members, particularly my colleagues, for all the support over the year and to the staff of all the members. I think we all know that we cannot do it without our staff; they work long hours and we should all be very proud of them.
I thank the constituents, the people of Canberra—we would not be here without them and we should always keep in mind those whom we serve. To my family and friends I would like to say thankyou for all the support. A number of members have said it is very important to keep your sense of where you are at this time of the year and I think that without family and friends all year round many of us might lose our way.
To Tim and Amy in the office, thank you for all your work. To Robyn and David at home, thank you for all the joy that this year has brought. The little fellow has learnt to walk and say some unusual words and he brings us no end of joy very early in the mornings, as they do. To my daughters Amy and Lorena, who have both left home now and moved to Sydney, I hope you are enjoying yourself there; they know that I am always here and I know they are always there.
Next year, 2008, will be interesting. It is the year of the rat for those who follow Chinese astrological signs, so it will be interesting to see what they bring. Rats are smart, magnetic, well liked, affable, quick witted, selfish, protective and calculating. But for all Australians it is of course the centenary of Australian scouting. The Australian government has announced 2008 as the year of the scouts, so keep an eye out for scouts when you are out there. The UN very kindly, in honour of my father, has nominated 2008 as the year of the humble spud. Next year is the 60th anniversary of my father leaving his homeland to come and live here in Australia, for which I am incredibly grateful, and so for those of you who do not like rats you can have chips instead.
I would like to say merry Christmas to everyone—and, in case you have not thought about it, there are only 46 weeks, one day, 23 hours and 30 minutes until the polls close.
MR MULCAHY (Molonglo) (6.30): I would also like to put on record some thanks at this special time of year in this happy and holy season of Christmas. I would like to thank my key staff: the senior adviser in my office, Robert Ayling, who does an exceptional job and I think at times deserves a medal for the effort and hours he puts
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