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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-27 Daily Xml
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Adjournment Debate

Valedictories

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier, Minister for Defence and Space Industries) (17:23): I rise to speak on indulgence. We are at the end of the parliamentary year and, more than that, we are closing in on the end of the parliamentary term with an election due in March next year. This is an opportunity to reflect and also to pay thanks to a range of people who have contributed to the functioning and the operations of the parliament.

I would like to actually start by thanking you, Mr Speaker. Being Speaker is not an easy job. It requires active chairing and maintenance of the parliament and we thank you for your efforts. You have done it exceedingly well. If you had told me at the beginning of the parliamentary term that the parliament would end up being in this shape, I do not know if either of us would have predicted it, but you have taken on the role of being Speaker in a very Leon Bignell way and I want to thank you for the way you have conducted yourself in the chair throughout the time you have been Speaker.

I also want to acknowledge the Deputy Speaker, or Chair of Committees, Mr Tony Piccolo, who spends an awful amount of time, as a result of the parliament being quite busy in a legislative context, performing his functions in the operation of the parliament. I do want to thank you, Tony. I mentioned earlier the member for Mawson having few peers in terms of work ethic and demonstration of switching votes in the parliament. The one person who can absolutely lay claim to be a peer of the member for Mawson in that regard is, of course, the member for Light.

I want to thank the member for Light for his responsibilities in monitoring the parliament over the last four years, as well as being Chair of Committees over that period, but I also want to particularly wish the member for Light all the very best in March. He has taken on a formidable task and has always demonstrated a determination to do the best he possibly can by the state parliamentary Labor Party and has always put the interests of others and the party first.

When he rang me up and said, 'I am interested in running in the new seat of Ngadjuri,' you could have knocked me over with a feather. I think I called Tom Koutsantonis and said, 'Just check in on him and make sure everything is okay.' It is pretty remarkable and I just want to wish you every success. I have already seen much of the work that you are doing in that community, which is a good thing. There is nothing lost in having a bit of healthy competition and I just want to wish you every success and all the very best over the next few months because I know there will be few of us working harder than you, mate. Thank you for what you have done in the parliament.

To our Clerk and Deputy Clerk, Rick and David, and everyone else who assists them—the Serjeant-at-Arms, house services officers, parliamentary officers and research officers—you all make it tick.

The people I always feel most sorry for, of course, are Hansard, because they are duty-bound to actually listen to what we say. You must have the patience of saints and that is worthy of acknowledgement. The work is diligent and ongoing. It is an amazing team that you have. In particular, I do want to take this opportunity to thank you and wish you all the very best over the end of the parliamentary year. I hope you get a bit of respite from those headphones. Do you hear it at night? I hope you do not hear us at night when you shut your eyes because that would be problematic.

Can I also acknowledge John Weste and the whole parliamentary library team. It is such an incredible resource. Something that I grew a great appreciation for during my time in opposition is just how magnificent the parliamentary library team is for every MP. They deserve a lot of credit. They are extraordinary custodians of an amazing institution within the parliament.

The most important people in the building, though, of course, are Nicky, Karen and Belinda in the Blue Room. Without them, the whole joint stops. I can honestly say that I do not go there every day when parliament sits. When I was in opposition, I was in the Blue Room all the time. All of a sudden you are in government. You are not around the place. You lose a bit of contact with those magnificent women and the rest of the Blue Room team. The best thing about their character is that, as soon as you go back, you are straight back into it. There is a bit of healthy banter, which is very refreshing and it just brings a bit of light to the parliament.

I want to thank them for being the people they are, along with Creon and the team. The member for Lee mentioned Creon in his remarks the other day, but I just want to thank Creon and the whole team. From my perspective, the whole thing ticks. It is a lot of work. It all happens behind the scenes. It is too often taken for granted. I am very grateful for it. The security team here at parliament, the protective security officers, have an important function and it is again worthy of recognition.

