The PRESIDENT —On 9 September of this year, Mr Pasquale Gagliardi will have been working for the Joint House Department for 25 years. He was the ACT Outstanding Apprentice of the Year in 1968, commenced work with the department as a temporary painter on 9 September 1974 and has worked for the department ever since. He has progressed through the maintenance services area to a point where he is now a works supervisor, overseeing works projects in Parliament House. He has always been a very committed worker, serving the parliament to the very best of his ability. He has those characteristics very necessary for someone in a service industry: he is open, helpful and cheerful. It is hard to imagine how many paintbrushes he must have used in the time he has been here when you contemplate the painting of the Old Parliament House and now this new one, but he is one of the people who enable it all to happen for the rest of us who come here as senators and members. On behalf of senators, I would say to him, `Thank you for your 25 years service.'

Honourable senators —Hear, hear!