Page 2354 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 June 2013
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As I say, we did this together, and I am proud of the part I played in it. However, as history shows, we did not form government, which was a bitter disappointment to us as a party room and to the tens of thousands of Canberrans who had voted for change. I do not regret that in and of itself. I regret not being able to implement the policies and the directions so many Canberrans wanted to see achieved. Important policies like fairer funding for education, halving stamp duty for first homebuyers, green bins for every household, lower rego for those who need it, more parking across the territory, fixing our health system, infrastructure reform, halving sporting fees, upgrading local ovals, road upgrades in Gungahlin and Tuggeranong, a pool for the Lanyon valley and protecting Canberrans from the inequitable plan to triple rates which has been confirmed in this year’s budget are just some of the reasons I regret not being in government.
All of these policies are good policies, Madam Speaker, and I commend them to the current government and to the next Liberal government. One policy which I would implore the current government to adopt is the policy to build an autism school. These schools do not cost very much. These schools do work. To say they have the potential to make a life-changing difference to families doing it tough is a profound understatement. When I was at a similar school in Brisbane run by the AEIOU Foundation, I saw firsthand the amazing burden which is taken from parents and the opportunities which are given to children as this truly transformational program takes place. I will be the first to cheer a government of any colour who implements this critical policy.
I would like to take a few moments to thank those who have helped me in my time here in the Assembly.
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank you for your support and friendship over many years. You are one of the true believers of ACT politics. It was great having policy nerds like you to balance the political animals in and around the Liberal Party, some of whom we see here in the gallery. And while you are a great loss to the shadow ministry, it was one of my proudest moments when you became Speaker. Your appointment was a reflection of your experience, your ability and your loyal service to the parliament. It was also a reflection of the strong performance of the Liberal Party at the 2012 election and, may I say, a gracious and decent decision by Shane Rattenbury to support you as Speaker. To your credit, that decision was made easier by the fact that you were the obvious choice for the job.
To Brendan Smyth—Brendan is the best deputy I could have asked for. For five years he served the party and myself and the community as deputy leader. It was not just his experience, his contacts, his energy and his ideas. It was his absolute loyalty to the party, to me as leader, and to his community which gives him a special place in the Liberal Party. He was a big part of the rebuilding job that took place in the Liberal Party over the last few years. I consider Brendan and his wife Robyn good friends.
I have not told many people about this, and Brendan probably will not like me sharing, but on election night there was a picture of Kate Carnell giving me a cuddle. Kate Carnell had actually given me a big kiss on the lips before that, and I was surprised it
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