Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to the 26th Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Kevin Rudd, the member for Griffith. People who come to this House on both sides of the political fence do so, I believe, for the same reason: they want to make Australia a better place. And, by and large, they meet their aims. But when we disagree with each other we have to be big enough to acknowledge the contributions of those opposite. In fact, it was once said that all the good bowlers are not on one team. There are good politicians and people of principle and values on both sides of politics.

At this point, I would like to acknowledge the contribution that Kevin Rudd has made not only to the people of Griffith but to the country as Prime Minister. There are two particular areas of note. The first is his apology in the national parliament to the Aboriginal people of Australia. That was a very significant moment, and it deserved bipartisan support. The second is his deep, abiding and expert interest in foreign affairs. I have been a public critic of a number of things that Kevin Rudd has done in foreign policy and defence policy, but I do accept that he has a level of interest and experience as a former diplomat, and of expertise, that is hard to match in this parliament. Therefore I welcome the announcement by Kevin Rudd that in his life after politics he will pursue both those areas as a public citizen. I am sure he will continue to make a significant contribution to the Indigenous population of Australia, as well as on the international stage as he pursues his interest in foreign policy, in particular his knowledge and expertise around the rise of China.

I would also like to pay tribute to his family. In his farewell, Kevin Rudd mentioned that his family had said, 'Enough is enough,' and that they had been extremely supportive of him during his time in office. Members on both sides of this House know that they would not be here but for the support of their families. So, to his wife, Therese, to his children, Jess, Nick and Marcus, and to their extended family: I wish you all the very best. I wish Kevin all the very best for his career post parliament. He can rest assured that during his time in office there were things that he did that made Australia a better place.

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