Mr RUDD (Leader of the Opposition) (4:40 PM) —I thank the Prime Minister for his gracious remarks as we begin to think about celebrating the Christmas season. As I look around the chamber and see the looks of fatigue written on the faces of those from the government benches—I assume they are equally written on the faces of those who sit behind me—I know we all in our heads and our hearts have in mind, first of all, escape from this place and, soon, being placed back in the bosom of our families. This is a demanding life. Everyone who is in this place knows that and knows that acutely. It is particularly demanding on our families. So it is good that the Christmas season has come so that we can be with them and return refreshed.

For my new deputy, Julia Gillard, the member for Lalor, Christmas has not quite come yet. The member for Lalor and I will be embarking on a 10-day whiz around the country. As we visit various electorates of members over there, we will be kind and Christian in our remarks about some of you opposite, if not all! Once that is concluded, we will be returning home for much-needed rest as well.

The Prime Minister reflected on the significance of the Christmas message for those who come from the Christian tradition. He and I both come from that tradition, and Christmas does have a particular spiritual significance, which I share with him. For those who do not come from that tradition, it is an enormous opportunity and time still for festive celebration and to spend time together as families. That is good for our entire Australian family, be they from a faith community or from a non-faith community.

For the nation at large—and the Prime Minister spoke of this as well—as we reflect on the year it is the message of the ages in Australia that this is indeed an uncertain land. The impact of natural calamity, the impact of uncertain events in the form of flood, of cyclone, of drought and of fires—including those raging right now as we speak in this chamber—reminds us of those who are most exposed to these natural calamities. In particular, there is the impact, as the Prime Minister also referred to, on those who are suffering from drought. As I—as all of us in this chamber do—travel across the country in aircraft and look down, what causes me greatest despair is that wherever you are flying these days the dams are so low, the reservoirs are so low and the land is so parched.

When I was a kid growing up on a farm in south-east Queensland we never used to have water problems in that part of Queensland. We do now. Something is happening out there. It is not the time for a debate about climate change, but, as we look at what is happening across our country and think of those whose livelihoods are so much on the line when it comes to this extraordinary drought that the nation is now experiencing, our hearts go out to them and our policy minds need to go out to them as well for the long term.

Beyond rural Australia, and beyond those affected by these extraordinary natural events, there are those other Australians who are also doing it tough at this time of year. Christmas for many people is a time of great celebration, of gathering together as families and sometimes as communities. For other Australians it can be a very painful time. For people who have suffered loss, for people who are experiencing loneliness, Christmas can have a different significance. So at times like this it is important—and I am sure all members here will be doing the same—to reflect on those who are finding their lives difficult and for whom Christmas may not be a time of great celebration.

When we turn our thoughts to the parliament, I thank the Prime Minister for his generous remarks in relation to the former Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley. I thank him also for making available to the former Leader of the Opposition, Mr Beazley, a government aircraft to return quickly to Perth the other day following the tragic death of his brother. That was a kind gesture on the Prime Minister’s behalf, and we in the Labor Party thank him for it.

Kim’s contribution in this parliament has been reflected on a lot. He was an extraordinary contributor to the life of our nation, he continues to be an extraordinary contributor to the life of our nation, and, for our party, he has been a person whose significance goes beyond the years. Tomorrow, in Perth, Kim will farewell his brother David, who died so tragically earlier this week, and we in the Labor Party, and many others, will be thinking of Kim, Susie and his family at that time. The member for Jagajaga will be travelling to Perth and representing our thoughts; wishes and prayers at this difficult time for Kim and his family.

The member for Jagajaga has served for a long time as Deputy Leader of the Opposition. I would like to use this opportunity in my valedictory to pay particular tribute to the work that she has done on behalf of the opposition, on behalf of the parliamentary Labor Party. Jenny is a terrific person. Jenny’s work behind the scenes on policy for Labor has been tireless, has been selfless and is unknown to many of those who sit opposite—in fact, unknown to many of those who sit on the opposition benches. But I would like to use this opportunity in my valedictory to place on the Hansard record my appreciation for the self-effacing work which she has done, work which has been critical to the entire operation of the parliamentary Labor Party. I wish Jenny and her family all the best for the Christmas season, and I am sure she will appreciate the opportunity for rest which now presents itself.

To the Prime Minister, his wife, Janette, and their family, I wish a very restful Christmas as well. I know, from having observed the Prime Minister in public with his wife Janette on so many occasions, that they are indeed very close. It is plainly a time when they will be able to spend time together and recover from the rigours of the year and prepare for the next—don’t recover too much, Prime Minister.

To the Deputy Prime Minister, who has now gone from the chamber—I was going to say something about Mark Vaile.

An opposition member—There he is!

Mr Vaile —I knew you were going to do it!

