Page 2731 - Week 08 - Thursday, 11 August 2016
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been built. They are people committed to me, to the government and to the Labor cause. Without them, I simply could not have done this. So now it is time for my thanks.
To my remarkable chief of staff, Monika Boogs, thank you. You have ridden shotgun with me for 13 years, first as media adviser and then as chief of staff. You have been my adviser, tactician, sounding board, wrangler, officer administrator and confidante rolled into one. The work you have done over so many years to build a cohesive, focused and talented office, one with a strong sense of camaraderie and fun, has been indispensible to me. You are my colleague and you are my friend. Thank you, Monika.
My media team over the years has been the heart of the office in so many ways. Walking into the media office, you know exactly what is happening in each and every day and whether it is good or bad. It has been led by amazingly dedicated and hardworking people who have frequently started much earlier and finished their days much later than I have. I thank Patrick Cronan, Kirsten Zotti, Andrew Benson, Ellena Bissett, Carly Grange and Alex McGee for all the work they have done for me.
My policy advisers have shouldered a mighty mountain of briefs, cabinet submissions, bills, budget initiatives and correspondence across an absurd number of portfolios. For their diligence in reading every one of them and then keeping me up to speed, my grateful thanks. In particular, I thank my justice and community safety adviser, Dr Kim Hosking, who, through freedom of information and election funding disclosure law, has learnt that what does not kill you makes you stronger. You are indestructible, Kim. Thank you. Also I thank my other advisers, Kathryn Conroy, Bethel Sendaba, Gina Pinkus, Joy Nicholls, Kim Connolly, Rachel Taylor, Stephen Lawrence, Steve Blume and Lesley Cameron.
To my executive officers, wrangling my ever-changing diary, phone calls, travel arrangements and meeting requests—calm and grace under pressure does not begin to describe the wonderful Natasha Burton. Thank you so much, Tash—and also to the others who have worked in that and assisted Tash in her role, John Gray and Jack Lindsay.
To my DLO and CPLO teams, indispensible each and every one of you—the job of the departmental liaison officer is particularly hard. You have two masters driving you crazy, the minister and the directorate. You have all been deeply valued by me for your professionalism and help, particularly in dealing with difficult line areas of your departments. Thank you to Naveen Wijemanne, Clare Guest, Vanessa Dal Molin, James Bennett, Vic Smorhun, Maria Mangeruca, Tania Carter, Victor Martin, Anthony Burton, Josh Ceramidas, David Ferguson, Andrew Butters, Ashley King, Sarah Bourne and Daniel Ng.
And thanks to my community policing liaison officers: Troy Roberts; Dennis Gellatly; Brett Booth; Andrew Bailey; Chris Maher; Peter Davis, also known as Cookie; and Aiden Milner. I should add that there may be some omissions from this list. All representations can be made to my chief of staff.
I also wish to acknowledge those who were with me at the very beginning in the early days of opposition as a young and inexperienced Labor backbencher. Although it is
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