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The Question is that the motion be agreed to. The Honourable Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I join with the Prime Minister in extending
good wishes to the members of the parliament, to the staff of the parliamentówho deserve
to be recognised on this important occasionóand, of course, to the people of the country at
such a special part of the year. Politics is a great vocation. It is a chance to serve
the people in public office. It is much more than a contest, it is a great distinction,
and I am sure in an election year the members who have contested their seats successfully
understand the nature of the distinction. Sometimes in the heat of the battle we forget
about the importance of democracy itselfóthat each of us come with a heavy responsibility
to try and build public trust and confidence in the institution itself. I always try and
make the point, in attempting to get young people more interested in politics, that when
they look at the TV news at night they can see many unhappy examples of how countries
are not being run harmoniously and successfullyónations that do not have democratic freedoms and democratic
rights. Hopefully around the country Australians are thankful that in an election year, notwithstanding
the disappointment we had in the result, the elections were free and fair. That is something
to celebrate and something we should always be mindful of in this democratic chamber,
particularly as we try and encourage young people to value the importance of our democracy
and add to it in future years. We do need to encourage all Australians to
have a higher opinion of our democracy. In the Labor Party we fancy ourselves as the
party of change and often feel that our burden is doubly difficult in that we have to encourage
people to be interested not only in politics but also in the prospects of progressive change
in our society. That for us is one of the foundations of our beliefs, and I am sure
all members going into the Christmas period after the white heat battle of an election
campaign know the importance of having democratic trust and the confidence of the Australian
people. Like the Prime Minster, I wish all the members
of the parliament, their partners and their families the best over the Christmas period.
It is a special time of the year. I have always regarded it as the best time of the year,
because no matter what you have been doingóyour vocation, your calling, your interest, your
jobóyou come together with the joy of giving, the joy of family and the joy of giving love
to those that you are close to. I wish the Prime Minister and his family all
the very best through the festive season, and also the party leaders and their families:
the Nationals, the Independents, the Democrats, the Greens, other party interests around the
parliament and all members in this place. All senators work hard, but I rather fancy
that party leaders have extra burdens to bear and perhaps look forward to the holiday period
and the love of our families with particular relish.
All the members do work hard, but on this side of the House I want to particularly acknowledge
the range of people who have contributed to the management of opposition business. I wish
them and their families all the bestóin particular the member for Lalor, the member for Grayndler
and the member for Hotham. In particular I want to thank one of the advisors to the member
for Lalor. We all know she is a brilliant tactician and strategist and we always value
her contributions in the House, but behind every great female tactical genius is a good
manóthat man has been Jamie SnashallóëSashaí to his matesóand we thank him for his service
over the past 12 months in helping to pull together the question time tactics and information
each sitting day. That is not the easiest task in the parliament, but he has done it
well, contributing to the opposition. Together with Phillippe Allen and now Jack
Lake in my office, all the members of the opposition pay tribute to Jamieís service
and we hope that our party, tonight in humour, is going to lift its standard compared to
past efforts. In terms of his real vocation, politics and public service, we wish him well
in the future. Mr Speaker, I extend to you, your wife, Penny,
and your family all the best for the Christmas period. We know we have given you something
of a baptism of fire in the last couple of weeks, but let me assure you that it is good
for you. It is character building. The Prime Minister, a man of endurance in public life,
knows that sometimes you have to do it tough to reap the rewards later on. I am sure that
you understand the goodwill and good wishes that the opposition extends to you for the
Christmas period and the term of parliament ahead. I also wish to convey my best wishes
to your predecessor, Neil Andrew, who is fondly regarded on all sides of the parliament and
who served this chamber with such distinction. We wish him and his family all the best over
the Christmas period and the years ahead. On the Labor side I thank my deputy, Jenny
Macklin, for her hard work. I am sure she is looking forward to the Christmas period
with her family and her loved ones. I thank all the shadow ministers past and present
we have had on the Labor side for their special contributionóthe Labor MPs and the Senate
team so well led over the years by John Faulkner and now Chris Evans. I pay particular credit
and tribute to John Faulkner who, to me, epitomises the best of Labor cultureóa man of true solidarity
and principle. He is a true believer in the best sense of left of centre politics. His
contribution has been particularly important to us and I know that he deserves the break
with his family and loved ones in the weeks ahead.
I also want to say a special thankyou to the Labor Party supporters who worked for our
cause and our campaign in the recent electionóthe true believers who put in, notwithstanding
the disappointment of the result. When you struggle for a better society the cause always
matters and the effort always mattersóand, from Tim Gartrell down, I thank every single
Labor partisan who worked so hard throughout 2004.
I also want to thank the staff of the parliament who make this place function so well. At one
level we have the easy part of itówe turn up in a highly functional and efficient building
to serve the people of Australia but we should always be very thankful for those who serve
us in this large building. It is not an easy task. The people who work here are great servants
of our democratic system. So I thank the attendants, the clerks, their staff, the table office
and all of those who add to the smooth functioning of the democratic chamber and the parliament.
Along with the Prime Minister I thank Hansardóyou get into these jobs and you do not get to
correct the greens as much as you might have as a backbencheróthey make sense of our words
and do a tremendous job. They keep us safe and sound in the way we communicate to the
Australian people and the historians who will look at all these illustrious debates in years
ahead and try to make some sense of them. I thank the staff of the Parliamentary Library.