I want to thank the member for Elizabeth, of course, who is the whip. I did not get a chance to acknowledge the member for Elizabeth yesterday in responding to his valedictory, by virtue of the fact I had to be elsewhere with the Governor of Shandong. The member for Elizabeth is a gentleman. He is a stalwart of the Labor Party. He has always conducted himself with grace. I think you can rightly characterise him as an exceptionally humble servant of the party and the parliament but an utterly dedicated one.

He has done a great job as whip. Whipping is a formidable task no matter what the size of your party is or the caucus is, but he has had to deal with a number of characters and personalities and make sure he is accommodating everyone's request. He has done it really, really well. He has a calmness about him. Lee is just a cool cat. Where is he? Oh, you are there.

Mr Odenwalder: I just walked in, honestly.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Right, well I will stop talking about you now. He is a cool cat. You are always calm and have it under control. I just want to wish the member for Elizabeth all the very best for his future endeavours. I know he will have more to contribute to the state. Thank you, Lee. I am sorry I could not be here yesterday for your remarks. To you and your beautiful family, I wish you all the very best.

The whip and the Leader of Government Business have to work closely together. Well done to Lee for enduring that. The Leader of Government Business enjoys rare status in this parliament as being the Father of the House but also one of the most extraordinary people I know. The member for West Torrens has a rare combination of talents. What is not always appreciated as much as it should be is that underneath the parliamentary skill, alongside the work ethic and commitment, is an extraordinary intellect. It is in his blood: he has beautiful parents and an exceptionally smart brother. He is one of the best-read people I know, whose insights are invaluable to the government and to me personally. I am very glad to be able to count the member for West Torrens as a friend.

Every day you are in the parliament and Tom is around the place, you just are very grateful that he is on this side and not that one. I would hate to think about it being the other way around. I am very grateful to the member for West Torrens for his work.

Likewise, I want to thank the new Deputy Premier of the parliamentary Labor Party, the Hon. Kyam Maher from the other place. Kyam has slotted into the role of deputy magnificently. I am very grateful for his support of me and the whole team. I never anticipated that the member for Port Adelaide would not be Deputy Premier at the next election—alas, life—but Kyam is doing an outstanding job and I want to thank him, which then extends to the whole cabinet.

The member for West Torrens touched on this in a lighthearted way earlier, but the cabinet has been united and disciplined every step of the way. Touch wood, we have not had any resignations as a result of scandal or disgrace. Everyone has just worked so hard. I could not be more grateful for their support of the government and me.

I want to depart from the parliament for a moment and thank my EO staff, led by Peter but also Gayle, Suzie and Sophia. When you are Premier, you are not in your electorate nearly as much as you otherwise would be. Similarly, I know the member for Hartley would appreciate how hard it is being leader and a local MP. Something has to give. It is a really difficult balancing act. I always have guilt when I reflect upon how much less time I have spent in my electorate over the last few years in comparison with what I was able to previously. But you rely on your EO staff and they have been so good and I am thankful to them.

I want to thank the whole team in DPC. I have been so impressed by DPC since I have been in this role. We have thrown at them a lot of challenges and they have always risen to the occasion. Damien Walker pulled the pin as CEO of DPC late last year. I spent a bit of effort thinking about who should take on the role. I could not be happier with the work that Rick Persse is doing—he has been awesome—and he has a really good team around him. I want to thank Nari, the deputy chief of DPC. On Whyalla, on the algal bloom and a range of other functions she has been asked to lead, Nari has been exceptional.

I do not want to list too many names, but Chief Operating Officer Wayne Hunter deserves recognition as well. The work he has done on a number of projects for the government has been tireless and structurally important for the state. That team, particularly Rick, is ably supported by Grace whom I want to thank as well.

In the Cabinet Office, Will Evans is in charge at the moment while Elspeth Brown is on maternity leave. Both Will and Elspeth lead an amazing team in the Cabinet Office, and I want to thank them. The Cabinet Office are professional, on top of their brief, and they make for a far better functioning government because of their work.

I do want to thank my office. Forgive me for naming them, but it is at the end of the term so I really would like the opportunity to pass on my appreciation to Nicole, my EA. My life would be disastrous without Nicole. How she manages it is beyond me. I want to thank the whole team, including Jess, Paul, Angela, Vicki, Leigh, Maddie, David, Mikaela, Tahlia and Anne-Marie. I want to thank that whole team that make the office work.

