Mr JOHN AQUILINA (Riverstone—Parliamentary Secretary) [5.10 p.m.]: I move:

That the House take note of Christmas felicitations.

I take this opportunity to wish the Speaker, his family, the Deputy-Speaker, the Assistant-Speakers, the Acting-Speakers, including you, Mr Acting-Speaker, and all their families the very best for the festive season. I thank them for their work while in the chair during what has been and continues to be a very difficult period. As I have stated during previous Christmas felicitations, being in the chair at times can be very difficult. I know that when Opposition members sit in the chair at times they find it very difficult because of the occasional antics of their colleagues and the various tests to which they put Acting-Speakers of their own political persuasion. It can be difficult to be totally impartial. I have had some experience and, generally speaking, they all do an excellent job.

I thank also the Whips—the Government Whips, the member for Bathurst and the member for East Hills, with whom I have a close association, and the Opposition Whips, the member for Wagga Wagga and the member for Lismore. Over many years now we have established a good working relationship and a good understanding of one another. We do not really have to explain things at great length. We know what works and what does not work. The Leader of the Opposition laughed at that, but we do have a good understanding of such matters and for the most part we manage the business of the House efficiently.

I acknowledge the hard work of other staff. Everyone makes a huge contribution. In particular, I mention those staff not visible around Parliament House, the staff in our electorate offices. Last week a number of electorate office staff were present in Parliament to receive accolades from the Speaker in recognition of their long years of service to the Parliament through their members. I am enormously indebted to my electorate staff over a period stretching to almost 28 years. They are the faceless people who are front-line soldiers working on behalf of members. While we are here in Parliament on a day-to-day basis they are the face of members for the constituency and deal with an incredible amount of work on our behalf.

I single out my electorate assistant, Sandra Caldwell, who has been an outstanding help to me over many years. She has a wide breadth of knowledge and understanding of electoral matters. She understands explicitly what is required when representations are made and on my behalf is able to formulate very efficient letters and present them to me. In this technological age, even though members may be a long distance from their electorate offices, it is easy to prepare, sign and post letters or to email material. Sandra Caldwell has mastered all of these things and I thank her very much.

I extend a special thanks to Ruth Apps, who was my original electorate secretary back in 1981 when I first became a member. She is now 83 and works casually one or two days a week, which is outstanding. She has mastered the new technology and knows all facets of the Parliament. It is a great credit to her that, at the age of 83, nearly 84, she is able to take an active role in electoral matters. When I have been in my electorate office it has been almost comical to witness some quite elderly constituents telling Ruth about how encumbered they are because of their age. They talk about their age not realising that Ruth in some cases is 10 or 15 years older, but Ruth is still sympathetic to their concerns. I thank also my other assistant, Janine Drury, who, as I stated last year, had just got married. She has now celebrated her first wedding anniversary. Janine, too, has been with me for a long time.

In the Parliament many staff members deserve our thanks. In particular I acknowledge the attendants, who are here from very early in the morning until very late at night. They are always pleasant and helpful: they are always ready and keen to assist. The member for Wagga Wagga and the Leader of the Opposition can attest that the cleaners are here at a very early hour. The member for Wagga Wagga and I are always here between 6.30 a.m. and 6.45 a.m. and the first people we greet are the cleaning staff. They are always very helpful and assist us in many ways, and I thank them. I thank also the catering staff.

In particular, I make mention of the Hansard staff, as I have in every speech on seasonal felicitations for the past 28 years. I do so again today. As I have said previously, I regard them as the disciples of Midas—Midas being the king who had the golden touch. Everything he touched turned to gold. So, too, with the Hansard staff: they turn our leaden words into gold. I sincerely thank them for that.

I commented earlier in the year—and the Leader of the Opposition might mention it also—that the character and the nature of the parliamentary staff and parliamentary assistance is changing. When many of us came into this place many years ago we were introduced to people who had faces, personalities and character. These people were of great help and assistance to us as the years passed. Sadly, a lot of those people are now leaving the Parliament and the way in which members of Parliament are being served is changing quite dramatically.

