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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
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Adjournment Debate

VALEDICTORIES

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (16:31): It is now that time in the parliamentary term and the parliamentary year when we say goodbye and, in doing so, we acknowledge the extraordinary contributions that a number of members who have decided to leave us have made not only to this parliament, but of course to the community of South Australia. Politics is a curious profession. Sometimes it is does feel like you are wading through treacle but at other times you do find that it is—

An honourable member: A slip lane.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —a slip lane, indeed. As we talk about the people who are leaving and who have made their contributions here in this place, while each of them is important in their own right, together they represent a massive contribution to the South Australian community. It is with great pleasure that I turn now and draw the house's attention to the contribution of those who have decided to make this parliament their last parliament.

The first is the member for Custance and now Schubert, one of several members of this house who have decided to step aside. Mr Deputy Speaker, apart from the Speaker, Mr Venning is the longest serving member in this house. The member for Schubert came into this house in 1990 and, as a parliamentarian, the member for Schubert served as the chair for the Environment Resources and Development Committee for four years and has since continued as a regular committee member. He also served on the Public Works Committee for four years, and as the opposition whip.

I think I can say without fear of contradiction that the member for Schubert has inveigled himself into the affections of all members of this house, not just on the other side of the chamber. Try as I may, he is impossible to dislike. Even when he tries to paint one of our bridges in breach of just about every known regulation or by-law known to this parliament, somehow he gets away with it, because he is the member for Schubert. My family and I had great pleasure a few weeks ago spending a small amount of time with the member for Schubert and his wife and family. He proudly showed me around his beloved Barossa Valley.

He obviously is a man who has great pride in what his community has achieved. I was able to meet a number of very special characters in the Barossa Valley and I was staggered at the physical beauty of that place and the way in which its citizens have created for themselves—really, it must be a paradise: the vineyards, the wines, the natural beauty of the Barossa Valley. His contribution will be sorely missed in this place.

I turn now to the member for Torrens, the member since 1994. The member for Torrens, of course, came here in rather dramatic circumstances.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Yes, she killed that Irish bloke!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Yes, the member for Elder notes that she—no, I don't think I will repeat that. The member for Torrens came here, of course, when the stocks of the Labor Party were at a very low ebb and she really amounted to the beginning of the resurgence of the Labor Party in this place. As member for Torrens—and I did consult her maiden speech, and no doubt a few members who are in this place for the last time today have taken a moment to reflect on what were called maiden speeches in those days, but in these enlightened days we call them their first speech, to reflect on what they have achieved against their aspirations held at the beginning of their career.

The member for Torrens described the context of the era in her maiden speech. She referred to South Africa, 'freed from apartheid's chains to transform before our eyes'. She talked about Rwanda and East Timor. The member for Torrens declared in her maiden speech: 'These are my politics: family values, commitment to the Labor movement and a deep belief in social justice.' She further declared that, 'These are the forces that will animate my contributions inside and outside this house.' I can say to the member for Torrens that you have kept the faith with those words.

The member for Torrens has been one of the hardest-working local members of parliament in this chamber. One of the great privileges in this place is to serve as a minister, but one of the great misfortunes is to have a member like the member for Torrens after you all the time. It makes life awkward, but it is obviously very good for the people of Torrens and the north-east suburbs, because she extracts many benefits for them. Her tireless advocacy has delivered substantially for the people of Torrens, most notably delivering the upgrade of north-eastern Sudholz Road.

The member for Torrens has been whip to the Parliamentary Labor Party since 16 August 2001, serving as Government Whip since Labor took power in 2002. Her length of service has meant that she will become the longest-serving Government Whip under a Labor government in the state's history. When we first came into office every single vote came down to the wire. One misstep could have put the future of the government at risk. This made the role of Government Whip absolutely critical. The member for Torrens made sure that we won every single vote every single time, and that is quite an achievement. It must have been a very unnerving period.

I also should note that, since becoming Premier, I have had the opportunity to work more closely with the member for Torrens. I and my staff rely upon her wise counsel daily to advance the government's agenda and she richly deserves the reputation she has for being one of the most pleasant and lovely people that we have in this place, and we wish her the best in her retirement, after almost exactly 20 years of service to our state.

I turn now to the member for Kaurna, who is also another enjoying his last day in this place. Gough Whitlam spoke of the brightness of the light which seemed to shine from Adelaide around Australia during the Dunstan years. This beacon of social reform was enough to attract the member for Kaurna to Adelaide from Sydney after he finished his teaching degree, but the Labor Party was able to lure him away from teaching.

The member for Kaurna stood for election in this place in the 1993 election and, like every other Labor candidate south of the Torrens, he was defeated, and soundly so. But in 1997, after an election campaign run on the smell of an oily rag, photocopied leaflets and shoe leather, the member for Kaurna was elected on a huge 8.7 per cent swing.

In his time in the caucus the member for Kaurna has developed a reputation for being the leading mind in policy development. So much was, I think, reflected in the policy agenda which the Labor Party was elected upon in 2002. In fact, John's fingerprints are all over the 2002 agenda, and the cabinet will tell you that he stole a march on many ministers in the first period of government. While they were still working around trying to work out where their agencies were, John was implementing reforms in the environment portfolio. Much of his agenda has really driven, I think, many of the exciting benefits we now see for South Australia.

He was, of course, elected subsequently in 2006 and 2010, and I hope to draw on his wise counsel again in 2014. As a cabinet minister, he contributed wisdom. I think that is the word: when people think of the member for Kaurna they think of him as a wise man. He is also a gentle man and he has unique insights as well as being incredibly creative. There is nothing more exciting than seeing John rushing into your office excitedly saying, 'I've got another idea.' Some of them are complete nonsense, but many of them—

The Hon. J.D. Hill: That was the dog, wasn't it?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right, the dog; yes, the idea of me getting a dog. The wife thought it was a catastrophic idea. But anyway, the member for Kaurna does have a creative and curious mind and it always leads him to keep thinking about things. He is a true progressive. He keeps wanting to grow as a person, he keeps wanting the state to grow as a place, and we are very privileged to have had the benefit of his wisdom.

Put simply, he has transformed the health system more than any health minister in South Australian history. To be fair, he should have a hospital named after him—like Lyell McEwin—but the days of naming hospitals after health ministers are sadly gone.

The member for Kaurna rolled out dramatic reforms to the model of care and spearheaded the foundation of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. In the time he was health minister the government undertook major redevelopment of every major metropolitan hospital. But there is one achievement that the member for Kaurna will be remembered for more than any other, and that is the construction of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

He spent months developing this proposal, and then he spent years on designing, negotiating and building it. From 2016, South Australians will have the best central hospital in Australia and one of the best in the world. There is no member in this place that has done more to deliver this than the member for Kaurna. His legacy will make Adelaide once again a beacon of difference that a Labor government can make. Tomorrow we will launch the SAHMRI, which will stand as a lasting reminder of the contribution that he has made to the state of South Australia.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I turn now to the member for Elder. You see, I am doing this in order of seniority so as not to create any favouritism. It is very difficult to say something which would summarise the extraordinary career of the member for Elder in this place. Really, for all of the members I am saying something about, naturally the amount of time that we have to talk about these retiring members is completely inadequate. So much more could be said about each of them, because of the extraordinary contributions they make. So I do apologise for the very brief remarks that I will be making about everybody here.

