Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (18:07): I want to make a brief contribution and give a Christmas message on the rising of the house for this year. It has been a fantastic year for us on this side. We managed to get on this side of the house, but it has been challenging at times, and I think everyone, wherever they sit in either this house or the other place, will be very keen to have more time with their family and friends over Christmas, and I wish them all the best for that.

I know that the Premier is going to go into more detail, but I thank everyone who makes this place work: the cleaners, the maintenance men, the catering staff—and some could argue I spend too much time with the catering staff—the Clerks in the house, the staff in the house, the committee staff, the Hansard people and the drivers. I am going to miss someone, but I am sure the Premier will fill in the gaps. I thank everyone who makes this place function that makes it easier for the 47 people here who represent electorates and the 22 who represent the state in the other place.

If it were not for all those people who make Parliament House function, this place would not work and democracy would not work, and so I thank everyone. Anyone I missed, please forgive me, but I thank you all for what you do. I thank all the electorate office staff from right across the board. It is a tough gig in an electorate office. They are the front line of duty and I give them full credit. I also thank all the ministerial staff, and the staff who are based here in Parliament House, for their efforts.

With those few words, I would just like to thank everyone for the contribution they make to make this place work because if we did not have you, it would not run as smoothly as it does. Some people say it looks like havoc. There are a lot of wheels spinning, but we do make it work across the way. I would like to thank the Opposition Whip, Michael Brown (member for Playford), for the dialogue we have. We do not always get to strike a deal, but we always work something out by the end of the day. With those few words, I hope that everyone has a refreshing break and that we all come back refreshed for another big year serving our state no matter where we sit in this place. I would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year.