I make special mention of three people, not because they are the only ones but because they had an impact on me—David Clune, who was in charge in Parliamentary Research; Greg McGill, who was the Financial Controller; and Greig Tillotson, who was the Parliamentary Librarian. Those three people had long histories in the Parliament. We have spoken about them on other occasions and complimented them on their work. I reiterate how much we miss them as we come to the festive season and thank them for their work and assistance. In particular, I thank them for giving a personal face to the Parliament, particularly when now so many of our requests and responses are dealt with by email. I accept that is a necessity and I do not mean to be critical of the system or individuals or groups now in this place; however, it lessens the personal connections that we all appreciate.

I thank all the Clerks of the Parliament, particularly Russell Grove, who this year celebrated his thirty-first year as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly. I think he continues to be the longest-serving Clerk in the Westminster system. I thank also Mark Swinson, Les Gönye and many others who have served in a temporary capacity as Clerks at the table. We appreciate their invaluable service in providing us with assistance with complete impartiality. It is always gratefully received and we thank them for that.

I mention too my personal staff here in the Parliament. Priscilla Armstrong-Guirguis provides great assistance and has an intricate knowledge of the workings of the Parliament. She has great charm and has the ability to consistently and easily charm the member for Wagga Wagga in getting on with the proceedings of the House. It is wonderful to have this great cooperation and makes my job much easier. I acknowledge also Danielle Kolodziej, who has been working for me for just over a year. She is well on the way to motherhood, and I congratulate her on that. I thank the people who have worked for me on a temporary basis, in particular Julie Apps, the daughter of Ruth Apps. She undertakes a fair amount of relief work for me in the Parliament.

There are so many things I want to say but 10 minutes has gone so quickly. I conclude by once again wishing everyone in this place and everyone connected with us a merry Christmas and all the very best. I express in a very deep and sincere way my thanks and those of the Premier, the Government and all members of the Government.

Mr BARRY O'FARRELL (Ku-ring-gai—Leader of the Opposition) [5.20 p.m.]: I join with the Leader of the Government in extending Christmas felicitations to all members and those who work in this building. Mr Speaker, as you know better than anyone, our work is significant. It reflects the hopes, dreams and aspirations of people across New South Wales, and in our hands, in the services that we provide to them, we determine whether they are able to pursue the opportunities that this State and this nation have always provided. For all the tumult and shouting, for all the anxiety and stress and, at times, humour—although too little, I say—the parliamentary process works well. Most of the issues that come before this House, as has been demonstrated in this Chamber on legislation at least over the past two days, are non-contentious. But there are contentious matters, and those matters are fiercely contested, as our democracy allows. In a year in which we continue to celebrate significant anniversaries from World War I, we are reminded that democracy is what that conflict and sacrifice was all about.

Mr Speaker, I first pay tribute to you and your staff, Margaret, Lucy and Joe, who, despite provocation at times and the odd teasing from me, still manage to behave politely to me and ensure that I have a cup of coffee welcoming me when I come to have a chat with you. I thank you for that. I am pleased, Mr Speaker, that your name is not in the mix for the leadership of the Labor Party this afternoon and that you will be the Speaker at least until the end of this parliamentary session. I hope that when we return in February you will be the Speaker and will continue to do a good job in this Chamber.

I acknowledge and thank all Chamber officials, the Clerks at the table, and all the attendants who sit in this Chamber and those who do not at times, for everything that they do. They work long hours and put up with a lot. They endure the stresses, strains and anxieties but, unlike us, they cannot give voice to them. I acknowledge all the Parliament staff, beginning with the staff of the Department of Parliamentary Services. In particular, I thank our electorate staff, who were honoured by the Leader of the House. There would not be a member in this Chamber who would not give tribute to our front-line staff—electorate secretaries and assistants—who hold the fort for us. They pull up the ramparts at times but otherwise deal professionally and competently with those that we seek to serve. I acknowledge someone who left us this year: Isaac from level two who suddenly retired but who has been with me through my journey, firstly, in discovering the level two gym and, secondly, in continuing to use it. I will miss him.

