Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is an honour to be here to talk about Jude, and I am particularly pleased that the member for Hasluck is in the chair beside me, because we probably both understand very much the character of Senator Judith Adams, and both were supported in so many ways by this great lady. This is a day that I had hoped and prayed would be a lot further away than it is. She was a close and dear friend, a colleague and a mentor, and she was indomitable. I think that is a great word for those of us who knew and loved Judith Adams. She was an indomitable character. She was tireless—absolutely tireless—hardworking and genuinely and widely respected by all sides of politics. Looking at the tributes that have been paid to her just shows you what respect she was held in by her colleagues across the board.

We all knew Jude as a straight shooter. Jude would never tell you one thing to your face and say another thing somewhere else, or speak about you differently somewhere else or give you different advice, or give someone else different advice. If she thought something she would say it, she would stick to it and she would repeat it. In the same way she supported people like the member for Hasluck and me in so many ways. She was very genuine in that support. She had strong views, but equally strong loyalty. I could always count on Judith Adams, and I know that there are many of my colleagues who shared that experience. We could count on Judith Adams.

I know that when I first really met her seriously was when I started doorknocking in my campaign in Augusta. Jude was very keen to let me know how I should do the job. She was very direct and we worked hard, as you would expect. I suspect that the member for Hasluck would have had a similar experience. Jude was very thorough in everything she did and tireless on the ground. When you consider that she was a mature-age person who came into the parliament, her energy was extraordinary; her passion and her commitment were extraordinary.

She was equally passionate about rural and regional people. I had a great bond with Jude because she was one of the members in this place who I never, ever had to explain to about rural and regional Australia, rural and regional people and rural and regional communities, because Jude had lived it. She knew it and she knew exactly what I was about when I would stand up and talk about what rural and regional Australia needed. There are not enough people who do have that knowledge and experience in this parliament. That is why we have such difficulty in getting our message across. But Judith Adams was one of those people who knew. I never had to explain to her what people needed or why.

She was passionate about rural, regional and remote people's lives and, particularly, their health. She was absolutely committed to health. Even though, as I said, she was a mature-age person to enter politics, she was a wonderful example, as she said in her maiden speech, of how her life experiences brought so much to the role. Those of us who worked with her knew what she brought to the role. She brought so many life experiences right across the board, and they have been well articulated and will continue to be. She brought wonderful skills and knowledge, and she brought so much passion, belief, strength, commitment and hard work.

But her extensive work for the parliament on behalf of the Australian people probably will not be recognised in the way that perhaps it should be, because the people of Australia will never actually know how much their health and their quality of life have been improved as a result of Judith's work. Her committee work was hour upon hour, day upon day, week upon week—on and off planes and following committees, making sure she listened to communities in remote, rural and regional areas. She listened to people, she heard the stories constantly and she responded to them. She got it. She was prepared to put those words into actions through her committee work and through recommendations in so many parliamentary inquiries. She was part of the grunt work of this parliament. She was quiet in the sense that she did not chase the limelight. She epitomized the grunt work of this parliament.

I am proud to say the contribution that Judith made is almost unparalleled in this House. Even when she was in the most remote areas, she had the best communication skills with people from all areas. She was down to earth and at home in any environment. You could take Jude anywhere. You could sit her under a tree with you. She could come with you and talk to farmers up on the stands at a cattle sale or just sit and have a cup of tea with you. Wherever you took Judith Adams, you knew that she would understand and get right to the point. You knew that people from your community or elsewhere would be able to identify with her and her with them. It is a wonderful talent that not everybody has. She was genuinely interested, and that is exactly what people knew of Jude. When she sat down to have a yarn, you knew that you had her ear and her attention. You knew that she understood you and that, if she did not quite get the issue, she would make an effort to understand it, and that then she would represent that. This was the great strength that she had. She was down to earth and at home in any environment.

