Page 3979 - Week 10 - Thursday, 28 August 2008
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Mr Stefaniak: That is right. I supported you, too.
MR BERRY: You could not do anything else, Bill. There was the better reporting on the progress of Indigenous students in their schools of course and the “feel the power” campaign. Remember that jet plane that was painted with “feel the power” on the side?
Mr Smyth: I have got a badge for you.
MR BERRY: Have you? There were the numberplates; you do not seem them around that much these days. I have often wondered how you would see the “feel the power” sign with the aeroplane doing about 600 kilometres an hour. There were the Floriade fees and cuts to the Institute of Arts, the $27 million free school bus scheme. I formed the view and the Labor Party formed the view that that would wreck our public system and do great damage and we were right, I think. It was an election issue, a big election issue.
There are some things going on for portable long service leave. That is to be continued. I know my colleagues will be on the job on those things. Unionists put me here to do these things and, as one of them, with the constant support of the electorate every election, I have tried to maintain that faith that has been put in me.
Since my election as Speaker in 2001, I have focused on the operation of the Assembly, on reaching out to the community and seeking to involve them in their Assembly. In my efforts, I have been enthusiastically supported by the Clerk and his team. We have had open days which were actively supported by members and all staff who work here. Sometimes we seemed to outnumber the community response but I am sure it will get better. But I do commend the practice to my successor because I think it is important to do so.
Daniel Bravo is here tonight. He used to work for me. While he was working for me, we did the citizenship ceremonies and Daniel said, “Why don’t we do something about this?” He said, “When I came here and got my citizenship, I didn’t know what this place was here for.” He was not used to living in a democracy. He said, “Why don’t you invite all of those people that come here, all those refugees and other immigrants, and let them have a look about the place?” We have done that and it was a terrific success. So that is another effort to raise the standing of the Assembly in the eyes of those that we represent. We did have a little bit of lost ground to make up because of the concern that people had when self-government came here, which Bill talked about. So I have been happy to be involved in that.
For 14 years I have been playing around with a code of conduct for members and there has been a bit of legislation recently to fix that. Over the last 19½ years—it is a long time, is it not?—along with my Labor caucus colleagues, we have supported and implemented our party platform and the progressive policies enshrined in it. These are the wishes of those who are the genesis of the Labor Party—workers and the unionists in our community.
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