Page 2267 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
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Now their ranks have been augmented by Simon and Elynor, Callum and Clodagh, Matilda and baby Finn. Our joy is enlarged by these relative newcomers, but it is still the case that “mere words of thanks seem hopelessly inadequate”.
There must always be regrets. I never got to speak in the discussion of an MPI on “the importance of being earnest”. I could never quite work out how to get it through the standing orders, even when I was the Speaker. Clinton has had a version of the speech in his bottom drawer for some time; he regaled us with it on a bus trip on one occasion. It was not so much a speech as a collection of bons mots and clangers derived from briefings, meetings and Hansard, all strung together in a Kafkaesque riff. But the dominos have never “been in my court”, in this matter. Madam Speaker, who is not here, will be saved from once again covering her ears and saying, “La, la, la, la!”
Seriously, there would be very few people who have served nearly 20 years in parliament and spent all of that time in opposition. Of course, it is disappointing not to have served on the government benches, because I would have been awesome.
There have been changes to our laws here in the ACT that I very much regret. Having amongst the most liberal abortion laws in the country does not give me joy. I still cleave to the view that abortion is a surgical or chemical solution to a social problem, and our inability or unwillingness to address a woman’s problems in a more holistic and loving way is a matter of profound regret. I salute those who support pregnant women, especially the beautiful women—well, mostly women—at Karinya House, and I salute the brave women in countless troubling and frightening circumstances who are encouraged to stand by their babies no matter what.
There is a saying about the mark of a society being the way we treat our most vulnerable. Regrettably, we in Canberra have a long way to go to improve the way we treat the troubled, the ill, the disabled, the frail and the marginalised. The growth in the number of children in care and protection, our rates of Indigenous incarceration, homelessness, people with a disability without the right services, the growth in public hospital waiting lists, and the failure to address the recent recommendations out of the end of life committee on palliative care all show that we have a long way to go to become a truly inclusive and caring society.
But there have been good bits. On the up side, Canberra has been so far saved from the scourge of euthanasia. This is thanks to the hard work of countless people in the community. I thank them for their work, and I have been proud to stand with them.
Being a member of this place for nearly 19 years has afforded me many opportunities. Apart from the sheer honour of serving, you get the opportunity to meet and discuss important issues with the best and brightest in their fields—environmentalists, pastors, doctors, scientists, musicians, actors, lawyers, teachers, community advocates and public servants. I have been privileged to know many whose names I will not record here because the list would be too long.
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