Thursday, 24 September 2026


Members statements

Felicitations


Will FOWLES

Felicitations

 Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (09:55): I want to thank a number of people who make this place work. To the Deputy Speaker and the acting speakers, thank you for keeping this house on track, even when members test your patience. To the clerks and to the table office, particularly Bridget Noonan, thank you for your patience, good humour and sound advice. I have relied on all three, sometimes just 5 minutes before the house sits. Your impartiality is frequently tested but is always beyond reproach. To Hansard, thank you for turning what we say into a record that makes sense at least part of the time. That cannot always be easy. To our security staff, particularly Adam Boyd and Courtney Wise, thank you. You are here when we arrive and here when we leave, and you look after us both here and in our electorate offices. Thank you to the attendants, committee and broadcasting staff, property services, the cleaning staff and everyone who keeps this building running. To the IT team, I frequently sought to push our IT capabilities beyond where they are, and you mercifully and gracefully met me on that journey, so thank you. Thank you for your patience and for making things work. And to the catering staff, thank you for the coffee, the meals and the conversations during long sitting days. Members come and go, and the work of parliamentary staff carries on. It has been a privilege to work with all of them, absolutely all of them, and I thank them.