There is another bloke I would like to thank: my Chief of Staff, John Bistrovic. He is not in here, is he? Oh, he is here—he came in. Alright.

An honourable member: He's in the shadows.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That's right, that's where he hides. He loves the attention, so I should probably dial this up. John Bistrovic—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: John Michael Bistrovic.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: John Michael Bistrovic, JB, is right up there with the hardest workers I know—the first to get in and the last to leave. He has an uncanny ability to be flat out on his laptop and listening at the same time. Despite the member for West Torrens accusing him of it being Candy Crush, I know it is not, because I see the volume of work that gets undertaken. It is a really hard job. To be Chief of Staff in ministerial offices, in the leader's office, is really hard. But he has a good team around him: Sonia, Cheyne, Cat, Lawrence, Lukas, Claire, Rebecca, Todd—who celebrated his 40th birthday the other day—Pam (a great human being) and Nick. He is on the phone to me at sparrow's you know what early in the morning; it is an around-the-clock job.

Minh, David and Harry do a great job, along with Wendy and Streeter. I do want to particularly give a shout-out to James, who drives me around. He is an awesome human being. I very much like his company—thank God—because you spend so much time with them. If he does not like my company, he deserves a bonus because—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That's right. Jim is just a ripper. He is a person I trust implicitly. I never think twice about the conversations I have in the car. I have nothing but respect for James. He is an exceptionally hard worker, and I hope he and Anastasia get some time together over Christmas. I might give him a day or two.

To everyone back in the parliament, to everyone in the parliamentary Labor Party—all 29 members in this place and the nine members in the other place—it is a big deal to put your confidence in another person. In their own individual ways, by supporting me with the unity that the caucus has means they are putting their confidence in me. I take that seriously. When I stop and think about it a little bit it gives me a moment for pause to think how have I been so lucky to deserve that opportunity? There are so many talented people within our show, each of them with their own capabilities and each of them deserving an opportunity to be able to serve in the highest capacities.

It is the rarest of privileges to be the leader of the parliamentary Labor Party of South Australia, one of the most united, disciplined, committed and professional political outfits that this nation has ever known. The fact that the caucus gives me the opportunity to lead them—and I do not want to say this lightly, because it is genuinely humbling.

I have a range of imperfections. Sometimes I worry that I do not spend enough time and effort providing the pastoral care to members of the caucus as much as I should. When I say 'pastoral care' I hope that is not misinterpreted—but the time. I hope that people appreciate that I do not necessarily get to spend as much time with you individually and privately because you want me to be out there doing the work of leading the state. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I try and repay your faith by just doing the best we possibly can. I think we have been able to do a fair bit of good work and thank you for giving me this chance and for as long as you do I will do my absolute best.

There are three last groups of people I want to thank. The first one is my family. It is really amazing the support that we all get as members of parliament. I know we all love our families to death. I am very grateful for the support that my wife gives me. She is an amazing human being. She is a saint. She was calling me when this speech was on. I do not know if she would say the same thing about me and that would be right. She is a good human being and I am very grateful for her love and support.

To our kids who do not quite understand necessarily what is going on all the time. They seem to just roll with the punches somehow. They are beautiful kids and I am very, very proud of all four of them.

The other group I want to thank is the people of South Australia. I do not know what the outcome of the next election will be—no-one does. It is very much in their hands and I just want to thank them for their support of me and the government, the confidence they put in us at the last election.

I do not suggest for a moment that the government has been perfect. I certainly have not been perfect as Premier, but we have done our best and we have been able to do some good work. I hope that we are repaying their faith as best we can and I very much look forward to allowing them to cast their judgement on us at the next election, as they well should. Their votes are precious. Individually people might feel as though it does not mean too much, but when you add up almost a million of them it actually determines who leads the state and the effort that is put into the policy endeavour that might materialise in opportunity for others. I want to thank them for just giving us this chance over the last four years. It is a precious gift and we are grateful for it.

