Page 5492 - Week 14 - Thursday, 30 November 2017
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MR PARTON: You will have to go back to Hansard. And if I did leave anyone out, it was merely an error, of course. My staff have been awesome. Rob Lovett and Brad Clarke are two vastly different men with vastly different skill sets. They complement each other and me really well. It has been a pleasure to share an office with them. I would like to pay tribute to my two committees, EDT and ETCS: Jeremy, Suzanne, Michael, Tara and the staff who all make that happen.
Thanks to the Assembly staff for everything you do. Midnight Max, it is not going to be the same without you. I doorknocked Max during the election campaign but I cannot tell you how he voted, because he was not home. I do not know if I would have got him or not. I understand that it had been his wish to retire once St Kilda won a premiership, but he has conceded that that could still be a little way away.
When it comes to the Assembly staff and particularly the attendants in this chamber—in this country we do not live in a culture where we have hired help at home; we do not tend to have servants, and I still find it a little weird when the attendants come by and fill up my water. I am thankful, but I think that when the attendants have their Christmas Party the MLAs should rock up and wait on them. I would be happy to stand around and top up your glasses while you guys are gasbagging like us. I am happy to do that.
Mr Coe: It might not be water though, Mark.
MR PARTON: No, it will not be water. Thanks to my wonderful family for allowing me to indulge in this job, and to my beautiful wife, Luisa, who is my rock every day. She also boosts the ratings for the various live streams of the Assembly and she is probably listening now. I promise I will be home soon. To Brydie, Delaney, Attila, Angela and Anna, who are often compromised because of my schedule in here, thanks for your support.
But more than anything else, thanks so much to the community who supported me to come into this place and who continue to support me. I do not know how long I will do this for; none of us do. But I can tell you it is a great privilege to stand here and represent so many. We have had a year of engagement. I promised to keep on doorknocking after the election. That is what I have done and it has been a blast.
The end of the year is nigh. Do not work too hard. Make sure you have some time for you to refresh and recharge over the summer break. Thank you.
Valedictory
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong—Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Minister for Justice, Consumer Affairs and Road Safety, Minister for Corrections and Minister for Mental Health) (6.58): The end of the sitting year is always a point of reflection as we look back at what the year has been like and contemplate the year ahead. I have certainly reached the end of 2017 with a sense of accomplishment about the things we have been able to achieve and deliver for our community, for those who voted for us and for this city as a whole. Of course there are also aspirations not met, but they provide a very good reason to turn up again in 2018 and have another go at
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