Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand here today with great sadness to speak to this condolence motion for the late Wayne Goss, who in my view was a great parliamentarian, a great Premier and a great Queenslander. As the federal member for Brisbane and on behalf of the whole Gambaro family, I want to express my condolences to the Goss family, and in particular to his wife, Roisin, and children, Ryan and Caitlin. This must be an incredibly difficult time for them, and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

My family knew Wayne Goss for more than 30 years. Despite the fact that he came from a different side of politics, I was always impressed by his unwavering commitment in pursuing what was best for Queensland. It was also my great privilege to have had Wayne Goss as a constituent. Far too often in this place we let petty churlishness and political differences stand in the way of properly acknowledging the good qualities and the strengths of our political opponents. I hope and would like to think that we can as a parliament rise above this incredibly short-sighted dynamic and embrace a more enlightened view of each other.

In the spirit of this approach, it was my great honour to have been able to attend the memorial service that was held for Wayne Goss in Brisbane last Friday at the Gallery of Modern Art, with former National Party Premier of Queensland the Hon. Rob Borbidge and his wife, Jennifer, and former Liberal Queensland Treasurer the Hon. Sir Llew Edwards. The Hon. Ian Macfarlane was representing the Prime Minister, and the Hon. Campbell Newman was also in attendance. It was incredibly gratifying for me to be part of such an apolitical recognition of a great Labor Premier of Queensland.

For me, Wayne was a shining example of never letting obstacles or setbacks get in the way. His battle with cancer took place over many years, but his refusal to let that prevent him from contributing to public life, through his involvement in the business and education sectors, is an example to us all. On the political front, Wayne Goss brought a new dimension of professionalism to the Labor Party in Queensland. As Premier, he had new ideas and a new vision for Queensland.

There has been much talk lately about the nation losing a giant with the passing of Gough Whitlam. Sadly, Queensland now has lost a giant as well. Wayne Goss once said that he hoped that he had left Queensland a better place. For me, there is no doubt that he did, not just through his contribution in political life but also through his work in the business and education sectors, as well as the tireless work that he did in the Indigenous community throughout the state. He will be missed by his friends and family and the grateful state of Queensland that he served with distinction.

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