Page 3975 - Week 10 - Thursday, 28 August 2008

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Friendship is a thing most necessary to life, since without friends no one would choose to live, though possessed of all other advantages.

In working out what I would say, I looked back over my inaugural speech and I realised that I had left someone out, someone who was very important. For most of my life, Beth Hughes was there for me in both good times and in the many difficult times I experienced with my own mother. She often acted as a de facto mother and was always there to be a friendly ear and a friend. Beth was never one who set the world on fire with speeches or major discoveries but you always knew where you stood with Beth. She was a straightshooter. I think this characteristic of hers has rubbed off on me. I do not like to play games and you always know where you stand with me. I regret that I never put my love and gratitude to Beth on the record while she was still alive. She died last September and I am afraid it is still incomprehensible to me. But without her, and some other close friends, I would have ended up in a very deep hole a long time ago.

Finally, I have to thank my husband, Brendan Scott. You have supported me for longer than the last seven years. You have been my rock, the reason I carry on. I love you and I have no regrets about letting the focus be on you. As I have said to you before, I am just a politician and, while my work is not without value, I cannot compare to the important work that you do, even if so far it has been unpaid. I am very proud of you and the research work you are doing. As I keep saying to you, you are contributing to the overall understanding of how to save lives from malaria, which is the biggest killer over time, as you like to remind me. I would just say to you, rededicate this to you, I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.

It has been a great honour to serve as a Labor member of the Legislative Assembly. I thank the people of Brindabella for the trust that they have placed in me and I trust that I have served them well.

MR BERRY (Ginninderra): I seek leave to make a statement. I must say I have warned my parliamentary colleagues about giving people leave to say something when they do not know what they are going to say.

Leave granted.

MR BERRY: And now that I have got leave, off we go. Can I say that the speeches of others members who are not going to seek election this time around filled in the gaps about this place. I will add some more to it. And this is a kaleidoscope of politics, colour and movement which serves the people that we were elected to serve.

One thing I want to tell you, Bill, about “them bloody move-on powers” is that they are still no good. I want to also tell you that not only was Whalan’s son picked up, my bloke was too. And both of them got off. One good thing will come out of it, though: I reckon they will never vote Liberal, either of them. So much for your move-on powers, mate. I would also like to say there are a few things that happened. Whalan and I went to the same school for a short time together. So I do not know whether we can blame the school for what happened to our sons or whether we just blame your laws. I think your laws will do.


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