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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Thursday, 26 August 2004) . . Page.. 4449 ..

because I think that we all do what we do with a lot of dedication and devotion. That is to your credit. Play hard and enjoy yourselves.

Friday, 27 August 2004

Valedictory

MR QUINLAN (Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism and Minister for Sport, Racing and Gaming) (12.03 am): I will be fairly brief, Mr Speaker. I rise to wish everybody well through the next n months, in particular Bill Wood. I have had the pleasure of sitting beside him for quite a long time and in my first days in this place learned a fair bit from him.

He has the capacity to pass a compliment to the opposition—or the government, from opposition—which makes the criticism just that much more devastating afterwards. But Bill has always been fair and measured in what he has said in this place and is a model that ought to be followed. We should find a place for you here somewhere, Bill; you could give some rookies a bit of an introduction.

Kerrie, I wish you well in your pursuit of the Holy Grail on the hill. From this side of the house we wish you all the best. Greg, in your retirement: enjoy, and good luck to you and to Margaret, who is here tonight.

I thank my staff—Narelle, Lynne, Jeff, Steve and Adrian, and Peter, who worked for me for some time—the DLOs who worked in my office—Shane and Glen and Deborah and Marsha—and all the departmental officers who have provided assistance, answered frantic calls for information and figures in a very efficient manner and kept our office briefed and up to date.

I thank all of those staff who have already been enumerated in this place. This is quite a stunning place in the way it works with the resources that are here. For what is done here, it is quite amazing. I thank my mates over here. They have had this period in government—of course, my first. It has been most enjoyable but very hard work. Our community expects a fair bit from us, particularly from its ministers.

I echo your thoughts, Greg, on an expansion of the size of the Assembly—I do not know how the public will take it—and certainly an expansion of the ministry because it is genuinely quite difficult at times. Finally, I mention my partner, Margaret Spalding, who has a particularly onerous role in our community of her own, and yet we still find the time for at least half a life together. Thank you.

Valedictory

MRS BURKE (12.06 am): I will be very brief. Last time, before going into an election, I was over that side and I think I rose, to a gasp and a look of horror on Mr Quinlan’s face, and started to sing a song from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, that goes, “Now’s the time to say goodbye; now’s the time to yield a sigh.” I am not actually going to sing it—you will be pleased, Mr Quinlan. There you go. I do not like goodbyes, and I will see you later. I want to wish my colleague Mr Cornwell—and Mr Wood and Ms Tucker—all the very best on a new journey—because it is a new journey. It is not goodbye; it is

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