Tuesday, 2 August 2022

Members

Speaker

Resignation

The Clerk: Members, I wish to advise that I have received the following letter from the Honourable Colin Brooks:

Dear Bridget,

I hereby resign as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your wonderful team for all your support and advice throughout my time as Speaker.

It has been an honour to serve the Parliament and the people of our state and it heartens me to know that there are such incredible people working for the Parliament who are so passionate about this democratic institution.

And it is signed and dated, Colin Brooks, 27 June.

Election

The Clerk: Accordingly, the house now proceeds to the election of a Speaker. Are there any nominations?

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (12:03): I propose that the member for Bendigo West, Ms Maree Edwards, be Speaker. I move:

That the member for Bendigo West do take the chair.

The Clerk: Who seconds this motion?

Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery) (12:04): I am delighted to support the nomination of my friend and colleague the member for Bendigo West as the Speaker of the house.

The Clerk: Member for Bendigo West, do you accept the nomination?

Ms EDWARDS (Bendigo West) (12:04): I am honoured to accept the nomination.

Motion agreed to.

The Clerk declared the member for Bendigo West duly elected as Speaker.

Ms Edwards conducted to chair by proposer and seconder.

The mace was placed on table.

The SPEAKER (12:05): I express my sincere thanks to the house for the great honour conferred on me by electing me as Speaker.

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (12:06): Speaker, if I might offer, on behalf of the parliamentary Labor Party, our deepest congratulations on the honour that the house has just bestowed on you. During your time in this place you have been a great champion not only for the people of Bendigo West but for regional Victoria more broadly and for all of those across our community who without strong advocacy and without a champion do not have a voice.

I could give a long speech in relation to all the different projects, all the different matters of policy and all the different causes that you have been a great champion for, but I want to focus on just one. In my time as the leader of our party and in my time working alongside you, I have always been deeply impressed by your passion for and commitment to those in our community who have special needs and those who are the parents of particularly children who have special needs. I know it is a great point of pride for you, and by extension is a great point of pride for me and our entire government, the work that we have been able to do side by side with you as the member for Bendigo West in relation to Kalianna special school, the full redevelopment of which would not have occurred without your passionate advocacy. On the many occasions that I have visited that fine facility, now fully upgraded and open, to speak with students, to speak with staff and to speak with parents, I have seen the joy in the eyes of the students from knowing now beyond any question or any doubt that they are worth it and that they have the facilities that match the quality of the teaching and learning that they are fundamentally entitled to. None of that would have occurred without your advocacy, without your determination and without your will to make that project a reality. And of course, always with an eye to the future, Bendigo Special Developmental School has now been fully funded as part of this year’s budget to complete that important work right across your proud city.

Your own personal journey is one of adversity but purpose, and that does you great credit as well. I cannot think of a better person to sit in that chair and preside over the business of this house than you, Speaker. I wholeheartedly congratulate you on this great honour. I know that you will bring that same passion, your sense of fairness, your sense of inclusion and equality and your deep respect to this as an institution and to the significant responsibility that you have just been chosen to administer. Well done from all of us. We know you will do this Parliament proud.

Mr GUY (Bulleen—Leader of the Opposition) (12:09): Speaker, can I just, on behalf of the opposition, pass our congratulations to you on achieving such a wonderful position—the Speaker of the chamber of the Legislative Assembly. Can I also pass some comments to the outgoing Speaker, the member for Bundoora, on the fine work he did as Speaker managing many in this Parliament—indeed the member for Warrandyte amongst others.

I understand, Speaker, you—like every person who has occupied that chair—no doubt will bring your own flavour to that chair and your own management style and your own inclusiveness to the chamber. We on this side of the house, obviously from opposition, have a more vocal presence in places like question time, which we hope all Speakers understand. We hope that it does not last forever—maybe only four months—but we do congratulate you. It is a wonderful honour.

On a personal note, I am full of admiration for the many people in this chamber who rise to executive positions, both in the Parliament and in government, who are from outside of Melbourne, who spend time away from their family and who spend a lot of time away from their own constituency. It is a taxing time for many. I know on my side there are many members from outside of Melbourne and obviously there are in the government as well, and certainly including you, and no doubt having this position will mean that you personally will be away for more time than, say, a sitting MP. I think that is a great strength to be admired of those who fill those roles and who do that. We offer our congratulations to you and our participation throughout the good workings of the Parliament during your tenure as Speaker. So, congratulations.

Dr READ (Brunswick) (12:10): Speaker, on behalf of the Greens I too would like to extend our congratulations. We have seen your calm and measured demeanour as Deputy Speaker and look forward to working with you and having you see out the remaining weeks of this Parliament. I also want to pass on our thanks to the former Speaker, the member for Bundoora. Congratulations.

The SPEAKER (12:11): Can I thank the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Brunswick for their kind words. With the indulgence of the house, I would like to say a few brief words. I firstly want to thank members for their support and for electing me to be Speaker. I would also like to acknowledge and thank our previous Speaker, the honourable member for Bundoora, for the great job he has done, particularly for his integrity in the role and for his support while I have been his deputy for the past five years. A former member once said to me that it is a great honour to be elected as a member of Parliament and anything that comes after that is a privilege. So I am both honoured and privileged to be here in the Speaker’s chair.

I want to acknowledge and thank my four children, their partners, my two stepsons and—for those who are keeping up—my eight, soon to be nine, grandchildren and my extended family and friends, some of whom are here today, for their unwavering love and support and for keeping me grounded. My electorate office staff, Martyn, Lynda, Pam and Sam, are the backbone of the work we do in the electorate of Bendigo West, and I am extremely grateful for all that they do. Thank you.

To the communities across Bendigo West, I am truly honoured that I was elected to represent you almost 12 years ago. I pledge to continue to work hard to deliver great outcomes for all. As only the fourth woman to take the Speaker’s chair in the long history of this Parliament, I am reminded that although significant progress has been made, we still have some way to go to achieve gender equity. To the women who came before me and to the first woman Speaker of this place, the Honourable Judy Maddigan—who I acknowledge is in the gallery today—thank you for trailblazing opportunities for women in this role. As mentioned, there is only a short time left before the dissolution of this 59th Parliament, and I would like to encourage all members over the coming weeks to embrace respect for each other, for the communities they represent and for the outstanding clerks and staff who keep this place a successful working environment.

I would also encourage respect for the Chair always and adherence to the rules of the house. Standing orders, as we know, are there for a reason, and it is imperative to the smooth operation of the house that they are followed. To all, I say my door will always be open and I look forward to engaging with you. I also encourage you to raise matters that are of interest or concern to you. I am always open to new ideas and new suggestions. When I told my husband, Steve, that I was likely to be Speaker of the house I think he was pretty chuffed. Thank you, Steve, for all you do and for your love and support, and I promise not to call you to order too often. I cannot promise the same to members. However, in fairness and with impartiality I will be respectful and endeavour to always be kind and empathetic. As is past practice, I ask members to refer to the Chair as ‘Speaker’, and no prefix is required.

Now it is time to move on to the business of the house, starting with the Lord’s Prayer, and I ask members to rise in their seats.

The SPEAKER (Ms JM Edwards) read the prayer.