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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-11-29 Daily Xml
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Adjournment Debate

Valedictories

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright) (18:23): This has been my life for 20 years. So much has happened along the way, and I tell this story today most particularly for my grandchildren and beg the house's indulgence in doing so.

I have not been a traditional grandmother, although I like to think that they have all enjoyed some wonderful experiences they would not have otherwise. I want them one day to be able to reflect maybe a little on what their grandma has been about. It might also be a defence for them in future years from hearing these stories over and over again.

I remember so well my first day in this place, starting work for the newly elected member for Briggs on the first day of the new parliament in 1986. I had just moved down from Port Pirie with my boys; their dad was yet to follow. I went home to find a little boy in tears after his first day at his new school. Mum joined him in tears after her first confusing day in this place. I started here with tears and it is highly likely there will be more shed today and tomorrow. Most of you probably do not know this, but I am a little softie.

The class of '97 celebrated our 20th anniversary on 11 October this year. It was the sweetest defeat ever. In 1993, state Labor was crushed, with only 10 members elected. We gained one more in a by-election about six months later. Conventional political wisdom was that we would be in opposition for a generation—not so, as it turned out. Under Mike Rann's leadership, we gained 10 seats in the 1997 election and went on to take government in 2002, so my first term in this place was in opposition.

It goes without saying that no political party aspires to be in opposition. However, it was a great grounding and learning experience for me, and, I am sure, my colleagues, in having to be completely self-reliant in preparing questions, speeches and press releases, identifying local issues and running local campaigns, always with your eye on gaining the ongoing support of your electorate and, ultimately, government. I think that two local campaigns were instrumental in my election—the campaign to stop the erection of a phone tower in the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park and the construction of a new police patrol base to serve the Tea Tree Gully area.

I want to place on record, as I prepare to leave this place, my ongoing appreciation to those who resisted so strongly the erection of that telephone tower in the park. Completely disillusioned with the lack of advocacy from the local Liberal member at the time, residents came out in droves to try to prevent this happening. For over 100 days, mums, dads, kids, older residents and young people blocked the entrance of the park for 24 hours a day. We had a caravan set up on site where the men took turns sleeping overnight. My shifts were in the morning as people were going to work travelling along The Grove Way, again in the evening and the late evening shifts on Thursday nights.

On my first Thursday shift, I rang the local pizza bar down the hill in Salisbury to order some food. It became a regular thing and quite a joke when they would confirm the delivery address: first caravan on the left heading up The Grove Way. Much to the annoyance of the Tea Tree Gully council, we had a 44 gallon drum in which we lit a fire to keep warm on cold nights. They desperately wanted to remove it, but did not dare. Vodafone tried several times to enter the park, but we were successful in keeping them out until one morning at about 6 o'clock, a week after the election, when I received a call from a resident telling me that Vodafone had entered the park under police escort and that a barricade had been erected.

I flew up there, glamorous in my trackies and beanie. Over the barricade I went, only to be confronted by a security guard telling me that I could not enter the park. I make the point that I had not even yet been sworn in, but my response was, 'I'm the local MP for this area. This is a public park. I've got more right to be here than you, so piss off out of my way.' That emboldened the residents and over the barrier they came. They sat on the phone tower, putting paid to any progress on construction. These people were incredibly brave. Most had never been part of a demonstration or protest and probably had never even complained to a member of parliament, yet here they were astride the tower refusing to budge.

It was a long day of attempting to negotiate with police and to contact the then Liberal minister for the environment, who had that very day withdrawn permission for Vodafone to enter the park, yet the police officer in charge at the site refused to accept his letter. He brought in the STAR Group to remove residents, despite being repeatedly told they would leave if instructed to do so. I wanted no-one harmed or put at risk.

It was scandalous behaviour and embarrassing for officers, who at midnight came into the compound area to remove residents. The tower went up. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but I believe that this episode cemented my reputation as being prepared to take on tough battles and fight for local people right down to the wire, not just before I was elected but also after. To those residents, I say thank you for your courage and support.

The other monumental battle I waged was to have a new police station established. The Liberal government had closed police stations left, right and centre. Para Hills was closed and Tea Tree Gully patrols were moved into the old Para Hills station. It was substandard, with a roof that leaked when it rained, and not located in its patrol area. I battled the Liberal government and then our treasurer and police commissioner. When I say 'battled', it was a battle over two terms before a commitment was made.

We have for several years now enjoyed the benefits of a police patrol based in Golden Grove servicing surrounding areas of Tea Tree Gully. It has promoted a far greater sense of safety, and crime levels have dropped. For this, I thank the former minister for police, now Australian Conservative, the Hon. Robert Brokenshire, who gave me such a great issue on which to campaign and become well known, and also to the two previously mentioned gentlemen who strongly resisted the provision of this facility until they were interviewed on Leon Byner's radio show about the release of the identity of a young man to lawyers representing some thugs who had been charged after crashing a local party. The young man's father was livid. His son had been assaulted, after asking specifically that his identity not be released.

