Page 4171 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 December 2022
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I acknowledge the strong working partnership with Minister Berry as we work together across the housing portfolio. It is hard and complex, and we are fighting against national and worldwide trends. But we are committed to make things better for everyone in our community.
This year, 2022, has been an exciting year for some of the species that we share our city with. We have discovered new populations of the purple copper butterfly and common dunnarts. We have introduced corroboree frogs to new areas. We have led national work on our beloved gang-gangs. Also, I am not sure if you all saw, but I caught the biggest fish—it was so big. It was a Murray cod.
We have progressed work on our food and fibre strategy and we are looking to move beyond, looking at our precious patches of habitat in isolation and looked at connectivity. I thank Minister Gentleman for the collaborative work that we have undertaken to look after our precious environment; support our urban living infrastructure; and ensure that our environment and heritage is protected through our planning regime.
We have also progressed significant work in building reform. We have pushed our national colleagues to look at higher environmental building standards. We are progressing on issues, including engineers registration; and we have got on with the job of removing potentially combustible cladding on government buildings and supporting private owners to remove cladding from their apartments.
These achievements are collective ones. Thank you for the deep relationships that I have with community partners and volunteers. I would like to personally thank all of you who engaged with me in good faith, with good humour and often with great patience.
I would like to take a moment to thank the extraordinary staff in my office. You deal with wicked problems and complex challenges with grace. I want to thank the broader Greens team staff and my fellow Greens MLAs. Thank you to my cabinet colleagues. We are doing things so differently to anywhere else in the country. Shared government can be an interesting journey, but with shared values and mutual respect I think we are doing it with grace and panache. Thank you to all members of this Assembly for being my teachers in the art of parliamentary politics.
Being an elected representative is an incredible privilege. I want to thank every member of the community and, in particular, shout out to the great people of Kurrajong for your trust, your connection, your interest and your care. I continue to promise to work every day next year as I have this year. Have a safe, restful and restorative festive break. I will spend time with my beautiful, tolerant and patient family, who share me with all of you, and look forward to next year with optimism and enthusiasm. Best tidings to all of you. See you in 2023.
Valedictory
MS CASTLEY (Yerrabi) (4.24): It has been a cracker of a year. I will not attempt to name everybody this year like I did last year, because I missed a couple. There have been many things that we have done—many motions, questions with notice, questions
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