Mr SNOWDON (4:27 PM) —For the first time in my whole life in this parliament, as I rose to my feet I was applauded. I want to thank the member for Wentworth for bringing the good burghers of Wentworth to this House to give me that applause. I am pleased that the member for Wentworth has now initiated his contributions in this chamber by making his first speech. I am sure that he will make many more, but in a sense none will be as important as the one he has made today. I congratulate him on his arrival in this place. Of course, we want to make sure that he is on the government side of the chamber for a very short space of time and that we see him relocated to the opposition benches after the next election. I am sure that there is a very high probability of that happening.

Later in my contribution to this address-in-reply I want to address particular remarks to the contribution made by the new member for Goldstein in his first speech this morning. I will make those comments when I resume my contribution later this evening. Let me say, though, how pleased I am to be again addressing this parliament as the member for Lingiari. It is, in my view, certainly the most diverse and dispersed electorate in this country. It includes not only all of the Northern Territory except Darwin and Palmerston but also the Christmas and Cocos islands. This is unquestionably a most diverse electorate. It is quite the opposite of the electorate of the member for Wentworth. I do not know the area of Wentworth, but I suspect it is less than 100 square kilometres. The area of my electorate, for the information of the good burghers of Wentworth, is 1.34 million square kilometres.

Whilst it is possible for the member for Wentworth to dawdle around his electorate in a day, walking and—depending on his state of mind—perhaps doing other things, in my own case it takes literally days to travel from one part of the electorate to another if I use a vehicle. Of course, even by plane, to visit the Christmas and Cocos islands requires a week. In a sense, that shows the contrast of the electorates that we represent in this parliament.

I am extremely pleased—and I know the government is disappointed—at my return to this place with a dramatically increased majority. I am sure that must have been what the applause was all about—I cannot imagine what else it could have been. I note, however, that those who were so vigorous in their applause have left before I have finished my contribution, and I cannot for the life of me understand why this could have happened! It must be the invitation list for the soiree which is about to take place in the Great Hall at the invitation of the new member for Wentworth. Oddly, I will not able to see the applause continued in that place because I was not invited. I am not sure if anyone—apart from the very close friends and colleagues, the thousand members of the Liberal Party in Wentworth and the 600 who worked on election day—has been invited. I ask my friends at the table: were you invited? Did you get an invitation to this little soiree?

Mr SNOWDON —No-one did. I have to say—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Causley)—I think the member for Lingiari is straying from the point. I will draw him back to it.

Mr SNOWDON —No, it is very important to me, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is very relevant to how we spend our time in this place. I will just say that I regret the fact that we were not invited to continue our conversation with the member for Wentworth's constituents. Mr Deputy Speaker, would you enlighten me as to whether or not to I have to terminate this discussion now?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER —I will accommodate the member for Lingiari. It being almost 4.32 p.m., the debate is interrupted in accordance with the resolution agreed to on 18 November 2004. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for a later hour this day.