Mr RUDD —It is not a question about manufacturing. I have a confession to make. I have a particular affection for the Deputy Prime Minister and the former Minister for Trade. As his sparring partner of some time in our respective occupancy of the trade portfolio—one in government and the other in opposition—I have a view that the Deputy Prime Minister is a decent bloke. I have enjoyed working with him, although you could not necessarily tell that from some of the questions I have asked him during the year. I wish Mark and his family great rest and recuperation time over Christmas.

To my caucus colleagues, this has been a very challenging year for all of us. It has had a difficult conclusion; we all know that and we feel that intensely on our side. I pay tribute to the sensitivity with which members of the parliamentary Labor Party have handled the events of the last week in particular. I say to my colleagues in the parliamentary party: rest well, return to the embrace of your families and your loved ones. It is time to experience the nurture of that and to be strengthened by it, because 2007 will return us to the event whose date the member for Lowe was speculating on—with some accuracy I fear.

Mr Murphy —He hasn’t ruled it out!

Mr Howard —No, and I don’t intend to!

Mr RUDD —Speculating on it with some accuracy, given the Prime Minister has now confirmed the election will be on 13 October!

I have referred to those opposite, but I also wish senators and members of other political parties—the Democrats, the Greens and the Independents—well. I thank Tony Windsor in particular for the courtesy he extended to me when I visited his electorate in New South Wales.

Mr Speaker, from time to time we blue with you. That is the nature of this place. We try to do so with humour, with respect and, inevitably, with accuracy. We know that, after you have returned to your family and your community for rest and recreation over the Christmas period, you will return to this place refreshed as well—and even more seized of the accuracy of our interjections, the robust nature of the argument we put forward based on the standing orders and our interpretation of them. Thank you, Mr Speaker, for your support. On a private and personal note, I would like to note the way in which you interact with members of our side of politics at a personal level. We appreciate that and thank you for your work in that respect.

There are 3,000 or so parliamentary staff around this building and its broader precinct who assist, in many ways, the work of members of parliament and make our life in this place possible. To Ian Harris, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, to his staff and to Bernard, we thank you for your services, always conducted in a professional and friendly way to those who represent the opposition party in this place.

Mr Murphy interjecting—

Mr RUDD —A drum roll from the member for Lowe. I also thank the Sergeant-at-Arms and the attendants at the Parliamentary Library. The Parliament Library staff—for those of us who do not sit on the treasury bench, and for those of you opposite who recall your time on the opposition benches—occasionally come in handy! We thank them for their professionalism and the work they do under extraordinary pressures and, I fear, under some challenge to their resources. I hope that their ability to perform the excellent service they have in the past can continue into the future.

To all the Hansard staff, whose unique challenge it is to make sense of what we in this place say from time to time, I extend, through the Hansard reporter at the table at the moment, our Christmas greetings. To the Table Office, the Parliamentary Relations Office, who assist us with our travel abroad and provide other assistance to members, our travel agents, the broadcasting staff, the IT support, the security guards, the cleaning staff, the maintenance staff, the gardeners, the switchboard staff, the catering staff and the Comcar drivers—who make it possible for us to be vaguely on time for some of our appointments—we thank them one and all for the assistance which they have given us.

I turn to Labor’s leadership team and would like to place particularly on record my thanks, appreciation and support for the new Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Julia Gillard, who in recent times has also been the Manager of Opposition Business. I would like to thank Julia for her excellent work as Manager of Opposition Business, given the depths of the provocation by the Leader of the House, which she has always responded to with good humour and, I think, acute rebuttal. Behind the scenes, I am sure that Julia and Tony in fact have a very good personal working relationship.

Ms Macklin —There he is, right on cue!

Mr RUDD —As the Leader of the House comes into the chamber, I will ask him to explain himself in relation to the last remark I made, which may have dented his credentials in the eyes of his colleagues!

To the Senate leadership team, I pass on my thanks and Christmas greetings to the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Chris Evans, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Stephen Conroy. In Stephen’s case in particular, he and his wife, Paula, have experienced wonderful joy in recent times with the birth of their beautiful baby, Isabella.

The Chief Opposition Whip, Roger Price, acts for us as—shall I say—pastor-general of the parliamentary Labor Party. Those of us on this side of the show who are in pain, trouble and torment or have particular joys to share beat a path to Roger’s office. He is a first-class whip. He is a no-nonsense whip but a person of great humanity and compassion and a person who knows how to deal with some of the difficulties in this place and keeps a great supply of Scotch in his office.

The Prime Minister referred to members of his own party organisation, including Mr Loughnane. In fact, I ran into him at a restaurant last night.

Mr Howard —He told me!

