Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 19 October 2016
Parliamentary Record 1
Debates for 13th Assembly 2016 - 2018; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 13th Assembly 2016 - 2020
2016-10-19
pp 65 to 124
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
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Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
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DEBATES Wednesday 19 October 2016 97 To my extensive campaign team, including the former Member for Johnston, Chris Burns; Luke; Cathy; Anna; all my doorknockers and letterboxers; the Sandkar Branch members; and my oldest friends, Leanne and Lisa, thank you for the countless hours hitting the doors with me, keeping me sane and on the right path. I cannot name everyone here today but that does not take away from the gratitude I have and the significance of your help. Your success is my success and my success is yours. I note that I am very grateful for the support of the Lord Mayor, Katrina Fong Lim, as I took on this new venture. To my ALP running partners, each one of you inspired me every step of the way. I love the competitiveness, Tony; I miss it. I look forward to working with many of you over the next four years as we strive as a team to do the absolute best for the Territory. I also wish to pay my respect to our leader, Michael Gunner, and the Labor Party, who supported me and trusted me to give my best in contesting the seat of Sanderson. I am grateful for the opportunity and would like to think that I paid that trust back in full. I also want to say that over the last 20 years I have lived in a place where being part of a political party has been like muttering a dirty word. I want to take this moment to let people know that it is not the case. If you belong to any club it shows people your values and what you care about. Belonging to the Labor Party is no different. It tells people what you believe in and care about: trust, fairness, opportunity, diversity, hard work, family, honesty, democracy, compassion and equality. Those are the values the people of Sanderson can expect from me over my term, and those are the values I believe in. To my children, Tarisse, Sarrita, Russell and Alekna, thank you for letting me be me. Thank you for giving me the space and time to give to our community, knowing that takes from our time together. I make this public pledge that over the next four years our time together is ours, and I will ensure I become a better mother and grandmother through this journey. I am proud of each of you, and I remind you that I still have no favouritesit is a running joke in our house about who is the favourite. It is important. You are all amazing human beings in your own way, and I will continue to support your own private life journeys. I thank my colleague, the Member for Karama, for reminding me just yesterday, that I too have an impressionable 14-year-old watching on. I know how important it is to be a role model to her in the next four years. And if she is anything like you, Member for Karama, have that conversation. It would be great. In a few weeks time we will welcome our sixth grandchild, in New Zealand, and our seventh in Darwin in January. Looking back, perhaps having two kids by the time I was 19 was not such a bad idea after all. Finally, I thank my husband, Wayne. We have been through a lot together, and it has not always been easy, but I know we are a great team and I thank him for his encouragement, unconditional love and support, now and in the future. I am banking on it. Thanks again to the people of Sanderson for their trust. I know I am a rookie in this place, but I will work tirelessly to ensure they are heard. I look forward to the next four years representing them. Mr SIEVERS (Brennan): Mr Deputy Speaker, first and foremost I pay my respects to the Larrakia people both past and present, and I thank them for sharing their motherland with us today. Territorians may know me as the bloke who wears the footy shorts, drives the Aussie ute and sits with my early morning roadside companion, Hiccup. I wish to congratulate every member here today, as their community has put its faith in them. Together, in this Thirteenth Assembly, I strongly believe we will make a positive difference over the next four years. I pay my respect to my colleagues and every candidate who ran in this election. Many worked very hard over days, weeks and months. Well done to you and to your supporters and families; you should all be very proud of your hard work. Today I stand here as a proud and extremely honoured Territorian, and I sincerely thank the people and families of the Brennan community, which includes Farrar, Gunn, Bakewell and a section of Rosebery. The people have entrusted me with a great privilege, which is to represent them all over the next four years in this parliament.