This lapse by the police resulted in the commissioner being embarrassed on radio and, voilà, we got the patrol base. I will not share with the house the remarks of the treasurer at this change of heart, but it is fair to say that he was more than a little surprised that the commissioner had all of a sudden decided that we needed a new police facility at Golden Grove. Since that time, the people in my area have benefited from the construction of a new MFS fire station at Golden Grove and the new Salisbury command station, which has the MFS and SES co-located. These facilities and the people who work there have massively increased the safety of my community.

I was also able to secure one of the first children's centres established by this Labor government—Keithcott Farm kindergarten, now Keithcott Farm Children's Centre. I want to thank the leadership of the centre and the parents who took the gamble to expand this facility to become a children's centre. The centre has just recently undergone a further $2 million investment that will enable it to improve and expand the important services it provides for our little ones and their families.

The longest and most arduous campaign is to have Golden Grove Road upgraded. Golden Grove Road was the boundary of the Golden Grove development and not considered in the works that occurred during the development. The section of road from Park Lake Drive to One Tree Hill Road remained a narrow country road. I began this quest when Diana Laidlaw was the minister for transport.

Much work has been done over the years on improvements to the road, but I am absolutely delighted that on the eve of my departure $20 million has been allocated to undertake the much-needed resurfacing, provision of lighting and other improvements necessary for a road which carries such a large volume and diversity of traffic. Mums and dads ferrying kids to schools and kindergartens on a narrow, unlit road, compete for space with quarry trucks, B-doubles, articulated buses, light and heavy industry vehicles. If nothing else, it is an example of never giving up. I thank the Treasurer for listening and understanding that this is a much-needed road safety measure.

Members may remember the departing comments of the former Labor leader Mark Latham—or not, but I surely do. He said in one interview that what he was most proud of was forcing the Liberal government into funding the vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease. What he did not say was that it started here in this chamber with a motion I put to the house calling on the federal government to do exactly that. My motion was supported by the opposition—the member for Morphett, in fact—and it was voted on the very day I proposed it.

So I embarked on a mission around the state, alerting people to the dangers of this disease, that it caused death or permanent disability, that it was preventable, that there was a vaccine available but that it was not funded by the commonwealth and so for most families it was too expensive. I went to childcare centres, kindergartens and anywhere there were families with children, from Port Lincoln to Port Augusta, from Claire to Mount Gambier. Petitions were signed and support gained from local country newspapers. I lobbied Julia Gillard and then Mark Latham. They saw both the health benefit and the economic benefit of funding this vaccine. That is how it happened.

I thank the member for Morphett, who supported my motion on the day and enabled me to say to people that this was a statewide, bipartisan campaign. He understood the merits of my argument. The fact that the shadow minister for health, Dean Brown, came charging into the chamber after the motion passed on the voices, red in the face and more than a little agitated, might have been an indication that he was not quite as pleased with the member for Morphett as I was, but the lesson in this, quite frankly, is: take your opportunities when they present.

That is just a tiny snapshot of my 20 years as a local member and I have not even touched on the massive improvements that have been undertaken in our schools across the entire electorate. Our schools were in such a bad state of repair when we came to government that they were pleading for upgrades and repairs to their toilets. The schools, particularly in the Salisbury area, are unrecognisable now compared to the disgusting state that they were in in 2002. In that, I take much pride.

I have also been fortunate to be a minister in this government for nine years, and I held 15 portfolios during that time. I was never given Treasury, and I still wonder why. When the Premier is considering a reshuffle, on occasion they ring to see what portfolios might be desired. When asked what I might like, my standard response was, 'Tourism, Rec and Sport, and the Arts.' I figured I could do grand finals, opening nights and travel the world promoting our great state as well as anyone. My grand standard reply was, 'Over my dead body.'

The portfolio I most enjoyed, however, was Families and Communities, with Housing, Ageing, Disability and Families. We had the benefit of the housing stimulus package. We had a once-in-a-generation opportunity and I was determined to make the most of it. I asked my agency not to come to me with plans just for three-bedroom houses but to look at how we could make real inroads across all those sectors, and they did: housing for residents, we needed to move out of Strathmont, appropriate housing for older South Australians, purpose-built housing for people living with a disability, normal homes for children in care who did not have foster families to care for them, homes that would allow large groups of siblings to stay together, and housing that would provide the opportunity to settle children before they went into a carer's home to try to lessen the cases of breakdown.

The Uno apartment building was the jewel. It is a 17-storey apartment building available to Trust applicants, community housing, those eligible for affordable purchase as well as apartments to be offered on the open market. We also located specialist youth homelessness accommodation and support in this building.