The member for Elder has made an extraordinarily powerful contribution over his many years of service. I will start with his contribution to the debate in this place, because that has been extraordinary. Within minutes of beginning his first speech in this place he was warned by the Speaker that it is not wise to provoke members opposite into interjecting. I would have added, it is not very wise to interject on the member for Elder. He practised a combative politics, but a necessary quality in the five years he spent as shadow minister before we achieved office; but his combative approach was tempered by a rare wit. I think the one thing Patrick was always able to do is inject the power of humour. Some might say humiliation also tended to be one of the weapons in his armoury, but nevertheless it was always done with great humour.

Many of us enjoyed his extraordinarily witty remarks and ripostes. Amongst many was the famous metaphor for the poor former member for Hartley. The metaphor 'as nervous as a duck in a log' will really only mean something to members in this place who recall the unusual contribution from the former speaker. There is also his reference to the present member for Unley, where he was seeking to make common cause with him in saying, 'We actually have a great deal in common: we both brought down a leader of the opposition—the difference is that I was trying.' Those are two that do spring to mind.

The member for Elder served in a range of portfolios including government enterprises, energy, police, emergency services, infrastructure, transport, industrial relations and state and local government relations. He was minister for transport and infrastructure and minister for housing and urban development, and it could literally be said about him that he has rebuilt South Australia and all he has to show for it is a small sign called 'Conlon's Corner' somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: The cheapest job we ever built.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's all he's got. It just goes to show you that 'deserves' has nothing to do with politics—another one of his famous quotes. The member for Elder has been instrumental in transforming our public transport system, our tram system, our road network, our ports and our gas network.

Many people may not appreciate, because it was not widely publicised, but, in the early days of the government, decisions that he took and then the later role that he played in the gas crisis, where almost the whole of our energy supplies to the state were under threat, meant that that was averted, and that was due to the decision-making of the member for Elder. Sadly, you do not get credit for things that do not go wrong in this game. Suddenly nothing happened and everybody went dutifully about their business. There is not usually an enormous amount of credit for that, but that was a disaster avoided.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: There's never been a front page saying, 'All is well.'

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right. 'All is well today in the state of South Australia. Hold the presses.' As with the member for Kaurna and the SAHMRI building, circumstances have prevailed upon the member for Elder, a timely reminder of the legacy that he will leave to South Australia. The member for Elder's last week in this place precedes the week of an Ashes test that will be played on the newly-developed Adelaide Oval.

It was the courage, imagination and vision of the former member for Port Adelaide, Kevin Foley, but it was the intelligence and tenacity of the member for Elder that played a critical role in this process. He had the courage to place considerable political skin in the game to make sure that this great oval—this beautiful piece of architecture, which will come to symbolise, I think, a new spirit in this state and in this community—is celebrated. Whenever he attends an AFL fixture, a Rolling Stones concert or a test match or even drives past this impressive stadium, he will recall the role that he played in Adelaide's emergence as a vibrant, modern, confident city.

I turn now to the Deputy Speaker. You, Mr Deputy Speaker—the member for Lee—are another member who has decided to call it a day. Mike, you entered parliament in 1997 winning the seat of Lee. Formerly a teacher and union official and three times Mail Medal winner—so, a mean footballer—you became a minister in the Rann Labor government in 2002, holding the portfolios of transport, industrial relations, recreation, sport and racing. During your ministerial career you have held the portfolios of administrative services, finance, police and emergency services.

In parliament you have held positions in the Economic and Finance Committee and the Public Works Committee and your current role as Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees. Throughout your career you have been a passionate advocate for your portfolio responsibilities. The police service has never been better resourced than under your tutelage. Your passion for racing and sports was evidenced and you were a first-class minister for sport.

In the emergency services portfolio, you oversaw a $47 million funding boost and wide-ranging reforms to bushfire preparedness in South Australia following Black Saturday in Victoria. During your time as police minister you oversaw the recruitment of 300 officers and the largest police construction project in the state's history which included a state-of-the-art police academy and new police headquarters. You are always passionate about recreation and sport and the particular connection with clubs in your electorate. You campaigned tirelessly for a massive increase in recreation and sports grants. You were integral to delivering the State Aquatic Centre, a world-class elite and community aquatic sports and leisure centre for South Australia.

Sadly, your one failing is that you are a passionate supporter of the Norwood Football Club. You took great delight when they went back-to-back this year, but I couldn't care less. Mr Deputy Speaker, I also want to remind you of a particular contribution you made. To much ridicule you reduced the speed limits in South Australia, and that saved lives. Many of us do things in this place and we like to think we have achieved something but you saved lives and serious injuries because you had the courage to follow the science that told you that reform would do just that.

I also want to acknowledge the member for Giles. The member for Giles has represented the electorate since 1997. The member for Giles is unique. She transcends traditional divides and has broken new ground. She is currently the only Labor member in this place to represent (because the member for Mawson and the member for Light always have a crack at me when I say it) an electorate entirely in country South Australia. When you became Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly you were the first woman to have done so, fitting for a former lecturer in Women's Studies.

I know that you took seriously your role as a leader of women and you made some very important connections with women around this state and, most poignantly and particularly, with the Aboriginal women of South Australia. You are a tireless local member and you have many reasons to be proud. You have lobbied strongly for development to the Whyalla Hospital and last week you were able to see the benefits of your labour. Earlier this week, you described your joy at seeing the hospital's new facade, new accommodation, new theatres and new wards. You have also been a tireless advocate for Aboriginal people, having within your electorate the most remote Aboriginal communities which have received an extraordinary amount of attention but which require so much more attention to address disadvantage in those areas. I want to acknowledge your earthy contribution, not only to this parliament but also to the caucus. It has been grounding, bruising but always enlightening.

Like the member for Giles, the member for Reynell was also a member of the class of 1997. When one considers that the seat was only created in 1991, it is fair to say that the member for Reynell has made this seat her own, holding Reynell for 16 of its 22 years. She has also gone into production with her own media outfit, with a newspaper that would rival any of the publications which presently grace our shelves in newsagents. She has held many committee chairs and memberships. She has overcome much to arrive in a place where she has been able to contribute to change.

Through her political career she has been a tireless campaigner for the disadvantaged members of our community. She has at times been both creative and bold, initiating the Southern Man Made program in the South Adelaide Football Club and an ANZAC Youth Vigil in the South. In 2009 she went all the way to the Supreme Court to limit the impact of pokies on her local community. She knows how to fight for her community, she understands what it means to represent them. She faithfully represents them in the caucus and in the cabinet.

I want to acknowledge, in particular, the way in which the member for Reynell has assiduously worked at the policy development process. This place only works when people take seriously their responsibility to feed their ideas into executive government to knock the edges off things that are falling into error. She has always taken that seriously. She has made ministers who have drawn on her counsel better ministers. She has made our government a better government for the attention that she has given our policies and our legislation. She also knows the value of education after having studied part-time to finish her own schooling and going to university. She has helped so many others learn and improve their own lives through work in the community, and I know that that remains one of her passions. Thank you very much, member for Reynell.

There are, of course, members in the other place retiring, but they will be acknowledged by members in the other place. On behalf of the government and the parliament, I wish to thank all of you for your service and wish you all the best in the future. I will miss your company, I will miss your contribution to this place and the camaraderie that comes from struggling together for a joint purpose.

