Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to Sir David Amess, whose death has come as a profound shock. The cruelty of Sir David's murder was counter to everything that he was. Tributes speak of his gentleness, his kindness, his humour, his generosity, his faith and his unwavering spirit of public service. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who entered parliament the same year as Sir David, said of him: Though on opposite political sides I always found him a courteous, decent and thoroughly likeable colleague who was respected across the House.

That is the mark of a politician for whom humanity comes first.

The shock is also that it happened at all. The United Kingdom has carefully and painstakingly built and nurtured a system that places in the hands of every adult citizen something far more powerful than any weapon: the ballot. To take up arms against elected representatives is an act of cowardice, one that is designed to make people lose their courage. The murder of Sir David as he met with his constituents was a betrayal of everything our shared democracies stand for: transparency, accountability and approachability. In both our nations, with our deeply entwined political heritage, our elected representatives are not separated from their constituents by walls of security. People are able to approach the politician who acts as their voice in parliament and make their own voices heard. It is about conversation. It's about understanding. It is about the absence of a divide between the representative and the represented. That is something that we have taken for granted in both our nations, but it is precious and it is rare, and it is not invincible. Once it is lost, it can be lost for good.

Sir David embodied these values—values that transcend the political divide. His death comes five years after Labor MP Jo Cox, who I knew, was murdered on her way to meet with her own constituents. Her young family was robbed of a loving wife and mother, and her community of a talented, much loved representative. Somehow her husband, Brendan, was able to gather himself in his time of grief to make a statement of extraordinary grace. In it he said that what Jo would have wanted would have been, to quote:

… that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn't have a creed, race or religion. It is poisonous.

Just as remarkably, Sir David's family have also risen above the awfulness of what has happened to send a message of great humanity. In it they said:

He was a patriot and a man of peace, so we ask people to set aside their differences and show kindness and love to all. This is the only way forward. Set aside hatred and work towards togetherness. Whatever one's race, religious or political beliefs, be tolerant and try to understand.

A remarkable statement. That is the spirit that should drive us all because it is so much greater than that which seeks to divide us, which seeks to cower us, which seeks to erode the courage that is at the heart of every great democracy.

We feel the pain of the British people. This has been a blow against one of the great foundations of their modern nation. Both our countries rely on good people putting up their hands to represent their communities, whether it's in parliament or on the local council. The courage that is now required is very much on display. In the wake of Sir David's death, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, went ahead with his own regular meeting with constituents. He stressed that it was essential that MPs maintain their relationship with those they represent. In his words, 'We have got to make sure that democracy survives this.' Sir David died as he lived, serving his constituents. It should never have come to this. Our thoughts are with the British people.

On behalf of the Australian Labor Party I express my condolences to Sir David's colleagues in the Conservative Party and his colleagues right across the UK Parliament, but especially our condolences go to Sir David's family. Despite your loss, you have sought to lift everyone higher. With one gesture you have reminded us all that even in the face of the inhumane, a better force can triumph. There could not have been a more fitting tribute to Sir David. May he rest in peace.

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of Australia and this House as the Minister for Home Affairs, to send my deepest condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and constituents of Sir David Amess MP—member of parliament of the United Kingdom, dedicated lawmaker, husband, father. His tragic murder last Friday, in what UK authorities have described as an act of terrorism, shocked all decent people. The murder of an elected official is a despicable crime and was doubly so in this case as it occurred while Sir David was in the very act of meeting with his constituents. As a person who enjoys meeting and listening to my own constituents, I felt genuine shock, grief and sadness on hearing the news. As the minister with responsibility for Australia's policing and law enforcement agencies, I wish the investigators in the UK well as they seek to establish before a court of law what happened and why, and ultimately seek justice for the tragic and cowardly act.

I would say to my fellow members on both sides of this House, and further afield in the UK, do not let this attack deter you from your important work in the communities that we serve. Terrorists seek to create fear and division in our communities. Their ultimate aim is to destroy the ties that bind us together as a nation. There is no greater refutation of their ideology, nor proof of their impotence, than the free, open and transparent debate that occurs in this place. Speaking with constituents, hearing their concerns and bringing those here to give them voice in this House: this is a privilege we must not shy from. So too is the act of passing legislation through a parliament elected by the Australian people and reflective of their diversity a direct challenge to terrorist ideologies. It's also emblematic of our adherence to the rule of law, a concept alien to terrorists who kill indiscriminately. Make no mistake: this was an attack on Sir David, but it was also an attack on democracy and on all of us who value the fundamental importance of representative government and its democratic institutions. For that reason, we must be clear-eyed that terrorism is a real and enduring threat.

