Page 5765 - Week 15 - Thursday, 10 December 2009
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I must also pay tribute to our colleagues in the government and the Greens. While it may get very adversarial within these walls, I agree with what Ms Bressnan said yesterday: it does seem very hard to separate the spin from the facts. And without pointing the finger at anyone, I think there is one individual who has made spin an absolute art form that the rest of us can only emulate.
Mr Barr: It’s only good if you do not know it.
Mr DOSZPOT: Andrew, that is exactly the point I was coming to. The only problem with the constant spin is that you have got to sometimes separate the spin from the facts. Even though you are so good at the spin, it is getting a little hard to separate the spin from the facts. I am sure that we are all here for the right reasons and that we all strive to do the best for the ACT. Despite our ideological and political differences, I look forward to working together on this.
I look forward to continuing my journey with all of you in this place after a short Christmas break. I wish everyone here and your loved ones a very happy, peaceful and safe Christmas and a prosperous new year. Happy Christmas.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Women) (6.49): I would like to say a few words of thanks to the many people inside and outside this building that have given me support and friendship over the last year. Firstly, I would like to thank my staff, Nicole, Mark, Joel, Tracey, Chris and Heather, and Victoria Stewart who was with me until about two months ago.
I would also like to thank the departmental officials, including, to name just a few, Martin Hehir, Brett Phillips, Maureen Sheehan, Megan Mitchell, Frank Duggan, Bronwyn Overton-Clarke, Meredith Whitten and the many other dedicated officials from Department of Disability Housing and Community Services. They are a dedicated, hardworking team and I am proud to be their minister and certainly grateful for all the assistance, the wads of advice, which I read quickly of course, that they have given me over the last two months.
I would like to also say thank you and acknowledge the departmental liaision officers, the DLOs, Jenny Whichelo, Sarah Cowdery, Damien Howe. It can be only be described as an interesting position for a DLO, to be 100 per cent independent of the department on one side, surrounded by advisers and ministers. I congratulate them on the great job they do. I also take the opportunity to thank you, Mr Speaker, for the 12 months; and Max, Tom, Janice and indeed all staff within the Assembly.
To my government colleagues, thank you very much for your friendship and advice. I hope that continues into 2010. It really is an honour to be a part of this strong, forward-thinking Labor team and indeed to be a member of the Labor Party. I would also like to thank Sandra Lilburn, who has been mentioned by a number of people today. I have just spent 12 months on committee work. It was a most interesting and intriguing 12 months. Thank you to the various committee members that I shared many an interesting conversation with.
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