Adjournment Debate

Valedictories

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (18:07): I want to make a brief contribution and give a Christmas message on the rising of the house for this year. It has been a fantastic year for us on this side. We managed to get on this side of the house, but it has been challenging at times, and I think everyone, wherever they sit in either this house or the other place, will be very keen to have more time with their family and friends over Christmas, and I wish them all the best for that.

I know that the Premier is going to go into more detail, but I thank everyone who makes this place work: the cleaners, the maintenance men, the catering staff—and some could argue I spend too much time with the catering staff—the Clerks in the house, the staff in the house, the committee staff, the Hansard people and the drivers. I am going to miss someone, but I am sure the Premier will fill in the gaps. I thank everyone who makes this place function that makes it easier for the 47 people here who represent electorates and the 22 who represent the state in the other place.

If it were not for all those people who make Parliament House function, this place would not work and democracy would not work, and so I thank everyone. Anyone I missed, please forgive me, but I thank you all for what you do. I thank all the electorate office staff from right across the board. It is a tough gig in an electorate office. They are the front line of duty and I give them full credit. I also thank all the ministerial staff, and the staff who are based here in Parliament House, for their efforts.

With those few words, I would just like to thank everyone for the contribution they make to make this place work because if we did not have you, it would not run as smoothly as it does. Some people say it looks like havoc. There are a lot of wheels spinning, but we do make it work across the way. I would like to thank the Opposition Whip, Michael Brown (member for Playford), for the dialogue we have. We do not always get to strike a deal, but we always work something out by the end of the day. With those few words, I hope that everyone has a refreshing break and that we all come back refreshed for another big year serving our state no matter where we sit in this place. I would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (18:11): I rise to make my final contribution for 2018. This has been a very positive year for our party and it has been a great honour to continue to serve as the leader of our parliamentary team. Of course, on 17 March this year, I concluded more than five years as the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. It was an honour to serve in that position, although I do not think I could have done it for one additional day. It is a great honour, privilege and pleasure to be elected as the 46^th Premier of South Australia. It is a task that I will apply myself to every second that I am in this role.

I would like to very briefly acknowledge some members of my team and then some members more broadly in Parliament House and others who have assisted me and our team this year. I would like to start with my parliamentary colleagues and, of course, the Deputy Premier, the member for Bragg, who has been such an extraordinary support to me. I am very grateful for her work, especially her work in the house. She carries a huge workload and has a great breadth and depth of understanding of the parliamentary process.

I would also like to acknowledge the very fine work of the Manager of Government Business. He, too, has a great understanding of the mechanics of parliament, certainly superior to my own. I am very grateful for his support. I would like to place on record my thanks to the whip in our house and also the whip in the Legislative Council and our friend the deputy whip in this house, the member for Newland, who has made an outstanding contribution and start to his parliamentary career. He is certainly the most qualified person I think we have ever had in this place, but there you go.

I would like to really acknowledge the work of the cabinet. As you would appreciate, sir, only one member of our cabinet has ever served in a cabinet before, and I really want to thank them for the way that they have worked diligently this entire year around our key themes of humility, accountability and delivery. In particular, I would like to thank our leader in the other place, the Hon. Rob Lucas. We catch up every Sunday at 7am. To be quite honest, I find it an honour to be able to sit down with him and learn from him. His integrity is something that we should all aspire to.

Can I acknowledge the many members who have come into the parliament for the first time this year. I have to say, it is very clear to me that I am very lucky to have come in when I did because if I had come in in 2018 the likelihood that I would be standing in this position would be very low. I think we have an incredible group of people who have joined us in this parliament this year and I am impressed by every single one of them. I really look forward to watching their careers develop.

Finally, on our side, I would like to acknowledge the great work of my assistant minister, the Hon. Jing Lee from the other place. She is the Assistant Minister to the Premier. She is an incredible workhorse. I am not sure whether PETA would allow me to say 'workhorse' anymore. I might have to say 'work scone dolloper' or something. I am not sure what they would come up with. The reality is she works extraordinarily hard in key areas, especially around multicultural affairs but in many other areas as well, and for that I am very grateful.