I am still idealistic enough to believe that this is the highest purpose somebody can aspire to, that is, to serve the community for its benefit, to make it a better place and to actually do the things that are going to allow each of our citizens realise the very best that they can be in order to express themselves in all of their creativity so that they can have the lives they want for themselves and their families. This is what you have all committed yourselves to and I want to thank you for your service.

To all of our staff—the Hansard staff, our library staff, our restaurant staff and everyone else who works in this place—thank you so much for making our lives so much easier. It can be a stressful place. Not all of us are at our best all of the time, and I am speaking for others in this respect. We all have moments. To the staff who actually have to find ways of looking after us—the parliamentary officers here, the messengers, the attendants, the clerks, all those people who assist us in discharging our duties, I want to thank you so much for the role that you play. We in this house could not make our modest contribution to the people of South Australia without your endeavour, commitment and dedication.

As a government we could not achieve what we have achieved without our excellent public servants. Without a strong Public Service, our government would not be able to deliver the programs and services upon which South Australians rely, so I take the opportunity to thank all of the South Australian Public Service.

I also want to single out another group that is probably a much more maligned group, but they deserve particular attention. They are our staffers: our ministerial staff and other staff who serve members of this house with dedication and distinction, our ministerial advisers who provide the information that is necessary to allow people to actually understand and get the messages and the information that they demand of government. I thank all of you for your service. I wish every single one of you, including everybody in this house, a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy festive period.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (16:58): Mr Deputy Speaker, I am grateful for your indulgence in allowing me to make my final speech. After almost 24 years and hundreds of speeches, here it is: the last one. These books here contain most of them. When you look at them you can see how much there is.

Mr Premier, thank you very much for your kind words. I do agree with you: the Barossa is a wonderful place, and it has been an honour to represent it. This really is a point in time for me: my last speech in this place, not just 24 years in parliament but the conclusion of 40 years of political activity. Things will be very different tomorrow.

The impact of leaving will be as dramatic as when I got here. Last Saturday night I was honoured at a toasting dinner at Nuriootpa with 150 people, including 27 current and past MPs. The speeches were fantastic and I was, and still am, very much humbled. It was great to sing our national anthem, God Save the Queen, and to finish off with the Song of Australia. There was also a special message that quite surprised and humbled me. I will read just three paragraphs of it:

Ivan,

You richly deserve the honour and the recognition of your friends, colleagues and community. Being a local member is a calling, not a job. The hours are long, the responsibilities vast, the pressure unrelenting, the gratitude uncertain, but the reward is the ability to make a real difference to people's lives. You can look back proudly on the contributions you have made to better the community and to better South Australia.

It goes on. It is from the Hon. Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia.

Our family has had a generational interest in South Australian politics, ever since 1850. I have been tempted to put this on the record, and I will do it now. I pay tribute to my late father, the member for Rocky River, the 'cocky from the Rocky', and my mother Shirley. They laid down the environment to enable me to be a political activist and advocate for country people. I served 10 years on council before I got here—it was very good grounding.

It was my great grandfather William Jasper Venning who really put it in our blood. Bill Venning was known throughout South Australia for campaigning and implementing issues for country people. He travelled all over South Australia, usually by train or horse, addressing public meetings. He was actually instrumental in starting the first State Bank, also the land laws, water conservation and so much more. Members can read about this remarkable man in the early South Australian history books. One book is the Adelaide and the Country, 1870-1917 by J.B. Hirst, on page 113. I will quote one passage that tells you about this man:

'Adelaide shall rule no more,' was his message. 'Farmers have been ruled by dwellers in cities, but the idea is fast being exploded that farmers as a class are less able to rule than city men.' WJ Venning, Secretary Farmers Mutual Assn, 20th August 1880.

He set up the association of Crystal Brook in 1879, and he formed branches all over the state. This led to mergers with several other farmers and political groups, and forming the Farmers and Producers Political Union, of which he became president.

On 1 October 1910, he instigated the first merger with the Australian National League, and the new political force was born—the Liberal Union. I think you know where we are going. The subsequent amalgamation with the Country Party saw the historic founding of the Liberal and Country League (LCL), which premier Playford later led in government for 27 years—an Australian record.

So many of these issues that W.J. Venning campaigned for are the same ones my father campaigned for and now me in this place. I arrived here in 1990, after a by-election in Custance, and it was not a pleasant event. John Bannon was premier in a tied house, with Independent Labor Norm Peterson as speaker. It really was a baptism of fire for me, with the State Bank disaster brewing and bursting shortly after.

I arrived and I sat on the same bench as the one I leave from. I have served under eight premiers, seven leaders and eight speakers. I have been honoured to represent a wonderful electorate, even though its boundaries and then names have changed quite dramatically. I began representing half of Port Pirie, my home town of Crystal Brook, Clare and down to Kapunda. Three massive redistributions now see me firmly ensconced in the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and Mannum.

I had Clare and the Barossa Valley together—that was an interesting time, and certainly raised my interest in wine appreciation. I have met and been associated with many personalities in the wine industry, beginning with Brother John May from Sevenhill. I have been indeed blessed to have wonderful contacts within my electorate, especially the eight mayors I was fortunate enough to work with.

I will name mayor Ken Madigan of Port Pirie and make a special note that we were very successful in attracting funds for major projects in Pirie and the region. I am concerned that most of the people would be unaware of the huge amount of work and the quality of his representations that even minister for transport Di Laidlaw could not resist.

Other mayors were the late Bob Phillips from Clare, Des Shanahan and Robert Hornsey in Light, also Robert Homburg from Tanunda and Ian Mann and Dave Burgess from Mannum, and then, of course, at Mid Murray, the incumbent mayor and good friend Brian Hurn—the first mayor of the expanded Barossa Council.

I was fortunate to serve for 10 years myself in local government, as I said, and the experience was invaluable to a state member. Working with local government has been a very high priority for me, and the result I think speaks for itself. I want to thank all my constituents over all the years. They have been a great comfort and support to me. I have had a great relationship with those friends, and I hope that it continues well into the future.

I do not want to name individuals as there is not time here and I would miss someone, but I must mention three: the late Margarete Hale, without whom I would not have been the member for Schubert, and I would not be standing here; Mrs Stephanie Martin, who has been with me for almost all of the 24 years as my branch president, electoral committee president and friend; and, thirdly, my campaign chairman, the treasurer and long-time secretary, Mr Peter Frazer—'Mr Cool', we call him. I note our state director his here, and no doubt, if you do not know him, you are going to. Peter headed up the best campaign team on the job; we got almost 70 per cent last time, and I am not that good, but the team was.

I pay special tribute to the local media, a vital spanner in my toolbox, to keep up with the issues and then to convey my message. I name The Leader newspaper, the epitome of a successful country community newspaper. Tony Robinson: congratulations to you and Angela, to journalist Emma and to photographer Alicia; you have been fantastic. To The Herald, especially to Graham Fischer: thank you. ABC Radio Port Pirie 639: I have had a great relationship with you over the whole time.

