Andrew Constance has made his farewells to state parliament after 18.5 years serving the people of the Bega electorate.
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He presented his valedictory speech in parliament on Wednesday afternoon following Question Time, November 24.
His was followed by former National Party leader and Monaro MP John Barilaro's farewell.
Mr Constance acknowledged a list of people who supported him during his time as Member for Bega.
He began by thanking Indigenous leaders he has worked with over the years and then continued to thank his family, colleagues, staff, friends and mentors.
Mr Constance said serving the Bega electorate was made easy because of "the quality of people" in the community.
In his 20-minute speech, he also thanked those who supported him during his 10.5 years as a minister.
While Mr Constance steps down from his state parliament and NSW Transport Minister duties, he eagerly awaits a Liberal party pre-selection for the federal seat of Gilmore in the upcoming elections.
"While I shut a door today, I do look forward to opening a new one shortly," he said.
When Mr Constance finished his thank you list, he almost choked up with emotion as he mentioned his friendships during the bushfires.
He talked about how people "united in survival" and became "united in recovery".
"If you always ensure the person who is most vulnerable is lifted, then everybody lifts," he said.
Mr Constance highlighted the need for the government's support systems, to help people through their recovery.
"It's critical that we look at those who continue to struggle in their survival every day," he said.
Mr Constance said, "the way some people were still recovering from the fires is heartbreaking".
He asked sitting members to reflect and know that communities were still suffering.
From bushfires through to pandemic, Mr Constance felt the next step, through bipartisanship, was to address mental health issues and trauma right across the country.
He wanted to see the NDIS apply to people with mental illnesses.
"There should have been tens of thousands of people with mental illness incorporated into that scheme," he said.
"I think it's important the states and Commonwealth work together on that."