Here, in Australia, the national terrorism threat level remains at 'probable', where it has been since 2014. ASIO assesses lone actor attacks, as occurred in this instance, as the most likely form of terrorism we will experience in Australia. Such lone actor acts can be motivated by a range of hateful ideology. That's why this government is committed to addressing the full spectrum of extremist threats regardless of political, religious, social, cultural or issue-specific ideology. It's a commitment we take seriously.

Since September 2014, 143 people have been charged as a result of 70 counterterrorism related operations around Australia. There have been nine attacks and 21 major counterterrorism disruption operations, and I commend our operational agencies for each and every one of those disruptions. But this House has an important role to play too, providing our agencies with the powers they need to keep us safe. To that end, I note that earlier today the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020 was debated in the House. This bill is an important piece of counterterrorism legislation. It will create a new extended supervision order scheme to assist law enforcement agencies to keep Australians safe when high-risk terrorist offenders are released into the community after serving their sentences. Further, later this week, I will chair a forum of Australia's police and law enforcement ministers to discuss the threat of terrorism and to ensure we are all taking the steps needed to protect Australians from harm.

I thank Sir David for his nearly 40 years of service to public life and wish his family, friends, colleagues and constituents the best as they continue to grapple with the fallout from this abhorrent attack. He would no doubt be proud to know that his murder will not deter us from our important work: meeting with and listening to our constituents, representing our communities and settling political issues through discourse and debate. His legacy will be our continued determination to the principles of democracy and freedom.

Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also join with the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs to offer my condolences and remarks about the tragic murder of Sir David Amess. Six days ago, Sir David tweeted: 'My next constituency surgery will be taking place on Friday 15th October' and he pinned that tweet. Like many of us who connect with voters, we often hold mobile offices, or surgeries as they're called in the United Kingdom. At this event he was fatally stabbed 17 times.

Sir David was one of British parliament's longest-serving MPs, who died at the age of 69. Though he spent more than half his life in the House of Commons without ever obtaining ministerial office, many of his colleagues have recently given tribute to his life and said he would have not wanted it anyway, as his focus has always been about the people of his electorate. He devoted his career to the promotion of his constituencies, first Basildon then, from 1997, Southend West, always dealing with voters' concerns. He had a very high local profile and was always willing to meet constituents, advertising his regular weekly surgeries in advance. Everybody in his electorate knew where he was. Sir David espoused a number of causes throughout his life, as a longstanding Eurosceptic and a committed Brexiteer, but it was his devotion to animal welfare which led him to become one of the few Tories to support the abolition of fox hunting. His manner was genial, friendly, and lacking in rancour or conceit. Interestingly, he had friends on all sides of the House of Commons. Almost every week in parliament since the day he was elected he would call for his local town of Southend to be made into a city, something he was very, very passionate about.

His family paid tribute to his strength and courage in their statement:

He was a patriot and a man of peace. So, we ask people to set aside their differences and show kindness and love to all. This is the only way forward. Set aside hatred and work towards togetherness.

Whatever one's race, religious or political beliefs, be tolerant and try to understand.

As a family, we are trying to understand why this awful thing has occurred. Nobody should die in that way. Nobody.

Please let some good come from this tragedy.

We are absolutely broken, but we will survive and carry on for the sake of a wonderful and inspiring man.

Tragically, the stabbing comes five years after MP Jo Cox, aged 41, who was gunned down and stabbed to death in broad daylight. The Labour politician and mother was murdered by Thomas Mair, 53, who was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life order. At the time, Jo's husband, Brendan Cox, said, 'Attacking our elected representatives is an attack on democracy itself.'

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said this week

My heart goes out to David's wife and children, his staff, friends and constituents.

This is a dark and shocking day. The whole country will feel it acutely, perhaps the more so because we have, heartbreakingly, been here before.

Above all else, today I am thinking of David, of the dedicated public servant that he was and of the depth of positive impact he had for the people he represented. Informed by his faith, David had a profound sense of duty, that I witnessed first hand in parliament. His Catholicism was central to his political life and he was highly respected across Parliament, within the church, and in the Christian community.

Let us come together in response to these horrendous events. We will show once more that violence, intimidation and threats to our democracy will never prevail over the tireless commitment of public servants simply doing their jobs.

Sir David was doing his job, and his loss will be felt by many. My condolences to his wider extended family, members of the House of Commons and, of course, the people of the United Kingdom. May Sir David rest in peace.

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

I join with others in this Chamber and in the main chamber to speak on this motion today. The Prime Minister, the Speaker of course, and the opposition leader had many fine and eloquent words, as did the home affairs minister, as did the member for Oxley just now. Sir David Amess, 69, had been a member of parliament since 1983, 38 long years. Just think about that: 38 years. He'd been elected 10 times—initially in Basildon, three times from 1983; and in Southend West, where he had been elected seven times since 1997. Of course, his great passion was to get Southend city status, and may that happen soon, perhaps as a legacy of his memory.