When I came to this place, one of the first things she said to me was: 'You need to get involved in the Australian Defence Force program.' This is a wonderful parliamentary program where members of this House go out with the Australian Defence forces and get experience firsthand, on the ground. This was one of Jude's great passions in this place, along with her committee work and her focus on health. Lynton Dixon, the liaison person from ADF, will probably always have a wonderful respect for Jude, as we all do. But there was no doubt that Jude was always on his hammer, letting him know what needed to be done with this program to make sure that the connection between the parliament and the forces continued. She went on every tour that she could go on and often when she was not well. I can recall one time when she was out on one of these tours and she suffered a broken arm, not through any problem other than the state of her tumours. She had one concern: she did not want any of the ADF people to be worried about her or to see it as a problem, because that injury was due to the state of her illness. That was the nature of Senator Adams. She was an extraordinary person—very tough mentally and as equally tough physically, as we all saw.

We know that Judith was diagnosed with breast cancer a number of years before entering politics. She endured so much treatment prior to and during her time here, but we, her colleagues, never heard Jude complain. She was a wonderful example. I say to anybody out there with cancer or with a life-threatening illness to consider the life of Judith Adams. She never let her cancer stop her from achieving in life. It never stopped her focusing on what she was there to do in a broader sense. She lived her life with cancer. She had this fantastic attitude that, if the cancer was going to get her, it would have to work hard because she was not going to give in. It would have to run fast because she was working hard and running fast herself and she was not going to just sit around and wait for the cancer to get her. It was going to have to work hard to get her right up until the last minute.

I can recall in this parliament when Judith had to use a gofer to get around the parliament because the side-effects of her treatment gave her the sensation when walking that her feet were walking on glass. Yet at this time she was still doing her committee work and still getting around this country working on behalf of the Australian people. She was an absolute inspiration.

I recall that when she lost her husband, Gordon, it was at a particularly difficult time. They had sold their property. They were in the process of moving into a new home and she was in transit, over here, when her husband died. I also know that that happened late in the year, and very early in the next year Judith had a recurrence of her cancer. They were very difficult times for Judith. But again she fought, and fought hard. Towards the end of last year after we finished, she had to receive another round of treatment. This was one that burned the inside of her throat, which made speaking and swallowing extremely difficult and which saw her dehydrating quite significantly so that she ended up in hospital straight after Christmas.

In my many visits, and I know the member for Hasluck did the same, she counted on me to give her all the information. She was not giving up even then, even when we knew where she was at and she knew where she was at. She did not give up. Even when she could not really speak, the deal was that I would speak and she would listen, which was unusual for Jude in a sense. Very forthright, she still wanted to know what was going on in politics, what was going on out in the electorate, what issues were affecting people. She wanted to listen; she was still engaged; she was still interested; and the fabulous thing was, even then, she was determined to get back here. She was determined to be back for the next sitting and that was the one thing that sustained her. She was going through dreadful, dreadful challenges at the time.

One of the things that she regretted most about being in hospital was not being well enough to get out for the wedding of the member for Hasluck. She was so desperate to get to that—it was the one thing she wanted most and she was unable to do that. That hurt her towards the end; she tried so hard to be well enough to do that: her goal was to get to the wedding of the member for Hasluck. When I went back to her, the first thing I had to do when I walked in was to give her a rundown—'Now tell me what happened'—it was a blow-by-blow account about what happened at the wedding, because she was so interested and wanted to feel part of it. I know the member for Hasluck and his new wife went and gave her an even closer description of what happened which she really appreciated.

In this place, can I also say that she really appreciated the flowers, the phone calls and the thoughts from colleagues from all sides of this parliament. Can I also thank everyone who did so on her behalf. They were very precious to her, because she spent a lot of hours alone in that hospital and she was going through a dreadful time. It was just appalling. Thank you to those who did so. She endured far too much in the final weeks in Royal Perth Hospital, but she did fight to the end, which is no less than what we expected. Even when her health was at its worst, she was always focused on getting back here to do her best for the Australian people. When she said to me that she had finally had enough, that was when I knew that Jude had come to end of her fight. That was a huge admission for Jude, which showed us that the fight had been so tough.