I acknowledge the Hansard staff, in relation to whom the Leader of the House likes to use adages about Midas and golden words. I think that Hansard is proof that sows' ears can be turned into silk purses. That is what the Hansard staff do every time they transcribe our words. I particularly pay tribute to Santa's cave on level 8, where I notice this year for the first time, uncharacteristically, the Hansard's Christmas lights have seeped into what is the semi-public hall that leads to this Chamber and members of the House have been alerted to the fact that Hansard staff are engaged in a competition, which I suspect the Greens in another place hate, to adorn their windowless offices with wonderful Christmas decorations at this time of the year.

I acknowledge the catering and the library staff, particularly Greig Tillotson. On a previous occasion in this Chamber I made mentioned of David Clune, of the Parliamentary Library. Greig Tillotson is the Parliament's ninth parliamentarian historian. The first was Walter McEvilly. The second was Conrad Martens, the landscape painter whose friends secured the position for him because they thought that the rigours of being a landscape painter needed more rest and relaxation within these confines. I continue to marvel at the job done by Greig Tillotson. I miss Greig Tillotson and place on record again my disappointment that his position has not been filled. It is a position that, in a sense, pre-dates responsible government in this State. I know that in 15 months, if the matter has not been sorted, it will be sorted, and there will be another Parliamentary Librarian to reflect that.

I acknowledge the Leader of the House, the Leader of the Government who demonstrates that, despite the dysfunctionality that applies to government, occasionally it can be got right in this Chamber. I acknowledge the Leader of Opposition Business, the member for Murrumbidgee, who does an extraordinary job for which I am grateful. I acknowledge all the Whips, including Ray Hadley's friend the member for Bathurst, and the member for East Hills. I particularly pay tribute to my two Whips, the member for Wagga Wagga and the member for Lismore, who do a remarkable job and put up with the Leader of the Opposition in some of those stressful moments and do so with good humour and, if they do not, they simply walk away and get on with their business. I acknowledge Maryann Winterflood in the office of the member for Wagga Wagga, who puts up with my teasing but who, nevertheless, at the end of Question Time continues to give me a rating. Of course, I also thank Di Leahy, who does an extraordinary job for all of us. I acknowledge Ilse van de Meent, who also does an extraordinary job making the member for Lismore look competent and professional and in touch with everything.

I acknowledge my parliamentary team. We cannot work without a team behind us no matter what job we do. I pay tribute to all members of the Liberal Party and The Nationals, from my deputy, Jillian Skinner, down, and my Coalition colleague, Andrew Stoner, and his team. We have demonstrated over the past 2½ years a unity, a focus and a discipline that is required by any Opposition, of those who seek to govern in a State. And that is why we are trying to get ourselves ready.

I acknowledge also the media. Whether we like it or not, we cannot live without the media, and today and yesterday they demonstrated their capacity to handle changing circumstances with great aplomb. We seem to have had a fertility cluster on level 6 this year with a number of members of the Press Gallery falling pregnant. Recently Alex Smith gave birth, and another member of the Herald Bureau, Andrew Clennell, is awaiting the birth of a child. We know that Louise Milligan will be leaving, along with son Rory, heading to southern climes. We have all had a relationship with Simon Benson—one that people will characterise in different ways. Simon Benson has been a terrier on behalf of the Daily Telegraph. He has been prepared to call it and write it as he sees fit. I have been on the receiving end of that, all of which he does professionally and I bear him no ill will.

As we speak we do not know whether this will be a red wood or a gum tree Christmas. I simply want to reflect to Nathan Rees that any New South Wales Opposition Leader knows how tough the job of politics can be. Past occupants of my position also know how ephemeral and fleeting can be the occupancy of major offices within this Parliament. I wish Nathan Rees and his wife well in the spirit of the season. We do not agree on much inside or outside this House. I regret, because he has not been a member of this Parliament very long, that I do not know him particularly well. But Christmas is the season of goodwill and peace upon earth to all and, in that sense, I wish him well for whatever the future brings him. Whilst I have my criticisms of him and views about him, I do not believe that anyone steps up to any of these jobs without wanting to make a contribution.

I extend Christmas greetings to members opposite, to the Parliamentary Secretary at the table the member for Blue Mountains, with whom I continue to enjoy a good relationship. My saying that has probably destroyed his career further—sorry, Phil. There are still relationships that exist across the aisle, as the Americans say, or across the Chamber, and that is as it should be.

