Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I want to pay tribute to the amazing Gavin Pearce. That was a fairly humble presentation, but there were a number of themes that ran through it, and what I know of Gav is that he was a soldier for 20 years, and he went into some detail but didn't do enough credit to his distinguished career. He's been a successful farmer and small-business person—and I mean very successful. And he has had a distinguished career in this place for the last six years.

He spoke of the love of his family, of the loss and the accomplishments. Sometimes, when you think about someone in this place, you can go to particular stories—and we will, as we look back, in the years ahead—about our friends and the contribution that they've made to this place, and there are different words that spring to mind: the word association with somebody. And there is no doubt in my mind that, into the future, and whenever we think about Gavin Pearce, I will always, I believe, have the first word in my mind to be either 'patriot' or 'digger' or 'soldier'.

He's proud of his service here in six years, but not every day has been a joy for Gavin, because he has worn his heart on his sleeve; he's worked hard for constituents; he's sacrificed an enormous amount, in terms of his own family and the time spent with them. But what is most in his soul, and what is most, I think, within his DNA, is his time served in the Australian Defence Force. He is somebody who has a great love for this country—for our flag, obviously—but he embodies the best of our country, and we should look to him for inspiration into the future, as I'm sure his children do today and will, for many generations in his family to come.

So, Gavin, for what you've done for our party and for our country and for your great state, I say thank you, but, importantly—and I know that, as I say, this is what embodies you most—thank you for your 20 years of distinguished service, the young lives that you've influenced, the correction that you've given, the harsh words that you've spoken on occasion, and the way in which you have provided leadership to those young diggers. You're a patriot, you're a true gentleman and you're a great friend to all of us. Thank you so much.

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