Page 150 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 December 2008
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new role. To my fellow Labor candidates, and to the recently retired MLAs, Karin MacDonald and Wayne Berry, I thank them for their dedication to the party and to the community. In particular, I would like to pay tribute to former MLA, Mick Gentleman, who has joined us here today, for his service to the people of Canberra and for his personal support, advice and encouragement during my campaign. Over the course of the last Assembly, Mick Gentleman served our community with dedication and vision. He led the way in reducing Canberra’s carbon footprint and worked tirelessly for the people of Brindabella throughout his term. For that, Mick, we owe you our sincere thanks.
Now to my family: firstly, my mother, father, brothers and sisters. While my father and two older brothers are no longer with us, I do, indeed, feel they are here with me today. They, with my mother, instilled in me core beliefs of a fair go for all, that we are, indeed, all equal and that we all have a right to be heard. To my sisters and younger brother, thank you for being here. We have shared the good times and the bad, and sharing is all about family. And we are family.
While I made the final decision to run for the election, my family also lived and breathed the campaign. They shared my highs as well as my lows. So too my husband, Cam, and my sons, Kain, Tom and Lloyd, I owe you much. You have given me strength, support and encouragement. You made my hard days easier and my good days much better. And, finally, I want to thank the people of Brindabella.
Unlike our state colleagues, members of this place are charged with both state and local responsibilities. In re-electing a Labor government, the people of Canberra have shown trust in Labor’s record and vision in a great many areas—from educational reform to local services, to transport policy, to investing in our health system. The people of Canberra have chosen a Labor government to represent their interests. As someone chosen by my fellow Brindabella residents and as the newest member in the ACT government, I am humbled and deeply grateful.
Mr Speaker, I was raised in a small home with my three brothers and two sisters. Growing up in that home taught me a great deal about fairness, hard work and the value of mutual understanding. At the age of 16, I left school and spent a bit of time working in a bank and for a trading company, and I realised that that type of work was not for me; I wanted to help people. I began training as a nurse, and it was one of the best decisions I have made.
Working as a nurse has afforded me a perspective on life that has held me in good stead throughout my working career and, indeed, my whole life. I have worked in urban and rural areas, in large hospitals, aged-care services and the community health sector. After deciding to try something new and to better manage the responsibilities of a young family, I moved out of health and took over as an owner-operator of a childcare centre in rural New South Wales.
With a lot of support from my family, I returned to study and gained bachelor and post-graduate qualifications. With new skills in hand, I took up a position managing a health and community support service. I was responsible for delivering health services to that particular region, with nursing, aged care and family support being amongst them.
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