No matter how important is the work of this place or how significant is the job we are sent to do by our communities, and no matter how rewarding, satisfying or frustrating we find it, at the end of the day our lives, like those of every other citizen, will be defined by our family and our friends. Our success in life will not be measured by legislation, railway lines or references in the history books but by the way in which our family and friends regard us, whether we have family and friends. That is one of the perspectives that we all need to keep at times, no matter, as I said when I commenced, how great the tumult and the shouting.

The point of Christmas is to remind us about the importance of families. Families, I think, suffer the most during our careers; they feel the sleights and the criticisms more than we do. Our children feel the absence of parents more than perhaps we are prepared to admit. I extend good Christmas felicitations to all members and their families for the coming month.

The SPEAKER: Firstly I wish all members a very happy Christmas. To members' families and friends, obviously it is always a busy year and we wish them well. I join with the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. I know that the Leader of The Nationals, the member for East Hills and many others are about to make a contribution. I would like to give a special thank you to all the staff of this place. So many work so hard. I note that the Hansard staff are especially in the Christmas spirit at the moment. I thank them, as the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition did, for their continued tremendous work in this place.

I acknowledge Russell Grove, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and thank him for his frank and fearless advice to me as the Speaker and for his belief in this place. His advice is constructive and objective, and I know how strongly Russell feels about the institution of the New South Wales Parliament, particularly the Legislative Assembly. I also thank Russell's wife, Frances, for her patience in supporting Russell in his herculean effort on behalf of the New South Wales Parliament. To the whole team of Clerks—including Mark, Ronda, Les and Stephanie—thank you for the work you continue to do for this Parliament.

I also thank the Attendants, who do a tremendous job supporting not only members of Parliament but also the public in this place. I also extend my thanks to the Catering staff and the staff of the Library. The Education Department officers are fabulous contributors to this place. They strongly believe that this is the people's Parliament, and they work very hard to pursue that goal. I also want to thank my personal staff—Margaret, Lucy and Joe. I have to say, they are more than staff to me; they are friends and, indeed, family. Their work in supporting me, this place, and indeed all members, regardless of political persuasion, is something that our office prides itself on. I give thanks to them. They also believe in the institution of Parliament and work very strongly to support the objectives that we believe are appropriate.

I take this opportunity to thank both the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition for the courtesies they have extended to me as Speaker. The respect for the office of Speaker is something that I believe is still alive and well in this place, and I thank them for that. The Whips and their staff also undertake a courtesy to my office that is appreciated enormously by me. I also want to take this opportunity, as others have done, to thank my electorate office staff. Diana in my office, who has been with me for many years in various capacities, and Kylie, Julie, Rosemary, Lisa and Steve all do a tremendous job supporting either the member or the Speaker, or both, and I thank them very much for the work they do.

Before I conclude I want to make this point. The Parliament requires resources in order to operate. I think it is incumbent on both sides of politics to consider expenditure issues in a constructive and objective way. I know it is difficult, and that the focus tends to be on the expenditure of the Parliament and it can be painted in very negative terms. But I think we should be proud of our institution and should ensure that it is properly resourced so we can effectively and efficiently run the business of Parliament for the benefit of the people of New South Wales. I, as an Independent Speaker, will continually put up what I consider to be appropriate requests for resources that I believe can be properly argued to the community as appropriate. From the perspective of both sides of politics, I believe that is something we should be united upon.

Happy Christmas to each and every member of this place. In my capacity as Speaker, as I have visited the various constituencies I have not met a member who is not here to serve their community—and that cuts across all sides of politics. I think we should remember that, particularly in the Christmas season. Happy Christmas to everyone.

Mr ALAN ASHTON (East Hills) [5.37 p.m.]: Mr Speaker, congratulations and thank you for your efforts this year. The job of Speaker is not easy, as you know. I also want to thank your staff for the support they have provided, not only to you but also to all of us in this Chamber. I thank the 51 members of the Labor Government for their support in attending divisions in the House and for mostly attending to their House duties. I thank my colleague Gerard Martin—Man Mountain—for his great support and leadership as Government Whip. I also thank his boss in the Whip's office, Jan Clifford, who, as everyone in the Whip's office knows, is essential there. I also thank Fran, who comes down from Bathurst to help Gerard and keep the show going for us.