I do not see them as much as I used to. Not only has it come about that I am not writing
books these days but I am not reading as many as I used to. So I do not see them but I know
that they are providing an exceptionally professional and comprehensive service to all the members
and senators. Along with the Prime Minister I urge the new members in this place to not
only put in, be enthusiastic and do their work hard and well, but also make good use
of the library. We are well served here. We have one of the best parliamentary libraries
in the Western world. We should thank the information staff and the research staffóand
the new members here would do themselves a good service to use that library as effectively
as possible. Labor members, of course, will use it well. Government members can also make
good use of the library and be thankful for its services.
I thank the Serjeant-at-Arms and the office that make all things work so well. I thank
the Joint House staff, who keep this fine building in great nick and cater to our needs.
I thank the cleaners and those who maintain the grounds and the rooms of the parliamentóthe
cleaners in particular. If you ever get in here very early in the morning or tend to
leave late at night you will see the cleaners moving in and around the building. I have
a soft spot for the cleanersómy mum was one. So to the cleaners who look after us and clean
up after us: we really do thank you for that effort in the dark of night, in tough working
conditions. To keep our rooms and the space of the parliament so clean and neat is a great
tribute to you. They are, in many respects, the silent heroes of the building as they
move around. I want to wish them a particularly happy Christmas and I look forward to seeing
them in 2005. I thank the marketing and visiting staff,
who do such a great job in bringing thousands of schoolchildren and visitors through the
parliament. Visitors see the good and the bad of our work and they get a first-hand
view of the place. I think that practical experience counts for a lot more than just
viewing the parliament through television. I thank the switchboard staff. They always
work hard, particularly in an election year. They do a great job, and we thank them for
their courtesy and their pleasant way of handling our calls and needs through the switchboard.
I thank the caterers, who help us to put the weight on; I thank the health and recreation
staff, who help us to take a small portion of it offónever enough, of course, but they
do a great service to the parliament and its members.
I want to thank the staff of the oppositionóthe people who work hard for us in a very practical
wayóand in particular my personal staff. People do these jobs for the right reason
and the right purpose. It is not for the public profile or the personal glorification that
might come in a successful public life. The staff behind the scenes are doing things on
the basis of belief and conviction. From George Thompson down, in my office and right through
the opposition offices, I thank them for their hard work in opposition, which can be frustrating
and exacting, but they really and truly put in for the cause of Labor in 2004.
In my electorate of Werriwa, where it is always a great distinction and honour to serve such
a wonderful Labor constituencyóI have not been there as much in 2004 because of my party
leadership responsibilitiesóI want to thank in a special way my electorate office staff,
headed by Lyn Watson but also including Vicki Meadows, Michelle Halloran and Louise Makings
for their work in looking after the people of Werriwa. I want to thank my campaign staff
and the electors of the seat, who continue to give me the great distinction of serving
in this place on their behalf. As we head into the holiday period, I want
to pay particular tribute to the volunteers of our nation, the quiet heroes who selflessly
put themselves in harmís way to protect life and propertyópeople like our volunteer firefighters
and lifeguards. While we look forward to Christmas and we know it is a great country in which
to spend December and January, we also know it can be a harsh and punishing nation. Unfortunately
there will inevitably be difficulties through the Christmas period, and we should always
be grateful for the work of the volunteers and professional people who deal with those
problems and issues. Also, I want to pay tribute to the volunteers who serve in silence but
with no less distinction: our carers and community service workers.
I also thank the young men and women of our armed forces, where Australia has always been
so well served. Regardless of our views on the issues of international policy, we always
unite as a parliament and we always support our Australians overseas. We thank them for
their contribution and their dedication to our great nation.
I also extend best wishes to the members of our diplomatic corps and our foreign aid workers.
As the bombing in Jakarta so terribly demonstrated, these days they are very much in the frontline
in the war against terror. They defend our national interests and serve the country so
well. We should wish them a very good Christmas and thank them for their service to the nation,
in particular those Australian aid workers overseas. I always believe that as a parliament
we need to do more, as we visit overseas locations, to come back with stories of the productive
work of the Australian aid budget. In recent years, I have been to ghettos in Delhi and
Jakarta where you can see how the Australian aid contribution helps to feed people. It
helps to keep them alive. It is a wonderful service to humanity. At a time when people
do wonder about the allocation of scarce government resources, we should always promote the value
of the Australian foreign aid budget and the wonderful service it provides to Third World
nations and people in absolutely desperate need. So I thank them for their work. They
will have a challenging Christmas, as they always do in locations like that, just to
keep people going and give them the dignity of a decent human life.
I wish the Australian people a very happy Christmas and a safe and rewarding new year.
We are a prosperous nation. It is always said that we are a lucky country, but we cannot
take the luck for granted. As we reflect on our joyous Christmas and the love, sharing
and giving of family, we should also spare a thought for those Australians who do it
tough right throughout the yearóAustralians who live in poverty. At this time of the year
I urge all Australians to give generously of their time and resources to the great charities
that look after the poor, the disadvantaged and the disabled. They work right around the
year, but that work counts so much more at Christmas time, when we need to share the
love and emotion and the caring nature of our country. I wish all Australians a safe
and happy Christmas. Finally, in a very special way, I want to
thank my family for their love and encouragement through the course of this yearómy wife,
Janine; our two wonderful little boys, Oliver and Isaac; my mother; my sisters; and my family.
Like other members of the parliament, I desperately long to spend extended time with them in the
weeks and months ahead. I look forward to that very much. When we reflect on the love
of family, that truly is the spirit of Christmas. I wish all Australians to share in it and
all members of this parliament to feel the love and care of this special part of the
year.