Thursday, 2 May 2019

Ministerial staff acknowledgements

Mr DALIDAKIS (Southern Metropolitan) (10:45): Yesterday I had the great pleasure of giving my address-in-reply speech, but unfortunately I ran out of time to be able to thank my personal private office staff, so I wish to use my members statement today to thank my personal staff from my time of being a minister.

My office was built around one person, Janine Robb. Janine Robb was my executive assistant at the time. She was a most fantastic person to work with, somebody that I relied upon deeply not just for her professionalism but for her pastoral care. She has now retired to the leafy surrounds of the country, and I do wish her well in her time away from politics—a chance for her to rehabilitate herself.

To Jason Chai, who ran my office, and to Ashlea Gilmore, Pablo Salina, Mel Henderson, Abby Pinskier, Sam Lynch and Ana Valleau, I thank them very deeply for the long hours that they worked, the time that they spent away from their families and the policy that they decided to commit themselves to achieving.

Other members in my office over the years included Andy Lee, Bec Martin, Rebekka Power, Caitlin Walsh and, of course, last but not least, Mehmet Tillem. Mehmet was my first chief of staff—a man that I love very deeply. We always used to joke that he was a Turkish Muslim and I was a Greek Jew and if we could work together we could solve the problems of the world. He is very ill at the moment. I wish him all the very best, and I hope that he does recover. I offer my deepest gratitude and thanks to him.