The final group I want to talk about is my political opponents. Politics is brutal, it is contested, it brings out the best in humanity, it brings out the worst in humanity. Having had the experience to sit on the opposition benches, I well appreciate that it pulls out of us—in fact, you have a responsibility to assume the worst of the government. You have a duty to be cynical of government, and that is healthy. That is part of the dynamic.

What I would say is that I think we should not forget, each and everyone of us, that our motives are genuinely for good. I believe that people of good intent can arrive at very different conclusions, as clearly we do all the time, but I think the way the South Australian Liberal Party has approached this parliament on matters when they have really been about the state's interests is to your credit.

I particularly think of the Whyalla example. I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the leadership he showed when that legislation had to pass the parliament quickly. It was one of those important moments where the state's interests had to trump any political interests. I asked if you could do that, and you did, and that was a really powerful moment because it was a demonstration that, when push really comes to shove, we actually are all in this together. I want to thank you for that.

I also want to wish each and every one of you all the very best over Christmas. This Christmas will be different for all of us I think. All of us will have a little bit of anxiety in the Christmas before a March election. I hope that you, as our political opponents, know that, notwithstanding the robustness of the electoral period ahead, we value your contribution to the state of South Australia and the sacrifice that you and your families make in order to make our state a better place.

In my view, the Liberal Party in this country is a fundamentally important institution for our country. There are two parties of government in Australia and they both have a really important role to play and political philosophies that have merit. You prosecute that case and that is important, and I wish you all the very best. Not too much, I hope, but I wish you success in your personal commitment to the future of the state and I hope you have a good Christmas.

I hope everyone has a good Christmas. We live in a very fortunate part of the world. I would not want to live anywhere else. I do not think anyone would. I hope that the people of South Australia are able to enjoy some time with their families and that we all spare a thought for those who might not be in as fortunate circumstances as others over the Christmas period.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (17:47): On indulgence, as the year comes to a close, I too would like to express my gratitude to a number of people. I do so very gratefully as the Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. I too thank the Premier. When there has been a degree of cordiality and civility, the Premier and I, such as in respect of the Whyalla situation, were able to put the state's interests first, which I think speaks volumes to the cordial nature of this place, despite the adversarial role of our respective positions.

I also want to say that I do respect and appreciate the way that we have been able to conduct ourselves this year in this chamber. I want to acknowledge that there are a number of members in this place who will be retiring at this election, and we should put on the record our acknowledgement of all of those members for their contributions: the members for Lee, Elizabeth, Port Adelaide, Unley Morialta, Colton, Torrens and yourself, sir.

Congratulations on whatever is next for you. I was listening to your contribution at length, and what a journey it has been. What a unique role it is up there, as you know. Of course, we all have brought our own style, for those of us who have been fortunate enough to sit in that august position. You have done it your way and, all in all, I think the house has functioned well. It has functioned well in the time that you have been there, so congratulations and best wishes for what is next.

I want to also take this opportunity to thank those who have supported me and enabled me to do this job. Before I get to many of my colleagues and those in the building, I should put my thoughts on the record to thank my own family, my dear wife Charissa and our two sons. I love my family dearly. They say that the moment that your child is born your heart learns a new language. It is very, very true, especially to Leonardo and Raphael. Leonardo knows at the end of a sitting week he gets a chocolate frog from the Blue Room. I get accused of being the fun parent.

We all make sacrifices in this place. We all make sacrifices in the roles that we do, and if I did not have the love and support of Charissa and our families we would not be able to do what we do. Like every member here I appreciate those sacrifices that all of our families make, to work hard in the service of our communities, to carry out what we need to do. I am grateful for the encouragement and the patience that I receive every single day.

We are all very fortunate to be in these roles. It goes without saying, these are really fortunate, privileged positions. We are very fortunate to call South Australia home at a point in time when we see other parts of the world are certainly not as fortunate as us. As we approach the end of the year, I want to wish every South Australian all the best. I also want to express my gratitude to the people in this parliament who contribute in various ways.

