Adjournment Debate

SNEATH, HON. R.K.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (18:23): I know that there will be a time in this chamber for us to make more considered remarks about potential changes at the top. It may very well be that this is the last time that we see you gracing that chair.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Disgracing!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Gracing.

The PRESIDENT: Disgracing!

The Hon. Carmel Zollo: Go on. Chuck her out for the last time.

The PRESIDENT: No, sit there and suffer.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I will wait for any remarks that you might make to contradict any such suggestions, sir. But can I just say briefly now that you have made my first years in this chamber much more enjoyable than they otherwise would have been under the presidency of someone else. I can only remark that your consummate skill in judging the will of this council has rarely been off the mark, even when our voices were not raised as high as others you always called, if my memory serves correctly, for the right side of the debate.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: Whether it had the numbers or not.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Well, you know, he had the right side. That is what he was after, so I commend you for that, sir, but also your deft touch in handling sometimes tense debates in this chamber, as evidenced today, in giving us all a bit of a reminder about where we should be concentrating our efforts and what would happen to us if we did not. Can I say I have never seen anyone exercise such skill at not control but guidance of what could otherwise be very disorderly members. So, sir, if it is—

The Hon. A. Bressington: Speak for yourself.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I was. If it is the situation, and you will have an opportunity now to speak on this adjournment motion, can I say farewell and good luck with your retirement. We are looking forward to many shipments up here of local South-East lobster.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (18:24): I was up in my office assuming that things would just peter out, as they always do on a Thursday evening, but I was delighted to hear that the Acting Leader of the Government was making some comments about your impending retirement, Mr President, and the rest of your life with Pam.

On behalf of the Liberal opposition (and I am sure other members will add to my comments), I would like to wish you all the best in the next phase of your life, if this is the last day that you will be in the chair, which I think it is. I would also like to thank you on behalf of the team here for the way you have discharged your duties and for the very fair and reasonable way you have presided over the Legislative Council for nearly seven years now; it is 6½ years that you have been in the chair.

I believe you have been a good President and have been fair and reasonable. I do not think there has ever been any question about moving any motions of dissent on any of your rulings. You have discharged your duties extremely well.

I also join with the Hon. Ian Hunter and hope that we do see regular shipments of South-East lobster back here for all of us to enjoy—maybe just an annual appearance of lobster at the President's Dinner just to remind us that you are still working hard for the Legislative Council. I thank you very much. You have done a wonderful job, and on behalf of the team I wish you all the very best in whatever lies ahead for you and Pam.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (18:26): Mr President, I would also like to join in wishing you the most wonderful, relaxing, enjoyable and fun retirement. On behalf of my colleague—who is paired at the moment, otherwise he would be in the room—

The PRESIDENT: He's milking!

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: —I would like to thank you for the way you have overseen the chamber in the 6½ years I have been here. You are the only President I have known; I was elected and you were appointed President at that time—

The PRESIDENT: And I'm the best one you've had!

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: You are the best President I've had; that was going to be my joke. I think you have conducted the chamber fairly, and I think you have done it with a spirit of good humour about you, which we have all appreciated as well. I want to sincerely thank you for that, and wish you the very best.

The Hon. M. PARNELL (18:27): At risk of detaining the chamber a little longer, I would like to echo the remarks of all members who have spoken so far. It has been a pleasure to have you supervising our work. I am disappointed that I have not behaved so badly that you have ever had cause to throw me out; it was a challenge I had set myself! There is still time, but I have not managed to achieve that milestone.

Thank you for your impartial chairing of proceedings. Whilst there will be an opportunity later for more fulsome remarks, for today, on your last day, all the best. We look forward to seeing you back again shortly.

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (18:28): What more can I say, Mr President, other than what other members have said in here. I think you are going to be dearly missed and hard to replace. You have done your job fairly—except for the day that you threw me out! That was uncalled for, but we will have that debate another day.