To the Liberal Party, the best party of all—and to the director—thanks so much for giving me the wonderful opportunity to serve for so long. My liaison and association with the party have been terrific; its directors and secretariat have been awesome. I have really appreciated a good relationship with my leaders—all eight of them. It was quite a unique opportunity to serve with a female leader, Isobel Redmond, who really enjoyed a natural rapport with all of us, and I thank her most sincerely for being a friend and for the opportunities she offered. She spoke very eloquently on Saturday night, and I described her as (and I hope she is not offended) 'unique, different and fascinating'.

To all my Liberal colleagues past and present, I really have enjoyed the journey with you, with lifelong friendships, as has been said before. I will write a book, and you will all feature, one way or another. To my friends on the other side—and there are several—yes, we are political opponents, but I do not believe genuine friendships compromise our party loyalties. I have not seen it necessary to personally attack any member in this place, and if I did, can I say I was never comfortable about it, especially when I was whip.

I pay special tribute to the government whip, the member for Torrens: Robyn, I appreciate your comments and assistance very much when I served four years as opposition whip. I apologise to any member if I have offended them. To Mr Speaker, can I publicly apologise for my accusations regarding the Crown Solicitor's Trust Account; I accept that subsequent events, especially a long trial, have vindicated your denial.

I want to briefly mention a few highlights of achievement during my time. Apart from painting a bridge, I have done a few other things, though that is the only one they want to remember. The biggest project was the sealing of the Morgan-Burra Road—$19.7 million worth; thank you, minister Di Laidlaw. Also, the Gomersal Road ($7.7 million) took a lot of haggling; thank you, John Olsen and Di Laidlaw—there was a bit of haggling there. Also, Anama Lane, which is no longer in my electorate, has now been done. There was 22 years of haggling there, and it has now eventually been done.

Filtered water for the Barossa is something you all take for granted. It was a huge achievement, and some members may remember the bottle of genuine unfiltered Barossa water that I circulated to every MP's office in this place. Can I say, minister Olsen was not impressed, but we got our filtration plant. Also, the BIL irrigation scheme for the Barossa was truly a great success story without precent, before or since; other wine regions are very envious as the growers actually own this scheme and they get good quality water at a good price. To John Olsen goes the highest tribute in convincing SA water that they did not need to be in it to add to the costs. It is now the backbone, and our assurance against water shortage at critical times of our vine growth.

Schools have always rated highly for me, and I was very pleased when we got new facilities at primary schools at Crystal Brook in the early days, Clare, Tanunda and Kapunda, and at secondary schools Mannum Area School, Nuriootpa High School and Faith Lutheran School, and that magnificent Brenton Langbein Performing Arts Centre. I am still in awe, even after 10 years, when I go into this facility. I just cannot believe that we started this project; it is as good as the Festival Theatre, and thanks to the Hon. Graham Ingerson. All I can say is: awesome.

One of the longest campaigns and, in the end, the most satisfying was the deep sea port saga. Some of you members were here for that. I will not relay the history here, but there was a lot of intense lobbying to get it in the right place at Outer Harbour, to get it developed without too many environmental concerns. You can read all this in my book, and yes, there were some red faces, and I acknowledge the support of Graham Gunn. We will never forget that extraordinary meeting.

So, I thank those who helped in any way, particularly minister Conlon, who is here, because at the end there was a debate and it actually is in the right place. Thank you, Patrick, and also to Ms Jodie Donnan, our university student from the parliamentary intern scheme, who wrote a report that highlighted the correct pathway, and of course the minister finished it off. It really is a most important project to keep our grain industry viable, and probably my biggest project.

Talking about Gunny again (the past member for Stuart, I should say), I really did appreciate his support when we got into government in 1993. We were successful in convincing the Liberal government, especially treasurer Stephen Baker (who was not a pushover, I can tell you), to remove all charges, transfer fees, duties and other imposts from the transfer of farmlands from the father and mother to their sons and daughters. This, along with the abolition of death duties some years before, has probably been the single most important assistance that farmers have had for decades.

Main street upgrades featured in my early days at Crystal Brook, Clare and later Kapunda. Finally, a really great news story: the original town hall Hill & Son grand organ alive again, and you have heard it played, Premier, and it was only half-working when you heard it. All I can say: wow. I was pleased to arrange that private viewing for you the other day, and I am reminding you that there are still a few dollars left owing that we need so that it can be opened debt-free.

I have had an interesting time in this house. It was a privilege to serve as party whip; shadow minister; parliamentary secretary, mines and energy; committee chair for many years; and a member before that, spanning almost 18 years. I always had an interesting mix of extracurricular roles in this place: president of the Parliamentary Wine Club at the same time I was president of the South Australian Parliamentary Christian Fellowship. Some would have said that was a conflict—not bad for an original Methodist—and I also enjoyed being president of the South Australian Parliamentary Bowls Club.

After 24 years, me being almost 68 years old, some things change, but other things never do. I have always believed in the two-party system. It works and we should do more to protect it, and we must amend standing orders to streamline the operation of this place. There has to be better liaison across the house to protect the institution of parliament and also politics as a career. You try and talk young people into taking this on: it is very difficult. You have to find extraordinary people to say they will do it.

The huge problems facing this state really do require a combined effort by both parties to overlook the politics and together make the decisions that we need to make. Standing orders I do believe need to be amended, but please—one last plea—change those bells, especially that upper house hooter. It drives me nuts, especially during dinner. Surely, sir.

I have enjoyed being here in Parliament House—not so much the building, but the people who work here. The team in parliament house, the leader's office and the whip's office—Helen Dwyer has been so helpful to us all, and I publicly thank her. To the clerks and the table staff and the committee staff, thank you so much. Your work is often overlooked. To Hansard over the years, I take my hat off to you. I have never envied them, keeping up with my motor mouth.

I especially remember the loveliest man who was always kind, helpful and sympathetic. I refer to Hayden Lamshed, and he still rings me, years after his retirement. Hayden, you are super special. To the parliamentary counsel, especially Richard Dennis, and the library, thank you very much. To the parliamentary chauffeurs—the drivers—can I say thank you. You have been good friends all along. Often you are all alone and the chauffeur is the only one to talk to, whether you are waiting for somebody, and I had a very good relationship with one Tony Mahoney. He goes in the book, and there is a fair bit to talk about him, especially one I will not repeat—it was just an absolute classic.

Members interjecting:

Mr VENNING: Creating dust on a dirt road, with a press helicopter right above—not that we saw that! Anyway, it was just as a sideshow. Also Malcolm, the driver—he has always been very cheeky. To these guys, we do appreciate your work and we appreciate your confidentiality—because they drive all of us and I have never once seen them break a confidence—so, to all of them, and there's one up there, thanks guys and ladies.

To all the house attendants and caretakers, all friends, I am often here in the wee small hours and I have often enjoyed a chat with our soldiers of the night. To our air conditioning men, and why do I pick them out? When I first got here Mr Dennis Polkinghorne was the air conditioning man, and I was a lonely man, but he took me under his wing and showed me every nut and bolt in this place, including the basement, and I worked out where all the trapdoors were. Thanks also to the current one, Mr Keith Nellor. Whenever we are here, these guys are here, trying to keep the antiquated machines working and keep things cool. Keeping me cool is a full-time job. Thank you guys. Now to a very important part and one I will really miss, our catering staff. To Creon and James—

The Hon. L.R. Breuer: What about the zucchini?

