The following is the full text of Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum’s speech to the House of Representatives ahead of his retirement from politics at the next election:
“Firstly, thank you to the House for the indulgence of being able to make a valedictory speech.
“To the Speaker, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, the leader of the Opposition and members in general.
“It seems like yesterday when I came to Canberra following the 2016 election in July to attend the induction sessions along with all the other newly elected members from all parties.
“The induction sessions were very helpful and it’s exciting to come into this place and, as I said, it feels like it was only yesterday.
“Today is an opportunity to thank some people who have helped me in the role as the Member for Murray and then Nicholls.
“Firstly, my staff. My office managers Alison Foscholo, Claire Ewart-Kennedy and Lyndal Humphris have been fantastic and enabled me to concentrate on the job at hand.
“My media adviser is the wonderful and talented Luke Griffiths and I have two incredible staffers who have been with me for the six years, namely Mark Skilbeck as my lead adviser and Tessa Harris, who has managed my diary and been at the front of the office since day one.
“A huge thank you to Di Andrews, who has been in the position of whip’s clerk — it’s a huge job and Di has been wonderful in her role and I need to thank Tory Mencshelyi, who really has been a huge help, not just to myself but also to the Nationals team.
“Talking about the Nationals team, I really need to thank all of you for your support, your friendship and for — sometimes — turning an otherwise quite uneventful day into a frenetic, complicated, stressful and, may I say, amusing place for a day’s work.
“I love the Nationals and I genuinely believe in their movement, for over 100 years, putting regional issues at the front of our political debate.
“In politics where numbers rule in a ruthless manner, we have 43 per cent of Australians living in two cities.
“I have a natural belief that if we go forward without a strong National Party, we will always lose out on the contested issues to the parties centred around the capital cities.
“I know the Nats are far from perfect, but we know our people, we work hard for our people and we drive each other to get better and better.
“I would like to thank Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack for their leadership, and acknowledge the entire team both here and in the Senate.
“I would particularly like to thank Darren Chester, Kevin Hogan and Pat Conaghan for their unbending friendship. Everyone in here knows how valuable true friends are in this place.
“I would also like to thank the many members of the Liberal and Labor parties who have put party-politics aside to have great friendships and especially that little corner over there where we count the votes at every division; the banter can get pretty funny on occasions.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the parliamentary staff — we have the drivers who look after us, the clerks and the house staff who are always happy to help. There are wonderful catering staff all around the building, we are lucky to be treated so well.
“Apart from this being a wonderful opportunity to thank people, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on what my team has been able to achieve for the electorate of Murray, and now Nicholls.
“It’s really humbling to be able to announce big infrastructure projects like the Echuca-Moama bridge, to fund the upgrade of the Shepparton rail line, to fund a new cancer centre at Goulburn Valley Health.
“To have millions of dollars spent in Yarrawonga, Echuca, Kyabram, Nagambie, Seymour and Shepparton gives you a sense that you have justified the faith that your constituents have placed in you.
“Of all the projects that I’ve been able to deliver, the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network is the one I’m most proud of.
“In an area that is short on doctors, we are four years into a seven-year program to have 30 doctors graduate each year from Melbourne University’s Shepparton campus, which will have lasting health benefits for the people of the Goulburn Valley into the future.
“One of the memorable moments was in the lead-up to the last election, as there was a lot of pressure to explain where we sat in relation to the policy surrounding the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
“I arranged for the then-water minister, David Littleproud, and Barnaby Joyce to visit and we called a public meeting, inviting all the advocacy groups we could, knowing it would be combative.
“Most people thought I was mad and maybe they were right, as I put myself and party leaders in front of an angry group of farmers who knew we were trying to help them, but were bitterly disappointed that we couldn’t give them the security they needed to go forward with their business.
“We escaped with our physical wellbeing in check, but I’ll never forget that public meeting at the Hall family’s cool store.
“Communities up and down the Murray and Darling rivers have paid a huge price to comply with the plan and I urge all political parties, from all states, to show some genuine compassion about the damage inflicted by the plan and take an empathetic view forward as we try to find the right balance between water for agriculture and livelihoods, or water for the rivers, wetlands and lakes.
“It’s amazing how many other industries hang off the back of agriculture. In my electorate, more than 5000 people work in the food processing industries, transport, packaging, and in the steel engineering sector, large parts of the professional sector all directly or indirectly reliant on the agricultural sector.
“The Goulburn Valley really is a food bowl that produces so much for our great country.
“On reflection, I’ve really enjoyed my time as National Party whip. People often ask me: ‘What’s the story about being a whip?’ My response is it’s just like being the team manager.
“Working with other members, having them take you into their confidence and helping leadership get things organised is a role that I’ve really enjoyed.
“I’ve also enjoyed working with the other party whips, so again a real thank you.
“I would like to acknowledge the various councils that I have worked with across the Goulburn Valley — Mitchell Shire and Strathbogie Shire in the south, and the Moira and Campaspe shires in the north, and the City of Greater Shepparton have all been fantastic to work with.
“I start just about every project with councils from a position of support and it’s only on a rare occasion that I find it necessary to disagree or oppose a council project.
“Thank you to all the volunteers within the National Party in Nicholls. There are too many to mention all, but to Lindsay Dann, Don and Cheryl Kilgour, Peter Ryan and many others, I will always be indebted to you for all your help, support and friendship you’ve offered.
“I acknowledge the state team led by Tim Bull and assisted by Steph Ryan and Peter Walsh — they’re a great bunch and I wish them well into the future.
“I also want to acknowledge one of the great leaders of the Nats in Tim Fischer. He had a mantra that you had to keep firmly in touch with at least 10 friends from the outside of politics and I can say I’ve got that covered with my punters club group! These guys know a lot about horses, cricket, golf, footy and life in general. Not surprisingly they have strong opinions and they certainly are great friends and I’m sure I’ll be catching up with them a bit more in the future than previously.
“I also want to thank those nearest and dearest.
“My five children are just the most wonderful human beings, and wanting to spend more time with them has played a major part in my decision to not contest the next election.
“So to Luke, Alyce, Gabby and Corey, as well as Josh and Sally, Willow, Olive and Sonny, I am really looking forward to spending more time together and not feeling guilty about missing a community event to do so.
“As I said earlier, I’m very proud of my kids, very proud of their work ethic and how they have become resilient individuals who care for their friends.
“I’ve always been busy, from the time I was building garages and sheds to footy coaching, to politics in the state and then this job up here, so I’ve missed so many barbecues, missed doing what most normal families take for granted.
“Most of you, if not all of you, in this parliament will know all about making family sacrifices and missing out on important events, so when I look forward, I’m hoping to see a lot more of the kids and grandkids.
“To my wonderful partner Ros, her family and extended family, who are joined today in the gallery by great friends Bruce and Kerry, and Sam and Emma, it’s great to have you here today.
“If you put your hand up for this job, it means making significant sacrifices with your time, it means sacrificing time with your family full stop — and your partner, wife or husband bears the brunt of that sacrifice. And for me, it’s now time to put family first, so Ros thank you for enabling me to do my job, thank you for actually helping me to understand a different point of view every now and again, and thank you for being a wonderful partner over the last 15 years.
“I’m really looking forward to having more time to do the things we enjoy a bit more often.
“Ros has her own business helping people with disabilities and this keeps her very busy.
“It’s great looking back to see what’s been achieved. It’s been an amazing ride but I’m keen to look ahead with what will be a new chapter, even though I have no idea what this new chapter will look like.
“And if I can finish how I started — thank you for the indulgence of a valedictory speech to thank those who have done so much to help me perform this role.
“Cheers.”