Wilson Tuckey, who did her eulogy, said at least when we all get to heaven, Judith will have the health system in great shape. So, her work goes on in a sense. Can I express my real condolences to her staff—they really did feel this right the way through—and to her sons Stuart and Robbie. Robbie was at home with Jude throughout this. All I can say is I will miss her very, very much. I counted her as a friend for life and I hope she rests in peace, because she certainly deserves to.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this condolence motion for Judith Adams, who was a great senator and a great representative for the state of Western Australia. As you can tell from the incredibly moving speech by my colleague Nola Marino—who I am not going to look at because she is going to make me cry—Judith touched the lives of so many people. Today we pay tribute to her service and dedication. Judith's life was one of community service and dedication to others. In each capacity of her life—as a nurse, serving in the New Zealand territorial army, as a farmer, as a wife and mother, a health consultant and finally a senator—her focus was always on improving the lives of others. The notion of service to one's community, to one's country, was ingrained in her. The paths her grandmother and mother took in life had a profound influence on her. Her grandfather, Trooper Percy George Pitt-Palmer of the Auckland mounted rifles, was killed at Gallipoli in the First World War before she was born. Her mother served as a nurse during World War II. So naturally Judith followed the family tradition. Having completed her general nursing training, she joined the New Zealand territorial army as a commissioned officer in No. 2 General Hospital. She served with the New Zealand army for five years. Consequently, Anzac Day held a special meaning for Judith. In her first speech as a senator, she said:

It is important to acknowledge the courage and determination of those who defended us and the free world in history's greatest war.

Her military service complete, Judith migrated to Australia, where she settled with her new husband, Gordon, on a farm in remote Western Australia, where she set down her roots and, as you can tell, formed so many friendships. Her experience in a relatively isolated rural setting gave her an understanding of the issues facing outback Australians. Wild pest animals, drought, salinity, property rights and skills retention were all matters she learned about firsthand and maintained a strong interest in. That is why, as Nola said, she was so keen to come back here. She was a very passionate advocate.

Rural health and aged care issues were Judith's driving passions. She cared deeply about the additional difficulties and costs faced by rural Australians who need specialist medical treatment and who do not have access to local support. Judith was proud to address these national issues during a long involvement with the National Rural Health Alliance, the Breast Cancer Network Australia and the Patient Access Committee of the Radiation Oncology Jurisdictional Implementation Group. She was a strong advocate for reform of the Patient Assistance Travel Scheme.

When she became a senator, she had already beaten breast cancer once. She was involved with the BreastScreen WA Advisory Committee, where she argued that the range of the target age group for screening should be widened. She was also a vocal advocate for programs to support cancer patients with the side-effects of their treatments. Judith took much pride in being the second oldest woman to have entered the Australian Senate in 2005 at the age of 62. This heightened her interest in aged care issues and policy. Judith was concerned about the growing retiree population and the increasing rate of dementia.

The hallmark of Judith's career as a senator is that she had the strength of her convictions and voiced her opinions on those issues that were close to her heart, particularly women's health. In particular, she controversially argued for the ban on the abortion pill RU486 to be lifted and supported a private members bill to force transparent pregnancy counselling.

At the age of 65, Judith discovered that breast cancer had returned and she sadly lost her second battle three years later. But she will be remembered and respected for her commitment to the people of Western Australia and for the tireless integrity and dedication with which she lived her life. As deputy whip in the Senate, she was deeply admired by her colleagues for her hard work and dedication. She is an inspiration for so many women in the parliament who follow her. My deepest condolences go to her sons, Stuart and Robert, and her extended family. She had so many friends in this place and touched so many lives, and for that we are incredibly grateful.

Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to offer my condolence on the passing of Senator Judith Adams. I find this condolence hard to deliver. Judith was both a friend and a mentor. What I have found in my short term in this parliament is that we have incredible people who give so much of their time and effort in the commitment they make to fellow Australians. Senator Judith Adams was certainly somebody who was very much like that.

When I heard that she had passed away, I rang Lynton, who is in charge of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. I said to him: 'Lynton, Judith has passed away. I won't be able to meet my obligation for the Middle East tour.' He said to me: 'Judith knew you would do this. Her message is that I was not to accept your exclusion from the program.' What I did not know was that Judith had rung Lynton and said: 'Ken has applied for a placement in the Middle East and I'd like him to go.' Her passion was about our Defence Force people and about the program, and she wanted me to experience the dedication, contribution and work that so many of our service men and women do. It was hard. I spoke to her son Robbie. I said, 'Robbie, your mum told me when I last saw her in hospital that she had got me onto the HMAS Melbourne, thatI would enjoy the experience and that she wanted me to go, regardless.' Robbie said to me, 'I know.' I said to him that if I did not go then I would probably feel her wrath when I walk through the Pearly Gates at a later stage.