Mr VENNING: Thank you—especially the extra efforts you make for the wine club. It has been fantastic and I know I am probably your best client. To our cooks and our kitchen staff, we appreciate your wonderful talents. I really appreciate and I will sorely miss the wonderful attention, friendliness and understanding by the fantastic people who wait on us both in the dining room, the Blue Room and the refreshment room. I am very tempted to name them—there are two or three there—but I cannot because it would not be fair if I missed somebody, but I am sure you know who you are. Who else would remove my bread roll or leave the toast off my breakfast tray to help me to a healthier diet? Thank you. You have been more than food providers, you get to know all of us, and to many, especially the country members in here, you become family, especially in my case. I thank you and I look forward to the occasional visit back here as a past member.

Finally, can I thank my staff at the Schubert electoral office. Helena Dawkins has been with me approximately 18 years—just perfect for me, cool, organised and very helpful—also Susie Roer, Sue Young, Taryn Wills, Natasha McGreen, our current trainee, Anne Hornsey who also fills in. So, many of our trainees, and it has been a fantastic program and I congratulate the government of the day, because I think almost all of my trainees have gone on to great things and good vocational opportunities. Thanks so much to you all. You have been fantastic at putting up with me, and it is not a walk in the park, even though some might think so.

To our family, sons and daughter and partners—Mark and Megan, Shane and Jo, Jo and Anthony—thanks so much for your support over the years. To my sisters Mary and Sharon, and my other sister Julie, from Western Australia, who is sitting there in the middle, thanks for coming over Jules and Mary thanks for your advice. To have sisters like this, you never lack knowing what is going on. To my brothers Max and Richard, thanks also to you. Again, to my late father and mother Howard and Shirley, for starting all of this and for giving me a wonderful opportunity. I am forever indebted and I pay them the highest tribute. Who is left? The most important, Kay, and she is sitting over there.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Mr VENNING: She has been a wonderful asset to me and has been there through thick and thin. Yes, she did not marry a politician, of which I am often reminded, but she knew how to be a valuable part of the process—and Mitch Williams will know this because we have done a few trips together and it is usually three against one! She learnt much from my mother and they got on so well. She did all those things I could not, especially the children and the grandchildren activities. I know I have impinged on her life—the electorate comes first. Well, dear, now it is over and I am coming home. 'Help!' did I hear you say? Well, dear, you are going to be amazed how I have not forgotten how to cook and to wash clothes; and to our eight and half grandchildren, Grandpa's back. To the Lutheran Church and the pastors, thank you, it has been a very special relationship. I always keep in mind constituents first, my party second, and self last. I hope I lived up to that as well as I should have.

What will I be doing in retirement? No real plans. Sleep for six months, help on the farm, dabble in wine marketing and drink a bit, and it would be nice to have a job for a few years in areas in which my committee work took me, particularly public works and infrastructure. Maybe a stint back in local government, who knows? Maybe I will get a calling. I will make a sustained effort to lose a few kilos but there are so many temptations in here.

Very finally, to those retiring with me—me being the only Liberal because most of the rest of my colleagues are all so young, so I am the only one to go. To the member for Kaurna, John Hill; to the member for Elder, Patrick Conlon; and to the member for Torrens, Robyn Geraghty. Can I say, Robyn, that it is sad that we go home to our partners, and Bob's memory is strong with me and we are thinking of you, but we hope that leaving here is going to be a new life for you too. To Lyn Breuer, a special person—we have always got on well: thanks, mate—in Lee, Michael Wright; in Reynell, of course, Gay—thanks, Gay, for being Chair of that committee—and, in the other place, Carmel Zollo: my best wishes to all of you.

Very finally, I have been honoured to serve in the Liberal team. I congratulate our leader, Steven Marshall. You are inspiring, even to an old bloke who has been there and done that. As I said, I note the director is in the gallery. You give me great confidence, Geoff.

With your indulgence, Mr Speaker, I hope I am able to wish my leader all the best for the coming election, and also the state director. We are all solidly behind you. I offer my assistance now and always. It has been a huge honour to serve, and my fantastic memories will carry me into the future. I will always be there for my party and for country people. Thank you and God bless.

The SPEAKER: The member for Elder.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder) (17:21): Very kind of you, Mr Speaker. I can't help feeling that I have a rare freedom to reflect upon you any way I like at the moment but, fortunately, my wife and daughters are in the audience so I had best behave. I stand before you the most fortunate of men. I am fortunate because, Mr Speaker, as you know, I was born in west Belfast, and every morning I wake up I am in Adelaide. It's alright, let me tell you. People do not understand how fortunate we are in this country.

What I will say is this: I am fortunate that we were not so obsessed with stopping the boats back when I came. I am indeed a fortunate man. I am fortunate in my relatives and I am fortunate in my friends, and I have to tell you my enemies aren't bad either. Mr Speaker, I have to admit, I think I am rare—I should not say that, but I have a peculiar fondness for you. For those of you who do not know, the Speaker is a high Anglican who believes that Strongbow brought culture to Ireland. I mean, the man is misled.

When he first became Speaker, knowing my customary disregard for authority and anything associated with a viceroy, coming from west Belfast, I came into this place and I bowed theatrically, and the Speaker said, 'Lower, Fenian!'

I am fortunate in so many ways. I don't actually want to talk about what I achieved, because I will tell you in all sincerity, seriousness and truthfulness that if you achieve anything in this job you do it with other people. You cannot do it on your own. This is where I have to be careful not to be emotional because, oddly enough, I am attached to some of you people—oddly indeed.

I have been fortunate in my staff over the years. Matthew Pinnegar has made sure that I mention his name today, which I will, for no other reason than the fact that he has insisted so much. There is Matthew Clemow and Cathy King, my first-ever chief of staff. I do not think anything has ever showed my courage more than employing Cathy King. She would just walk into my office once a month and say, 'You idiot!' and then walk out. The problem was she was usually right. I was so fortunate to get someone whose political nous is in her DNA. Then again, I always made good decisions, I think.

I am very fortunate in my staff, and I am very nervous about leaving people out. There is Chris, my driver. I have to tell you this: if you have any rough edges, your driver knows all about it. Chris is a great guy, I have got to say that if we were ever unfortunate enough to be in war, I want Chris in the trenches with me, because he does not know how to take a backward step. I do not think he's frightened of any human being alive; at least I am frightened of my wife. He is a fantastic fellow. Thanks to the Geraces who have worked with me. I promised I would write this down and I have not, because I am bloody hopeless, as you all worked out.

One of the things I love about this country is that I am a bum from west Belfast, and I have been waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and throw me out all these years and they have not, and I have got out of it. The other thing I want to say to you is about the Labor Party, because I am very grateful—very grateful—to the Labor Party. People say there is no difference between the parties these days. That is rubbish, just rubbish.

I respect the fact that they are different, but they are. I am looking forward to an interjection because I have never got this long into a speech in this place without someone on that side yelling at me. The difference is this: what I love about this country and the Labor Party is that our favourite song, the one we hold most dear, is about a bloke who steals a sheep. And that is the difference between the two parties: we are for the swagman. They're for the troopers, we are for the swagman, and long may it be that way. And I respect you. Somebody's got to be for the troopers, but we are for the swagman.

