Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to put on the record and pay tribute to the work of Stephen Conroy as he leaves the other place and goes on a new journey. Lots of things are said about my friend Stephen Conroy and lots of things have been said in the media over many years. But in my parliamentary life Stephen has been an extraordinary friend. He has shown extraordinary loyalty to his country across his 20 years of service as a senator in the federal parliament. That service has been extraordinary. He is reputed and renowned for his committee work, for his estimates work and for the load he carried in both government and opposition for the Labor Party in the Senate.

He was Deputy Leader of the Senate in government and in opposition, he was a minister in both the Rudd and Gillard governments and he spent many years ensuring and fighting for fairness. His support for people like myself and the member for Gellibrand cannot be overestimated. On joining the parliament three years ago after the 2013 election and knowing that I was getting on a plane to enter a world that I knew very little about—having never operated here as a staffer—and getting texts from Stephen regularly across that weekend and first day, he was the best friend I could have. He was texting with a cheery 'hello', and at the end of the first trip he met the aeroplane to say: 'Okay—I've got a car. Let's go!' These were small things, but they meant the world to me on that incredibly important day. And across the three years his support has been enormous. There was never a question that was too small or too silly for Stephen to take seriously and give a considered response to, and there was never a time when you needed advice that he did not make himself available to give you his guidance. I would also like to comment on Stephen's loyalty over many years towards many people in this place. 'Loyalty' is the word I think of when I think of Stephen—his generosity of spirit and his generosity in giving his time to ensure that my colleagues here got the kind of support they needed.

There are lots of other things about the senator that probably should be noted. I know the member for Gellibrand will probably reference— (Time expired)