No lift snobbery, a totally mixed community—I was told it would not work, but it did. At one point we had to pull apartments off the market, they sold so well. Uno went on to win national awards and we won the award for the best use of stimulus package. I was told only last night that Uno is up for another award today. I am proud indeed of the wonderful people who worked so hard to make this a reality. I thank a specially Jos Mazel and Phil Fagan-Schmidt.

The youth detention centres were also part of this portfolio. The Magill centre was old, decrepit and provided worse facilities than any adult prison in this state. Funding was to be provided for a new centre as well as prison expansions and then it was cut when the GFC hit. Those who had worked so hard to get this new centre and who were dedicated to providing an environment that would really help turn kids lives around were devastated. We needed a new facility that would promote a whole new way of interacting with young people and create a positive culture amongst staff.

'You want it, you fund it,' was the message I got, so we did. It was a $67 million new state-of-the-art facility that says to these kids, 'You can learn. You can do better. You do matter.' There will always be some who do not make it, but many, many more will now make positive changes in their lives and come out stronger and better equipped to make a future for themselves because of this centre and the way it now works.

We commenced individualised funding for people with a disability long before NDIS became a reality. It began cautiously but enthusiastically with families who were both keen and wanting to take on this responsibility. I am still of the view it is not for everyone, but it was important to develop processes that supported those who wanted to take it up. For those individuals and families, it was life changing.

Two challenging emergencies we had to deal were the Stockport floods and the arrival of around 100 residents from Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. Already in a meeting with Jos Mazel, my CE, we were told that 100 Aboriginal people were on their way to Adelaide—current location: slightly north of Port Augusta. I looked at Jos, she looked at me. I just said to Jos, 'Make out it's a fire. Do what we do if it was a fire,' and it worked. Our emergency services and recovery unit went into action and we had a place for them to stay when they arrived and they were eventually housed in the old police academy at Fort Largs until it was safe for them to return to their home.

Stockport, on the other hand, was devastating. To see homes destroyed by water with such force as to push walls in, strong enough to pick up fridges and freezers and deposit them in backyards, to have every precious object covered in slime and filth was truly unbelievable. The flow of water hit the town from four directions, and people told me they literally had to run for their lives. When I arrived, they were all in shock. They stood out the front of what was there homes. They walked inside to try to find something, anything, that had not been destroyed. They knew clean-up had to begin, but they did not know where to start.

The most urgent thing, in my view, was that these people did not feel they were on their own. Emergency service volunteers were bussed in that day. The process of support and clean up got underway and I cannot say what a privilege it was to be part of this. To say I enjoyed it is the wrong word, but I loved being on the ground doing what I could in a practical way, visiting people, making sure they had what they needed when they needed it. The township got back on its feet and made many improvements. This trauma delivered benefits. The people got together and formed bands of friendship that I think will be forever ongoing. I still take the detour through Stockport on occasion just to see what is happening.

Many initiatives were put in place during the term of the state Labor government to improve the outcomes for children and to better protect them. I took over the education and child development portfolio at a difficult time. I think it is fair to say that if the education department had had a different culture and way of dealing with complaints of child abuse, much of the hurt and anger that occurred may have been avoided. I came into the portfolio as the Debelle inquiry was underway. I met personally with many parents to listen to their stories and their concerns.

These situations are extremely distressing and they take their toll, but I felt it was important to provide these opportunities. If I felt hurt, it was nothing compared to what these families were going through. I appointed Tony Harrison, former assistant police commissioner, to head up the department and to put into place rigorous, consistent and proper processes in dealing with complaints against teaching staff and any other departmental employee, and he did just that. He appointed skilled investigators and implemented rigorous processes. The department is all the better for his efforts, and I thank him.

After the 2014 election, we finally had air space in which we could concentrate on education policy and directions, and then Tony Harrison and David Waterford came to my office to tell me about Shannon McCoole. I do not believe anyone in this place has dealt with anything more horrifying. It is shocking to read daily files on abuse and neglect of children by their families. You do what you can to prevent it, and when it does happen you do your best to support and care for these children. It was quite something else to have a person employed to provide that care to little children who had been removed from their families to systematically abuse them.

At the time, I was told that police had not finished their interviews and until they were ready we could not tell the public. When they were ready, it was clear what I could say and what I could not say. I took advice from the police at every step of the way. I was able to publicly confirm that McCoole had gone through all the appropriate processes when he was employed and that there were no identifiable concerns. That was later found to be incorrect information.

However, I was not to speak about any concerns that may have been raised about him during his employment. A concern had been registered against McCoole during his employment but it was clear from our discussions that the senior police heading up this investigation did not want this information released publicly, as it was part of their investigation. I briefed the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister. I told them there were still things I could not tell them. It was harrowing and the leader wept at the news. He hugged me and said it was so terrible the opposition would not be using this politically. That lasted about a day before he was on the radio.