He was married to his wife, Julia, with whom he had five children—four daughters and a son. How very heartbroken they must be. We sign up to this, but our families do not. They ride the highs and lows, and, sadly, this is one of those dreadful circumstances that no family anywhere should have to endure. He was a father, a devoted member of parliament, going about his business, making sure that his constituents knew where he was, where he was going to be and that he could openly discuss matters of importance to them. The frenzied attack which brought about his end is really shaking the very foundations of the British parliament as we speak. He was a member of numerous Commons committees, including the health and social care, and the backbench business committees. He had wide and diverse interests. Of course, as we've heard, he had a particular interest in animal welfare and in socially conservative values. He was a good man.

He was born in Plaistow in East London in 1952. He went to school in the capital and he taught at a school in the city—a great occupation, being a teacher. That's just like you, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander, being a doctor: they're great occupations. I know that members of parliament who have been educating people or who have been treating people—as indeed you have for many years—and then go into the parliament bring those values into the parliament, and the parliament is better for it.

He was also a recruitment consultant before becoming a member of parliament. He was knighted in 2015 for a life in politics and public service; he was always there for the public good. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said that Sir David had an outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable and that he was a man who believed passionately in his country and its future. He said:

We've lost today a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague.

I know the fact that we've had the Prime Minister, the opposition leader and others, including the minister, speak about Sir David, indicates that the Australian parliament is also shocked by this tragedy. And we are: all of us in this chamber and right across Australia. I've had constituents phone me and say how dreadful this is.

Just 15 minutes before the attack Sir David was standing on the church steps, chatting and laughing with locals, as we all do as we meet constituents. I know it's an important part of our job; to be there for them is an important part of our job in the here and now and will be in the future, although it must be said, given the fact that this is now the second tragic death in the past five years, following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, it must make British parliamentarians really worried about their security. That is understandable, but they will go on doing what they need to do for and on behalf of constituents because that's what members of parliament do. That's on both sides, on every side, whether they're Labour, whether they're Conservative or whether they're, indeed, Independents.

Sir David had spoken about the worrying and disturbing rise of knife violence in the UK after one of his constituents, just a teenager, just 18 years old, had been stabbed to death just months before he, too, became a victim himself. This must be particularly heart-wrenching for those people of good mind and faith who just abhor violence, and that is 99.9 per cent of people right around the world.

The family, as the member for Grayndler has pointed out, have put out a very loving message of support to Britain. They described how enormously proud they were of him, as they should be. The public statement said:

Our hearts are shattered. However, there was still so much David wanted to do – this we know from the events of the last few days.

So, this is not the end of Sir David Amess MP. It is the next chapter and as a family we ask everyone to support the many charities he worked with. There are so many to mention, so find one close to your hearts and help.

You can just imagine a family in their time of need and their time of darkness, reaching out and still having that faith and that devotion to public good, having lost their husband, their father—somebody who they would look to for advice and he will no longer be there. But he will be there in spirit. Of course, he was working on the South End gaining city status and was also trying to raise funds, and as much as he could, for a memorial to Dame Vera Lynn, the famous World War II singer and entertainer who brought so much joy and hope to the allied troops. Hopefully, that project can get off the ground, too, as another legacy of this fine man.

As an aside, I would also like to pay tribute to the former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who died on Monday, US time, battling cancer and complications due to COVID-19. We've lost two fine statesmen and the world is poorer as a result. I offer my condolences, certainly to Sir David's family as well as to Colin Powell's family. These are tragic losses and the world is, as I said, so much the less for them.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Cities and Urban Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Minister for Home Affairs, the member for Oxley and the member for Riverina in extending my condolences to the family of Sir David Amess, so tragically killed in going about his work—our work, too—as the member for Southend West in the House of Commons. I'm thinking, as I'm sure all of us are here, of his staff, his family, his friends, his colleagues and his constituents, who are no doubt in mourning and in shock.

I think it is important that we recognise his life of public service. For, I think, almost all of us here, to think of 38 years in parliament is something that almost defies comprehension, and, for many of us, too, the quality of the tributes paid to Sir David by his colleagues on both sides of politics are not things that we could expect. His service, I suspect, was unique—informed by values, informed by faith and informed by a sense of duty that has so clearly been conveyed in these tributes; a life, indeed, of public service; a life in politics characterised by values, not the pursuit of high office; a life ended in public service, when he was brutally stabbed to death at a constituency surgery days ago.