Her passion in so many areas, particularly for Western Australia, saw her argue for wrongs to be righted and for services and programs to be delivered to those who needed them. She supported those who required support in a way that exemplified her commitment in the fields that she worked. I had the privilege of meeting her when she worked for the Department of Health in Western Australia on an area health board. I was impressed with her forthrightness and the way she argued. As an outsider you argue with any bureaucracy and it is tough, but she knew her stuff. She knew the detail. She would read, and in her own mind would form the view on how she would represent those she was charged to take responsibility and be an advocate for.

She was very effective. I know, having worked in the health department of Western Australia at a very senior level, that she was highly regarded for the community work she did but also for the way in which she challenged us in the delivery of programs to people in rural and regional Australia, particularly in the remote areas. I saw that evident later, when I came to this House. During the campaign, I was told that I had a patron senator. I did not think that I would have the privilege of having Judith and I thought I had been assigned somebody else. She and I met and had a meal together. She gave me some very sage advice. She said, 'How strongly do you want to win your seat?' We talked about that and she gave me some advice on my thoughts and value-added to what I had planned to do. One thing she said to me was: 'If you want to meet people, doorknock. Meet people, let them know who you are, what qualities you have and, more importantly, about what you will bring as a member to advocate on their behalf.' She said: 'To serve in the Australian parliament is a privilege. It is not a right. It is an opportunity accorded to you by those who elect you.'

I suppose one of the sad things is that the broader public of Australia do not take the time to understand the institutions that impact on them. Many people often make comment that parliamentarians do not work hard and that their time and effort is for themselves. Let me say that in my experience here that is not the case, and it certainly was not with Judith. Judith spent countless hours working. When I worked with her on particular things we could spend up to 89 hours in a week doing what we needed to do to make life better for Western Australians and, more importantly, for Australians. Her commitment to rural Australia was evident in the conversations that she and I had.

I said to her one day, after we had been talking, 'You have become my mother.' I said that on the basis that my own mother had died several years before. There are times when you want somebody who is truthful with you and who, in their own truth, brings forward the qualities that we have buried within us. She would challenge me, but she would not resile from being blunt and from being open and honest. I make the same comment that the member for Forrest made: when you spoke with Senator Judith Adams, what she said to you you knew she would say to others equally, with the same veracity but also with the same integrity and honesty. There are not very many people we meet in the course of our careers or the work we do who are consistently honest and whose guidance we value. There are people who affect you. There are people who touch you. But, sadly, in this House people did not really have the time to see the immense qualities of a woman who battled cancer. In the last weeks of her life, Anne and I would go to Royal Perth Hospital and spent time talking with Judith. As the member for Forrest said, she would say to us, 'I'm taking a break but I will be back for the session after that.' She said, 'My time and contribution to the parliament has not ended and I'm not going to let cancer beat me. I've fought it long enough.'

The thing that fascinates me about Judith is that not once did I hear her complain about her pain nor about the treatment she had—and she had multiple treatments of chemotherapy. It was only towards the end, when she could not swallow, that she said to me, 'This is the first time I've felt frustrated. It's the first time that I've felt beaten.' And the telling words that really hung in my mind that night were her saying to me, 'I won't be back.' That was an indication that she had accepted that her journey was coming to an end. I know she was waiting for her son Stuart to come from Canada. I would talk to Trish, her senior staffer, and Trish would give me an update each day. I wanted to go and see Judith, but she had said, 'I want to be remembered for how you last saw me. I don't want to be remembered for how I look now.' She said that the love for those who were close to her would never diminish and that she greatly appreciated the things that we had done both in our personal lives and within our roles in this parliament.