He then came into this place and asked questions day after day that he knew I could not answer. My estimation of the calibre of the Leader of the Opposition was cemented as a result of his crocodile tears and subsequent actions. The only question put to me through 64 questions over two days about the wellbeing of the children was put by the member for Adelaide, and for that I give her credit.

The matter of the concerns noted was leaked to the media. Commissioner Gary Burns was on leave. His first day back, he fronted up for his media slot on ABC morning radio. He was asked about police not investigating the concern lodged about McCoole during his employment. He confirmed two things: the police did receive a concerns notice about McCoole and that, based on the information in the report, they made the judgement not to investigate. He also confirmed that I had done absolutely the right thing in relation to not divulging information about McCoole's employment history, that he was responsible for the investigation and that he would decide when it was appropriate for information on a live investigation to be released.

Shannon McCoole is the epitome of evil, his actions sick and depraved—beautiful little children his victims, and families, further traumatised, also his victims. I consider myself fairly robust, but this all but broke me. It was not the opposition, it was not the media, it was not the police, it was not being wrongfooted with incorrect information: it was the children—children just like the little ones in my family I love so dearly. I lost count of the nights I sobbed myself to sleep about these kids. I again say to the families who lived this trauma and continue to try to support the children through the challenges I have no doubt they continue to face: I am so terribly and deeply sorry.

I have been lucky to have so many precious moments and I have so many people to thank—those who voted for me and gave me these 20 years, those who challenged me and those who became my friends, and those who have always supported me, mentored me and at times pulled in to gear. I extend my deep appreciation to Trevor Smith, former national secretary of the CFMEU, to whom I gave a great deal of stick the first time we met. Trevor strongly supported my preselection and I am eternally grateful.

The staff I worked with in my electorate office, in particular Lynn Byrne, Rachel Stelmach and Kristianne Foreman, are all stars. Those who have worked in my ministerial office, too many to name individually, but to all of them I say a sincere thank you. The public servants who worked in my ministerial office, most particularly those I worked with when I had the education and child development portfolio, these people gave 110 per cent every day. They were dedicated and driven and they were committed to making sure that we did the best we could.

Angela Duigan, my chief of staff during my first term as minister, was key to my election in 1997 and helped keep my head above water from the 2006 to 2010. In 2011, Blair Boyer came on board as my chief of staff and put together the most amazing ministerial support team any minister could ever hope to have. They supported one another, particularly through the tough times we navigated, as much as they supported me—and support me they did. I hope they know the high esteem in which I hold them and to them I owe much.

Blair Boyer is now Labor's candidate in Wright. His experience is extensive. He is grounded—how could a father of three girls under four, including identical twins, not be grounded? He is genuine, considered and passionate, and I have no doubt that he will make a great member of parliament. Gail Gago: politics is not a great place for making real friends, but Gail has been a strong and true mate and I feel truly blessed to have had her friendship.

The wonderful Joan Kirner and Cheryl Davenport, cofounders of EMILY's List—these women both encouraged and supported me from my preselection through to my election and beyond. It was beyond my comprehension that someone like Joan Kirner would care, worry and remember every little detail about this lowly little candidate here in South Australia. She would ring regularly and was first on the phone on election night. She was an extraordinary woman and it was a great privilege to know her and count her as a friend. Cheryl mentored me, visited me from Perth regularly and kept me sane, and 1997 was the first election of EMILY's List women—six in one hit here in South Australia—quite fantastic and a great achievement.

My first election campaign was, I think, the most fun and the most scary. There was no option for me but to win. It was not until about 18 months after, in the refreshment room here at Parliament House, when a group of us were talking about our campaigns, and I said, 'I found party office to be very helpful.' They were all having a little grizzle. I said, 'They didn't cause me any angst at all.' John Hill set me straight. He said, 'That's because no one thought you had a hope in hell of winning.'

Anyway, for me there was no option. I would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, panicking that I might not win. I would calm down, and then I would panic about what it would mean if I did win. This was the time when I had the realisation that I was a tad competitive.

Lyn Byrne came and worked with Angela and I, and she stayed. Lyn worked with me for over 15 years in both my electorate office and ministerial office. I could not have had a more loyal, decent, hardworking friend. She went beyond her commitment not just to me but to those we were trying to help, a truly good person to whom I will be forever grateful. To me, Lyn is family, as are the wonderful Elizabeth and David Haebich. Two police families, both with little boys, we were living in Peterborough, and the Haebiches were in the neighbouring Jamestown, more than 40 years ago. Every election, every momentous event, they have been there with their love and support. I am so lucky to have such friends.

