Page 2307 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
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We have had some great volunteers this term—Melissa, who also brings the home-grown free-range eggs every week, and Anthony. Of course, there are my staff—those who have left and those who are still with us. I thank Christian, Fiona, Hal, Jarrah and Jarrah. It is an unusual name; we had a male and a female Jarrah with us this term. We also had two Lisas. I thank Lisa and Lisa. I thank John, Anna, Sandra, Matt and the one and only indomitable Indra, who so many people know because of her corporate knowledge, her fierce determination and her drive. She is quite a figure in this place, and probably one of the well-known figures who is not one of the members of the Assembly. I cannot imagine where this party would be without Indra.
I would like to finish by thanking my stunning and rock-solid partner, Louise, who puts up with it all, as all of our partners do. We are very grateful to all of them for it.
I wish everybody luck in the election. We will all see how it goes in eight weeks time. However it turns out, we will all have done our best.
MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (7.40): It has, of course, been an honour to lead the Canberra Liberals in the ACT Legislative Assembly. The Canberra Liberals are a strong team with diverse experience and different perspectives but a common purpose and a joint philosophy.
At times politics can be a lonely journey. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow. You never know what the next person who enters your office is going to say, and you never know what that call at 6.15 am really has in store when you answer it.
Some people have said that being the Leader of the Opposition is the toughest job in politics. I am not sure; I have only been on this side. But in my experience it has been the toughest job in my 12 years in this place. It has been rewarding, but it is tough; there is no doubt about that. I have enjoyed it, but I have a feeling I would enjoy the other side a bit more. It has been a rewarding time. They say you can achieve in a day in government what you can do in a term in opposition. It is slow going on this side, and I am looking forward to the seven weeks ahead.
To the team in my office, I want to thank them for their steadfast loyalty, their good humour, their expertise, their professionalism and their commitment. It really is a wonderful team. They support me, they support the cause and they support everyone in the corridor. To Steve, David, Deborah, Ausilia, Emily, Sarah, Elysse, Ollie and Jol, thank you so much for all that you do to support me and to support our democracy.
It has been a privilege to represent Yerrabi for the last four years. I changed electorates in a way, albeit pretty much staying in the same spot. For the previous eight years I was in Ginninderra with Vicki. As I touched on earlier, the work of a local member is always humbling, always rewarding and always something that is a good anchor and a good platform from which everything else should launch. It has been great to be there with my colleague James Milligan, who is absolutely dedicated to all things Yerrabi. He is a great person to be walking alongside.
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