Veteran Labor MP Peter Watson delivers farewell speech to State Parliament ahead of retirement

After five State elections and two decades of service to the people of Albany, veteran Labor MP Peter Watson gave his final address to State Parliament last week. Mr Watson has held the seat of Albany since 2001 and he will fall just 20 days short of being the electorate’s longest-serving representative at the March State election. The speaker of the Legislative Assembly delivered his valedictory address last Wednesday, thanking his political colleagues, mentors, staff and family. “Who would have thought, 73 years ago, that I would finish up speaker of the house and member for Albany?” he said. “I am so proud to have become speaker of this wonderful chamber and to have represented my city of Albany for 20 years.” Mr Watson thanked his “greatest asset” — his family — as they watched on from the chamber. “My wife, Dianne, and Harry, the dog, are my pack. They mean the world to me,” he said. “Dianne is my rock and my best friend. Harry is our rescue dog. He is my mental health dog. When we go for a walk, we sort out the world’s problems. “Harry wanted to be here today but the speaker refused entry.” Mr Watson said treating every election “as a grand final or an Australian title” took a great team. He thanked his staff, especially his right-hand man of 20 years, Guy Wroth. “If it were not for him on the first election day picking up the slack when our campaign manager went missing, I would not be here today. The guy is loyal,” he said. “We have been together for 20 years — you only get 15 years for murder.” Mr Watson said his fight to establish the Albany Entertainment Centre was one of the highlights of his career. He congratulated Parliament for the “tremendous effort” to pass WA’s landmark voluntary assisted dying legislation in December. The day three young men walked into his office to recount their experience as survivors of sexual abuse at St Andrew’s Hostel in Katanning was the most emotional day of his political career. “They had gone to the funerals of friends who had been boarders with them at St Andrew’s Hostel, Katanning. Many of their friends had committed suicide,” he said. “What these young boys suffered was appalling. I still get calls from across the State from those who are still suffering.” Mr Watson urged Parliament to find the funds to maintain Parliament House — “a living, breathing treasure of our State” — and shared his concerns about global warming. Near the end of his address, he spoke about his late parents. “One of my biggest regrets is that Mum and Dad are not here today,” he said. “Dad was a strong Labor man. I can just see him standing out there, puffing out his chest the way he did when I won the two Australian junior titles in Perth. “Just before Mum passed, when I told her I was running for Parliament, she said, ‘what do you want to do that for?’ “She then said, ‘If you do, remember to look after the people who need it the most’, and I have always tried to do that.”