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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-13 Daily Xml
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HOLLOWAY, HON. P.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (15:41): I move:

That this council notes the retirement of the Hon. Paul Holloway and his meritorious service to the parliament and this state as a minister of the Crown and as a long-serving member.

It is with great pleasure and also a sense of sadness that I rise to my feet today to speak to this motion. I believe that there are very few people who can leave this place knowing with absolute certainty that they have done great work, and also know with equal certainty that the benefits of that effort will grow into brilliant fruition for many years to come. Paul Holloway can leave here knowing that sense of certainty, because Paul has left behind a unique legacy which includes laying out the groundwork for South Australia's future prosperity.

Through the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide he has given us a structure that outlines how South Australia's physical and social infrastructure will grow over the next three decades. Through his work on developing South Australia's mining industry, he has given us a stable economic foundation that will make these and many other dreams tangibly achievable.

It is a common and rather tiresome criticism of politicians that we only ever think in the short-term political cycle. Paul Holloway is a wonderful example of a masterful politician who is the exact opposite to that. Paul is and always has been a long-term thinker, a big picture thinker. The daily merry-go-rounds and the media circus that often pass for political life I believe have had very little impact on Paul. Instead, over 12 ministerial portfolios and 27 parliamentary committees, Paul has systematically and tirelessly worked to bring about an economy that will sustain this state and its people for many years into the future. He has understood both the broad sweep and the detail of how South Australia works, and has given deep thought to how our state can make the very best of the choices that we have before us.

By way of illustration of the consequences of Paul Holloway's work, by late last year South Australia had a record $80 billion worth of projects underway, with almost half generated in the minerals and resources area. This success has been facilitated by the state government's Plan For Accelerating Exploration or PACE, which was very much a project of Paul's.

This program of well-targeted and comprehensive support for mineral exploration has helped fuel record levels of mineral exploration and has created a climate of certainty for long-term investors. In 2002 South Australia was home to four major operating mines; today there are 16 that are approved, with around 30 more in the development pipeline. Between 2002 and 2009 exploration in South Australia increased more than sevenfold. Paul Holloway has played an absolutely pivotal role in these stunning figures. The mining industry recognised this when, in 2008, he was named as an official Mining Legend—the only Australian politician ever to be accorded such an honour.

Paul's career in politics has taken a somewhat convoluted path. As a science graduate with a first-class honours degree in electrical engineering and an economics degree from the University of Adelaide, he has impressive technical qualifications. During his studies he won the Australian Society of Accountants Prize for Accountancy (1984)—it counts for a lot, really, about Paul, doesn't it?—the IBM Prize for Economic Statistics (1985), and the Economic Statistics Prize (1985). Paul held the House of Assembly seat of Mitchell from 1989 to 1993. In September 1995, Paul was chosen to fill a Legislative Council casual vacancy and was elected deputy opposition leader in the upper house in 1997. In 2002 he was elected leader of the government in the Legislative Council and appointed minister for agriculture, food and fisheries and minister for mineral resources development.

Paul has also since held portfolios of police and small business, and until recently he was the government upper house leader, minister for mineral resources development, minister for urban development, planning and the City of Adelaide, minister for industrial relations, and minister assisting the Premier in public sector management—he has had some very senior responsibilities. Principled, diligent, safe and wise, Paul has a reassuring and slightly old-fashioned way about him. He has often said he plays with a straight bat, and that old-fashioned air about him disguises a razor-sharp intellect and a very strong, iron-clad political nerve.

There are some things that we will probably never know about Paul, such as the mystery of his fondness for Johnny Cash, the enigmatic country singer otherwise known as The Man in Black. Paul will, no doubt, take with him a few enigmatic secrets of his own, such as how he was able to remain standing through the endless series of toasts at official banquets on overseas trips to strengthen relationships on behalf of the state's mining industries. Anybody else might have crumbled under the strain, but I understand Paul did a sterling job, and did us proud.

