Page 4209 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 24 October 2017
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Madam Speaker, Steve has always tried to give back to the community. He touched on his reason for doing so in his speech—always wanting to thank this country for the opportunity it has offered his family, be it in the work he has done in this place, his work in supporting soccer or football across the territory and around the country, and his community fundraisers that have given so much back to those in this community who often make do with so little.
The one thing that is always centred at the heart of everything that Steve does—it is a lesson that I try to emulate—is that family comes first and is the most important thing in our lives. Often the first thing that you engage in a conversation with Steve on, fondly, is what one of his grandkids were up to over the weekend or one of the adventures he just had with the family. It really shows that often there are more important things than the cut and thrust of this place. I thank you, Steve, for those worldly lessons.
Steve spoke in his speech of his desire, on behalf of his family, to thank Australia for the opportunities that this country has afforded him and his family. But I think today, Steve, is the day that we as a community thank you for the great work and the dedication that you have shown this country and, most importantly, this city. We thank you for your years of service and the sacrifice that you and your family have made in your doing so. Thank you. You have been my local member of parliament, a friend and a colleague. I want to thank you very, very much.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.03), by leave: Steve Doszpot MLA is an exemplar of a good, strong and committed parliamentarian. Steve’s back story—his history as a refugee from the 1956 Hungarian uprising and the subsequent Russian invasion—has contributed significantly to the man he was to become and the representative he is today, a man forged through adversity and committed to faith, family and fidelity to a cause.
As members know, I have been closely involved with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, an organisation that promotes good governance and helps develop members of parliament into good, strong effective parliamentarians. Madam Speaker, if all newly minted parliamentarians came like Steve Doszpot, the CPA would be out of a job.
His fidelity to his constituents through his crusades—the Sheppard Centre, the greening of Green Square, Oaks Estate and MOCCA, just to name a few—show the character of the man. He has the ineffable ability to get under the skin of government ministers, many of whom were arrogant enough to think that they could not be bested. In succeeding for his constituents, he brought the arrogant down a peg or two. Steve’s successes follow a familiar pattern: he raises an issue; a minister and/or a group of officials assure everyone, usually in a patronising tone, that he does not quite understand and that his solution is misguided. Eventually, Steve has prevailed but the patronising are never patronised in the process.
For me, one of the highlights of Steve the parliamentarian was watching and listening to him at the Speaker’s new citizenship evenings. Steve always liked to encourage
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