House of Representatives

Federation Chamber

Statements by Members

Australian Capital Territory Election

Mr DAVID SMITH (Bean) (16:35): Last weekend the final votes were counted in the ACT election—an election where 70 per cent of all voters voted early.

The ACT government was returned, with particularly strong swings in the southern electorates of Brindabella and Murrumbidgee.

It was an endorsement of a government that had everything thrown at it this year, from bushfires, smoke pollution and a freak hailstorm to the impact of the coronavirus.

It was an endorsement of a government that is experienced, competent and committed to opportunity for all. It was an endorsement of a government not afraid to have a resourced, independent integrity body. It was an endorsement of the efforts of Labor's 25 candidates and their campaign teams, and the support they received from the ACT Labor office and the broader Labor movement.

Hare-Clark can be a brutal system in that, as much as it is a competition with other party candidates, it creates a competition between party members.

I would like to congratulate those that have been successful—Joy Burch, Mick Gentleman, Chris Steel, Marisa Paterson, Andrew Barr, Rachel Stephen-Smith, Tara Cheyne, Yvette Berry, Michael Pettersson and Suzanne Orr—but also note the particular contributions of Gordon Ramsay, Deepak-Raj Gupta and Bec Cody, who were not returned, and thank the efforts of all the Labor team for the sacrifice they have made and for etching their names in the ACT Labor story.