There is a deep streak of toughness there that is only occasionally revealed, and then there is his uncanny ability to anaesthetise overwrought journalists with his powerful grasp of policy detail: it is a brave journalist who takes on Paul Holloway. The willingness to get on top of tough assignments and see them through has been a hallmark of Paul's career.

As fisheries minister in 2002, Paul had the difficult and controversial task of withdrawing commercial fishing licences from the River Murray as part of the Lewis compact. In fact, so controversial was this process that it resulted in a censure motion directed at Paul, and I know Paul considers that particular censure motion a badge of honour to be polished and treasured because it represents a triumph over entrenched interests that all the evidence indicated needed to be changed, and history has shown that he took the correct stand on this matter.

As attorney-general in 2003, Mr Holloway took the Nemer decision to cabinet in a context that had ignited public passions and that, too, required a cool head and a very steady hand. As minister for urban development and planning he initiated the implementation of the planning and development review, including the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, which exposed him to the brunt of harsh media questioning and, really, hate campaigns. These are but a few of the many examples of Paul's coolness under fire. His reputation was built on being a minister prepared to push through tough decisions because he believed that they were in the state's long-term best interests.

Paul has always been prepared to take on entrenched self-interest, despite the public and private flak that came with taking such principled stands. We shall miss him, his generosity of spirit and his wise counsel delivered in that trademark sideways fashion that we all know—more of a gentle, thoughtful musing (sometimes very mumbled, I have to say)—or slightly concealed pearls of wisdom were more his style rather than direct in-your-face advice.

I know that all sides of this council have benefited from his insights and his generosity of spirit. I feel that I can say on behalf of us all that he will, indeed, be missed. It says much about the man that he did not want me to say anything upon his departure on the last day of his parliamentary sitting. He would not let me do a motion then, so I am very pleased to have the opportunity to do it today.

We will miss all the qualities that I have outlined that made him such a successful politician but we will also miss him as a colleague and a friend. On behalf of everyone I thank Paul deeply for his brilliant contribution to this place and to this state. I hope he leaves us knowing how well he has earned our deep respect and our good wishes and I expect we will see and hear more of him in whatever path he follows in the next phase of his life.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (15:52): I rise to be one of several speakers from the opposition to second the motion and endorse the comments of the Leader of the Government. Like the Leader of the Government I was disappointed that, on the last day before the winter break, we did not get a chance to say farewell to Paul Holloway. Mr President, I heard you call an end to whatever the debate was and I raced down the stairs to see the Hon. Paul Holloway disappearing through that door and the session was adjourned. I was a little disappointed because I think it is always fitting at that time. However, I am delighted that the minister has moved this motion to enable us to have the opportunity to do so today.

The Hon. Paul Holloway was one of very few politicians who was lucky enough to get a second chance. He was the member for Mitchell and was a casualty of the big swing to the Liberal Party in 1993 but he was given a second chance by the Labor Party and came in here in 1995. It is fair to say, certainly from my perspective (being a country resident at the time and following state politics reasonably closely) I am sure he worked very diligently here, but he was certainly not somebody you saw in the media very often, especially in country areas. He may well have had a higher profile here in Adelaide but certainly not in country areas, and I did not really know much about the man before I was elected in 2002.

It is interesting to note that the Hon. Gail Gago brought up the issue of licences for river fishers and I think that is where I saw Paul Holloway. I take a different view from the Hon. Gail Gago. I think it was something that the Hon. Paul Holloway realised, as leader of the government and as part of the compact with Peter Lewis, that he had to deliver on, but I think he did feel uncomfortable that there were families in the gallery who were probably losing their livelihoods and I certainly think that he felt for those people. I remember that they were up in the gallery for some time, and I could sense that Paul was uncomfortable in doing something which his party had agreed to and which had to be done as part of the compact. I think he often did some of the, shall we say, dirty work for the government, with probably little reward from his team for that.