To those opposite, I say thank you very much for the contribution you have made to the parliament this year. By and large I have very much enjoyed working with members of the opposition. Like all members, we come in here to serve our electorates, and sometimes our ideologies and beliefs will, by their very nature, conflict, and sometimes come to blows. However, by and large I think it is a parliament that works reasonably well. I also want to wish all the Independent members of this and the other chamber, the members of the Greens and SA-Best, all the very best for a very happy holiday season.

I would like to very briefly thank members of my team, ably led by my chief of staff, James Stevens and Alex May. I would also like to acknowledge the great work that Courtney Morcombe has done since she has come into my office, and I could not be without Paul Armanas and Ashton Hurn, who work very hard to make sure our message is conveyed in a positive and professional way.

I would particularly like to very briefly draw attention to three people in my office I could certainly not do without. One of those is Richard Yeeles, who has added a great depth and breadth to the work we do in framing a very long-term narrative for our state towards prosperity. He is an incredible contributor who works very long hours, and we would not be without him. Of course there is also Jono Wotton, who really does run the Premier's office, and Warren Bartsch, who has basically been my full-time therapist for almost six years now. Thanks very much To Penny Gordon, who ably leads the team at the Dunstan electorate office, thank you. She is on the front line meeting with people in my fantastic electorate of Dunstan, and I am very grateful for that.

I would like to turn my attention to the fabulous work of the people who work in Parliament House. From the minute I walked into this chamber I felt an enormous sense of privilege and gratitude that I was elected and that this would become my new workplace. I really want to acknowledge that this is a very special workplace and, in particular, this wonderful chamber, which was built and opened in 1889.

I would like to acknowledge the great work and leadership of the Clerk of our house, Rick Crump, and his deputy, David Pegram, and all the House of Assembly staff. I do not know how you all do it, but thank you very much. On behalf of the government I would also like to particularly wish Dani Clark all the very best for her move from this house to greener pastures beyond this building. We wish her all the very best.

We also acknowledge the Clerk in the Legislative Council, Chris Schwarz, and his deputy and Black Rod, Guy Dickson, as well as all the Legislative Council chamber attendants. I would also like to thank, in particular, David Woolman, who does an incredible job looking after the fabric of this incredible building, one of which we should all be very, very proud going forward.

Thank you to all the committee staff, to the table staff, to our amazing staff in the library, led by the very able Dr John Weste, the very well-dressed Dr John Weste. He looks fantastic in some of those jackets. I only wish I had the personality to be able to pull them off.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I see that the member for West Torrens is looking forward to perhaps looking at some of those items for himself. I do not know—maybe spruce up his wardrobe a bit. I digress, and will return to the substance of my speech for today.

I would like to acknowledge the work of Creon Grantham and all the catering staff and, really, the people who run this building, Nikki and Karen in the Blue Room. If you ever want to know what is actually going on in Parliament House, you need look no further than the expert advice they provide.

I would like to thank John Clarke and all the hardworking and extraordinarily capable team within Hansard for the work they do. They have a set of skills that very few people still retain these days. I do not know how they do it, but we thank them very much.

To the procedures office, the cleaning staff, the switchboard team, the maintenance team and our dedicated security team, I say thank you. To Kent Nelson and his finance team, we thank you for keeping everything in order financially. Last but not least, I would like to thank the very capable team at PNSG led by Lorraine Tonglee.

From my perspective this has been, as Charles Dickens said, the best of times and the worst of times. We won an election and I think it was the first time we took government from the Labor Party since 1993, which was a quarter of a century ago, so that was a highlight. It was a highlight to have Georgie return from England after her fantastic year working over at Exeter Cathedral but, of course, it was a very sad year for me and my family with my father passing away. He was a huge influence on my life but life goes on, I suppose.

It is great to also have Charlie back at Christmas. I love Christmas; it is a very special time of the year. My son, Charlie, has been studying up in Queensland. He is looking more and more like a Greens voter. He has long hair, a big bushy—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Are you going to fix that?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, it is work that I have to do over the Christmas break. There is a lot to do over the Christmas break, but it is lovely to have him back. He is looking more and more like Jesus. I do not want people to get confused when we go to a Christmas service, but I am very much looking forward to having them both back. So, to everybody in total, now is the time to say a very merry Christmas to all, and I look forward to seeing everybody back here filled with vim and vigour and a focus on advancing the cause of South Australia in February 2019.

