Page 2296 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
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It has been an honour this term to be the deputy leader of our party. I would like to thank my colleagues for their support and assistance, and especially Alistair, as the leader. I have learnt a lot during this term. It is always good to learn new things, and I am always keen to learn new things.
I have lived in Tuggeranong for over 32 years. I raised my children here and now my 12 grandchildren all call the valley home. It is because of that that I want to make Tuggeranong, and Canberra, the best place to live, work and raise a family—not feel, as they currently do, that Tuggeranong is neglected and ignored. I find it amusing that my grandchildren are growing up thinking it is normal to see a giant photo of their nanna in public places and on a car. They think it is quite usual. They go around saying, “There’s Nanna; there’s Nanna.”
I would like to thank all of my family for their forbearance and their assistance—especially my lovely husband, Peter, who continues to bring me breakfast in bed every morning because he knows that I would not get out of bed if he did not.
If I had one regret in this term, it is actually about my family. I would like to apologise to them for the many family events that I have either missed or been late to because of work commitments. It is a constant struggle to try to work out which is the more important thing to attend. It is one that I am sure will continue in the future. If I am returned to this place I will continue to try to be the best local member that I can be. I would be honoured to come back once again as a member for Brindabella, in whatever form that might take.
As usually happens in a Christmas adjournment speech—of course, you will all be very relieved that I am not singing or paraphrasing a poem this time, but there is still Christmas to come, if I get re-elected—I would like to finish by saying thank you so much to everyone who has helped me, and, to those people who have not helped me at all, thanks for nothing. (Time expired.)
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (7.05): As we draw to a close in the Ninth Assembly, the end of my first and, hopefully, not only term, I take the opportunity to revisit my inaugural speech. I spoke about thousands of hardworking Canberrans who have been forgotten, Canberrans whose voices have not been and continue not to be heard by this government. I spoke of Mary of O’Connor, Lisa of Narrabundah, Geoff of Hackett, Elizabeth of Griffith and Gay of Ainslie facing skyrocketing rates and developments going up around them with no consultation, the scourge of domestic and family violence in our society, our education and health systems failing them and their families, their dreams of home ownership for their children slipping further and further away.
This side of the chamber is not where we wanted to be. But even in opposition I believe that we have made a genuine difference to the lives of those who entrusted us with the privilege of being their voice. I am proud of what I have achieved in my first term.
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