I always found him to be very fair and pretty cool most of the time. From an opposition point of view we could always tell when we had Paul agitated because he would button his jacket up, he would shift his glass around, he might adjust his pencils—

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Put his finger up.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —put his finger up and every now and again he would get a look on his face and from that we could tell we had finally got under his skin that day. It did not happen very often, but buttoning his jacket up on a hot day in the middle of November or in February was always a fair indication that we had got under his skin.

I think he has certainly discharged his duties, in whatever portfolio he has been responsible for, very diligently. From a media perspective, from an opposition point of view, we always try to look at areas where we can find a weakness in the government. The Hon. Mr Holloway rarely, if ever, gave us an opportunity with a poor media performance. He was, I think, seen as a particularly safe pair of hands.

I would also like to pay tribute to his wife, Wendy, who I had the pleasure of seeing at a number of functions. You do not often see the opposing ministers' wives, but she was often there supporting Paul. She was delightful to spend an evening with and to chat with. I am also reminded of—this is the only one that I am aware of, but I am sure there are others—a transport-orientated development tour, I think, a couple of years ago, where former minister Holloway and minister Conlon attended. My understanding is that Paul's wife, Wendy, attended as well and she actually participated in the whole tour—asked questions, took notes and really embraced what the tour was about. As members would recall, I received a lot of information about that tour from participants, but there was nothing negative about the Hon. Paul Holloway or his wife in the discharge of his duties and her support of him.

I think it is important because politics is a pretty thankless job and it is pretty tough on families. I think it is important that we acknowledge the contribution that our wives, husbands, partners and families make to our public lives.

While the current planning minister may have a different point of view to the Hon. Paul Holloway, I was disappointed for the Hon. Paul Holloway and the Hon. John Rau that any disagreements they have about the work that Paul did as minister were aired in the public domain recently. I think that was poor form, and I was disappointed that the Hon. John Rau would do that at a public forum. Whatever disagreements they might have behind the scenes, I thought that was poor form because I do not believe that Paul Holloway deserved criticism in the public forum.

The planning reforms that the Hon. Paul Holloway pushed through, I think, will stand South Australia in good stead. As the opposite of Paul for the last five years now as the planning shadow, I have always tried, where it was sensible, to support the initiatives that the government put forward. To the Hon. Paul Holloway's credit, he actually acknowledged the contribution that some of us have made in supporting some of those reforms, and I think that is a mark of the man himself. Very few ministers, and probably very few shadow ministers, ever acknowledge their opposite number, but I do thank him for that on a number of occasions.

In mining, as the Hon. Gail Gago mentioned, Paul has a Legend in Mining. I do not know whether that means he is old and fossilised or whether he is a rare gem. I am not quite sure what it is.

An honourable member: A rare gem.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: He must be a rare gem, a precious gem. I will be reminded that every February, after the Productivity Commission report was handed down, a member of the government would have a Dorothy Dixer on the police statistics. It was like clockwork. Every February, the Hon. Paul Holloway would have a Dorothy Dixer and, of course, once we were awake to that, we would always have a response to that or a supplementary question.

I was delighted one day, as we walked out of this chamber to have a cup of coffee, when Paul turned to me and said, 'Oh well, Ridgy, you will use statistics when you are minister just like I was using them today.' So, I was delighted to think that we could have a little bit of a laugh about it and I was also pleased to think that he does see me as being a minister at some point in the future. So, with those few words, I wish the Hon. Paul Holloway and his wife, Wendy, and their family all the very best in their retirement.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (16:00): The Hon. Paul Holloway and I go back to when we were both staffers in the commonwealth parliamentary offices located in what was then known as the AMP Building. I am not sure whether it is still known as that; I don't think it is. He was working for Ralph Jacobi MP and I for Chris Hurford MP. They were exciting times leading up to the election of the Hawke government, with a great deal of policy work being undertaken at that time.