Like I said, you cannot do anything without help. My staff have been fantastic and loyal. You trust them with your life, and that's fantastic. The bureaucrats I worked with—I had to sack a couple, but you've got to do that; honestly, you've got to do that. Jim Hallion is an outstanding public servant for this state. And then I met Rod Hook. Rod Hook: we worked out we could not possibly get along, because we had nothing in common—could not possibly get along. It has been a great, great relationship and I am grateful for everything Rod and his staff have done for me.

There are some outstanding people in here; I love them dearly, and they have great futures. I do not want to single people out because it would be the kiss of death for you. We have got some great talent coming through. Sometimes you think are you going too soon, but the truth is that this is a game that does not end. It never ends; it is just different points on a continuum. We will be around; this great Labor Party will be around for many years. Now the hard bit. I told my wife how much I owe her, so I will not do it again. That is it. Mr Speaker, this member's time has expired.

The SPEAKER: With the member for Elder's leave, I shall call the leader.

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (17:28): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. It is my great pleasure to rise on behalf of the Liberal Party to make some valedictory remarks at the conclusion of this, the 52nd Parliament of South Australia. Can I commend the Premier for his earlier remarks regarding the six retiring members on the government side. I would like to make a very brief statement on behalf of the Liberal Party, but I do commend the Premier for the words that he stated and put on the record earlier.

To the member for Torrens, the current whip—we share O.G. Road; she is on the east side and I am on the west side—you have made a great contribution representing your people over the past 20 years, and on behalf of the Liberal Party we wish you all the very best for a long and very happy retirement from this place. To the member for Kaurna: I first met the member for Kaurna when he was the minister for environment here in South Australia and I was on the board of Jeffries. Of course, he will be not so much remembered as the former minister for the environment but the longest serving South Australian health minister. We on this side of the house appreciate that—

The Hon. J.D. Hill: Only the second: Lyell McEwin beat me.

Mr MARSHALL: Did he?

The Hon. J.D. Hill: He had 26 years.

Mr MARSHALL: Outrageous! Well, you shouldn't be retiring. Nevertheless, you will be remembered for your long service in that important role. We on this side of the house do appreciate that this is a complex and extraordinarily demanding portfolio in this parliament and we thank you for your contribution. I am not sure that it is the most favoured portfolio to receive and I think as a sweetener you were also given the arts, which you certainly would have enjoyed.

I must admit that when you were the minister for health I would often see your tweets commenting on different literature that you were reading. I always thought to myself, 'Why isn't he running that health department?' but anyway it was great to see somebody who had balance. I saw you at many arts events in your role as the minister assisting the Premier in the arts, and I am very pleased to see that you enjoyed that portfolio. Again, I wish you all the best for a long and happy retirement from this place.

To the member for Elder—a gentleman I do not know particularly well—we have had some conversations in the members' lounge. Can I say that some members have a Jekyll and Hyde personality. In here, he seems so ferocious; we are all scared of him. Then you have a chat with him in the bar and you realise very quickly that he is a very well-meaning member of this parliament. Like all others, he has served to the best of his ability the people of South Australia and, like the member for Kaurna, he has held a role that is extraordinarily demanding.

The member for Lee has had many portfolios in this place over an extended period of time. I got to know him when he was serving as the chair of the Economic and Finance Committee—a role that he fulfilled very efficiently. For me, he will always be most importantly remembered as a director of the Norwood Football Club, and I am very pleased to see that he has back-to-back premierships. He has always had that odd situation where he represents an electorate where he should be supporting the Port Adelaide football club; he lives in a suburb where he should be supporting the Glenelg Football Club; but indeed he does support the right football club which is the Norwood Football Club. We wish you all the very best.

The member for Giles—well, what can one say? The member for Giles is a passionate advocate for the people of Whyalla, for the people of Giles and indeed for all Aboriginal South Australians. I know that she joined with me with much satisfaction when earlier this year this parliament worked in a bipartisan way on the Constitution (Recognition of Aboriginal Peoples) Amendment Bill, and I think that that will go down as one of the great achievements of this parliament in 2013.

It is fair to say that some of the speeches already today have said that there are friendships across the house and I think the member for Giles and I will remain solid friends in the future. I want to thank you for your role as Speaker of the House of Assembly and wish you a very long and successful retirement.

To the member for Reynell, who has made enormous contributions to the ERD Committee and a range of committees in this house, again I have not got to know you particularly well because we have not served on a committee together, but on behalf of the Liberal Party, we thank you for the contribution you have made to this parliament and wish you all the very best for the future.

It is also my great honour, privilege and duty to thank a range of other people and I will do that as briefly and as quickly as I possibly can. First of all, to my colleagues on this side of the house—quaintly referred to as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition—can I begin by thanking my deputy, Vickie Chapman, the member for Bragg, for her support; the leader in the upper house, the Hon. David Ridgway, and the deputy leader, Michelle Lensink.

I would like to thank the Hon. Iain Evans, the member for Davenport, for his contribution as the Manager of Opposition Business, and I would particularly like to single out and thank the member for Morialta who has served, I think, with distinction as the whip and helped a newbie leader cope with all the complexities of this job. Often I am sure my colleagues can hear him whispering, 'No, not yet.' I genuinely thank you for all of your help and assistance, as I do Peter Treloar, my parliamentary secretary and deputy whip. I also thank the Hon. John Dawkins, the whip in the upper house and the Hon. Jing Lee, his deputy.

To all my colleagues, thank you very much for the enormous support that you have offered to me since February this year. Most importantly I would like to single out and thank the member for Heysen, who has been an extraordinary support for me in the past 10 months. I am genuinely very grateful and thank you for the enormous contribution that you have made as the leader of our party for 3½ years, and I genuinely thank you for that.

To the Premier and the government, to the ministers and all those people on the government benches, we thank you for the contribution you have made. To the Independents, thank you very much. We are missing one at the moment. Where are not sure where he is—probably checking up about that speeding fine.

I also thank my staff, in particular the leader's office staff—my chief of staff, James Stevens, and all those who work extraordinarily long hours. It is a thankless job, so I will deal with that now—thank you. To my Norwood electorate office staff, and Carolyn Crowley in particular, I appreciate the fact that they have had to pick up a lot of extra slack with me being away. But to all of the opposition electorate office staff, who do an enormous amount of work to make sure that we are prepared, they deal with the electorate in an efficient manner.

To the President of the Liberal Party of South Australia, the Hon. Alexander Downer, we thank him for taking on that role unopposed. To the former president, the Hon. Grant Chapman who fulfilled that role for three years; to Geoff Greene, our new state director, and all the staff at the Liberal Party headquarters, I thank you.

Now to Parliament House: this parliament just does not run itself. I acknowledge and thank all the House of Assembly chamber attendants who look after us extraordinarily well, and I think I speak on behalf of everybody in this place to say that we are extraordinarily well served, and thank you very much. To Paul Collett, the Serjeant-at-Arms, he has got through another year without having to arrest anybody in this place, and long may that continue. To the Clerk, Malcolm Lehmann, to his deputy, Rick Crump, thank you for the smooth running of this house and to Jan Davis and her deputy and Black Rod, Chris Schwartz, in the other place, thank you very much and to all the staff in the Legislative Council.