I take the opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to the people who ensure that this place runs smoothly. Thank you to Mr Crump, who I had the pleasure of working very closely with, to Travis Freckleton and David Pegram. To Lauren and your team, thank you for your guidance, your professionalism and the steadiness that you continue to bring to this house every day. To Chris Schwarz, Guy Dickson and the staff in the other place: thank you for your dedication and tireless service, especially the late hours that you sometimes have to work.

To the Hansard team, led very capably by Andrew Cole. I was involved in the employment of Andrew Cole and it is great when, a long time later, these people are still here. It was obviously a good choice because Hansard is functioning extremely well: never get things wrong. Sometimes they remember things that need correcting that I, myself, did not even know needed correcting at the time. They conduct their role flawlessly, despite the cut and thrust of parliamentary debate. We often find the words just eloquently and accurately arranged in Hansard, so thank you for that. We obviously depend a great deal on the Hansard staff.

To the building services team under David Woolman, I think the only failure originally our forefathers did not come up with is another lift, because there always seems like there is something that needs to be improved in this house, whether it is a light globe, a lick of paint, whatever it is, there is always something. But to David and your team, nothing is too hard when something needs to be done. Thank you for keeping this iconic building functioning well day in and day out.

My thanks also go to PNSG for their support; the Blue Room staff—Nicky, Karen and Belinda—for your warmth, kindness and the sense of community that you help create in the building. I should also acknowledge the most powerful man in the building. That is Creon. We had another situation during the week where I had some enthusiastic guests who had not met Creon; they did. Creon generally tries to make things work and make sure that our guests are always looked after, despite the rigours of some the parliamentary dining rules in this place. Thank you, Creon, for what you do.

And to everybody who works in this building, from the cleaner to those in the bar: thank you for the pride that you take in your work which keeps this place welcoming and immaculate, not only for ourselves but also for the thousands and thousands of people who come in through here every single year.

To Dr Weste, the parliamentary library; to Natalie and the Community Education and Engagement team. A fundamental part of what we do is being able and privileged enough to showcase this place, the people's house, to the people of our state. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Protective Security staff and the parliamentary admin staff for keeping us safe each and every day and ensuring the smooth running of the building and surrounds.

I should pass on my gratitude to my parliamentary colleagues on the record. To our leadership team: to my good friend and colleague the deputy leader, the member for Heysen; to the Hon. Nicola Centofanti, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council; to Heidi, Deputy Leader of the Opposition. To all my colleagues, I am grateful for what has certainly been another big year but another big four years for our party. I sincerely thank all of my colleagues for their steadfast support. Shadow cabinet, outside shadow cabinet, I am very appreciative of their work and their fundamental role in performing our duty as an opposition.

To my office, I am very grateful for the dedication and commitment of my staff, if I am able to list them: Aric as Chief of Staff; the media team, including Hayley, Gretel, Sean and Scout; and of course the rest of the office and the broader team who keep everything running smoothly: Dawid, Luke, Max, Michelle, Craig, Nigel, Ned, Isabella, Yahnika, Tanja and Caitlin.

Of course, we all know that to enjoy the fruits we also have to water the roots. We all have an electorate office, and I have been very fortunate to have such longstanding staff. My former office manager Simone Mazzeo, now Simone Bakopanos. The only way she left was because she had a baby. For nine years, what loyalty. It was a great catch-up with her recently with another staff member who just got married. Thank you to Federica, who has been with me for over 10 years, and Sharon, Spencer and Matteo, who have helped us out as well. The team behind us as MPs does not go unnoticed and it must not go unthanked, so thank you.

My thanks also go to our whips, the member for Unley, the member for Finniss and of course the member for Bragg, who I promoted as the manager of opposition business. It is a decision that I am very proud of. The member for Bragg is a great talent, as are all my other colleagues. The member for Bragg, it is a tough job and you have done it exceedingly well, so well done and thank you. To all of my colleagues, we are a great team. I am very grateful for their work this year, despite some of the challenges that have come before us, some of them like never before, so I really am grateful for that.