When I came over to Canberra for my first visit, Judith said, 'Nobody else is showing you around. I will take you myself.' She was in great pain when she walked, but we walked around the corridors of Parliament House and she pointed out the things that I needed to remember. She always said to me, 'If you get lost, go to the middle. It is like a ship, and once you know your port side and your starboard side you can never get lost. If you stray onto this coloured carpet, you are in the ministerial section. At the moment we're in opposition, so you're in the wrong place. Turn around and go back!' Then she introduced me to people in this environment of work. I was introduced to the support staff, people who make our lives easy. She would say to them, 'This is my friend. This is the member for Hasluck. I want you to look after him.' Then she told me about her role, her committees and her commitment to those. She said to me, 'There are people you will value over and above all, but show all respect. When you show them respect, they will return that respect.'

I loved watching Judith in estimates. Estimates were one of her passions and she would say to me, 'Is there anything that you want me to ask in terms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs?' I would say yes, or she would say that she was going to ask certain questions. I used to enjoy reading Hansard after she had been in estimates to see the types of questions she had asked. It showed me an inquiring mind prepared to make sure that the duties of a senator were obligated and fulfilled to the best of her ability. She would send me over the Hansard copies of the Senate estimates and she would have some pages marked. She was a great friend whom I will miss terribly. But I will remember her for the contribution that she has made to Australian public life, her defence of our military people and her commitment to making sure that we look after those who protect us and give us the freedoms that we enjoy.

I want to say that her sons, Robbie and Stuart, and their partners have our love, and our thoughts are with them. We will always remember the contribution that Judith Adams has made to the Australian parliament, to rural Australia, and certainly to elements of education, but, more importantly, to every family that she argued for across this nation.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay my respects to Senator Judith Adams following her passing away on 31 March 2012. Indeed, it is my great honour to follow in the steps of my friend and colleague the member for Hasluck, Mr Ken Wyatt, whose honest, genuine, sincere and heartfelt condolences there gave us a sense of his close relationship with Senator Adams, and we are very grateful to her for enabling him to be in this place. I honestly think I speak on behalf of all my colleagues when I say that his contribution in this place will be a continuation of her legacy.

Senator Judith Adams was a colleague and I may go as far as to say a friend. But I did not know her that well, having come from a different state and having joined the parliament only in 2010. She always struck me as hard-working, decent, modest and thoughtful and, when you hear some of the words of colleagues that have been spoken both in this place and by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the House as well as those in the Senate, one gets the sense of her giant contribution to Australian public life, and particularly her community in Western Australia, and of someone whose sometimes quiet demeanour covered up an incredibly detailed and eventful life.

In 1968 Senator Adams moved from New Zealand to WA where she met her husband, Gordon Adams, who was a pilot with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In New Zealand Senator Adams had joined the New Zealand territorial army and gained a diploma in operating theatre nursing, and there she made a significant contribution to the New Zealand military. In fact, she continued the legacy of her grandfather, her mother and other family members of being service men and women. Her grandfather was in fact a New Zealand Anzac, who lost his life at Gallipoli. Her mother was a hospital ship nurse during World War II. Judith served in the Army both as a nurse and a midwife. But when she came to the parliament as a senator for Western Australia she rose to the rank of senior deputy whip in the Senate. She was an active member of Senate committees and she was a strong supporter of the ADF parliamentary exchange. She was also a strong advocate for women's health, particularly of those living in remote areas.

She bravely battled against cancer and, in fact, fought for the rebate for external breast prostheses, as well as support for patients with cancer to make particular travel arrangements. She was always an advocate for those who were battling against cancer. She knew firsthand what this struggle entailed.

My colleague in the Senate Senator Helen Kroger has spoken of Judith's care for her staff and her commitment to the Liberal cause. When she stood for the Senate, Senator Adams said:

I stood for the Senate knowing that I had the background, the experience and the will to represent Western Australia and to especially represent those people who live and work in rural and remote areas.

Looking back on the contribution of Senator Judith Adams one can see that she stayed true to those words, that she did make a significant contribution to the advancement of the lives of people living in rural and regional Australia, that she did advance the cause of women's health and that she did advance the cause of both the Liberal Party and the coalition.

Coming to parliament is a great privilege; it is a special place. Few people get that opportunity. It can also be a harsh place because people are motivated for different reasons to do different things—some noble, some not. But I think, universally, Judith Adams was seen as one of those good people who came here to make a real difference. She did not care for her own personal wellbeing as much she cared for the wellbeing of others. That was a hallmark of her career in parliament and it is also a hallmark of the legacy that Judith has left behind.

