Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to honour the life of Michael Beahan AM. Many among us in this place are deeply saddened by the passing of Michael. Michael was a dear friend to me. He was kind and generous with his time and his offering of advice to me. Kindness and generosity are not usually associated with politicians, but he was no less effective for it. He left a formidable legacy of service to the Australian community and to the Labor Party. He served as the Western Australian ALP state secretary, and in that time he put in processes that led us to electoral victory. He also served as a Western Australian Labor senator from 1987 to 1996 and as President of the Senate from 1994 to 1996, during the Keating Labor government.

After parliament he remained deeply committed to the Labor Party and to working for others and the community. Many Labor members in my local electorate, in the Brunswick Labor branch, spent time with him over the years, lucky enough to share his wisdom and passion for social justice. He was an advocate for the role of neighbourhood houses, for local communities, for health services and other social justice projects. He was one of those genuinely lovely people that grace this planet from time to time and that the rest of us had the good fortune to know and befriend.

As a public servant in the truest sense of the words, he was a good man. It was never about his ego. He was always about helping others. It is a legacy that will endure for those of us who were fortunate to know him. I extend my condolences to his partner, Margaret; his children, Daniel and Kate; his stepchildren, Georgia and Michael; and their families. Vale Michael Beahan.