Page 4969 - Week 15 - Thursday, 15 December 2005
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On all of these occasions there is someone who has to sing My Way. Now that Mrs Cross is not here, that was left to Mr Stanhope, who obliged on this occasion. No karaoke night is complete without a duet. Mr Corbell and Ms Gallagher filled the bill, not with a soulful rendition of a standard like Unforgettable, but with something more predictable—Children of the Revolution. Dr Foskey was going to sing something by Jamiroquai, but she could not pronounce it, and so she settled for Material Girl.
Mr Seselja was really in his element with the authentic pub song rendition of the Holy Grail:
Yeah, we razed four corners of the globe
for the Holy Grail.
I am not sure what that means, but he really liked it. Mrs Burke was in her My Fair Lady mode and showed that she would be a contender for the next Eliza Doolittle with her own setting of Wouldn’t It Be Loverly? The Treasurer, rather predictably, sang Big Spender, and we know that he ain’t going to pop his cork for any guy he meets!
Mr Pratt was pretty keen to do just about anything by The Police, but after a few drinks he was persuaded to perform Michael Buble’s Sway. Members were mesmerised by the first lines:
When marimba rhythms start to play
dance with me, make me sway.
Mr Stefaniak actually resisted the temptation to do one of his old standards, like 48 Crash or the Idi Amin Song, and he surprised us with a poppy rendition of the Kylie Minogue early work Better the Devil You Know. Of course, Mr Speaker, what would a karaoke night be without a couple of blokes really down in their cups doing a few Cold Chisel numbers? So to round off the night, there was Mr Hargreaves, with backing vocals provided by his staff, belting out Khe Sanh.
Well, Mr Speaker, the last plane of this place is just about to go and I would like to take the opportunity to thank the numerous staff of this Assembly. They are too numerous to mention them all. I would like to thank the people of Ginninderra for their support. I hope that I have supported them in return. I thank my own personal team: to Lyle, Olivia—who, despite an honour’s degree, has always been a brick—Tom, Julia, Bella and Conor, Kate and Sean. My advice, Mr Speaker, is if you have hired the karaoke machine, blow the deposit and do not get it tomorrow.
Valedictory
MS MacDONALD (Brindabella) (5.45): I had intended not to rise this evening but I changed my mind, as I am wont to do. Firstly, I would like to echo the thanks already given by those in this place to those who assist us in getting the job done. They make the wheels, the small cogs, the large cogs and the in-between cogs go around.
This has been my first full year as government whip. I have to say that it has been a steep learning year. I have learnt a lot and I will endeavour to do better next year. I believe that
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