Mr BROWN (Playford) (18:21): I want to try to echo the comments of the Government Whip in his uncharacteristically brief contribution. This year has been a time of transition for the Labor Party. Our election loss was very tough, but it was made tougher by the loss of several great MPs on our side of the chamber. This is no comment about the quality of the member for Newland, but we all do miss the former member for Newland, Tom Kenyon, who is no longer with us. However, I was fortunate enough to be elected as the member for Playford, and it has been very rewarding to be able to serve my community in this place.

We now have a strong leader in the member for Croydon, and we are campaigning on issues that matter to people across South Australia. I personally look forward to 2019, and the opportunities it brings in delivering for our communities, whether through our advocacy or through lasting legislative changes made in this place.

I would like to first start off by thanking the staff in my electorate office for the invaluable work they do in assisting me to represent my electorate and keep me organised. I would also like to thank Will and Carol in the whip's office, for helping it run like clockwork and ensuring that everyone needs to be where they should. I particularly want to thank Carol Putland, who has managed much of the business of the house on this side of the chamber for many years and who has made an enormous contribution to the party and to the running of the parliament at large.

I would like to thank the Clerk and the staff in the house for keeping the show running, and gently reminding us all of what actually are the rules in the place. I would also like to particularly thank the Clerk for the many hours that we have spent discussing standing orders, Erskine May and other important tomes. I would like to thank the Hansard staff for attempting to interpret speeches of varying quality in this place. I would like to thank the catering staff for keeping us energised and refreshed. I would like to thank the support staff in the committees and elsewhere around the building.

I would also like to thank the Speaker, the Government Whip and the Leader of Government Business for their constructive and orderly approach to managing the house. I had met the Government Whip before the election, only to say hello, but in the very brief time that we have worked together in this house—which is one way of putting it—it is fair to say that I have seen the entire spectrum of human emotion from him. One thing that certainly can be said about him is that he is not a man who keeps his feelings under a bushel. He will certainly let you know what he thinks about what you have just told him, and I have always been pleased to see him when he is happy. I have been slightly less pleased to see him when he is displeased, but we all have our jobs to do and so we do get along with good humour.

I would also like to thank my colleagues in the house. Thank you for your patience and organisation. It makes my job easier. I would like to particularly thank the deputy whip, the member for Taylor, for his invariable assistance. Lastly, I want to say a special thankyou to the current member for Cheltenham, soon to be the former member for Cheltenham. His speech earlier today was exemplary, and his contribution to South Australia has been immense, and he will be sorely missed by all. I would like to end by saying merry Christmas to all, and I hope we all have a safe and relaxed new year.

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (18:24): I also rise to pass on my gratitude to a large number of people, although I will try to be as expeditious as I possibly can. I would like to start by acknowledging the fact that 2018, as the Premier reflected upon, has been an extraordinarily big year for everybody in this place. For all the MPs who have served throughout the course of this year in the parliament, we are the privileged few. A large number of people contested the last state election and only a minority of them were able to serve in this chamber. It takes an extraordinary amount of work to be able to get into this place, and hopefully collectively we serve the interests of the state well.

It is significant to see a change of government. It happens rarely—hopefully, it will be more frequently—but it is significant. I want to congratulate, yet again on the record, my parliamentary colleagues from the other side of the chamber on their election victory. It is a significant achievement, and you should be rightly proud of that achievement. I particularly want to congratulate the Premier. The Premier led his party to a significant victory in March and he, too, should be rightly proud of that achievement. I certainly wish him all the best over the Christmas period.

Likewise, with his cabinet, I think the member for West Torrens and I and other members on our side of the chamber who have served in cabinet positions realise how relentless that task is. It is a huge undertaking to be a minister of the Crown. It brings with it extraordinary responsibility and it is particularly challenging in the first few months of assuming that office with all the information you have to acquire. I sincerely hope for those members of the cabinet that they get a great break with their family and enjoy that moment; it is undoubtedly precious. Time with family is extraordinarily precious in these roles and I hope they get the opportunity to be able to enjoy it. To the rest of my government colleagues, I wish you also a very safe and merry Christmas.

For everybody in the parliament who works hard to allow us to undertake these roles, again I thank you. The catering staff you get to become more familiar with during opposition in spending more time in this building, and that has indeed been a great pleasure. I thank everyone from Creon and his team down.

