congratulate the member for Logan on his election as Speaker of the parliament. As other members
have mentioned, he has brought new standards to the chamber. For instance, one can no longer refer to
the opposition as ‘you jokers’, as a member whose name escapes me used to do quite often. I
congratulate him on his elevation to the position of Speaker.
Many times over the past eight years I have spoken of the economic and social pressures on
people living in Southport. I have spoken of their concern for the cost of living generally, the cost of
accessing health care, the need for children to get a good education, the importance of training, job
security and the creation of new jobs, the effectiveness of community policing, the protection of our
environment and public housing issues. These concerns still exercise the minds of Southport residents,
which is not surprising given the rapid growth of the area. Since I spoke in the last address-in-reply
these concerns have been exacerbated by the global financial crisis.
I thank the people of Southport for choosing me to represent them in this parliament for a further
three years. As with previous elections, this was not a victory for me but for the branch members, family,
staff, community members and groups and friends who worked so hard for success. I extend my
particular thanks to my children, Ali, Jane and Phil, and my son-in-law, Clive, for their support. In the
case of Jane and Phil, that support consisted mainly of phone calls from Dubai and London at all times
of the day and night with advice and encouragement. Ali and Clive assisted on election day with setting
up election booths, manning a booth all day and then scrutineering when the polls closed. Given that
they have two energetic and exhausting young boys in Henry and Zac, it probably seemed like a holiday
to them.
Thanks to my staff members, Sharyn Masters and Tim Nairne, who are a great support and who
work so effectively under, at times, stressful conditions. I also thank my campaign manager, Terry
Callighan, branch members and friends, especially John and Meg Coonan and Don Dwyer, who worked
so hard on election day and helped me celebrate the next day. Special thanks to Pat Jackson, Terry
Dyson, Penny Klinge and Desley Monsour for keeping the troops fed and watered. Lindesay Jones was
again a great support and adviser, as he has been to me for almost 20 years.
Much of the credit for the return of the government must, of course, go to the Premier, as has
been mentioned by many people on this side of the House. She showed fortitude and stamina and
fought to the very end for every last vote. Through all that, she was pleasant and even kept her sense of
humour in the face of certain sections of the media abandoning even the facade of objectivity. By
inference she was blamed for the Moreton Bay oil spill, for instance. She was also belted for the
downgrading of the state’s AAA credit rating.
I do not underestimate the benefit of a AAA rating. However, I would prefer, as the government
does, to continue with our Capital Works Program and the budget deficit that results in order to protect
and indeed increase the number of Queensland jobs. One really has to ask oneself about the rating
agencies and about how much credibility they have. One wonders why anyone would really listen to
them. All the investment banks and companies in the USA that were given AAA ratings—Lehman
Brothers, Merril Lynch, Bear Stearns—where are they now? Weather forecasters make rating agencies
look good, I reckon. I offer my commiserations to my opponents Graeme Hill, Mark Tull, Stephen Dalton,
Brian Morris and Tania Wright. It is no fun getting beaten at anything, especially an election.