I wish you all the best and hope that you have, as the Hon. Dennis Hood and everyone else has said, a great life after politics. Have a scotch for me, and pat your llama for me, and think of me when you are driving around the country in your caravan! Good on you, and thank you very much.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (18:29): I, too, would like to echo the sentiments of other members of the chamber and thank you for all the work you have done for this chamber and also the Parliament of South Australia. On behalf of my staff and myself, I wish you and your wife all the best for your retirement in God's country at Beachport. Just remember, you are only a boy!

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (18:29): Mr President, like everyone else I am saddened to understand that this is your last day as our President in the chair. As our President I have always found you to be balanced and fair with a really good wit and a great sense of humour. I believe you to be a man of enormous wisdom, competence and kindness; I have seen your kindness in action on a number of occasions.

I think your background and experience really has enriched this chamber, and I wish you a very long retirement full of good health, many happy holidays, including some great fishing along the way, and also to be able to manage as many hours as you choose in your garden and on your farm. I include your beautiful wife, Pam, in those comments and I know that your family will be very pleased to have you around a lot more and to have you home. I do believe that your presence in this chamber has enriched it and I thank you for your service.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (18:29): Thank you, Mr President and I just take the opportunity to endorse the comments of my leader and other members of the chamber but, as the humble Opposition Whip, I wish to thank you for your cooperation with both the whips. That is probably largely because you are a past member of the whips' union, but I wish to put my thanks on the record at this time.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (18:30): I do not believe it until I see your resignation, and I do not believe this is your last day and most of the things I was going to say, the Clerk did advise, would be unparliamentary. However, may we wish you and your wonderful family—and I know how important they are to you—a very happy retirement, should you retire. May you enjoy your many grandchildren, your family, those alpacas, and I hope you do grow a few pigs that are going to go a bit longer than six months, sir. Enjoy your retirement and I look forward to catching up with you in a more social and hospitable session.

The PRESIDENT (18:31): Not that we haven't already. Thank you very much for your kind words, but I would like to get on the record my thanks to my staff who have been with me a long time, also the chamber staff, especially the Clerk and the Black Rod and those who work in the chamber—they have been wonderful assistants since I have been President and even before that—and all parliamentary staff.

Going right through parliament, I do not think I have had any heated arguments in my 12 years here with any staff. They have always been friendly, supportive and helpful. I think the South Australian parliament is blessed with very good staff and we are fortunate. We are also blessed with a very good restaurant—if you go to other parliaments—which I have always been proud to boast of, that we run ourselves. There can be improvement, of course, and I am sure along the way there will be some in that area.

I would also like to say special thanks to John Dawkins who has been a wonderful assistant to me when I needed a spell and I have really appreciated that. I have enjoyed over six years as President. I think I am the longest serving president since Arthur Whyte, which goes back to the eighties, which makes me feel very proud. It was time to retire. When I came into parliament 12 years ago, there had only been one president in my time and that was Jamie who was a Liberal president, a very fair president. Shortly after Jamie retired, I was at his funeral, and I thought it was not really fair that he got such a short retirement.

I do not aim to do that. I aim to live a fair bit longer, catch a lot of fish and do a lot of travelling within Australia, and find a few opals with a bit of luck and perhaps trip over a bit of gold or something with that new contraption Pam bought me to find something with that I have not found out how to use quite yet, but I will have to practise. I have been fortunate in my political career. I have met a lot of wonderful people and I have enjoyed the company of all the members who have been in this chamber—the ones who have left on all sides of politics, the ones who are still here and a lot even in the other place. I have enjoyed a lot of their company as well.

I have been blessed in politics because I have spent 10 out of my 12 years in government and I think that was very kind to me because there is no doubt, as some of you would know and some of you will find out eventually, that government is better than opposition. I know the Hon. John Gazzola might retire in 2018 and he might be lucky enough to have all his 16 years in government. Who knows?

Thank you very much for your kind words. I will pass on your messages to Pam, and we look forward to seeing you from time to time. If any of you are ever at Beachport, you can come out and pull your own pot. I will make sure it is in the water for you and then you can cook your own cray and I will sit down and help you eat it. How's that? Thank you.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The PRESIDENT: So, are we going to adjourn the place or are we going to have a minute's silence for the President?

At 18:35 the council adjourned until Tuesday 16 October 2012 at 14:15.