On that, I think it is important that we think about the wider context in which this has taken place—a context of a coarsening of politics, a cheapening of political discourse and debate, which has led, in the UK, to a debate in particular around the reform of social media, which is a debate that I will follow with great interest. I noted also the comments of Brendan Cox in respect of this. He called for a reflection on 'the day-to-day brutality with which our political debate is conducted, from increasingly regular death threats to online abuse'. And, tragically, Brendan Cox would know, because his wife, Jo Cox, the former Labour MP, was murdered in strikingly similar circumstances five years ago. At that time, this House supported a motion acknowledging that and paying tribute to her service and the manner in which she went about it, and I'm pleased that we are doing likewise now. In that debate, I recognised the many similarities between my life and my political outlook with Jo Cox's. I can't say the same of Sir David—he would be very pleased to hear, I'm sure—but the manner in which he went about his work is something that we should recognise, as well as the circumstances which ended his work.

I was pleased also that some of these issues about how we go about our work and how we respond to these threats were raised sensitively by Rob Harris in the Nine papers today. I'm sure it's a piece that many of us have reflected upon. I think it is important that we continue this wider debate, because, as we go about our work and think about how Sir David did his, I think we need to recognise the personal tragedy and respect that, and first, in our thoughts, be thinking of those closest to him. But it is also an attack on democracy as we understand it, and we can't ignore that, because it is not an isolated attack, as indeed the tragic murder also of Jo Cox demonstrated. We can't be cowed by these threats. We must strive to continue to go about our work in ways which engage our constituents with the work that we do and which connect our roles and our responsibilities to their lives. I take great pride, in attending citizenship ceremonies, at the surprise that new citizens have of the close contact they can enjoy with members of parliament in this country. It's something that we can't take for granted, and it's something that is so important—this direct, unmediated contact between representatives and the people for whom we are privileged to work. We can't be cowed by these threats as we seek to respond to them.

And I think we can also be better. People have touched on the very generous words of the family of Sir David. The member for Oxley referred to a remark of extraordinary generosity that I was also struck by when they said that we should let some good come from this tragedy. I think it's incumbent on those of us here to lead in making sure that happens. I say this knowing that I have on many occasions fallen short of the standard that I am arguing for here, but I hope this is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on how we conduct ourselves and how we can shape public debate, not so that we should always agree—that's not practical—but to think about how we can express our disagreements more respectfully and civilly. That is something we can all do to pay tribute to the fine words of Sir David's family and to the manner in which he conducted a fine life in public service. Vale.

Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Some months ago, I spoke in this chamber about one of the most shocking days in British politics in this century, a day that occurred just five years ago, a week before the Brexit vote, where brewing tensions came to a head with a horrific act of violence, the murder of UKMP Jo Cox. Jo was on her way to meet with constituents in her community when she was a attacked. She was merely doing her job. Today I speak of another UKMP being killed in the simple act of doing their job. Sir David Amess was stabbed do death while meeting with his local constituents last week, a routine, necessary, and important part of the work of all MPs. Following his murder, there has rightly been an outpouring of grief and affection from all sides of politics, both in the UK and around the world.

Sir David was an MP who advocated fearlessly for his community for more than 40 years. He never was a minister; rather he was the greatest champion for his community, a clear example of the importance of being a good community representative before anything else. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May summed it up when she said, 'I suggest to anybody who wants to be a first-class constituency MP that you look at the example of David Amess.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson overnight told the UK House of Commons that politics needs people like Sir David, describing him as 'dedicated, passionate, firm in his beliefs, but never anything less than respectful for those who thought differently'. He went on to say:

While his death leaves a vacuum that will not and can never be filled, we will cherish his memory, we will celebrate his legacy, and we will never allow those who commit acts of evil to triumph over the democracy and the Parliament that Sir David Amess loved so much.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer added, 'Sir David held his beliefs passionately but gently,' adding, 'I believe that not only can we learn from that but we have a duty to do so. Civility in politics matters.' From what I believe was the greatest praise of all, one of his constituents said that Sir David was an MP who would cross the street to talk to you, and people would cross the street to talk to him.

We are elected to public life with a certain understanding that we will be targeted and put down just as much as we will be sought after, but the life of a politician shouldn't come with the caveat of expected violence and malicious behaviour. Generally we believe we are free of such things in Australia. Until recently we thought that, too, in the UK. Things that used to be deemed unacceptable in public discourse have now become too common. We saw this with the murder of Jo Cox. We see this every day when politicians are trolled relentlessly on social media and increasingly harassed or even threatened in their offices or out in public, and now we see it in the brutal murder of Sir David. This trend must be reversed to preserve our highly accessible democracy, not descend into the need to sequester our members of parliament away from the public to ensure their safety. Ultimately what drives us all as parliamentary representatives, what we all have in common regardless of our political ideology, is the intention to make our nation better. While we may disagree on how and the detail, I believe we all seek to represent our communities in the best way possible and achieve the best outcomes for our constituents and the country. We all have more in common than what divides us. As a result, across the globe, we stand in solidarity with Sir David's colleagues, his family and his community against this violence. Vale, Sir David. Your community and this world were all the better for having you in it.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The debate is now to be adjourned. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.