Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the Prime Minister's motion that the House records its regret for the tragic loss of Phillip Hughes, one of Australia's elite sportsmen and, in the words of Australia's national cricket captain, Michael Clarke, 'one of its great blokes'. On behalf of the electorate of Swan in Western Australia, where there are many cricket clubs—particularly South Perth Cricket Club, which is one of the biggest junior cricketing clubs in Australia—I express our deep sorrow that Australia has lost one of its cricket players, one of its cricket team, one of the nation's heroes who wore the baggy green with such pride. He could only inspire you as he plied his trade when he went out onto the grounds and played his heart out not only for himself but for his team mates and for his nation.

The day of 27 November 2014 will go down in history as a dark day for cricket and for sport, and for Australia. It is the day that our nation last an amazing talent; but, first and foremost, it is the day that Phillip Hughes's family lost a son and a brother, and his friends lost an irreplaceable mate. While Hughes's family and friends, his team mates and members of the community, both in Australia and internationally, mourn this tragic loss of life, we hope that some of this grief may be lifted by knowing that we lost this young man while he was playing the sport that he loved. We do not expect such tragedies to occur in sport, particularly not in a game that brings friends, communities and nations together, recognising players' hard work, their dedication and their ability to achieve what many of us can only dream about.

As I said, sport, particularly cricket, which is our national sport, has the ability to bring people together from all walks of life. In some of the citizenship ceremonies I go to where people becoming Australian citizens are from other cricketing nations, I always emphasise to them that the true test of their citizenship will be that they now support the Australian cricket team. It is a sport that people just love. You can talk about the statistics. You can look at all the different shots that go through. Unfortunately, most players, even after a test century, always remember the shot that gets them out, not the shots that got them their test century. There is so much variety and there are so many aspects to that sport that people can talk about for hours in the pub and enjoy it and relive those moments and look at the statistics and the history of that sport. It has such a great ability to bring people together in the community.

On the weekend, I joined some mates of mine to recognise the 30-year anniversary of the formation of the Subiaco Floreat Cricket Club. Since its inception, the club has lost three members: Ray Bully Smith, to cancer at an early age; Ian 'Jughead' Jones, to a heart attack last year; and Ken Screech, recently, to cancer as well. In each instance, when these members have passed away, the club has rallied, coming together to remember and celebrate their lives. On a much grander scale, across the nation, that is what we are seeing with the loss of Phil Hughes to our sport, our cricket team and our ability to cheer him on as he plied his trade, making runs for his beloved country.

The three members of the Floreat cricket club that I mentioned who have passed away will be remembered by the club in the same way that Phil Hughes will be remembered by our nation—but certainly not for their cricketing ability, as Phil Hughes will be remembered for his. They were in no way in the same class as Phil. They were prime examples, though, of mateship, fun and piss-taking that sport and particularly cricket instigates in our nation. Sport is known for its camaraderie. The mateship that we have all seen displayed by Hughes's teammates could only be described as uplifting, during such a time of tragedy. All Australian cricket players, both nationally and in state teams, have joined together to pay tribute to and to honour a man who left this world far too early. These tributes have also been reflected all over the world, including from our head of state, the Queen—which is a true testament to the life he led.

I take this time to commend Cricket Australia for their recognition that this is a tough time for their players, and for the immediate steps they took to ensure that all players had access to grief counselling. I would also commend their rescheduling of the test series, to give players the time they need to grieve. I commend Australia's cricket captain, Michael Clarke, for the leadership he has shown to players; for the support he has given to Hughes's family; and for the respect he conveyed to his teammate and—in his words—his brother, in his own personal tribute to Hughes on what would have been his 26th birthday, last Sunday. As Michael Clarke said, his cricketing achievements, of which there were many, really play second fiddle to the human qualities that he exhibited—loyal to a fault, eternally optimistic and kind-hearted, with a wicked sense of humour and a childlike verve for life. It is for these qualities that he will forever be remembered by his friends and family. But I am sure he would be happy to have his on-field achievements recognised too, and we have heard many of those from other members here today, including his three centuries, seven half-centuries, and his total of 1,535 test runs in 26 tests.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11 : 46 to 11 : 51

While I have made reference to the cricketing world, it is of course the Hughes family who have suffered the most since that fateful day on 25 November when Phillip was felled by a bouncer at the Sydney Cricket Ground. When a parent is forced to carry the burden of burying their child, it is as though the world has been turned upside down. Thankfully this remains the exception rather than the rule in our society, but for those who are struck by such tragedy life can never be the same. Time may help, but a parent can never truly heal from such a heartbreak. I take this moment to pay my respects to the Hughes family—Greg, Virginia, Jason and Megan—whose world, within a few moments, collapsed around them. It is my hope that knowing every Australian is thinking of you brings you some comfort at this time.

Lastly I would also like to pay tribute to Sean Abbott. Although I, along with all of those members who have spoken before me, cannot begin to imagine what he is feeling, our thoughts are also with him. The death of Phillip Hughes was both a tragic and extraordinary circumstance which has shaken the sporting world. While we remember Hughes for his talent on the field, we also pay tribute to the man he was off the field. With his love of the game and quick wit echoed by each of his teammates over the past week, I am sure he will be looking down on his friends and family and forever making the claim that he is still not out—a sentiment that I am sure every Australian would be happy to applaud.

See this speech in context