Page 4202 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 24 October 2017
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that campaign. I enjoyed the campaign thoroughly and learnt a great deal. We travelled around the electorate on a very large Murrays bus, dropping by local shops, handing out dozens of balloons and then moving on to the next centre. Steve runs professional campaigns and he always had a huge team of supporters.
Of course, one of Steve’s strengths is that he knows everyone in Canberra. Rarely a meeting goes by where a name is mentioned in passing and of course it turns out that Steve either used to work with them in IT, played soccer with them or against them or was a family friend. Steve has an extraordinary network of friends and supporters.
Steve has been a warrior for so many honourable causes and he has had great success in the Assembly. Life in opposition is tough. Being part of a party in a unicameral parliament when you have fewer than half the number of seats makes things pretty daunting at times. However, this has not deterred Steve. He has taken up the fight and has had many victories. As has been mentioned, he has represented a fair chunk of Canberra. He has been the local member in Tuggeranong, in Weston Creek, in Woden, the inner south, the inner north and Gungahlin. There are very few people that can say that.
However, today Steve’s modesty was on full display. He did not talk about his achievements but chose to raise awareness for cancer sufferers and their families. He chose to use this time to thank people rather than talk about the goals that he has kicked. I do want to put on the record some of the times that Steve has slogged the ball into the top right corner.
Steve has fought for many causes as part of his advocacy for education. He stood up for the Shepherd Centre and Noah’s Ark when their future was uncertain. He fought to have a greater presence for nurses in Canberra’s special schools. He was vocal in expressing his shock and disappointment at the school cage incident. He fought for legislative reform to empower school principals to have greater autonomy about how they manage their schools. He fought for support for ESL teachers and was critical of the proposed UC-CIT merger. He was vocal in his view that the Shaddock review must include the non-government sector and he also stood up for victims of bullying at the CIT.
He has fought for many local initiatives like the park and ride in Calwell. He has been active in the community in demanding better planning, especially around Manuka Oval, Yarralumla shops and at the brickworks. He fought to make Green Square green again and he has been a tireless advocate for Oaks Estate residents. He has made hundreds of representations for constituents about footpaths, streetlights, grass mowing and so many other essential urban services.
In recent times Steve has championed the need for tougher laws to support victims of dog attacks and he is actively working on legislation to address this issue. He has been a patron of numerous sporting clubs and has supported making community sport accessible through lowering the cost of sportsground hire fees. He has also been persistent in arguing against the use of diesel line markings. Regardless of whether they are high-profile issues or simply issues raised by a single household, Steve has always been compassionate and diligent in prosecuting his case.
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