Page 4816 - Week 13 - Thursday, 28 November 2019
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The directorates in my ministerial portfolios have accomplished a lot this year, and I want to thank everyone involved in bringing those achievements into being. I am buoyed by the progress we are making on climate change, despite its remaining an enormous and sometimes depressing global challenge. This year we released a new climate change strategy, and I thank all the hardworking staff in the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate—as well as right across government, because it was a whole-of-government piece of work—for the work they did to bring that fruition.
I would also like to thank the other staff in my directorates for their constant hard work and knowledgeable advice. The Justice and Community Safety Directorate has an enormous workload. There are a lot of brains in there working at overdrive almost seven days a week. They are doing an incredible job. I would also like to acknowledge the fine work being done in the mental health portfolio, especially by all the staff working hard in responding to the pressures of increasing demand. In each of my portfolios—including corrections, consumer affairs and road safety, which I have not yet mentioned—there are people doing excellent work and striving to improve the ACT and ensure that government is serving the people well.
Thank you also to all the community groups that meet with me or otherwise provide input and advice. I really value your input. You are a constant source of information, ideas and criticism; government would be worse off without you.
I want to give special thanks to my Greens colleague Ms Le Couteur. She is an impressive person—caring, smart and full of integrity—and she brings great ideas and knowledge to our team. And Caroline’s staff are a stellar team.
I want to remind all the Assembly staff that they are much appreciated. It is always good at this time of year to thank the attendants, the building managers and others for letting me into the office when I am locked out or I leave my pass at home, and for screening out all the suspicious packages.
Thanks to the ever-valuable staff in committees, the Clerk’s office and chamber support for quietly making this place continue to work. I appreciate that you always remain stoically professional. Even through all the tedious, repetitive and sometimes ridiculous debates that can occur here, not once have you ever blurted out, “Will you just get on with it?”
I want to acknowledge my colleagues in the Labor Party. It is an interesting and sometimes tricky relationship. It is not a regular relationship, being in two different political parties. Sometimes it is as though we are two people on the reality show Survivor. We mostly get on well, and we are frequently trying to achieve the same thing, but we occasionally look at each other sideways and wonder what the other one is plotting. Generally, of course it is a good and fruitful relationship, and I genuinely appreciate my colleagues and the efforts we all make to work together successfully to deliver the best outcomes for the ACT.
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