Also, being Adelaide, with nearly everybody likely to have some connection or other, Paul was known to my husband and me through being at university with one of my husband's brothers. Whilst Paul is known as having fiery and passionate moments, especially with some members opposite whom I shall not name, he is in the main respected for being considered, balanced and intelligent in all his endeavours. I think he is a thinker and cautious by nature.

At the same time, I know that the only quiet thing about his views would have to be his voice—sotto voce—and at different times some people in politics have come in for a fair amount of shellacking. I certainly will miss those discussions. I noticed that earlier many of his former staff members were here and some are still here, and I am pleased to see that they were here and still are here because I suspect they will miss some of those discussions as well.

I was very pleased to have the Hon. Paul Holloway already in parliament when I was elected in late 1997. We were in opposition and he was a great person to have around and always happy to offer some sage advice at different times if asked. His political career has been a distinguished one. The Hon. Gail Gago has already placed on record that distinguished career with him holding, as we know, several senior portfolios.

I was pleased to be working with him for several years as a parliamentary secretary in PIRSA portfolios. It gave me the opportunity to learn a great deal in relation to the agribusiness sector in South Australia and to expand my knowledge of regional South Australia. I was then especially pleased to join him as a minister in this chamber and work with him at that level. He was the leader of government for the entire time that he was a minister—some nine years—and responsible for steering the government's agenda. I know we would all agree that he did a great job.

As we have heard from several people, he is respected in the mining sector for driving the government's pro-mining agenda. He was the architect of the government's PACE scheme, and the 30-year plan in particular is also a great credit to him. At the time of his resignation, the Premier paid tribute to him, and I particularly think the words he used should formally be reiterated in this chamber:

Paul Holloway is a unique combination of wise counsel, safe pair of hands and strong reformer. His planning reforms lay down a strategic charter for orderly growth and development for decades to come. His initiatives in mining, to drive exploration and investment, have seen a quadrupling of the number of mines in SA with many more to come including what will become the world's biggest. Many thousands of new jobs for a hundred years...that's why the mining industry presented him with the 'Mining Legend' jacket and SA has been cited as Australian and world's best practice for many of our initiatives. Paul's intellect, decency and loyalty have won him widespread respect.

I thought it was worthwhile reiterating those comments in this chamber. On a personal level, I will miss his friendship and often different humour, not unlike mine. Sometimes people would call it black humour, but I am not certain about that, but I do wish the Hon. Paul Holloway well in all his future endeavours.

As we heard from the Hon. David Ridgway, it is our partners who are also always there in the background. I hope that the Hon. Paul Holloway, his wife, Wendy, and family now have the opportunity to spend more time together and do all those things that life in politics does not always allow one the time to do.

I think that everyone here would agree that the Hon. Paul Holloway has left a tremendous legacy of new initiatives and hard work. The Hon. Gail Gago mentioned his fortitude for toasts. I think she may have been referring particularly to 'gan-bei'. So, to the Hon. Paul Holloway I say, gan-bei—the Hon. Jing Lee knows what I am talking about—and well done.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:05): I share the sentiments of the Leader of the Government. I am pleased to support this motion but there is also a little bit of sadness because it brings to an end a long period of service to this chamber by the Hon. Paul Holloway. I have had the privilege of knowing Paul for a very long time. I first met Paul in 1985 when I was working in the commonwealth parliamentary offices, but not in the AMP Building, it had then moved to the Commonwealth Bank Building. I think the Hon. Carmel Zollo had moved to an office outside of that complex by that stage, which a lot of federal members were starting to do.

However, I went there to work in a part-time capacity for the then member for Wakefield, Neil Andrew, who went on to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives some significant number of years later, and Paul was working for Mr Ralph Jacobi, the much loved member for Hawker. Some people have never heard of the seat of Hawker, but we certainly had the federal seat for a long time and it was a pleasure to know Ralph Jacobi.

