Page 4707 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
in the context of this week we have been able to thrash things out with robust honesty and to come to agreement and move on.
I was a little surprised that the government did not drop some more leadership gags during question time. But I can guarantee that whichever jokes they dropped, we had probably already dropped them on ourselves. That is just how we roll; we just do not take ourselves all that seriously. We take very seriously the job in front of us in regards to winning the election in 2020, and thanks to all of my Liberal colleagues for being mates of mine; I really appreciate it.
Big thanks to all the staffers on the Liberal floor and the Assembly staff of all levels and all sections for all your assistance. As we get closer to Christmas it is also timely for me to thank my genuine friends on the other side. Your ability to put ideological and policy differences at arms-length and to engage with me simply as a colleague is one of the things that keeps me sane.
I am hesitant to thank all of the journalists because then everyone will think I am the leak! But well done for your work. Thanks to my wife, Luisa, and all of our teenagers and just out of teens for putting up with my somewhat unstructured schedules.
Most importantly, thanks to every single Tuggeranong resident who voted for me in 2016. I will keep on fighting for you in this next 11 months, and hopefully we will find ourselves in a position to deliver much more for you in the spring of 2020. So see you next year.
Valedictory
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for Advanced Technology and Space Industries, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (6.49): I thank everybody for their good wishes tonight. Madam Speaker, it is that time of year when we head into the holiday festive season and have many celebrations across our diverse and multicultural society. It is a time to simply relax for some people.
To our hardworking, smart and committed public service, thank you. We have the best public servants in the country. They have helped shape a vibrant and inclusive Canberra while delivering the services we need.
To those Canberrans who work for the conservative federal government that often belittles your work, my wish this festive season is for you to change, for you to have a government much more like ours.
Madam Speaker, I want to especially thank our frontline public servants who work so hard, particularly across this period. To everyone within the directorates and agencies that so ably help me—CMTEDD, EPSDD, JACS, ESA, EPA, the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office and ACT Policing—thank you, and I wish you and your families a safe, enjoyable and fun-filled holiday period.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video