I know that time will run out on me. As I said, I thank the Speaker. I also thank the Deputy-Speaker and Assistant-Speakers. I particularly thank the Acting-Speakers, the members representing the electorates of Charlestown, Mulgoa and Baulkham Hills, and the Acting-Speaker, the member for Lismore, who is now in the chair. I also thank the Opposition. In particular, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his kind words on behalf of the Opposition regarding the Parliament, the staff and the Government. We know that we have to fight because we are fighting hard for the people of New South Wales. We get it right a lot on both sides of this Chamber, but we also get it wrong a lot of times. However, it is a better democracy than any other. As Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is the worst political system, except for all the rest." I think that is something we need to keep in mind when we are at times yelling at each other—that we are not fighting civil wars in this place.

I also want to thank Daryl Maguire, the Opposition Whip for the Liberal Party, and Thomas George for his cooperation as the Whip for The Nationals. So much happens in this Chamber that members do not realise, where we have to cooperate and plan things so they run smoothly. I thank the Leader of the Government in the House, the Hon. John Aquilina, and his staff—Priscilla Armstrong-Guirguis and Danielle Kolodziej—for their help and advice, and for their lack of panic when we might be panicking about things that are left open. I also acknowledge the Leader of Opposition Business, Adrian Piccoli, for his cooperation in doing the difficult job he has to do when he mostly does not have the numbers.

I thank the Clerks—Russell, Mark, Ronda and Les—and their assistants—Helen, Elaine, Stephanie and Vicki—and others that might have helped out at times. Their advice is always appreciated. I thank all those who work in the Library. It is great to be able to go down to the Library and get some books to read, or even request research be done by the Library; I think that is fantastic. It is an underutilised resource in some ways, because of Google and so on nowadays. But they do a great job helping me, and I really appreciate dropping in there and having a chat, getting information, and finding some good books on cricket, politics, rugby league, or any other sport that has been invented.

I want to thank the staff at my electorate office—Christine, Joanne and Allan—who are ably supported by Myrna, Sue, Shawn and lately Rosanna. I am proud of them all and I thank them for the loyal work and service they have continually done for me since 1999. Chris, Jo and Allan recently received 10-year continual service awards from the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the President of the Legislative Council. That was a great honour. I am probably one of the few members of this place who have maintained such continuity of staff.

We all have to eat in this place. I want to thank those in the Members Dining Room, the Strangers Dining Room and the Members Bar, especially Cathy, Greg and Tanya in the Dining Room. It is essential that we get a chance to be there and work together, that we have a chat about the day's events, or simply have a chat about things that have nothing to do with politics at all. I want to thank the Attendants in this Chamber. They know who they are: time will not allow me to mention all their names. I also thank the Attendants at the front desk for the work they do. The staff who are working in the new Cafe Quorum are doing a great job as well. The cafe has become very popular and we appreciate the work that has been done down there. It is great to go down there and have a cup of tea or coffee in a slightly different atmosphere.

Nothing we say here would matter much if Hansard staff did not take it down correctly. I appreciate their Christmas spirit in dressing up for the occasion as I make my felicitations speech. Happy Christmas to the reindeers in the Hansard gallery.

I wish a happy Christmas to all the administrative staff, those on level 8 who do so much work for us—I suppose they also pay us—they give us much other advice as well. Finally, I thank my family, which I always forget to do. My wife, Linda, our daughters Gemma and Breanna who, for the last nearly 11 years, have helped me out since my election in 1999. Considering that I have been in public life for 30 years, minus four years, that is not a bad achievement. I was first elected to Bankstown council in my very early 20s. With those few words, happy Christmas, happy holidays, to everyone and thank you to all here who make our job so much easier. We do enjoy it, despite the appearances we may sometimes give.

Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [5.42 p.m.]: It seems that another eventful year is coming to an even more eventful end. On this most ominous day for New South Wales politics, I offer my Christmas greetings for 2009. Once again, we could not do what we do without the unwavering support of the staff of this place. On behalf of the New South Wales Nationals, I thank all the people involved in the orderly running of this place: the Speaker, the Deputy-Speaker, the Assistant-Speakers, the Temporary-Speakers, the Leader of the House, the shadow Leader of the House, and the Coalition Whips, Thomas George and Daryl McGuire, who do a terrific job.