Ten days before Christmas in 1977, our family was packed up. We left Peterborough and moved to Port Pirie where, one fine day, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find a fellow with a shock of bright red hair, a red beard, front tooth missing, who had arrived at my home in a lime-green Mini Moke with a floral hood just to set it off. Denis Crisp became my dear lifelong friend. To him I owe so much. Together we ran the Port Pirie sub-branch. He encouraged me to apply for my first political job, personal assistant to the member for Stuart, Gavin Keneally. He came down and managed my 2002 campaign, and I did not let him go.

Denis had great joy in his life, enhanced enormously as his grandchildren arrived, and by meeting, loving and marrying Jane. He was funny, absurdly funny at times—most times—and generous to a fault. He was loved and respected by all those who worked with him. He was a teacher and was always teaching. I learnt many things from Denis. The most important was how he managed the tragic loss of his wife, Vivienne, and how, in the last years of his life as he battled cancer, he did not allow the enormity of what he was facing to overwhelm him. It was one step at a time, overcoming one challenge at a time, a lesson I have used over and over.

Our family came back to the city in 1986, and I started working with Mike Rann, as I said, the newly elected member for Briggs. It was right back when he still had gorgeous curls. We had no office, so I had to share a desk with him in Parliament House for a number of months before the electorate office was completed. That was a real challenge.

We were living at mum's. One stinking hot day, when the buses were not running, Mike offered to pick me up on his way into town. Mum's phone rings; it is Mike. 'Sorry, but my car has broken down in the middle of the North East Road-Sudholz Road intersection, but it's okay. I got the police to come and push it into their car park. Can you come and pick me up?' His car was, by the way, a very, very old, battered Toyota with octopus straps holding down the boot.

Mum goes into a panic and wants to dust my car before I pick him up. He came back to the house and met mum and dad. They were overwhelmed to have him in their home, but he was so lovely to them then and always. On the way into town he complained about how hot it was. I suggested he remove his jacket; it was fast heading north of 40°. 'I can't,' he replied. 'I have only ironed the front panels of my shirt.' I thought, 'And my mum wanted to dust my car for you!'

Mike was not great at that stuff, but Mike took the Labor Party from facing a future in the political wilderness after the 1993 election to government in 2002, where we have remained since. He was an amazing strategist and tactician, and I got to witness just how he achieved what he did up close. As do so many in this place, I owe my political career to him, his political skill, tenacity and personal strength.

We have gone through many highs and lows, both personal and professional, together. We have laughed a lot, gossiped a lot. Mike is a really terrible gossip. We have seen each other's children grow up. On the 1997 election night, he rocked up at my election night gig and did not leave until he was sure I had won. Mike has been a great mate. He has that very rare commodity in politics of unwavering loyalty to his friends. I want to thank him for his encouragement and support. I hope he feels I have honoured the faith he placed in me.

Often with a change in leadership, those seen to be closest to the predecessor are not necessarily encouraged to stay on in the ministry, but that was not the case with our current Premier, and I want to thank him for his trust. The people of South Australia are seeing that our Premier is a man with a vision. He is determined to carve out a positive future for our state. He is mild mannered but a man of steel. I have no doubt, despite the Electoral Commission's best attempt at handing government to the Liberals, that the people of South Australia see a Premier who stands up for them and will re-elect a Labor government in 2018.

I joined my beloved Australian Labor Party about 1975 and went to my first sub-branch meeting in Peterborough, where we had over 300 members at the time. I remember well wanting to ask a question, breaking out in a cold sweat, my throat seizing up and I could not talk. Some have said that it is a shame that did not continue.

I am so proud to have been a Labor member of parliament representing the people of Wright in this place. For 20 years they have put their faith in me to work to improve their lives and ensure a future for their children. I am so grateful. I am grateful to my parliamentary colleagues for their mateship and most particularly their kindness in difficult times. To you I make this final promise: I will not be on the phone giving you the benefit of wisdom post election, and I certainly will not be on talkback radio prefacing my remarks with 'As the former minister for…' I cannot, however, make that promise in relation to the person with whom I am sharing my retirement, but I will do my best.

I thank my beautiful family: my sister Natley, my best friend on whom I can always rely for unconditional love and support; my brother-in-law Doug, who puts up with these sisters and who has climbed more Stobie poles on my behalf than could be reasonably expected; and Casey, Nathan and Annie, no folding, no stuffing, no handing out how-to-vote cards was too daunting for this trio, but mostly thank you for allowing me to just continue to be your Auntie Jen. Your darling girls, Georgia, Abby, Ruby and Bianca, have put up with this crazy great-aunt who whizzes about, in and out, but whom I love so dearly. To my sons, Matthew and Brett, I could not have done this without you. None of the past 20 years would have had purpose or meaning without you or my beautiful grandchildren.

I will conclude with a snapshot of just a few of my most precious moments. They include being proposed to on stage by a departmental employee receiving a graduation certificate. All of the front row heard it and burst out laughing, and I said it was the best offer I had had in a long time.