To David Woolman, our building services manager, thank you very much for looking after this incredible building that we are all so privileged to serve in. I am always filled with much pride when I take a school group through here because I think we are operating in the nicest office building. This is our office and I think we can all be duly proud of it. To all the committee staff, and the library staff, I am sorry I lost a couple of books this year. I will definitely try to look for them over the break. To Creon Grantham and all the staff in the Blue Room, thank you very much, especially those who overstep the mark telling me that I shouldn't have a bread roll. Actually at the end of the year I do appreciate that; it is great when they are looking out for your health and welfare.

To Hansard, I don't know how you do it. I genuinely don't know how you do it. Thank you very much for all your help. To the Procedures Office, cleaning staff, switchboard staff, maintenance and security staff, to the people in Finance, and to PNSG, we could certainly not discharge out duties without your enormous contribution.

I would like to thank the Speaker. Can you believe I am saying that? I genuinely would like to record the appreciation of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition for the way that you have discharged your duties in this house this year and in particular some small reform that you pushed through regarding the length of time government ministers can answer their questions and other ways that you have addressed the smooth running of this house. It is an extraordinarily difficult task. Nobody ever thinks that the speaker has the right calling, so we thank you very much and wish you all the best for Christmas.

The SPEAKER: I think the time limit may have preceded me.

Mr MARSHALL: Exactly. Finally, to the retiring member for Schubert. I attended his toasting ceremony—which turned into a roasting ceremony—on Saturday night up in Nuriootpa. It was a great honour and privilege. As the member said, there was an extraordinary number of very well crafted speeches which, to the very large audience, gave us a very great appreciation of the enormous contribution that you have made in this place over an extended period of time, firstly as the member for Custance when you came here in 1990 replacing the Hon. John Olsen, and most recently as the member for Schubert. You have made an enormous contribution representing Schubert. You love Schubert. Nobody has taken the job more seriously than the member for Schubert, and I will tell you why.

He came into this house a teetotal, but he has taken his responsibilities so seriously that each and every year he takes it upon himself, as a duty to all the wineries in Schubert, to personally sample and test every bottle of wine or every label produced in the Barossa. Nobody, not even the member for Mawson, could lay claim to that. We wish you and Kay all the very best for a long and happy retirement in Crystal Brook, and we genuinely thank you for your enormous contribution. It is with those final words that I wish everybody in this place all the very best for a very happy Christmas and a very prosperous New Year.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna) (17:41): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. My father was born in Balmain. He left school at 15, served in the Middle East in World War II, went to night school, became an executive with Ampol, moved to the North Shore of Sydney and told me that he would not vote Labor while his backside was pointing to the ground. In fact, he used a stronger word than 'backside', but parliamentary protocols being what they are prevent me from using it. As you would know, you can take the boy out of Balmain but you cannot take Balmain out of the boy.

So I grew up believing that Menzies, the Liberal Party and The Daily Telegraph were the way the world worked. Then the war in Vietnam and in particular conscription made me lose my faith. Whitlamism gave me a new faith. I came to believe that society needed to change, and initially I thought that education was the institution for me to work in to help achieve that change. So I came to South Australia in 1974 to teach.

The loss of office by Labor in Australia and then in South Australia in the late seventies convinced me that the Labor Party, which I had always believed was a more powerful agent of change, needed all the help that it could get, so I joined, or I became active, and I became an activist. Somehow, to my surprise, I ended up here in this place.

Now, 40 years after moving to this wonderful state, it is time to step away from that activism. All that remains for me is to thank people, and I want to start by mentioning only one name, and that is my wife Andrea, who is here today. I thank her sincerely and deeply for the love and support that she has given me over the 26 years that we have been married.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Now why couldn't I do that?

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Well, you weren't married to her; you've got a different wife. From the time I said that I was a politician and there was not much I could do about it, she has supported me. We moved house, we changed a whole lot of arrangements. It has been difficult for her and for our family, but she has supported me every bit of the way and I want her to understand how much I love and appreciate her for that. My sons and my extended family have all supported me in various ways. I do not think any of us can achieve anything in here without the support of family. I do not know how anybody who does not have the support of family can succeed or indeed survive in this place.

And of course there are friends. I count some of you amongst my friends, but mostly I have separated my work from my friendship groups. I did not do it deliberately, but it just works out that way. I do have friends who I see on a regular basis who support and ground me and who are always there if any difficulties occur, and I love and appreciate them for that.

I would also like to pay tribute to all the staff I have worked with over the years, both in my electorate office and in my ministerial office, both the political staff and the administrative staff, and all of the public servants who are kind of part of that domain that you work in as a minister. In particular, the ministerial staff and the electorate office staff become like a second family. You spend an enormous amount of time with them. You learn to love them and appreciate them. They joke with you, they support you and they make your life just spectacular. I would just like to thank all of them. I will not name any of them, but I would like to let them know that I have appreciated every single one of them.

I would also like to thank all of the senior public servants—the 'bureaucrats', as Patrick described them—who have supported my term as a minister. I think we are very lucky in our state. We have very honest, hardworking, intelligent, committed public servants right across the board who put in an absolutely enormous amount of effort on behalf of the citizens of our state. They listen to what we tell them and they agree and obey what ministers or governments tell them. They do not always agree with what we are doing, but they do their job and I honour them for doing that.

I would also like to thank my colleagues here in the caucus, particularly my former cabinet colleagues, members of my sub-branch and supporters of the Labor Party generally for giving me this enormous opportunity to serve in this state. If it were not for the Labor Party, I certainly would not have had this opportunity. There is no way, unlike some of our colleagues over there, I could have succeeded here as an Independent. I will just be forever grateful to the Labor Party. I congratulate the next generation of Labor leaders who have emerged and are emerging and who will take our great party into the future.

I would also like to acknowledge the parliamentary staff here. All of the staff—and I will not go through the various categories—please just accept how much I appreciate the service and the support that you have provided me. Every time I have needed something, there has always been somebody there who can help, right across the board. You have always been very courteous, and I value you for all of that.

I would also like to thank my voters. As the Premier mentioned, the first time I had an opportunity to put myself before them, they rejected me, but I did not reject them. I was able to return and have had good support from my electorate over the terms that I have been in here. None of us can succeed, of course, unless we win that vote every four years.

I was helping do an annual performance review of a person today, and the person said to me, 'When you do these?' I had never seen one done before properly and I said, 'That was really good.' She said, 'When do you get to do this?' I said, 'Every four years. Every four years, I go through this process,' but no more. It is a tough process for anybody to stand for election, whether they win or not. It is a tough process to put yourself before the people and have a decision made about you.

Can I also thank members of the community—not necessarily in my own electorate but in the areas where I have had portfolio responsibilities—who have lobbied me, talked to me, given me guidance and given me support, help and knowledge about how our community works. It is one of the great privileges, I think, to be a member of parliament, and to be a minister in particular, because you understand or you learn how your community works in a way which is really incapable of being understood from, I think, any other perspective. It goes to the point that the Premier made: what a great honour and privilege it is to work in this place.

To South Australia, my adopted state, I thank you enormously. I have always loved this state. From the moment I arrived here as a 24 year old, I have just felt at home in a way that I could never have felt in New South Wales, where I grew up. No, I would not have been in the New South Wales parliament for love or money if I had stayed—maybe for money, of course, that is a different matter, but certainly not through any other process, I think, in New South Wales.

