Page 452 - Week 01 - Thursday, 11 December 2008
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To the new members, the new Speaker, the Secretariat and Assembly staff, I think you have done an amazing job this week. I did not really have the courage to say very much in my first week. I did not understand the procedures and protocols. The new members school really worked. You have done an amazing job this week.
I would like to add my thanks and appreciation to the ACT public service. We are very lucky to be supported by thousands of talented individuals that work for the ACT public service across a range of areas. I certainly know that the areas that I work for have amazing people who do amazing things—hospital staff, the nurses, doctors and allied health professionals, health administrators and policy developers. In Treasury, they do not guess; you are quite right, Mr Smyth. They are very skilled professionals. Just in my short time with those agencies, they have provided me with some very high quality and responsive advice. I would like to acknowledge their efforts.
To my family, too, thanks for putting up with me this year. I think my one-year-old daughter’s first skill was to walk around with anything looking like it was a mobile phone right on the back of her head. Whether it be the remote control, a banana or whatever, she picked it up and put it to the back of her head. I thought, “Is she trying to tell me something here?” as I answered yet another phone call. So I say thank you to my family. Like Mr Smyth, I have a young son, and he has put in a request for a blue scooter and a yellow skateboard. I am not so sure about the yellow skateboard, but I look forward to Christmas with my family as well.
Valedictory
MR COE (Ginninderra) (10.51), by leave: I am glad to contribute to the thanks to everyone who has contributed to this place over the last few weeks in particular. There is no really easy transition after you have been elected to this place. With many jobs, you go in there, often there is a handover, and you might have several weeks, even several months, where you learn the ropes, you go through things, you have questions and you have constant interaction with the outgoing person, or at least your immediate boss, and usually in an area which is in very close proximity. Whilst we have had tremendous support from Zed’s office and the rest of the Liberal team, there is no easy way to adjust to this life. I am sure the other seven new members would know what I am talking about—I imagine especially the Speaker. There would be no harder job to go into on day one than that job. I do commend you for the role you are playing there.
In particular, I would like to thank Steve Doyle, Ian Hagan, Tio Faulkner and Daniel Clode, and also Julie and Lisa, who were out during the campaign as well. Those guys were a real rock during the campaign. You could literally call them until 1 or 2 am or any time from about 5 or 6 am. They would always be quite sprightly and they would always give you the information that you needed.
In conclusion, I would like to place on the record my thanks to my family, to Bruce and Barbara Coe, Philip and James Coe and my girlfriend Kath. Kath was actually waiting in my office since about 7 o’clock. It was always “half an hour away”. Alas, at about 10.30 or so, when it was about half an hour away, she left and went home. That is the nature of the job, I guess. I am sure she and I will get used to that. I hope everyone has a safe Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all in February.
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