Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Back in 1981, when I got my first car, it was a little blue Gemini four-cylinder. My wife, Catherine, often reminds me that, but for her, I'd still be driving it. That's probably true. But I wasn't happy with the Holden Gemini's sound system, so I got an equaliser put in and it used to pump out the tracks. And I had some tracks. I had some cassette tapes in that car. I had Back In Black by Acca Dacca—AC/DC. I had Ol' 55. In fact, I also had the greatest hits of Olivia Newton-John. I can remember singing along with those songs, both in the car and at home with my sisters Denise and Robyn, who just loved Olivia Newton-John. And didn't we all? And why wouldn't we? She was a beautiful, beautiful person.

She was born in Britain, but we certainly adopted her. We certainly loved her—as we should. And who will forget Sandy in Grease? What a great movie. What a great musical. Indeed, John Travolta, upon Olivia's death, said:

My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!

I can remember when Olivia came to parliament. She was sitting there in question time and I was answering a question. I was being given what for by those opposite—probably the member for McEwen was the loudest. I leaned across to the dispatch box and said, 'Have you never been mellow?' Of course the next day I got criticised in various mainstream papers for, 'Who uses the word mellow?' Olivia Newton-John used that word, and she sang it beautifully. She sang everything beautifully. Vale Olivia Newton-John.

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