I have felt incredibly privileged to have the opportunities that I have had, and I am proud to have made a difference to this state in the time that I have been here. Mr Speaker, colleagues, my political ambitions have been satisfied. I leave with no regrets whatsoever, and I wish all of you well—every single one of you. I hope your careers all—well, not all of them, but I hope your careers turn out reasonably well!

I will just say something that I want to say, I guess, more formally. I think our profession is an honourable profession, and we need to encourage honourable men and women to stand and serve in here. All of us in parliament, and in the media in particular, need to treat each other and this institution with respect, if we are to attract good, fit people in the future to follow us.

I lament the way this institution and the servants of this institution are treated in the broader community. I just think it is really catastrophic to the good governance of our society the way leadership is treated in our community, and I do not know what we can do about. I guess it might start here if we learn to treat each other a little bit better.

Finally, I want to finish with a quote. This is a quote that Andrea found in one of the books she read, and it is from Lady Astor, who was a Tory member of the House of Commons. These are the comments she made in 1945 in her valedictory remarks, and I finish with these. She said:

I'll miss the House, but the House won't miss me. It never misses anybody. The House is like a sea. MPs are like little ships that sail across it and disappear over the horizon. Some of them carry a light. Others don't. That's the only difference.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!


[Sitting extended beyond 18:00 on motion of Hon. J.W. Weatherill]


The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee) (17:50): I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Australian Labor Party for giving me the opportunity to serve; it is certainly a great privilege and a great pleasure to do so. Incidentally, I was selected by the Labor Party on two previous occasions before coming to this parliament: one was in 1985, when I was teaching in Kadina, in the seat of Goyder. I think, at the time, Goyder was the safest Liberal seat in the state, and I remember John Meier coming into the staffroom on the Monday and saying how 'very worried' I had him, so that was a bit of a fun exercise. Then, of course, in 1993, was the electorate of Mawson, which was at the State Bank election.

In 1997, I was lucky enough to be selected by the Labor Party for the seat of Lee, and I would particularly like to thank Bob Sneath for his undying support. I have received great support from constituents; they have always given me the chance to work with them to find solutions. Whether it be individual constituent issues, Housing Trust issues, cadmium, roadworks, recycling depots, sand dunes or the coastline, I have always been given the opportunity to work with constituents to bring about solutions, and that has been a great honour. The people of Lee have elected me on four occasions, and I would like to thank them very much for their support.

To all of the volunteers who have helped with letterboxing, doorknocking, putting up posters and handing out how-to-vote cards on election day, a very big thank you. I would like to acknowledge the following people: Geoff Baynes, Peter Campaign, Peter Bicknell, John and Pam Woodburn, Andrew and Yvonne Sincock, Terry and Sue Buxton, Antonia Polanco, the late Sid Suthern, Giacomo Turle, the late Ron Kinsman, the late Jim Poole, Greg Adams, Rod Parham, Adelaide Abbott, Attillio Cavuoto, Ian Milnes, Bob Bastian, and Patrick Hansen. Without their support, you just simply would not get the work done.

There has been a lot of fundraisers along the way, and we have had a bit of fun. A big thank you to Syd McDonald, John Charlton, David and Ros Chow, Greg Fahey, David Basheer, the late Marty Miller, Bruce McAvaney and Joe Tripodi. To all of the people that have worked in my electorate office, we have had one common sense, and that is to serve the people as they come into the office, irrespective of where they live. The electorate office has really been one of the focal points of the local community, and a special thank you to Karen Abineri, Pat Bell and Aniela Kociuba.

It has been a great honour to be a minister. I was a minister for nine years and I was a shadow minister for three years. I was minister for transport; industrial relations; recreation, sport and racing; gambling; administrative services and government enterprises; finance; police and emergency services.

We achieved a lot in those nine years. Some of the highlights include: the 50 km/h speed limit, which resulted in less injuries, less deaths and a reduction in third-party premiums; $100 million expenditure for the new state aquatic centre; reforms to shop trading hours; 300 more police; $47 million in additional funding to response to the Black Sunday fires in Victoria; the abolition of betting tax turnover in the racing industry; and the reduction of 3,000 poker machines.

As the member for Kaurna said, you just cannot do it without the support and backup of your ministerial staff.

To Geoff Baynes, who was my chief of staff for seven years, a very big thank you. To Randall Barry, Michael Ats, Ann Westley, Peter Hoppo, John Bistrovic, who was also chief of staff after Geoff left for a couple of years, Kara Lee, Kimberley Stillwell, Nicole Jewell, Mandy Dunn, Penny Dayman, Jenny Dunstan, Jason Cameron, Adrian Katic, Erin Sneath, David Heath, Emma Cox, Nikki Coats, Kate Wright, Shannon Leahy and Nichol Thomas, a big heartfelt thank you for all of your support.

We used to really run a ministerial office where you had the political appointees and the public servants working together for the common good, and it is in no small part thanks to Geoff, who melded that staff together, then followed by John Bistrovic. We had a great ministerial staff; it achieved a lot. I would also like to pay a special thank you to Nick Alexandrides, who at that time was working the Premier's office. Nick was a great support, a great sounding board, and if there were any critical issues that we could not solve ourselves, Nick was the first person that we would turn to.

I would also like to acknowledge the public sector. As John Hill said, the public sector does a great job. I had many wonderful public servants who I was able to work with and get outcomes that were the government outcomes. Amongst others, Mal Hyde was a fantastic person to work with, along with Tim O'Loughlin, Paul Anderson, just to mention a few.

I would like to pay special recognition to my wife, Meredith, who has not only given me support and her love but has always been there, no matter what. She has been door-knocking with me, she has been to the street corner meetings, she has done the letterboxing and the how-to-vote cards. She has been to literally hundreds and hundreds of functions and never ever questioned whether she should be going or whether she would go. She has always fronted up. I love her very much and I would like to thank her very dearly.

To my two beautiful daughters, Alexandra and Victoria, they are making their own way now, but they have also been great supporters. I remember when I was standing for the seat of Mawson, Meredith used to come out doorknocking with me and we used to take Alexandra and Victoria around in the prams. I would be in a white shirt and a tie, and I think everyone thought that I was a Mormon. They slammed the door before I could tell them who I was.

I have had wonderful support from my wife and my two daughters, Alexandra and Victoria. I love them all dearly and I am delighted that they are here today. My parents: Mum and Dad always gave me great support. I wish Dad had been here longer to see me perform as a minister. He was at least here to see me get elected to parliament. They have both been great support. To all of my parliamentary colleagues: it has been a pleasure working with the people on the Labor side.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: No, I'm going to come to them. We have had a close working relationship, and I appreciate the support that they have given me. I let them down with the WorkCover reform bill and I would like to apologise for that. That was clearly a flawed piece of legislation. Also, to my colleagues on the opposite side, there has been a lot of camaraderie go on, particularly since I have been Deputy Speaker. I very much appreciate working with you, as well.

To the media that I have worked with, I would like to acknowledge their presence and thank them for their role. To all of the drivers who have driven me: thank you very much. To the parliamentary staff, I will not go through them individually, except to say that you do provide a great service and we very much appreciate the role that you play, especially the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk for their help since I have been Deputy Speaker. I have really enjoyed that time, and it has been a pleasure working with both sides of the house. Could I wish my successor, Stephen Mulligan, all the best in the forthcoming election.

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