Page 1563 - Week 05 - Thursday, 2 June 2022
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of the complex considerations and decisions that were being made. And, again, she did not play politics with those; she sought to engage constructively on those matters, whilst still holding the government to account when she and the Liberal opposition did not agree with the decisions that were being made.
The night Mrs Jones talked about, when we were on the phone and there was a man outside her house, yelling at her, I did point out to her the perils of having wrapped vehicles parked in your driveway—something the Canberra Liberals are fond of. Bernard was not at home that evening, and Mrs Jones was there with her children, who were otherwise engaged, with their headphones in. She bravely went out the door and tried to engage sensibly with this constituent and to find out what his concern was. She genuinely wanted to know if there was something that she could do to help this person, despite his aggression towards her. And I thought that spoke volumes about your character, Giulia.
It is, of course, the role of the opposition to hold the government to account, and Mrs Jones has steadfastly stood up for workers’ health and safety throughout, in her many roles as shadow minister, whether it was for firies, ambos, corrections workers, nurses or junior medical officers. Again, we might not always agree, but that comes from a genuine place of caring about people and caring about those workers. Giulia is someone who regularly reminds us of her union background, and, in that frame, I would say there is also, of course, no-one in this place who wears red better than Mrs Jones!
For my final words I got in touch with Bec Cody, because I know that she and Mrs Jones had been close, and I asked her if she wanted to pass on any messages. Bec sent me a message:
Dear Mrs Jones,
Thank you for all the support and friendship you have shown to me, and many other women, both while we were colleagues and since my leaving the Assembly. I wish you every happiness and success in your future endeavours.
I am sure we all join with Bec in that sentiment. Thank you, Mrs Jones, for your service, and all the best for the future.
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for Skills, Minister for Transport and City Services and Special Minister of State) (11.16), by leave: I also wanted to pass on my best wishes to Giulia Jones and her family on her resignation from the Assembly. As a fellow member for Murrumbidgee, I have seen Giulia out and about a lot, and I have always appreciated her sense of common decency, her personable nature, particularly on the campaign trail, when it is a difficult period of time.
We have stopped for the odd selfie and had a chat about local issues. I have appreciated her pragmatism. I have not just received brick bats in the messages sent to me at 11 pm at night, I have also received a few bouquets when we got things done that were important for the community of Murrumbidgee. I really appreciate that, Giulia.
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