I thank also the Government Whips, Alan Ashton and Gerard Martin. After six years they are getting a little more efficient at counting the votes during divisions! I thank also the Clerks, Russell, Mark, Les and Ronda; the Serjeant-at-Arms, Greg Kelly; and the attendants, Richard, Ian, April and Joe. Their efforts are appreciated, certainly by me and all The Nationals in this place. To the diligent and patient Hansard staff, the efficient staff of the Procedure Office and members' services, I say thank you. I thank also the Accounts staff and the Building Services staff for helping us to be equipped to do our jobs. I thank the catering staff as well: an army marches on its stomach, and we are always well fed and watered in this place. The Cafe Quorum, as mentioned by the member for East Hills, is a big improvement. I acknowledge the friendly and efficient staff there who help me to keep caffeinated on a daily basis.

I thank the Security staff and the Special Constables. The Library staff do an excellent, highly professional job of research and support for members in this place, as do the Information Technology staff. To the members of the media, all the very best for the festive season. Thank you for your role in our parliamentary democracy. It is an important role, which is acknowledged, I am sure, even by those members who find themselves on the receiving end of some of their items.

I have said many times before in this place that I have the best electorate in New South Wales. I know many other members would say exactly the same thing about their electorates. I feel doubly blessed in that I think I have the best team in politics behind me. I refer specifically to my electorate office staff, Patricia Baker, Jodie Griffiths, Kelly Wheeldon, as well as Mary Tarr and Marg Batemean who have helped out on a temporary basis during the year. Indeed, I thank all electorate office staff, who really are at the coalface with constituents, difficult inquires and sometimes difficult customers and, on top of that, have the difficult job of looking after their member. In Sydney I have a great team of young people, who do an absolutely wonderful job.

My chief of staff, Pete McConnell, my media adviser, Rod Bruce, my policy adviser, Ben Shine, my wonderfully efficient personal assistant, Bree Price, my advisers Erin Stott and Sandy, and Ilse in the Whip's office do a wonderful job for me in Sydney and for The Nationals generally on the twelfth floor. Thank you to you all for your hard work over the year. I thank also The Nationals upper House staff, Emma, Alice, Jonathan, Verity, Aidan and Sara.

I wish all members and staff, and their families, a happy, holy and safe Christmas. This brings me to the reason for the season and these felicitations. Australia remains a Christian nation with a Christian heritage and, of course, Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which heralds a message of hope and joy for all Christians. I hope all members and the public remember the reason for the season and do not get caught up too much in the commercialisation or overindulgence that all too often accompanies the festive season.

Finally, I encourage those who are taking holidays to be careful. I am sure I will see some people from this place in my beautiful electorate on the mid North Coast. However, the road on which they will travel remains a very dangerous road, as are many other roads in the State. I urge everyone to please be careful, take rest breaks, do not speed, do not drink and drive, and arrive safely at your destination for a great holiday.

Mr DARYL MAGUIRE (Wagga Wagga) [5.47 p.m.]: I have much pleasure in joining in this debate to offer my very best wishes to all for the coming festive season. The year has flown very quickly and we need to acknowledge the very important contributions to this Parliament that so many people make. Since I was elected to this place in 1999, as was the member for Lismore, who is in the Chair, I have come to rely on the very hardworking staff, the people who make this Parliament work. I thank the Clerks, the Assistant Clerks, the Library staff, Hansard, Security, Catering and all the people who make life easier in this place.

It can be difficult for country members to be away from their electorate and their home. To have the friendship and the support of the dedicated staff here is, for me—and I know for you, Mr Assistant-Speaker—one of those privileges that we enjoy and appreciate. Members of Parliament cannot do their job without their staff. I thank my staff, Margaret, Paula, Brenda and Susan, who work in the Wagga Wagga office. One may think that by having four staff that we are blessed, but those ladies job share. They do a marvellous job. Sue has just started working in my office and is fitting in very well. She has been a great acquisition and we are delighted to have her in the Wagga Wagga office. Electorate staff are at the front line; quite often they are the first contact for people who have an issue to be addressed. It is important that the staff are on their toes, and my staff certainly are.

