Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'll just acknowledge the two condolence speeches given before me. They were heartfelt and quite moving. You did Linda proud in the way that you delivered those. The member for Indi and I both served with Linda on the Joint Select Committee on National Anti-Corruption Commission Legislation and then the Joint Standing Committee on the Anti-Corruption Commission. I got to work closely with both of them, and I would like to turn to that briefly in a moment.

In Linda's first speech she spoke about jigsaw puzzles and how her mother's table was covered with unfinished jigsaw puzzles. As we discuss the last piece of Linda's jigsaw puzzle, we get to reflect on all the other parts. In a way, the jigsaw metaphor is something that applies to all of our lives. As a new member of parliament, people often ask me, 'What is it like, what did you expect and what did you not expect?' One of the things I didn't expect was, and is, the powerful influence of people from across the aisle and the crossbench. You can be influenced in ways you didn't expect. It is not lost on me that this is the second condolence motion speech I'm giving on Labor women who have influenced me in significant ways. Peta Murphy was the chair of the social and legal affairs committee, and the work that she did on gambling reform was something that was significant and meaningful and it will be long-lasting, I hope. Here we are again, talking about another Labor woman who influenced my life, Linda White, in her leadership and stewardship of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, an institution that I hope will long outlive all of us and serve our nation and democracy well.

When we look at our first speeches, in some respects they are a form of art because we don't just sit down at a computer and write them from start to finish. We reflect on the component parts. Linda said this about the arts:

The arts let us delve into other worlds and see ourselves and our society reflected back, for better or worse. They allow us to imagine new possibilities and better ways of doing things.

Linda's speech and her service in her short time in this place did that in the 47th parliament.

I didn't realise before reflecting on Linda's speech how much we had in common. We both worked at McDonald's throughout university. Linda referred to her time at McDonald's as quite a significant sliding-door moment.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

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I had just reflected on the fact that Linda and I shared the common background of having worked at McDonald's. That was a significant sliding-doors moment for her, because it opened up her eyes to the union movement. She became a union delegate through a sense of injustice that older workers were not being given enough casual shifts. I know exactly what Linda was talking about. I remember working at McDonald's as a 19-year-old, and, as your rate went up, you got fewer shifts. I didn't go and join a union movement at that, but I can see how that sense of injustice prompted her to start the meetings and to get organised, and it led her to a significant career in the union movement.

The other thing we had in common was that we were both lawyers. Linda went on from Melbourne university to be an articled clerk at Maurice Blackburn. In her first speech, I was quite moved by what she had to say about listening. Linda said this:

Maurice Blackburn also brought me into contact with people during the hardest times of their lives. I am forever grateful to the many dedicated lawyers who shared their knowledge and impressed on me the need to listen and understand what is going on for clients, both legally and personally. Learning how to give people straight advice about their prospects has held me in good stead ever since.

I think that skill that Linda talked about there was something that served her well in this place, and all of us. To not just listen but to actively listen—that is a skill that Linda crafted well, and it was good advice for all of us.

The final point that I'd like to emphasise is Linda's commitment to our democracy. Again in her first speech, she said this:

One promise I can make is that no-one here will die wondering what I think. People will always know where I stand, and already know that I'm not afraid of saying what's on my mind. … I will fearlessly and, some may say, relentlessly pursue action that will make our national community and the state of Victoria a better place for all of us.

That statement says so much about Linda. Through her speech, she was extremely proud of her union roots and the labour movement, but, when it came to what drove her in this place, she singled out the national community and the state of Victoria, as a senator. I saw that in action on the Joint Select Committee on National Anti-Corruption Commission Legislation, when I got to sit in Linda's office and we would discuss potential amendments that could be made so that this could be bipartisan. Linda recognised that bipartisan support for the National Anti-Corruption Commission was important for it lasting long after all of us. Then, once the commission was established, Linda also recognised that the institution is at its most fragile in the early years. I won't breach confidences of a private hearing, but I will say this. I saw one moment—and it was in some of Linda's last moments as chair—where I got to see someone have that conflict between what they assess is in the national interest and what might not be in their party's interest. That's a key moment for anyone in this place, and it's difficult. I saw Linda choose the national interest, despite her extreme pride in her party and the union movement. That says so much about her character and what these words meant to her:

I will fearlessly and … relentlessly pursue action that will make our national community and the state of Victoria a better place …

And she did that. She added this after that:

Australian democracy is more fragile than we realise. … I think everyone in this parliament has an important role in restoring the public's trust in the political process. We must remain able to consider turning points in our thinking. We might not agree with each other or those who are advocating to us, but not listening is always a mistake.

That's where Linda combined her skills in active listening with her devotion to the national interest. She saw this important new institution come to be, one which I think will enhance our democracy. It's a great legacy for Linda to have done that. It wasn't an easy thing to do.

To Linda's family: Michael, her brother; her sister-in-law, Julie; her father, John; and mother, Freida, I'm so sorry for your loss but I know that you are proud of Linda's lifetime accomplishments, particularly in this place. To Linda's staff—Ben Armstrong, Ekta, Amit, Ead and Ned: I got to meet some of you in the NACC joint select committee. You are wonderfully loyal and professional staff; it says a lot about Linda that you were on her team, and I know you are grieving too.

I began by noting the jigsaw piece of Linda's life that was this place, and there was so much more to Linda that I didn't know until I read the eulogies from her funeral. She said this in the final words of her first speech:

I thought of my mother and her love of jigsaw puzzles that covered our dining room table at home, sometimes for weeks on end.

She went on to say:

This may or may not prove to be the hardest puzzle I attempt in my career, but the level of complexity and the picture of a fairer and more just nation that I hope to reveal is a challenge that I'm very much looking forward to tackling head-on, …

Linda concluded:

I thank the Senate.

Can I conclude by saying, I thank you, Linda White; our democracy and this parliament are better for you having served us. Rest in peace.

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