A chief minister from a nation I shall not mention, clearly interested in renewable energy, wanted to come to my house to see my solar panels.

I had a near-death experience with a minister in China thanks to the rice wine toasts. I was told three toasts from the minister is a sign of friendship. Down the hatch they went. I was not told it would be three toasts from every person around a very large round table. Mick rang me every 20 minutes throughout the night to make sure I was still alive.

I twice travelled with our now Governor, Hieu Van Le, enjoying his company and hearing firsthand his amazing stories. I stood in Times Square to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama on a huge screen with thousands of New Yorkers. I did not bother to turn on the TV to watch Donald Trump.

Ada Barclay, Doug's mum, Nanny to us: at 14, she crocheted a doily of the new parliament house in Canberra, which is the Old Parliament House now. She gave it to me after we took government in 2002. I promised to frame it and hang it in my Parliament House office. That eventually led to an unveiling, which Mike Rann dutifully agreed to do, such is the life and demands on a premier. Members will remember the Speaker announcing her presence in the chamber last year. We were celebrating her 100th birthday. I am disappointed that she is not able to be in the gallery today, but I am pleased to report that she is doing just fine, now 101 and on a flight to Brisbane to meet another new great-grandchild.

My family: having my family at my swearing in in the ministry after the 2006 election, Olivia 13 months old at the back of the room spots me as we walk in for the ceremony, starts waving and calling out 'Maba, mama.' TV cameras swept away from us to this 13-month-old delicious little girl. The next day's papers headline was 'Olivia's gran joins cabinet'. When I arrived at my electorate office that day, every possible surface was covered with that page of the paper, courtesy of course of Dennis and Lynn.

Julia Gillard's book: open it up and in the middle of the book there is McKenzie Rankine's photograph taken the day of the signing of the Gonski agreement. Julia made her way through the schoolyard holding McKenzie's hand, talking to her. We returned to my ministerial office, Macca vomited on the carpet and then went to sleep on my sofa, clutching a photo of her and the PM. McKenzie's fame, of course, does not end there. A TV crew turned up at her school for vision and interviews after their NAPLAN testing. They made the mistake of asking this little one how she found the test. 'Easy peasy,' was her reply.

Mr Darcy and Patrick, chatting like the two grumpy old men in the Muppets, on tiny chairs by a big window, enjoying special biscuits made by Liz Scarce at Government House, I would love to have heard their conversation. I suspect they were hatching another plot about how to overthrow their dominant, bossy older sisters. All of them at various times decked out in traditional dress, attending a multitude of multicultural events, upstaging me during speeches and being surrounded by them, great nieces and all, when I stood down from the ministry.

None of these kids was born when I was elected, so they have only known me in this role, and most of the time as a minister. I was delighted beyond belief when our little surprise Alexander arrived a month after stepping down in 2015. He was the one I would have the time with, all the time in the world, but devastatingly he passed away at 15 months of age. The bravery of my daughter-in-law Briony and son Matthew throughout this grief has been remarkable and continues so. No position, no job, protects you from life's tragedies, but these two people are remarkable examples of how you survive.

My dear mum, who cannot be here today: her last visit, though, she looked so beautiful in her pink sequinned dress and pink shoes to match. She worked so hard on that first campaign. I walked around the back one day to pick up another batch of folding and stuffing and she looked at me and said, 'I'm sick of the sight of your face'.

My dad at 78, having suffered three strokes, stayed at my 1997 election do until stumps. Denis Crisp later told me that when he arrived he went up to dad and asked, 'What do you think of your girl now?' My dad said, 'I think she's a corker.' There is no higher praise.

My dad left school at grade 7. He was a timber worker. He bought his own truck after the war and cut wood with an axe. He joined the E&WS and helped build the Mannum-Adelaide pipeline, and he claims to have laid the very first pipe. A Labor man through and through, but he never had any expectation that a member of our family would be a member of parliament. Indeed, I had no expectation or ambition ever to be a member of parliament, let alone a minister.

People ask, 'What's next?' In pondering this, I have come to the realisation that my first 20 years as an adult were not as I planned. The last 20 years were never planned, so there is not much point really in planning the next. Life just happens, and so far it has been great. I have every confidence that the member for Croydon and I will embark on great adventures as life unfolds at a slightly more leisurely pace.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for pushing me when I needed to be pushed, for holding me when I needed to be held, for wiping my tears, for making me laugh and for making life so interesting and such fun.

The first time I stood to speak in this place was to ask a question, and it was about the phone tower at Cobbler Creek. I was incredibly nervous and had been told that I wring my hands when I speak when I am nervous. I devised a plan. I was not going to let anyone know I was nervous, so I kicked my shoes off so as not to wobble in high heels, and I gripped the bench with my hands so as not to wring them. The only thing I did not have control over were my kneecaps, which involuntarily jumped up and down the whole time. I asked my question, the house erupted and I sat down, knowing I had found what I want to be when I grow up.