I thank Maryann and Dai in the Sydney office. Dai Le was our candidate in the Cabramatta by-election, and recorded a 23 per cent swing. Sadly, she did not win, but she is a great staff member who works very hard with ethnic communities. I appreciate that in my capacity as Deputy Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Friendship Group and the good work that we do. I have enjoyed the interaction this year with my fellow colleagues. I thank the Leader of the House, John Aquilina, and his assistant, Priscilla. I thank also Thomas George, The Nationals Whip, and his assistant, Ilse, who helps us, and all the staff in the back rooms of the Liberals and The Nationals. In particular, I record my appreciation to Natasha Luschwitz, who helps me in my role as Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet. It is quite a demanding job from time to time, and I appreciate Natasha's help.

A number of people have left Parliament House this year as a result of the hangover from the Costa cuts. I refer in particular to Greg McGill and Greig Tillotson. A function was held for Greg McGill but sadly I was not able to attend the function for Greig Tillotson. However, I really appreciated their help. I understand that Gladys Kleiner is also to leave Parliament. If there is one person in this place whose friendship and help I have appreciated it is Gladys Kleiner. She is a delightful person who always went out of her way to help members, me in particular. I wish her well in her retirement, perhaps a little early. Sadly, because of restructures, a number of people will leave, and Gladys is one of them. I know that she enjoys her grandchildren and her family. I wish her the very best in her retirement years ahead.

I place on record my thanks to my office also for two exciting projects they have taken on. The first project is to seek sponsorship for 113 AIDS orphans in Nakuru, at the Pistis Academy. My office is continually fundraising for that orphanage. I will be approaching my parliamentary colleagues to sponsor a child for $50 per year. I have calculated that $50 for each of those 113 orphans will be sufficient money to feed them. The second project, which I understand is a world first—and it is sponsored in Wagga Wagga—is to create a regional oxygen bank to provide portable concentrators to people with degenerative lung disease. I hope that all communities will see the good in this project and get behind it, which will give new mobility and independence to those people restricted by that insidious disease. I wish you all the very best Christmas and a happy New Year.

Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [5.52 p.m.]: It is an honour to stand here at this time each year to indicate our appreciation and sincere thanks to all those who help make this Parliament such a professional environment for the members of this House and for the people of New South Wales. Firstly I pay tribute to my Lismore staff: Karen Wilson, Bronwyn Mitchell and Christine Marshall. Bronwyn and Christine are presently in Sydney in order to attend a training day tomorrow. As a team they work well together to make me look good. As all members know, whilst we are away from our electoral offices our staff continue to deal with our constituents, and they do a tremendous job. Ilse van de Meent, who works in my Sydney office, began working for me earlier this year and has really matured into the job. Ilse has responded to everything that has been asked of her in her role as assistant to the Opposition Whip. She has done a fantastic job and settled into the team.

The Leader of the House, John Aquilina, is a pleasure to work with although we do not see eye-to-eye all the time. Priscilla Guirguis provides a professional service in supporting him. She will not let much out. You do not know one hour ahead what is going to happen. But that is Priscilla's job, she does it very well, and I thank her. To the Government Whips, Gerard Martin and Alan Ashton, we also do not see eye-to-eye all the time but we know that when we are in trouble or we need assistance we can go to each other—and that works both ways. I thank Jan Clifford in Gerard's office for her work.

The Liberal Whip, Daryl Maguire, does a fantastic job and I can rely on him to be here all the time. Daryl and I work well as a team. He also has a very good assistant in Maryanne and I thank her for her support. Deputy Whip Russell Turner is always there when needed. As a Temporary Speaker you do need to have access to someone when there are vacancies in the Chair filled. I have always been able to call on Russell and I thank him. I thank the Leader of The Nationals, Mr Andrew Stoner, and Deputy Leader Adrian Piccoli. I also thank Peter McConnell, Erin, Ben, Rod, Bree and Alex in the office of the Leader of The Nationals for doing a tremendous job. They are young, dedicated and loyal, with their whole life ahead of them. They are our future and a pleasure to work with. I thank them all. When you are a Whip you sometimes have to crack the whip and they respond, which is greatly appreciated.