I join with all my colleagues on both sides of the House in paying tribute to Senator Judith Adams's considerable career, both prior to joining the parliament and since she began work in this place. I would also like to send my best wishes to her sons, Robert and Stuart; to her daughters-in-law, Anne and Tammy; and to her grandchildren, Taylor and Maelle. They have the affection, the good wishes and the condolences of everyone in this place. Judith Adams, may you rest in peace.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Judith Adams, on 31 March, after a long and brave battle against cancer. I extend my condolences to her sons, Stuart and Robert; daughters-in-law Anne and Tammy; and her grandchildren, Taylor and Maelle.

I support the emotive and heartfelt words of those who have spoken on this condolence motion earlier but, particularly, those of her fellow Western Australians the members for Forrest and Hasluck. Senator Judith Adams was a champion for regional Australians and particularly for regional Western Australians. The Leader of the Opposition described her as a great fighter for Western Australia. She was born in Picton, New Zealand on 11 April 1943 and went on to train as a nurse before joining the New Zealand territorial army as a nursing sister. She was later posted to Vietnam as a civilian nurse under the Colombo Plan during the Vietnam War.

Judith moved to Australia in 1968 and went on to work for the medical department of Western Australia as a member of the emergency nursing service. This gave her the opportunity to visit many regional towns throughout the vast state. It was in Western Australia that Judith met her husband, Gordon, a pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and they married in 1970. In 1972 Gordon and Judith purchased a property and moved to Kojonup, three hours south of Perth, to run a farm and to raise family. This is the same property at which, following his passing in 2008, Gordon was buried and where Judith has now joined him in eternal rest.

Judith was an active member of the health community in Western Australia and was a councillor at the Healthcare Association of Western Australia, the Australian Healthcare Association and the National Rural Health Alliance as well as serving as a member of the Rural Health Reference Group. In 1998 Judith was, unfortunately, diagnosed with breast cancer before a secondary diagnosis, which led to extensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in Perth.

Judith was an active member of the Liberal Party and served as West Australian state executive member from 2000 until 2004. In 2004 she was elected to the Senate, having already beaten breast cancer once, and it was her real-life knowledge that she gifted to parliament and policymaking. The Prime Minister acknowledged that Senator Adams brought a depth and breadth of life experience to this place. Despite her illness, Judith's real Aussie spirit shone through and she did not let her condition get in the way of her being the best senator that she could be.

During her time in parliament she served as Deputy Opposition Whip. She vocally campaigned for better defence policies and improved health services for people living in rural and remote areas. She was also a strong advocate for Western Australia. Her colleague Senate Eric Abetz described Judith as an exemplar of grassroots politics. She always ensured that the best interests of her constituents were put first and stood up for their rights if she thought they were being hard done by. I know Judith's presence in the Senate is greatly missed and she is missed in the wider coalition as well. Judith will be remembered as a hard-working and dedicated senator for the people of Western Australia.

Finally, I would like to place on the public record the sentiments of my predecessor in this place, Kay Hull. Mrs Hull was the member for Riverina from 1998 until 2010 and one of Judith's coalition colleagues. 'She was a warm and wonderful friend,' Kay said just this morning. 'Judith made a significant contribution to the parliament and on behalf of Western Australia. She suffered significantly but did not complain; she just got on with the job.' Judith Adams, may you rest in peace.

Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to add to the comments of my colleagues who have spoken about Senator Judith Adams, our colleague who has passed away. Indeed, since Judith's passing the tributes have flowed for a woman whose life can be very strongly characterised by her devotion to public service, to service to health and to good governance as well as to raising a family and to being a fully engaged member of the Kojonup community. These were constant threads in the life of Judith Adams.

Her engagement with and service to the Liberal Party were also exemplary. Judith's passion for politics and health services intersected when she was elected senator for Western Australia. She became a tireless worker for the Liberal Party, as she had been prior to her election, and she championed many causes as she went about her daily work representing the vast state of Western Australia. Judith was always on the go. She was unstinting in her engagement with the constituency of Western Australia and in particular around Kojonup and its regions, where she and her husband farmed.