That, my darlings, is your grandma's story, as briefly as I can put it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am just disappointed that you did not mention calisthenics anywhere. Member for Kavel.

Mr GOLDSWORTHY (Kavel) (19:05): I am pleased to stand here in the house this evening to deliver my final speech in the parliament as the member for Kavel. As other members have done in their valedictory speeches, I would like to reflect on some things that have taken place over the 16 years that I will have been a member of parliament here. Going back to the early days of my successful election to this place in February 2002, the lead-up to my successful election in 2002 was not necessarily what I regard as easy.

I was preselected when the campaign proper period was running. The then premier, Rob Kerin, had called the election. The member for Kavel at the time, the Hon. John Olsen, had announced that he was retiring, and I was preselected as the candidate for Kavel, with less than three weeks to run a campaign before the election day in February 2002. On reflection, it was probably the most intense period of my life, particularly my working life, those three or so weeks of preselection and then looking to mount a campaign to hold the seat.

We had a fairly formidable opponent running as an Independent, who had quite a high profile in the electorate. However, with the strong team effort of the local Liberal Party members and the SEC, we held the seat with a narrow margin, only 3 per cent. I think I polled 43 per cent of the primary vote and we received the 10 per cent preference flow that then brought me to 53 per cent against the Independent, who came second on the primaries.

I was fortunate enough to get a reasonable percentage of the ALP preferences in that election. I went through a lot of analysis and came to the understanding that there were some Labor Party supporters who would rather see somebody like me represent the electorate than the Independent person. However, in subsequent elections, particularly in 2006, we saw the margin go out to 10 per cent. It was fortunate for me, personally, as the sitting member looking for re-election, that Labor polled second. They came second in the primary vote because the Independent who ran against me in 2002 joined Family First, and the Family First candidate came third on first preferences and those preferences flowed to me considerably and pushed the margin to about 10 per cent.

In subsequent elections, in 2010 and 2014, when that person did not run, I think it reflected the true vote in the electorate when, after preferences, I won both those elections—2010 and 2014—on the primary vote and saw the margin push out well into the mid double digits, around 14 or 15 per cent. I am grateful for the very strong team effort that has supported me within the Liberal Party structure and overseen my success over those four successive elections.

From that time until now, and it will continue to be, I have always regarded it as an honour and a privilege to represent the voters in Kavel. It will be 16 years that I have regarded as being a very important and very enjoyable part of my life. It has been my life. To carry out the responsibilities properly of a lower house member, you have to commit pretty much your whole life to the job. I witnessed firsthand the commitment that my father made to the role, so I had a clear understanding of the commitment that was expected and that you needed to make a success of the job.

There have been highlights through the years, but there have been some tough times, too. Like all of us in this place, there have been family and personal issues that have had to be dealt with as well along the way. There have been some very humorous times, some funny times. Some humorous situations have come along. Conversely, there have been some very tense and serious situations that have arisen that have had to be dealt with.

The role of a lower house MP is a very varied role. Obviously, we have our parliamentary role, and I have valued my time as a shadow minister. I was involved in the shadow cabinet for approximately five years. I was a shadow minister—and I cannot recall the particular length of time—under the leadership of Iain Evans (the then member for Davenport) and the member for Heysen, Isobel Redmond, and I was in the shadow cabinet under the leadership of the member for Waite.

I have had some time as the Opposition Whip and I have been a member of a parliamentary committee, being the Economic and Finance Committee. Obviously, there is the electorate and constituent work and the political party involvement. We all know it is a very varied role, but I have enjoyed it all. As I said, there have been some good times and bad times.

The most rewarding part of the whole job has been the electorate and constituent work, to help individual people, community organisations, and to deal with the wider township and district issues. I have found that the most satisfying and rewarding. The thousands of people my office and I have assisted has been the best part. I sat down to try to calculate how many individual people we would have endeavoured to assist. After 16 years, if you times that by 52 weeks in the year and the number of meetings I have had with constituents, it literally runs into the thousands. In my maiden speech on 9 May 2002 I said, to quote from the Hansard:

…I believe it is a privilege to represent the people of Kavel and I look forward to honouring the trust they have placed in me and fulfilling my commitment to them in being a good, effective, accessible local member.

I am sincerely grateful to the voting public of Kavel who have put their trust in me as their local MP for 16 years. I think I have achieved being a good, effective and accessible local member. I go out of this place satisfied and proud of my work.

With the indulgence of the house, I would like to list some of the positive outcomes in the district. Some examples include improvements to health, education, road safety, transport infrastructure, emergency services, police, policing, sporting facilities and the environment. I have also been proud to maintain and support standards in social justice matters.

