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Dear citizens

For 10 terms over the past 18 months of activity in the game, you the people have elected me to represent you in the nation's Senate. I thank you for your trust. This month, for the first time, I am elected from the State of Victoria. The RL irony abounds! (Inside joke for those who know me offline).

Before I go on, I congratulate the APP Secretary JasonWaz for all of the hard work and time he put into the election as our campaign director. Thankfully, this utterly idiotic superb electoral system game admins have put in place have changed the way we follow elections and he, himself, has declared victory for the good people of his state. Congratulations, Senator.

I am, perhaps, one of the most senior members of the APP caucus in the new Senate. Our secretary is a gracious gentleman who has worked hard - I got this one, sir. That places a weight, to some degree, on me to concede in the following way.

We are, once again, in a hung parliament. However, the APP has heard the people loud and clear and concedes our long-held status as the party with the greatest numbers in the Senate. Parties rise, fall and bounce back. Tonight, I publicly congratulate the Australian National Party (ANP) on their decisive win in the elections to the tune of 27% of the new Senate's seats. We have to be humble and accept this was a mandate for change. The people have spoken. They have every right to do so and they must be heard.

Our job is all the more important now. We are the second highest gathering actual party in these Senate elections. The duty now falls on us to form, with our numbers, the minority bench of the new Senate. When the party meets, I will be putting my name forward for minority leader and doing the best I can, if selected by my party, to find ways to work with the other parties to get support on our legislation and work together as one government - all the way from our halls to the Executive Building.

I have resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and soon my time as a Minister for Foreign Affairs will be coming to a close. I have enjoyed serving the Executive, the eAustralian people and as a diplomat - the world. In taking stock, the Senate is where I belong. I enjoy the passion of our debates more than any Executive service can bring. We have serious challenges ahead and it takes good people to address them head on. I am confident this term's office bearers are among the most solid of stock to do just that.

Thank you. Long live the Republic!

TJ Norton
Senator for Victoria

10x Senator, 3x Speaker, 2x Deputy Speaker
2x Deputy Prime Minister, 2x MoFA, 2x dMoFA
2x Director OFS @ DoFA, 3x Ambassador