Earlier today staff service awards were presented to the wonderful staff who work for the Legislative Assembly, the Legislative Council and the Department of Parliamentary Services. I am extremely lucky to have the services of Mrs Anne Lomas in the electorate office in Cessnock; she is my Electorate Officer 2. Anne has been the electorate officer at the office of the member for Cessnock for 25 years now. She has worked for four different members of Parliament, one of them Liberal, three of them Labor. She transcends the political divide and she knows just about everything there is to know about what needs to happen in an electorate office.
Of the many thousands and thousands of people who have contacted the electorate office of whoever the member for Cessnock happened to be in the past 25 years, there is no doubt that Anne has been both a shoulder for them to cry on and a strong advocate for their needs. She has gone about her work diligently, carefully and patiently, getting the results she needs for the many thousands of people across the electorate of Cessnock. I thank her so much for continuing her great work for me.