There are several WA House of Representative members who were the beneficiaries of Judith's tireless campaigning. She showed a great interest in people in general and had a strong desire to engage with individuals at all levels. Determined not to be defeated by illness, Judith participated strongly in the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the social and economic impact of rural wind farms—just in June last year, in fact. This was a matter that Judith took a particular interest in. It was a matter, indeed, that was tearing rural communities apart, and Judith took time to listen to people whose voices were not being heard. Her early advocacy for proper planning and community consultation was unwavering. I hope to continue that work with Senator Back and others to ensure that Australia puts in place proper planning processes so that people's health and quality of life, particularly in rural communities, are not further compromised. I know this is something that Judith would want us to continue on with.

The fact that Judith and I both had breast cancer—we were both breast cancer survivors—brought us closer together, and I gained a greater insight into the character of this exceptional woman during our conversations, particularly in the last months of her life. I was deeply touched by her extraordinary courage. Her interest in keeping abreast of the political issues of the day were front of mind, and I rarely heard her complain about anything, even though the increasing toll of her illness must have been almost intolerable in those last weeks. Many of us will miss the wise counsel of Judith. We will miss her boundless energy and we will certainly miss her strength of character. I extend my sincere sympathy to Judith's family, to her friends and particularly to her staff. May Judith Adams rest in peace.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge the words of the previous speaker, the member for Pearce, who was a great friend of Judith Adams's. In talking about Judith, let me begin with some personal reflections. I last spoke with Senator Adams only a couple of weeks before she passed away. I called on her mobile; frankly, I had not expected her to answer, but she did—she was in hospital at the time—and we had a lovely, long conversation, even though it was evidently difficult for her. It was difficult in two respects. Firstly, I think it was the sheer physical difficulty: the process of talking was hard. Secondly, of course, it was emotionally difficult. Judith knew what was coming, but she was stoic. There was frustration, I think, with the pain, but there was also a resilience from her life and her role as a mother, as a grandmother and as a senator.

In the course of that discussion, she talked about what was important to her. Most important was her sense of family and having seen her sons, Stuart and Robert, and her grandchildren, Taylor and Maelle, come into this world. Then we talked about her work. In particular, we talked about something of importance to her, which is the potential health effects of wind farms on local community members. Along with the member for Pearce, Judy Moylan, Judith Adams was a great advocate of proper research and commitment, and I was able to inform Judith that the Senate had just passed what was effectively her motion. There was a great sense of relief and vindication on her part that something in which she believed had been progressed, and I remember making the commitment that we would take this to a full, independent, national medical review. I reaffirm that commitment to all of those who knew her and worked with her on this issue: if we are in government, we will seek a full, independent inquiry and it will be done in her name, in remembrance of her. It was emblematic of two things: firstly, her diligence and commitment to local issues and, secondly, her concern about others—even as she was in the most dire of conditions, she was focused on the health impacts and the quality of life of people in small towns not just from within her own family area but from right across Western Australia and Australia. It was real, unfeigned and, frankly, unfakeable. To be in that circumstance and to have that focus was, to my mind, the ultimate measure of the person.

I do not want to repeat much of what has been said so eloquently by so many others. I simply want to offer that reflection of the person. In her grimmest circumstances, with, as she knew at the time, very little precious time left, she remained focused on her family and she remained focused on her task. It was a very powerful phone call which will stay with me for a long while. When we said goodbye we really said goodbye. I think we both knew that that was likely to be the last encounter. Judith, you did us all proud and you did your family proud. Thank you for what you did. Take care.

Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too would like to express my sincere appreciation of the life of Senator Judith Adams and her friendship. She was an extraordinary woman. Her life ended, I think, with her having fulfilled so much of her own enormous potential. I am sure her family sees that her life was a fulfilling life at the end of her time. None of us would want to see any woman or man suffer the way that Judith Adams did, but she was stoic in her years of battling cancer. It was extraordinary when you would see Judith in Parliament House with various wheelchairs or other special supports for her wrists or her legs. To her that was irrelevant; what was important for her was the issue of the day—pursuing always some issue of disadvantage or some health problem that needed a solution.

