Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Kevin Condran was right off the top shelf. He was mischievous, straight-talking, selfless and loyal. He was fierce and compassionate at the same time. He was a former president of the Rankin federal electorate council, a true Labor stalwart. He was wonderful company and a great mate. When he took his final breath last week, we lost someone genuinely special. I last saw him at the state Labor conference in Townsville in July. We presented him with a photo, signed by the Leader of the Opposition, of a meeting they had when Kevin and Jeanette came to Canberra in 2014. On the same trip, he also talked his way into a photo with his arm around Bronwyn Bishop. He was that kind of fellow and that cheeky.

The Condrans' visit here coincided with the passing of Gough Whitlam. Gough was their MP in Green Valley before they moved to Logan City, in my community. They spent time with him at Mount Pritchard Workers Club. They were sitting up there in the public gallery listening to us praise Gough Whitlam at the same dispatch box as we praise Kevin Condran from today. We will miss him terribly. We send our love and our hugs to Jeanette and the family, and we farewell Kevin with the exact same words he wrote in Gough's condolence book: 'Goodbye, old mate.'

See this speech in context