Dunne Peter: Election of Speaker 
Dunne Peter: Election of Speaker 
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Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) 
: 
 Madam Speaker-Elect on behalf of United Future I want to extend our congratulations to you on your election. I want also to bring you our best wishes for the difficult role that lies ahead. You start with some extraordinary natural advantages: your background in the law your time in this House but particularly I think your time as the president of the Labour Party because you were remarkably successful in that role at a very difficult time. If you were able to keep the factions there under control I think you will do extremely well in managing less difficult forces in this House. 
You made an observation in your opening remarks about your love of competitive sport and your increasing empathy with referees. I make the return observation that there are as you well know two types of referees. There is the referee who sees the role being one of allowing the game to flow—enforcing the rules but making sure the game flows effectively with minimal interruption but nonetheless with discipline and strength. And then there is the referee who has to blow up at everything—who has to intrude so much into the affairs of the game that nothing ever happens. Madam Speaker-Elect I plead with you to be in the former category: firm forceful and fair but essentially an arbiter or referee who allows the game to flow and the various sides to make their moves and take their tackles and their hits as the circumstances permit. 
Much has been said about the fact that you complete what some would regard as a very skilful takeover of our society by women in recent years. I note by the way that in the various combinations that have been mentioned reference to the Chief Justice has been curiously absent; I will leave members to draw conclusions about that. But I am sure Madam Speaker-Elect that as we look upon you as Parliament’s person and our presiding officer issues of gender will be secondary to issues of competence and ability. Your razor-keen mind is known to many of us. Your dry sense of humour has been observed by a significant number of us in this House. I look forward to the combination of your intellect and your wit your style and your grace as you preside over our proceedings and demonstrate that you are truly Parliament’s person and a Speaker-Elect of whom we can be very proud. 
I conclude with a reference to your predecessor. I thought it was unfortunate that one of the earlier speakers somewhat unwittingly referred to his “passing”. I think that is somewhat premature 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Very premature! 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: It is very premature a member interjects. Madam Speaker-Elect Mr Hunt set a standard for you and your predecessors that will be extremely challenging and hard to follow. He was a great Speaker of this Parliament and a man whose love of the institution and whose knowledge of its procedures were unparalleled. I am sure that in the time he remains a member of this House he will if you seek it offer counsel. But I am equally sure knowing his extraordinary modesty that he will not offer that counsel unless it is sought from him. That is a mark of greatness. 
Madam Speaker I wish you well.