Mr RUDD —He wished me well. He did not add a qualification, Prime Minister; he just wished me well. I hope your relationship with him is good. In similar vein, I would like to pass on my thanks, appreciation and Christmas greetings to Tim Gartrell, the ALP national secretary, and all the staff who assist us at the ALP national secretariat.

To the staff of the parliamentary Labor Party—all those who assist us in this place and make our lives possible given the impossible demands we often place on them—through these remarks I would also pass on our particular thanks for their work during what has been a difficult and challenging year for us all. I send thanks to our electorate staff, who keep the home fires burning while we are here in Canberra. Increasingly, in my experience during my time in parliament, our electorate staff shoulder a greater and greater burden in terms of the people who fall between the cracks out there in the community.

This is not a debate about the blame game, Prime Minister, but people fall between the cracks of those responsible, whether it is a Commonwealth agency, a state agency or local government. Often there is simply nowhere for them to go. Our electorate staff are increasingly becoming undersalaried counsellors for the community at large. There is a great social fracturing out there in Australia at the moment which we need to be mindful of. I think our electorate offices often become the point at which that is made manifest to us. I find in my experience as a member the complexity, depth and number of cases of people in acute need increasing and increasing greatly year by year. So we thank our electorate staff one and all.

Finally on the subject of staff, I particularly acknowledge the role played by David Fredericks, the former chief of staff of the former Leader of the Opposition, Mr Beazley. ‘Freddo’, as he is known to everyone in this building, was a very good and very loyal chief of staff and someone who managed the Leader of the Opposition’s office with great professionalism and distinction. I know he had a good professional relationship with the Prime Minister’s private office, and he was held and continues to be held in high regard by all of us in the parliamentary Labor Party. In the deputy leader’s office and the office of the Manager of Opposition Business, I would also pay particular tribute to the role played by Silvana Anthony and the work that she has done.

The Prime Minister also rightly referred to our troops abroad. The Prime Minister is right. This always goes and should go beyond politics. It goes beyond whether we support a particular military engagement or not. I have visited and met with our troops in the field in Iraq. I have seen their operations in East Timor. When I was in Afghanistan they were not there, but they are back there now, so I know something of the terrain in which are they operating. These are very difficult and dangerous operating environments. You know that intellectually and then you go there. I know many members of the parliament have gone there and have seen what they are doing in the field. At times like this, at Christmas, when they are separated from their families, the acuteness of the sense of separation knows no easy description. So I would ask all members to bear our men and women in uniform in mind and in their prayers at this difficult time. I am particularly concerned about the operating environment in Afghanistan. I think it is going to become increasingly difficult and dangerous. I worry greatly about the safety of our troops there; I know the Prime Minister would as well. But at this time we send them our best greetings. It is a good thing that in this parliament and this country we have got to a stage where sentiments of this nature have absolutely no divide anymore.

Finally, on my personal staff, I thank my own chief of staff, Alister Jordan, who has been with me for the last five years. He needs a rest as well, and I am giving him this weekend off—then it is back to work! Then there are my policy advisers, Kate Callaghan and—I can confirm publicly the name of my other policy adviser—James Bond. I thank them for their work as well. I assure those on the government benches that they will be engaging in no James Bond-like activities.

I thank my own electorate staff, Gina Tilley, Mary Mawhinney, Louise Bell, Fleur Foster and Joel Lyneham, who have assisted me enormously in dealing with my community in Brisbane. Volunteers also have assisted both in my parliamentary office and back home in Brisbane: Marcus Bartley Johns, Roseanne Toohey, Denise Jefferson, Joan Dunn and Lorna Clarke—I thank them all. Without them, handling the correspondence load into my office would simply be impossible. To the people of my electorate of Griffith in Brisbane, I thank them very much.

On family, I thank my wife of 25 years, Therese, and my kids, Jessica, Nicholas and Marcus. The Prime Minister has said this and Kim has said this: family is everything. It is true. Nothing more needs to be said. That is where it begins; that is where it ends.

In conclusion, we all have a really big year ahead of us. We are all human beings in this place. We are full of human foibles and failings. We get things right; we get things wrong. But there is a decency about Australian political life which I think we always need to remind ourselves of. We listened in the Great Hall yesterday to remarks by the Korean President on the nature of the Australian democracy—that we have these things called smooth political transitions, as we hope to have at the end of next year. But the point he was making was actually much more profound than that. It was actually about the nature of our Australian democracy—the fact that, despite the real political and ideas divide which exists within Australian politics and the robustness with which it is fought, there is a humanity about this place in the fact that we have friendships across this chamber which will endure well beyond our time in this chamber. So, Mr Speaker, with those concluding remarks, I wish you, all members of parliament and those who are listening to this broadcast all the best for the Christmas season. May we return refreshed and ready for what lies ahead for us in 2007.