I enjoyed working with a range of people in that building at that time. It was totally different to what we see today. A lot of the federal members only had one staff member and so they would get together and help each other. Labor staff would help Liberal staff send out a newsletter, or vice versa, I think. It was a different time.

Also working in that building at that same time were some other personalities that Paul will remember very well. We had the current member for Croydon, the Hon. Michael Atkinson, working there, also a former member for Playford and former senator, John Quirke, the former member for Napier and former senator, Annette Hurley, and, of course, the now premier of New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell, who was there working for Senator Tony Messner. So, you can imagine that there were some interesting people on the 12th and 13th floors of the Commonwealth Bank Building.

I did not have a lot to do with Paul after that. In 1988, Neil Andrew moved his office to Gawler and so I did not see as much of Paul. I was aware that he was successful in gaining preselection for the seat of Mitchell. I did bump into him on at least one occasion, and I think probably more than that, in the 1989 election because I did a bit of work for the Hon. John Olsen, former premier, in his then capacity as leader of the opposition.

I did a bit of advance party work throughout that election and I bumped into Paul once or twice during that time. He has probably forgotten that. It remains in my mind because the Liberal Party got well over 52 per cent of the vote but fell one seat shy of office, in a very close result. While I did not see much of Paul for a number of years, I was aware of the fact that he lost his seat in 1993 but was then elected to fill a vacancy in this place in 1995. When I came here in 1997, he was the deputy leader of the opposition, and that has been spoken about, but what has not been mentioned is that in that period, for some significant period of time, the Hon. Carolyn Pickles was unwell and unable to take her place in here for some months, I think, so the Hon. Mr Holloway filled in that position as acting leader for some time.

Throughout his time in the parliament, he has, in opposition as a backbencher in the lower house and, of course, as a minister and leader of the government, and just in his role as a member of the Legislative Council, always demonstrated that he was a decent man who had strong principles, but I will always remember the fact that he always had time to speak to colleagues or staff in this building, whatever was happening. Whatever issues were happening, Paul was always willing to smile and speak to people. I think that is a lesson for a lot of people who go into politics that we have to work with people from all sides of the parliament. We have to work with all of the people who support us in this building and it does not cost anything to be pleasant to all those people.

I am pleased to say I call Paul Holloway a friend. I think one of the things a lot of us learn when we come into these places is that you do make very good friendships across the political divide. I wish him all the best in the next stage of his life. It was a pleasure to be a colleague.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (16:12): I rise to support the motion, obviously. The Hon. Mr Holloway was a great help to my staff and I when we first arrived in February 2002. He was most helpful in steering us around the place, and we had a bit of a chuckle about some of the traditions and practices in this place. I congratulate him on his career in the Legislative Council. He was a good leader, one of our best ministers and a loyal ASU member, and we were always very proud of him. We all appreciated his intellect, his experience, good humour and his humility.

I wish the Hon. Paul Holloway, Wendy and family best wishes for the future. I also wish to thank the Hon. Paul Holloway on behalf of the 300,000 recreational fishers for his part and work in banning nets along our coastline. Thank you, Paul—and tight lines.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (16:13): I rise to indicate support for this motion. I am bearing in mind with my remarks that, as he is no longer a member of this place, he is denied a right of reply and I respect his civilian status. It was the worst kept secret that the Hon. Paul Holloway was to retire, and I am sorry that we did not get a chance to make these remarks before he did because then we could have paid him out and he could have rebutted that.