As a senator, she had many opportunities in the many inquiries she was a part of. I was particularly pleased when she supported the concerns, which numbers of us have in this place, about foetal alcohol syndrome. As a nurse from Western Australia, Judy Adams knew only too well the terrible impacts of women drinking alcohol during pregnancy and the potential consequences where children are born with irreparable brain damage. Judith was a very keen contributor in our early efforts to discuss this condition in parliament, to pass a private member's motion and to establish a support group in parliament. Then she watched closely the special inquiry we are undertaking through the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.

To me, Judith was quintessentially the right sort of person to enter politics. Her claim to fame was not that she was in her early 20s or that she had worked all her time in a political office or for a member of parliament or senator. She was a woman who had already spent years as a nurse and on a property as a partner developing a farm. She had worked with the New Zealand defence effort in Vietnam. She was a mother and a grandmother. So she came to parliament with a life already full of information and experience. I think that is extremely important in this day and age. I know we celebrate youth when someone very young comes into this place. I like to celebrate the mature men and women who come into this place and have a lifetime of mistakes, triumphs and experiences to bring as they consider legislation or question what is before us in this place.

Judith Adams was elected as a senator for Western Australia in 2004. She was therefore not the longest-serving senator in this place, but I would argue she was one of the most effective. She was also an absolute champion of other women entering politics, but she did not ask for any concessions. She wanted us to be here on our own terms, competing on the basis of merit. She was an outstanding example of a woman of her era, a woman who managed to combine family with a professional career and also made a huge voluntary contribution to the state of Western Australia.

I am very sad that I could not get to her funeral in Western Australia. I had commitments that I just could not change but certainly I was with her and her family in spirit in her final days. I wish her family well as they come to grips with the loss of their mother and grandmother. I hope this family takes great comfort in the remarks that have been made, from the Prime Minister to the Leader of the Opposition and our colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives, and that these remarks will be adequate to truly describe a very great woman.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great privilege—and a sad privilege in a way—to have the opportunity to say a few words to acknowledge a wonderful person, a wonderful highly principled life, a highly committed life, that of our friend and parliamentary colleague Senator Judith Adams. I suspect Judith's characteristics and her achievements and her approach to life were captured very much with the way in which she fought cancer for a considerable period of time. It did show enormous strength of character. It did show how strongly she took her responsibilities. It did show that she was a person who did not feel the need to burden others with her problems.

She was, in her own way, quite a remarkable person. She had a very interesting background: born in New Zealand, trained as a nurse, served with the New Zealand Territorial Army in Vietnam, achieved the rank of First Lieutenant and, in 1967, was appointed to the New Zealand surgical team in Vietnam—a civilian unit under the Colombo Plan. She was always a very proud supporter of the Anzac tradition.

Since 1968 Judith had devoted her life to Western Australia and continued to participate in health services, living in regional Western Australia. She held quite a number of positions in the Liberal Party and was very committed about influencing for the good the community in which she lived. Of course that took an even greater expression after being an army nurse and a midwife, a farmer, a wife and a mother. That commitment to Western Australia and Australia took greater expression again by Judith's decision to enter public life. That came about with her election in 2004. To have received the honour of being elected by her colleagues to the position of Deputy Opposition Whip within three years of coming into the Senate was certainly an expression and an indication of the great esteem with which her colleagues held her.

Judith was like a dog with bone with issues. Once she believed in the way things should go she committed herself 100 per cent. She would not be distracted or discouraged by the strength of opposition. She would continue to argue her point in the most effective and committed way until a decision was taken. When whatever decision was taken she would accept that decision but more often than not she was on the winning side of many debates partly because of her effectiveness. We will all remember Judith as a person of great character and great personality, and a person highly principled. She was also a wonderful mother, according to all of her friends and those that have known her for a long time and who know her sons, Stuart and Robert, their respective partners, Anne and Tammy, and her grandchildren, Taylor and Maelle.

It is a sad moment. Judith could have contributed many more years to public life in Australia and could have brought the great depth of experience and judgment that she gleaned over the years to many more public debates. Not only is it a great loss to her sons, their partners and her grandchildren but it is a great loss to this parliament—the early death of Senator Judith Adams, a wonderful person.

Debate adjourned.