I thank Hansard for making our speeches look so good on paper. Sometimes when one is involved in debate things are misstated but Hansard always sorts our jumbled words to make us all look much better than at times we deserve. I thank all staff who provide services to members—Security, Accounts, the Information Technology Section, the Library, cleaners, and catering. I noticed in the November issue of Assembly Lines that Carlos Andrade and Jenny Gallagher got married, and I extend my best wishes to them. As Acting-Speaker I have come to appreciate a different side to the Clerks. I thank Mark, Les, Russell, Ronda and the team for the professional advice they offer to us as members of the Speaker's team and to all members of Parliament. I say thank you to Greg Kelly and the attendants Peter, April, Ian and Richard, who are always there when needed. I thank Joe, Margaret and Lucy from the Speaker's office. Joe is the hardest worker in the team because he always makes sure that Speakers are always available to be in the Chair. Joe, I hope you do not suffer from gout too much next year.

The year 2009 has been a great one. On a personal note, I married my lovely wife Deb this year, I proudly turned 60, and the year is not over yet. I trust that everyone has a safe, happy and holy Christmas. Let us look forward to good health in 2010.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Matthew Morris): Order! I endorse the comments of the member for Lismore.

Mr GERARD MARTIN (Bathurst) [5.57 p.m.]: It gives pleasure to stand here on the last sitting day of the year and to join in this felicitations motion, which is really about saying thank you and reflecting on the year. I do so in no particular order but I would like to start from the Whip's office. I thank all those in this place, government, opposition and staffers, who have worked with our office over the year. I particularly thank Jan Clifford, who is my right hand in the Whip's office. Anyone who has been around this place for any time would have great respect for her and appreciate the tremendous work she does, often under pressure, with great dignity and grace. It has been my pleasure over the last seven years to work with her. I also have excellent electorate staff. Fran, my EO2, Diane—who has just joined me from the office of the late Federal member Peter Andren—and Olivia, Helen and Anita. As members of Parliament our electorate work is only as good as our electorate staff.

I also thank The Leader of the House, John Aquilina and Priscilla Guirguis from his office. The Whip's Office and the office of The Leader of the House work closely together. In this place nothing ever runs as the daily program indicates it should. Quick changes need to be made while thinking on your feet. John is an experienced parliamentary craftsman, if I can put it that way, and Priscilla is as sharp as a tack in knowing what to do at the right time while working under pressure. I thank them both for their assistance and cooperation. I thank my colleague Deputy Government Whip Alan Ashton, who I sometimes compare to a terrier dog because if there is a problem I send Alan. For example, if a member should be on duty in the House or if someone is a bit slow coming to the Chamber to make a private members' statement, Alan is off the leash and has it fixed. Alan's depth of knowledge about how this place works is always fitting.

Really it is the parliamentary staff who make this place work. I begin by thanking the Speaker and his staff, who all members have many dealings with. I thank Mark Swinson, Stephanie Hesford and Les Gonye, at the head of the table, for their wise counsel over the years and, at times, their patience. When members who have been in this place for as long as I have still ask questions, they look at you as if you should know the answers after 10 years but, with good grace, they still give you the correct answer.

There have been some major changes in the Parliament over the last couple of years, particularly in the structure and staffing. I know it has not always been easy for the staff; there have been a lot of changes. However, I think most of the staff have borne that with good grace and reacted to the changes and made the Parliament a better place as a result. That applies right through the building, starting at the ground floor level with the library and Café Quorum staff, and the dining facilities staff. I think we are blessed with the quality of the staff. After you have been here 10 years or so it is not hard to strike up good friendships with the staff and whilst there is always respect for members I can certainly say that over the years I have come to consider some of the staff as particularly good friends.

I acknowledge also the long-suffering Hansard reporters who sit there and report our speeches and occasional mumblings. They are very professional and if there is a problem with the draft the next day you get a very prompt and courteous service to deal with that. To all those people who have assisted the Government Whip's office this year I say thank you very much. I wish everybody a very happy and safe Christmas and we look forward to an interesting 2010.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.