Senator WONG (South Australia—Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (21:04): I thank the Senate for the opportunity to place some remarks on the record as we end the parliamentary year. Much has been said about the challenges of 2020 and the impact of the pandemic on everyone's lives. Certainly the Senate has found some extraordinary ways to continue its work, but the adjustments all of us have made to our work have been trifling in comparison to the shock and challenges faced by so many of the people we serve: nearly a million Australians unemployed, 1½ million on JobKeeper and 1.8 million on JobSeeker by the end of the year; those lost to coronavirus and those who mourn their loss; the 685 Australians who died in residential aged care; and Australians who lost loved ones and homes in the bushfires of last summer. This has been a year that has been tough, a year defined by tragedy, loss and grief for too many of our fellow Australians. Our job here is to do everything we can to help. Our positions carry great privilege, and, in return, they demand accountability. They demand responsibility to help and protect our fellow Australians. I'm very proud to lead the Labor team in this place, and I am grateful on their behalf to place some thanks and season's greetings on the record. I'll start with you, Mr President. Can I say personally how much I've appreciated the opportunity to work with you again this year. This President is a principled, trusted custodian of the chamber. I'm grateful for your constructive and cooperative manner and your extraordinary efforts to maintain the operations of this place, including working with states to facilitate the movement of senators for parliamentary business. While occasionally we may not live up to the standards you set—only very occasionally!—your commitment to upholding them is to the benefit not just of this place but of the Australian democracy, and I know you understand that. I want to thank the Deputy President and Chair of Committees, my dear friend Senator Lines, who does an enormous amount of work behind the scenes and also in the chamber as Deputy President and Chair of Committees. She brings a calm, practical and inclusive approach, and I think we saw that in a difficult debate last night. I thank her for that. I did tell her she wasn't allowed to leave! It is very important work, and I want to acknowledge her and thank her for her work. To my counterpart, Senator Birmingham: obviously for Christmas we have a freshly minted Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Birmingham is the fourth leader I've faced—is that right? Somebody wrote that! Is that actually true? Can I wish him a successful and short stint as Leader of the Government in the Senate! It was a joke, Michaelia! She's looking so serious! I also acknowledge the Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Cash, and acknowledge her promotion to that role. On my own side, can I first start with Senator Keneally. I am particularly grateful to my deputy, Senator Keneally, who is—and we saw it again this evening—a tireless, fierce advocate for the Labor cause. She is relentless in every aspect—in seeking to hold the government to account, for example, for its promise to have Australians who are stranded overseas home by Christmas. She knows personally the pain of being kept apart from family by the pandemic at the most difficult of times, and, through it, she has kept going. So, Kristina, I hope you have time with your family this Christmas and I hope you have the time and space to remember and celebrate your father. I couldn't ask for better sisters to be in the trenches with than Senator Keneally and, of course, the Manager of Opposition Business, Senator Gallagher. Senator Gallagher has extraordinary skill, finesse and diplomacy in performing one of the most gruelling and complex jobs in the parliament. Her EQ is high; mine is not. She does her best to make up for it! Did you notice that my colleagues didn't laugh at that joke, by the way? Opposition senators interjecting— Senator WONG: They're thinking, 'Am I supposed to laugh?' I particularly thank Katy for the critical role she's played in the COVID-19 select committee, which is one of the most far-reaching programs of work I can remember. Thank you for that. I also thank the staff of Senators Keneally and Gallagher, who are highly effective and diligent—dogged, at times—and a pleasure to work with. I thank our Opposition Whip and Deputy Opposition Whips. Senator Anne Urquhart, Senator Ciccone and Senator McCarthy are a fantastic team, and I thank them and their staff. My staff have said, 'I hope the only bells you hear over Christmas are on Santa's sleigh!' I thank my team for their commitment this year. It is a privilege to hold the position I hold, and it makes the job so much easier knowing I have such an incredibly committed, capable and talented group of individuals supporting our effort. Anthony Albanese said this week that this is the most talented Senate caucus he can remember, and he was right. So thank you for your work. To all colleagues in this chamber: in the spirit of the Christmas season, I extend my best wishes to all of you and to your families. Those who love us endure a great deal, and, without their care and support, we wouldn't be able to do our jobs. I do want to thank the Clerk, Richard Pye; the Deputy Clerk, Jackie Morris; Tim Bryant; Rachel Callinan; Toni Matulick; John Begley; and all of the staff of the Department of the Senate. Thank you for the work you do for Australian democracy. Thank you, particularly, to the secretaries of committees and the staff of secretariats; I know how much your workload has increased. Thanks to the chamber attendants. We really appreciate the work you do and the way in which you keep this place going. I'm sorry my knee keeps hitting my button and you keep having to come over to see if I want anything! Thanks to all at the Department of Parliamentary Services, with particular thanks to the Parliamentary Library, PBO, and, of course, Hansard, security, maintenance and ancillary staff who work to ensure the running of Parliament House. I always want to mention the cleaners. I'm grateful to the work of the hardworking cleaners. We know how essential their job is to the maintenance of our health and wellbeing, and they always deserve more than they are paid. Thanks to all who support what we do inside and outside the building, including the Comcar drivers, and I thank also the parliamentary security team and the AFP. To the press gallery: these are hard times to work in the media, and I acknowledge the uncertainties and pressures you work under. But your work is so important, because there is no democracy without you. To staff of Labor senators, I want to express my thanks. We are privileged on this side—and I'm sure all senators would say this—to be supported by outstanding people. Their efforts are reflected in so much that we do—in the speeches we deliver, in the policies we develop, in the operation of the institution and, of course, in our ability to serve our constituents. For many staff it has been a very demanding year. I want to say that I recognise that personal sacrifice is, regrettably, often so much a part of the job of being a political staffer. We are all very grateful. I express my personal gratitude to my whole team, ably led by Tom Mooney. Finally, to all the Labor members and supporters throughout Australia, including our friends in the labour movement: on behalf of the Senate Labor team, I extend our gratitude and our solidarity and I hope that the holiday season is a happy and safe one for you all. To those comrades in our movement who work inside and outside of this place in service of the Labor cause, who understand that Labor governments change the country and who are working to make a federal Labor government a reality: I thank you for your commitment, your values and your aspiration. I wish all a Merry Christmas.