Page 3980 - Week 10 - Thursday, 28 August 2008
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I want to acknowledge all of the Labor members that I have served with over my time in this Assembly: Rosemary Follett, Paul Whalan, Ellnor Grassby, Bill Wood, the late Terry Connolly, Roberta McRae, Annette Ellis, David Lamont, Andrew Whitecross, Marion Riley, Simon Corbell, John Hargreaves, Jon Stanhope, Ted Quinlan, Karin MacDonald, Katy Gallagher, Mick Gentleman, Mary Porter and Andrew Barr. I also acknowledge all of those people that have served in this Assembly, across the chamber, because they have added to the depth of decision making in this place.
To all those Labor members that have served with me since 1989, thanks for your passion, your ideas, your commitment and of course sometimes your challenges and sometimes my challenges. Your intellect and dedication have been inspiring. We have had a huge array of talent, starting with the first woman to head a government in this country, Rosemary Follett, recognised by all as the most capable member of this Assembly. She held together a government of five members, not for long enough, but she held it together for those crucial early months and in a place which, as Bill will recall, was explosive. You did not know what was going to happen every day. You guys come down here; it is a pretty cushy number now. You really did not know what was going to happen.
We have gone from that first government of five in 1989 to the current Assembly where Labor has the first majority government in the life of the Assembly and we are coming to that stage in the cycle where that will be tested. I think the Stanhope government should pass the test. I think it will. I think it deserves to. This has been the most powered-up government, with a strong commitment to progressive social values, that we have been able to have because of majority government—the best yet.
Jon Stanhope and his team have earned the credit for this. There is no long-term administration, though, without its critics but it is the complete package that electors have to look at. And that is what has to be measured. I know that this government has had the good fortune and commitment to deliver more than any other.
I want to put to bed this question of arrogance. I sit up there and, every time it is mentioned, I crunch my teeth and I think to myself: “Get real. Go to some other parliaments around the world, if you want to talk about arrogance.” I have visited many, and I have observed their processes and work. Our Assembly has a range of practices not seen in other parliaments where there is a majority government. Our statutory appointments are referred to relevant committees. That is extremely unusual and rare; that never happens; and that guards the ethics in this place.
Another example not seen in other jurisdictions is the role of the Deputy Speaker going to the official opposition. The chair of the powerful public accounts committee goes usually to the Liberal Party—in this case, it is in the hands of a non-government member—and of course the scrutiny of bills committee. These are great examples. The problem with adversarial government and opposition, though, is that a government loses interest in providing these things if they are not honoured. They have to be honoured because they are an important part of the scrutiny process and they have to be honoured by everybody, not just the government. They have to be honoured by the opposition and crossbenchers. I trust that that position is honoured in this place.
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