Page 4501 - Week 14 - Thursday, 28 November 2013
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broken, get damaged or perhaps have not been cared for as well as they might have been. I look forward to continuing to do my best with my agencies to keep those things up to the best standard we can through 2014
To the staff of the Legislative Assembly—I do not see you nearly as much these days. It is quite a disconnect from being the Speaker and dealing with you all on a regular basis and sitting up on the second floor where there is much more limited contact, but thank you for your ongoing professionalism in the conduct of the Assembly.
Colleagues, it has been quite a 12 months. It has certainly been a different experience for me since the last election. It is one that, on the whole, I have enjoyed. They say every job has its days, and this one certainly does. I wish you all an enjoyable festive season. I hope people have a chance to have a break, to spend time with our neglected families, pests, gardens or hobbies. Whatever the thing is that you have neglected in the last 12 months, I hope you get some time to do it over Christmas. I hope to survive the coming six days, in which I will be running 220 kilometres across Cambodia. That seemed like a good idea when I entered, and my idea of a holiday. Most people think that is crazy, and perhaps they have a point to make there. But I do intend to survive it, and I look forward to seeing you all when I get back in a couple of weeks time.
Valedictory
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (6.57): Thanks and merry Christmas to all the workers of Canberra and the volunteers of Canberra who will keep the city going over the Christmas break. To you, Madam Speaker, and, through the Clerk, to all the staff, thank you very much, particularly to Dr Cullen, the secretary of PAC. To colleagues on both sides of the house, to your staff and families, a merry Christmas. To the Liberal Party, particularly members of SEB, the division of management committee, thank you for all that you do for me and for the party. To the people of Canberra, thank you very much. I hope Christmas is successful and very relaxing for you.
To my staff, the year started with Angela McGuinness who has moved on, thank you to Angela. To Emma Gowling who was the 2013 ACT vocational student of the year and has now joined my office, welcome. To the inscrutable Melvin Connor, thanks for all your efforts. To my family, Amy and Lorena, David and Robert, thanks very much for all that you do for me. Merry Christmas to you all. My gift to you all is the remaining four minutes and three seconds of my allotted time.
Mr Hanson: Hear, hear!
MR SMYTH: The sweetest gift.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
The Assembly adjourned at 6.58 pm until Tuesday, 25 February 2014 at 10 am.
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