00:06when i came to the leadership of the liberal party nine months ago my mother had just died
00:13one of the things she said was when something ends in sadness don't dwell on the disappointment
00:22be grateful that you had it at all so today i want to express gratitude to the liberal party that
00:32i
00:32have belonged to and loved for more than half of my adult life to the party room that elected me
00:40as
00:41their leader nine months ago and to the parliament of australia that has been the most extraordinary
00:49workplace for 25 years the leadership of our party is a gift of the party room and i respect the
00:59decision
00:59that they have made for those who supported me today i thank you i thank you your loyalty your
01:10unflinching loyalty i will always appreciate for those who did not i genuinely have no hard feelings
01:20i wish angus taylor well i know he has experience energy and drive i know the whole team will have
01:31what it takes to fight this awful labor government i will be cheering them on i thank the many colleagues
01:40that i have worked with not just over the last few months but over many years you continue to have
01:47my respect my respect and admiration for all that you do i thank my deputy ted o'brien for the
01:57incredible way
01:58that he has conducted himself i thank our grassroots party members who get up every day and work hard
02:07for the values that we all believe in for the values that we all believe in so deeply i have
02:13been supported by incredible staff in every team lee that i have led quite simply i could not have done
02:22it good actually
02:23when a farmer from rand in new south wales angus mcneill first approached me to be the candidate for farrah
02:31in 2001 and said he thought i had what it takes i never expected to be successful i won the
02:40seat by 206 votes
02:42and i have been re-elected nine times i love the western plains of new south wales the murray and
02:50murrumbidgee rivers
02:51and the rural communities that it has been my enormous privilege to represent
02:58when i came here in 2001 my children were 8 10 and 12 they are now in their 30s with
03:07children of their own
03:08they are my greatest gift and the six little australians my grandchildren remind me that everything
03:17we do in this place should always be about the next generation
03:24i leave it for others to judge this period of my leadership now and with the passing of time
03:31while i'm sure plenty of people will have plenty to say i have never sought to influence what other
03:39people think of me i am proud of the role i played in establishing a royal commission into anti-semitism
03:47i am proud that we landed an energy policy in november last year and i'm also proud that after a
03:55difficult period the coalition reformed stronger than before there is no doubt that it has been
04:03a challenging time to lead the party after we suffered the worst defeat in 81 years it has been tough
04:12at times very tough but every sleepless night every intractable problem indeed every personal challenge
04:21has always been put in perspective by my understanding of the burdens that so many
04:28ordinary australians face quietly and without fuss every day those australians remain my inspiration
04:38it is important that the new leader gets clear air something that is not always afforded to leaders
04:46but which in the present moment is more important than ever i will be spending the next couple of weeks
04:54thanking the amazing people of farra and expressing my gratitude to them for the honor of representing them
05:03for 25 years shortly thereafter i will be tendering my resignation to the speaker i'm not sure what comes
05:12next for me i look forward to stepping away completely and comprehensively from public life
05:20to spend time with my family to reconnect with my enduring passion aviation which taught me if i had an
05:30ego
05:30i'd be dead it's been quite useful in politics and finally as some of you know i was part of
05:37the early
05:38punk rock movement in canberra i will continue to find wisdom in one of punk's defining themes
05:46a fearless and honest belief in yourself
05:50mrs lee
05:51See you next week.
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