Page 99 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 May 1989
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I look forward to that movement out into the community where we have all come from. I look forward to the examination, with the community and with my colleagues and with Labor Party behind me, of a great variety of issues. I look forward to a spirited debate, and I anticipate the implementation of a considerable range of progressive policies. Then I anticipate an exciting, rewarding and challenging experience as a member of this Assembly.
MR STEFANIAK (12.15): First, Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity to address the Assembly. I am glad to have the opportunity to talk in this debate today because I would hate to have my first act in this place merely in the form of a question on notice, as my learned friend Bernard Collaery so rightly pointed out yesterday, on the rather dubious topic of big bins in the Territory. I would like to thank other members for their speeches to date and to congratulate the other 16 people of this Assembly for being part of this historic first Assembly. I congratulate the Chief Minister on her speech and her efforts at the Premiers Conference last week. I think all members share most of the sentiments and points she raised in her speech, although we may have different ways of going about achieving those aims.
I think all members of this Assembly are here because, regardless of what they believe in ideologically, they wish to assist the Canberra community, to see Canberra develop, to see Canberra grow, to ensure that it continues to be the fine, unique city it is and to see that it prospers and develops along those lines. I am especially grateful for some of the comments made by my old friend Dr Kinloch. He was my American history lecturer when I first went to the Australian National University. He was always very generous in his comments on essays - I think that goes for all his students - and I am personally delighted to see Hector Kinloch here in this Assembly, as I have known him, I think, probably longer than I have known anyone else in this Assembly. I congratulate everyone on being part of this Assembly. I congratulate my two colleagues who have so far spoken, Mr Kaine and Mr Humphries, and commend their remarks to you.
This Assembly is historic and in many ways uniquely Canberran. As my colleague Mr Humphries said, I think that I am the only person in the Assembly who was actually born in Canberra. I was born in Canberra Community Hospital - which appears to be under some threat perhaps - back in 1952. I have lived all my life here, except for a short period of time when I left university and practised in Muswellbrook as a solicitor, but I returned to the Territory because Canberra is such a fine place to live. I took up a job in Canberra as a prosecutor and have lived here since.
Having lived in Canberra virtually all my life, I am not overly surprised at the result of this election which sees
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