To people who work in the chamber, again I also add my thanks for your great service. I think it is fair to say that it is all too often taken for granted, not just by people who work here as members of parliament but also by the broader public. This is an incredibly important institution and the work you do behind the scenes goes unheralded but is fundamentally important to our functioning democracy, whether it be Hansard staff or the Clerk in you, Rick, and your assistant, David. You do an outstanding job. I think your job takes a particular degree of patience and that also should be noted.

In regard to my hardworking and loyal staff, this has been a massive year. It takes a bit of effort to come to grips with opposition and a new level of appreciation of how hard it is with a distinctly smaller number of resources in comparison with what you are afforded in government. They have taken up the task with gusto, led by my chief of staff, John Bistrovic, ably assisted by Karen Grogan and unfortunately she has moved on to brighter and bigger things. John and the team have worked incredibly hard. I could name a number of people but I want to put on the record my thanks to Adam Todd, my media adviser; Lucy Hood, who has been working with Adam along with Pam—and I am going to start naming people now—James Agness; my PA, Sandra Swalling, who has been an outstanding contributor, assisted by Matt; and John Atkinson.

I am going to forget people now, but they have all been working incredibly hard. There is Kevin Naughton, of course. Kevin regularly gets mentioned; he has been working hard as well, along with the rest of the team. It takes a particular zeal and work ethic to work as a staffer in these roles. They do it well, they do it for the greater good and I thank them for their efforts.

Finally, I want to thank my parliamentary colleagues. I think we have taken to opposition well. It is a difficult task, particularly after 16 years of government, but I think we have been a competitive opposition. I think we have held the government to account. I think we are on a journey, hopefully out of opposition and back into government, but I have had nothing but total support from both new members of the parliament and more experienced ones.

Particular members of the team I want to thank, of course, are my deputy in Susan Close. She has been everything one could possibly ask for in a deputy: astute, loyal, always thinking, diligently going about the business of thinking about the future as well. I want to thank her for her support.

Of course, I want to thank my good friend the member for West Torrens and also the Leader of Opposition Business in this place, who is a steadfast source of support and advice; often I take it, but sometimes I do not. He has been a great support to me in this role and, quite frankly, I do not think I would be able to do it without his support. I also want to put on the record my thanks to two other people in the leadership team.

I do not want to name everybody, but I do want to thank the member for Lee. The member for Lee and I are also good friends. We have known each other for a long time, since university politics. He is an astute thinker and an incredibly strategic individual in terms of his thought around policy, but he is also good fun to be around.

Finally, I want to thank the member for Kaurna. Any responsibilities in regard to the health portfolio are always significant, whether in government or opposition, and the member for Kaurna's contribution and work ethic have been particularly formidable and worthy of recognition. Likewise, I would also like to thank the Hon. Kyam Maher, the Leader of the Opposition in the other place, for his support and hard work.

We are a formidable team, and I would not be able to do the work I do as leader without the support of that team. Everyone, from the whip right through, has been ably assisting me to do this job and I thank them for their loyal service and their support and I look forward to 2019 being another step forward to Labor returning to government in 2022.

As we speak, my wife is probably rushing home, trying to work out where the kids are. She knows exactly where they are all the time. She manages our home amazingly well while also working in a pretty important job in her own right. She is the brains of the operation; she is far smarter than I and I could not do this job without her support.

These jobs are attached permanently with guilt. You feel guilty when you say no to a function because you want to do the right thing by your party and by your constituents, but often when you are at functions you feel guilty because you are not at home with the people who support you and love you the most. My wife's patience is undying. I do not think my children are at the age to fully comprehend that their father is not around as much as he should be, and I want to thank them for their love and their patience, even not knowingly. Hopefully, Christmas is a time we get to spend together and enjoy that.

For everybody else in the state who is not as fortunate as everyone in this room to be in a good job, with loving families, incomes that always guarantee food on the table and a roof over their head, our thoughts are with them as well. Christmas is a time to reflect on how lucky we are and also to commit ourselves to resolving to improve the lives and fortunes of others who are not as fortunate as we are.

At 18:33 the house adjourned until Tuesday 12 February 2019 at 11:00.