Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As the federal member for Wright I'd like to associate myself with the overwhelmingly kind and beautiful words that have been said today by the Prime Minister and the opposition leader—the heartfelt words that I've heard whilst being in the chamber. My contribution will be slightly different because I didn't know she was a barrister before coming to this place. I didn't know the extent of work that she did with charity groups. I knew she was the member for Dunkley and I knew that, to be member for Dunkley, you'd have to fight hard because it's one of those marginal seats that doesn't have a lot of fat in it. So you start to build a sense of her character in her being able to win a seat like that. I didn't know that she was a gold medallist in the Masters for her squash. I didn't know that. I didn't know her family. I'd never had the privilege of meeting them. Like many members in this House, I didn't have those tentacles. I didn't sit on any committees with her.

But there are some things that I did know about this lady. We were corridor pals. In the machinations of this place, when the bells ring there are four minutes to get to the chamber. There are many divisions every term, and for most of those I would walk with Peta to the chamber, or on the way back to the corridor, and there are things I learnt about her, particularly when she first got ill and was undertaking therapy. She had the shaved head, and I said, 'I love what you've done to your hair,' and our relationship grew from there. She was a fierce opponent when we spoke about politics. On the way back to our rooms, she would not give or yield to a political point that may have been won or lost in the chamber. She would defend her position most aggressively. She was a fierce opponent. One day, when her hair was starting to grow back, I said—I'm man of faith—'God bless. You look healthier.' She knew that she wasn't getting healthier, and she said to me, 'You keep praying.' I did and I will continue to.

Can I give a shout-out to those that continue to do work in Australia and throughout all of our communities in advocating the cause against breast cancer. Whatever organisation it might be—thank you. It's a cause that we need to, as a government and community, continue to invest money in. I was the Chief Government Whip when we last lost a member of parliament, Don Randall from Western Australia. I remind all members that, when these speeches conclude tonight, the pain of the memory of our colleagues that have departed will continue on. There are services within this building that you can reach out to, but the best thing you can do is to share your thoughts with a colleague, share your pain with someone and speak about it. Don't bottle it up. The other thing I would ask colleagues in this place to do is to keep an eye out for those who may be grieving more than others as the weeks and months go on. Our challenge will be to make sure that we keep an eye on each other. Keep your eye on colleagues because it's a terrible day.

I want to finish by sending my condolences to the family. It is a terrible passing, an absolutely terrible passing. To the God that I pray to, keep that family in your thoughts. As I put my head on my pillow tonight, I will say a prayer of thanks for the amazing work that Peta did in this place. God bless. Rest in peace.

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