I have to say that I have only one real regret since being here and that is not being a member of the government. There was a very short period of time—

Members interjecting:

Mr GOLDSWORTHY: It was for just an hour or two on the very first sitting day, the swearing-in day in 2002, that I sat over in the back bench where the member for Ashford and the member for Light currently sit. The member for Morphett and I sat over there for about an hour or two on the very first sitting day until the Labor Party was supported into government. An enormous amount has been said, discussed, debated and argued about that over a long period of time so I do not need to trawl over all of that.

I want to look to the future and I want to speak about the endorsed Liberal candidate for Kavel, Mr Dan Cregan. He is a person of high intellect and high integrity. Dan works locally in Mount Barker and lives in that town with his partner, Jen. I am delighted that Dan is the party's candidate. A person of his calibre running in this seat is very pleasing. He is working every day on his campaign to win the seat and I trust he is successful on 17 March next year. He will be a real asset to the electorate, the parliamentary party and the parliament.

Talking about local issues, the Adelaide Hills is a most unique region in the country—not just in South Australia but in the country—so it is important that the government specifically focuses on this region. Mount Barker and surrounding districts and neighbouring towns such as Nairne and Littlehampton continue to grow and these towns will need specific attention by the government of the day. It requires ongoing attention to meet the needs and demands for services and infrastructure and I believe that that has not necessarily been the case over the past years. There is always work to be done.

In closing, I need to acknowledge and thank a number of people for their support, loyalty, care and friendship, people such as Lyn and John Nitschke, and Marg and Colin Westmore. I will list some others but I want to talk about Lyn and Marg for a moment or two. My involvement with Lyn and Marg dates back to the late 1990s when I first became more involved in the party structure. Lyn was the president of the Kavel SEC. I became the secretary of the SEC and Margie Westmore was the treasurer of the SEC, so our friendship and their support for me goes right back to the late 1990s.

In July 2001, I succeeded Lyn in becoming the president of the SEC. I had been approached previously to that about considering running for parliament. It was put to me that the then member obviously would not continue forever, and I might like to consider a parliamentary career. I thought about it and discussed it with my wife and, when I became president of the SEC, I made the decision that when an opportunity came up, I would avail myself of that opportunity, and that opportunity came up pretty quickly, as I said, in late January or early February 2002.

I thank those specific people, as well as Brian Pym and his late wife, Margaret; Liz Hunkin; Phil and Liz Turner; Michael Guthrie; John and Gloria Seidel; Mal and Faye Wade; the late David Gordon and Mrs Sheila Gordon; Kevin and Jan Kleeman; David and Wendy Kuchel; and Des and Beryl Stanbury. These are just some of the people who have been strong supporters. I could list hundreds more people who have been strong supporters, and I offer my sincere thanks to them personally and the party members who have shown their strong support.

I also thank the Liberal Party. The member for Finniss raised this point, which is most important. I would not be here as the member for Kavel without the Liberal Party. It is important that I thank my staff for their loyalty, support and commitment over the years. I have been fortunate to have very good staff in my office. A number of staff have worked in my office over the 16 years, but the two longest serving staff members are currently with me, one of whom has been with me my entire career, Ms Airlie Keen. The other staff member, Ms Jana Kranixfeld has been with me for 9½ years. My trainee, Joe Clayton, started in June this year and is doing well.

We all know how vital the work is that our staff in our offices carry out. They are our representatives to a large degree and have an important responsibility. It is not an easy job working in an electorate office. It is a demanding job and, to some degree, they work in an adversarial environment, so I want to thank my staff for their loyalty, commitment and support. I look forward to maintaining contact with them into the future once I retire.

I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues. I like to think I have got on with pretty much everyone on this side of the house and with some on the other side. I enjoy and value the friendship of a number of my colleagues: the members for MacKillop, Bright, Schubert, Davenport, Heysen and Hammond to name just a few. In the upper house, the Hon. Terry Stephens, the Hon. Andrew McLachlan CSC, the Hon. David Ridgway and the Hon. John Dawkins are just some members I regard as good friends. I want to thank them, the leader, the deputy leader and other colleagues for their support and friendship. On a personal level, I want to thank my personal friends who are not directly involved in politics. I have valued their friendship throughout my career. They have helped me maintain perspective on important aspects of life.

Finally, I need to thank my family most deeply: my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, my brother and sister-in-law, my extended family (uncles, aunts, cousins) and, most importantly, my children and my wife, Tracey. My children were 10 and seven when I was first elected to this place. Over 16 years, I have seen them grow into adults. They have been through university and they are fully grown adults now who are pursuing their own individual careers very well. Most importantly, my wife has been an absolute pillar of strength in her unwavering support. It would have been impossible to operate at the level I have without that support from my wife.

Again, thank you to one and all. I wish you all a very happy Christmas and look forward to the election of a Marshall Liberal government in March 2018.

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