Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I certainly acknowledge Senator Brandis’s comments. Yes, there will be the Ferris model for whips that we will abide by, I am sure. Sitting in the whip’s position today are some flowers which were kindly placed there by Jeannie’s loyal staff—and it has been mentioned today a few times—Robyn Mills, Simon, Bronte, Vicki and Angela. They have all lovingly signed a card. The gerberas and gypsophila represent her favourite colours and some favourite flowers. It has been mentioned, and I also have to say in the chamber today, that it is like the riderless horse with the stirrups facing backwards, and the boots. Given the comments by some senators today, we should have had a pair of those famous shoes on there as well, facing backwards. It has come down through the ages that the riderless horse represents the memory of someone who has gone before us. Having the stirrups on backwards indicates that the person is looking back upon her fond troops. This would be very appropriate for Jeannie today. It is great to have that symbolism of the empty whip’s chair with the flowers as a poignant reminder.

I want to mention a few things that happened during Jeannie’s last few weeks in this parliament prior to her having the last session in hospital. Even while she was in hospital for that last session, in typical Jeannie fashion Jeannie was monitoring the television during question time, saying, ‘Where is Senator So-and-So?’ and ‘Someone needs to tell Senator Such-and-Such.’ She was still the true whip until the very end.

Senator Coonan mentioned the frogs and the wheelbarrow. Senator Ferris sat me down when I became deputy whip and gave me what I call the motherly talk but also the mentor talk and the scolding before anything could possibly go wrong. She talked about the frogs and the wheelbarrow. I was asking how best to describe the whip’s role. She said, ‘Just describe the role as wheeling in one direction a frog full of wheelbarrows’—I am sorry, I should have said a wheelbarrow full of frogs; that would be just as difficult!—‘a wheelbarrow full of frogs, and indicate that you just need to keep them all in the wheelbarrow and keep wheeling the wheelbarrow.’ I used that in my first radio interview after becoming deputy whip. I got more calls about that than I did about the substance and other important issues. It was the metaphor that I used and the description that really attracted people’s attention. Jeannie had a way with words and a way to describe things like that.

Many would not be aware that in her last weeks she was pretty unwell. She came into the chamber bravely, I would say. There was one particular occasion when we had six or so divisions and she was not well enough to count the divisions. I was more than happy to do that for her. We were voting in the negative and she was sitting over on the other side of the chamber. When the divisions finished and we all went back to the normal course of government business, Jeannie could not move for about half an hour or so. She sat there and held court and then eventually quietly left the chamber. That was just her way. She did not draw any attention to herself; she just left the chamber and went back to her office and had to lie down for a while. That was the difficulty. She has the office with the closest proximity to the chamber.

We had morning administration meetings on every sitting day and we would go to the ministerial wing. On the way back on one occasion—this is when I knew she was getting quite unwell—she stopped and could not continue very well. So we continued at an extremely slow snail’s pace back to her office. She shared with me then her difficulty with fluid retention. She was just retaining so much fluid. She was describing it quite graphically, then she paused and said, ‘It’s just as well that you can handle all of this graphic stuff.’ It was quite good for her to share that with me.

Later that day we commenced a process. There is a rubbish bin behind the desk which Jeannie has used during all of her time as whip. We placed a cushion and other bits and pieces on that to make her comfortable. She sat here in quite a bit of pain during question time in particular with a cushion on top of her bucket. She did not want anyone to know that there was anything wrong. That was just how we survived. Other unkind senators, not realising what the issue was, would think, ‘Gee, Parry, you have it well here, with all of these cushions and things on this particular seat.’ But they were there for Jeannie when she was in the chamber.

They are just some of the things that I will remember from the six months that I had as deputy whip with her as Government Whip. She was a great mentor. I am deeply saddened that she is not here to continue my education. I have a lot to learn. Jeannie’s six months of instruction and tuition was great and I just wish I had more of that. I know that we will all survive.

I conclude by extending my sympathy and also the sympathy of my wife, Allison, to Jeannie’s family. We will miss her. I only got close to her in the last six months. I know that Jeannie will be in heaven now, running the Pearly Gates with St Peter. St Peter will have a far more organised approach to the Pearly Gates. I can guarantee that no-one—absolutely no-one—would get leave from heaven.