Wednesday, 21 September 2022

 Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (10:38): I hope this is not a valedictory speech. I plan to be here next year, but politics is a wildcard, so you never know. Given this, I want to take a moment to thank a few people on the Department of Parliamentary Services staff. A particular shout-out to Matt Jordon; to IT and particularly Chris Prasad—thanks for your help; to the Legislative Council team led by, of course, Andrew and Anne; to all the attendants, and a shout-out to Patrick and his wicked sense of humour, which has made the tough days feel not so bad; to the PSOs and security team that keep us safe, and a particular shout-out to Muhammad for his amazing recipes on YouTube—if you have not seen them, check them out; to the tabling office, Juliana, Annemarie, Savannah, Tash and others—my office cannot speak highly enough of the work that you do; to the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel for drafting my bills and amendments; to Jacquie, Elise and the entire hospitality team; to past and present presidents, Mr Leane and Mr Elasmar, for keeping this place in good order—and of course to the acting presidents and the Deputy President; and to the ministers and their advisers, indeed all MPs from the opposition and crossbench and staff, thank you very much;

Of course to my own staff, to Olivia, who most of you know, thanks for all of your work over the journey—it has been invaluable—and indeed to Clinton before you as well. To those back in the office—Sarah, Amanda, Michael and Callum, and Kristian at the beginning—all of your work is appreciated, and you have made me look much better than I really am.

Finally, to my family—my wife, Mandy, and the kids, Michael and Brianna—it has been tough, but we live on. I love you and thank you for all your support.

Some of us come to this place with very little—in fact no—experience in politics. Sometimes I got it wrong, and sometimes I got it right. One thing I hope you do know is that I come from a very good place that seeks to right the wrongs of many that come before our office. So a huge and sincere thankyou, and stay safe everyone.