Be that as it may, he has been described several times as a safe pair of hands, and I think that is how he is viewed generally, which is a compliment. He was certainly always across his brief, a good performer in here in spite of the fact that, yes, he was passionate to the point where we could wind him up at times and probably enjoyed that sport more than he did at times, but he certainly never said anything silly when he was in this place, and I think that is a great credit to him and to his capacity as a minister. He has obviously held some very senior roles, and I think it is safe to say that he has had a distinguished career in this place. He was a worthy opponent, and we wish him well.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (16:14): I also rise to support this motion. I am disappointed that I am having to speak today because I would have looked forward to the Hon. Paul Holloway remaining in this parliament until the end of this term because of the capacity and the way that the Hon. Paul Holloway always has gone about his work, from a strategic point of view for the government. This government has come through a lengthy term in office, and now they start to reinvigorate with some newer members in the ministry. I would have thought that there would be a huge advantage in having the very wise head of the Hon. Paul Holloway in that cabinet room.

I watched with interest the Hon. Paul Holloway in 1993 because Mitchell was a seat that had to be won to win government, and of course Mitchell was lost but that had nothing to do with a lack of effort by the Hon. Paul Holloway. As many have said, historically in a marginal seat when the swing is on the swing is on, and it was not a reflection in that district of the capability and capacity of the Hon. Paul Holloway but simply that when it is going south it goes south, which is why you always want to try to get a very safe seat.

For the benefit of the Labor Party, which is now clearly historically documented, he was given an opportunity in 1995 to come into the Legislative Council. I have watched with interest a similar situation with myself also having had the privilege of serving in both houses. It was interesting in 2002, the week before the election, when you never take anything for granted, I actually thought we were going to get over the line in that election when I was with the then government. I was in the refreshment room as a minister trying to get some lunch early afternoon and Paul was there also. Paul said to me, 'Well, one of us is going to be very busy in a week, Robert, and one of us is going to have a year off.' We smiled and chuckled.

Of course it was several days before either of us knew what was going to turn out with that event, but as fate has it I went down and the Hon. Paul Holloway went into the ministry. I went into an opposition position, but watching the Hon. Paul Holloway from there right through to his retirement you would have to say he has an exemplary minister, an outstanding member of parliament, and he has been able to work with all sides of the political spectrum, and Family First has certainly always enjoyed its opportunities to have discussions with Paul on bills. Once Paul said yes to something, he stuck with that, and that is really important as a minister and as leader of government with respect to the business of the government in the parliament.

As many have said, Paul is an intellectual. I agree with the now Leader of the Government that he was sometimes a little bit hard to hear, a little bit of mumbling, but after sitting in here for a few months you did start to understand what he was saying. I congratulate also his replacement, and I am sure he will be a very good participant in this house. Like the Hon. David Ridgway said, I have also noticed Wendy, his wife, supporting him over those years. The partners do not get recognition. They put up with a lot and go without a lot. I know what his family would have gone through in his years as minister and they need to be commended too.

In conclusion, I do not think we will see the end of the Hon. Paul Holloway as I noticed recently that he is part of a multi-partisan consultancy consortium now, and I am sure we will see that consortium banging on our doors as they do their business out in the CBD and other areas. With respect to mining, I understand why he was made a legend for mining. I tried to move some amendments in this place when we had the mining bill and we got one up. I wanted to see more equity for farmers, but batting for the government and his directions he held a very strong bat and no wonder the mining industry gave him that reward as a legend.

I finish by saying the other thing that has not been said so far: the hardest yards that had to be done on behalf of the government always seemed to go to the hand of the Hon. Paul Holloway, planning in particular. When we look back through history, whether or not we agree with planning decisions, certainly Paul Holloway got through a lot of planning approvals that cabinet directed him to, and I do not think many ministers would have been able to achieve what he achieved. Congratulations for his input and I wish him and his family a long, healthy and successful future.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (16:20): I rise briefly to wish the Hon. Mr Paul Holloway a long and happy retirement. I am thrilled that the Hon. Paul Holloway is moving into private enterprise. Sometimes I looked across and wondered whether he would have made a much greater contribution to his own personal and family wealth if he had been out in private enterprise many years ago. I would not say that lightly, and I mean it in all sincerity.