Mr Speaker, I also want to thank you. Like all Speakers, you have kept us to work in a civil way, well behaved in the chamber. Sometimes you are too lenient, but I know you have always done it with the charisma, spirit and relaxed nature that you conduct in other ways. I still think you should put a tie on. There is still time; you still have a few minutes to go. I thank you for your service, for the role that you provide—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: And we should have got a few more questions, yes. Thank you for the service that you provide in the role. We also wish you and your family a safe and merry Christmas. Thank you to those who are working over Christmas. While many of us will get some sort of break, I remember the hardworking, dedicated South Australians who do not necessarily get a break. I want to take this opportunity in the time that remains to wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas and a prosperous 2026.

Sitting extended beyond 18:00 on motion of Hon. A. Koutsantonis.

The SPEAKER (17:57): On indulgence, I just want to quickly put my thanks on the record, too, for the Premier entrusting me to be in this role as Speaker, to Rick the Clerk, David the Deputy Clerk, and to everyone in the team here. It is a very well-run parliament. We brought in an executive officer thanks to legislation. I want to welcome Megan Bradman into that role. It will take a lot of the weight off the clerks because their job is just getting bigger and bigger. Megan is working her way through the different changes that we can make.

There was an EB that dragged out for 20 months, and I know that has had an effect on morale throughout the building. I hope all staff members have a good break. I look forward to catching up with you in January, February and half of March before the election, as we try to repair some of the relationships throughout the building and get back to having a really harmonious and productive workplace. It is a little bit hard sometimes when you have three different workgroups. I will be working with the Attorney-General, Deputy Premier Kyam Maher, on some legislation that, hopefully, whoever is here in the next term can then put through the house to make sure that we modernise and have a contemporary workplace that matches what happens out in the private sector and the public sector.

Talking about Kyam, I just want to put on the record that Kyam is one of my favourite human beings. He is a beautiful fellow. I have seen him suffer more than any other MP in my 20 years in this place. We all go through hardship, but being an Aboriginal man I saw the racism directed at Kyam online and through other means, particularly cruel, around claims about his mother—totally outrageous. To be honest, it is one of the reasons I went off social media over a year ago, not from anything that anyone was saying to me but because of the sorts of attacks on people like Kyam.

Kyam is an incredible human being, one we will look back on when his time in here is done and thank him for the huge changes he has made. We are the only place in Australia with a Voice to Parliament. Sitting in the upper house in the last sitting week when Danni Smith from Mount Gambier, a joint Presiding Member of the State Voice to Parliament spoke so well about what it is that the Aboriginal people of South Australia would like to do, she said whether you agree or do not agree, let's all walk together and try to make this a better place. She was the first Aboriginal woman to speak on the floor of parliament in South Australia. I came away from that thinking, 'What was so hard? Why couldn't we have done that as a nation?'

It is the great leadership that Kyam has shown in that area and also in voluntary assisted dying. I lost count of how many bills we tried to get through to bring in voluntary assisted dying. It was Kyam's relentless giving of his time to get around and explain to everyone in this house and in the other place the advantages of having a bill that could give people dignity in their final days.

I will be forever grateful for Kyam's friendship. As I said, he is probably my favourite person in this whole place. He is just a beautiful guy with a massive heart. When I told him yesterday that I was not going to run again, I just burst into tears and we had a big hug. Thank you Kyam for everything.

Thank you to everyone in this place. It has been a pleasure. When the Premier suggested I could be the Speaker, I said, 'But I'm the guy from sales. Usually it goes to someone from accounts or from the legal department.' He said, 'Just get in there and be yourself.' I am forever grateful to the leader, the deputy leader and the member for Kavel, three former Speakers in this place, who gave me some really handy driving hints before I sat in this chair for the first time.

Of course, Rick and David and everyone down here, they are like the puppeteers putting their hands up the back of your shirt. You just move your mouth and hopefully the right words come out. To everyone, thank you. I want to wish you all a merry Christmas and all the best in the election.

For those who do not win, we have done a big reform this year in allowing former members who got voted out and who did not get to make a valedictory speech the right to come back in here and put on the record their gratitude to the people who are important to them and their legacy. Because, what happens is when you move on someone takes all the credit for the things that you do. Unless you get the chance to come in here and put it all on the record, someone else will change history and you might not get the recognition that you deserve.

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