Paul Holloway was a warrior for the Labor Party. Quite often, those of us on this side did not agree with his party's agenda, but he fought the good fight for his beloved Labor Party. It does not mean we respect him any less. In fact, one of Paul's great qualities was that we could have a pretty heated session in here and he seemed to shake it off reasonably quickly, and you could always have a conversation with him in the bar. He was always quite reasonable and he was always very balanced. I have met Paul's wife, Wendy, a number of times, and I hope that Paul and Wendy have a long and happy life, and I thank him for his service to this parliament.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (16:21): I will be brief, as the Hon. Mr Brokenshire was the main speaker on behalf of our party in acknowledging the service of the Hon. Mr Holloway, but I do want to put it couple of brief things on the record, if I may. I think the first thing that I remember—I am speaking as though he has already gone, but I know you are here, Paul—and I think fondly of the Hon. Mr Holloway was the assistance that he gave me personally when I was a new member, in particular with the significant trees legislation that did end up passing in this place; indeed, it passed the other place as well. I am hopeful that the regulations will be finalised soon and that we will see that bill come into effect. I understand that that is the case.

It was the Hon. Mr Holloway who really deserves the credit for the passage of that bill. Members here would know that situation. It was a government bill, of course, and re-presented by me as it lapsed in this place. I want to place on record my sincere thanks to the Hon. Mr Holloway for that. Without his help that simply would not have happened, and I think it will be a terrific initiative once it is finalised. It was a very odd situation. You might remember that it was my bill when it was moved for the second time, yet the Hon. Mr Holloway took all the questions from the chamber as it was originally a government bill. I understand that it is the first time that has happened in this place. It is something that I will always remember and be grateful for.

The second thing I want to say—and this is meant in the most sincere way possible—is that the thing that all of us think about the Hon. Mr Holloway is that he brought a sense of dignity to politics, a sense of decency to what we do in this place. I think all of us at times can learn from that. It is something that I saw consistently in him and that I will always respect.

Finally, if I can just say that we have had a look at your voting record, Paul, and if you ever change your mind, we will have you, mate; you're welcome back. Congratulations, Paul, and we sincerely wish all the very best.

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (16:23): I am going to be very brief, because my dealings with the Hon. Paul Holloway since 2006 have been quite limited. However, I would like to make a comment that in this chamber and at any time that I have had any dealings with the Hon. Paul Holloway you could never, ever question the level of respect that he has for the job and for other members in here and his dedication to the job that he was doing.

He was always a polite person. As another member said, if you had a disagreement with him he seemed to shake it off pretty quickly. I hope that the Hon. Paul Holloway and his family have time now to enjoy life as it is meant to be, rather than life in politics. I hope that this place can maintain some of the dignity and respect that he brought while he was here.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (16:24): Paul was a great colleague, a great leader, a tower of strength, and a great mentor. I would like to wish Paul and his wife, Wendy, the best. They are two lovely people; you could not meet a greater couple. They are wonderful people. I hope you enjoy the rest of your life travelling and enjoying life. I wish you all the very best.

The PRESIDENT (16:24): I too would like to support the motion. I came in here when Paul was in opposition. Whether he was in opposition or government, he worked hard and has done a wonderful job as far as the Labor Party goes. He has also not only been a wonderful minister and been responsible for many, many jobs in South Australia that have been created through the mining and planning areas but he is also a wonderful human being. I have found him never to get too excited. I think most of Paul's tactics were learnt after watching The Castle about seven times over the years. He has always done things, like they did in The Castle, with wonderful principles and not getting overexcited—no grandstanding, no nonsense.

That is how Paul comes over to me: he was never a grandstander, he did not suffer nonsense, and as a minister I think Paul made the finals every year. Congratulations, Paul; well done. We will sadly miss you around here but I am sure you and Wendy will have a wonderful time travelling. In the next few years I hope to run into you at some barramundi creek, and we will cook one on the bank or something.

Motion carried.

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