Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to pay tribute to the memory of Jeannie Ferris. As we have heard today, Jeannie was a great advocate for South Australia, for rural issues and, more recently, for issues associated with women’s cancer. As Ian Macdonald reminded us, she was the convenor of the Liberal Party rural breakfasts, which were held once a month and which, as Jeannie was very fond of pointing out, attracted an attendance of around 40 people a month. She was also very fond of pointing out that there were more people in the Liberal Party representing rural Australia than there were people from another party which claims to do so. She was very strong on that point.

I came into the Senate in 1996 with Jeannie. Today we have heard a little bit about some of her sayings. One of her sayings which she frequently put to me was that everyone who came to the Senate was figuratively given the same piece of rope and it was up to each individual to see how far they could swing on that piece of rope while they were here as a member of the Senate—a very interesting metaphor. I think Jeannie swung a very long way on her piece of rope and made a great contribution to the affairs of the Senate.

I worked with Jeannie as Deputy Government Whip for four years from 2002. That was an interesting experience, not least because Jeannie, having been associated with the press gallery and the National Farmers Federation, had a fascinating knowledge of the Australian political process and many of the characters involved in it. During many a question time we engaged in interesting discussions about people and events around Parliament House. Jeannie’s stories were often humorous, and it was frequently quite a difficult struggle to maintain a straight face to the people of Australia watching question time as she told her rather humorous stories while a television camera was pointed at you across the chamber. She was a person with a great sense of humour, which has been referred to by many people.

I will remember Jeannie as a person with strong views, a passion for her causes, a good understanding of human nature and excellent political insights, and as a person of great personal charm and a sometimes quite wicked sense of humour. Other people have referred to that as well. I respected her contribution to the Senate and the Liberal Party as a senator, as the Senate whip and as chair of the Liberal Party federal rural committee—a role in which she gained the respect of Liberal Party members around Australia. Most importantly, I respected her for her advocacy in the Senate of women’s issues and her determination to ensure that more attention was directed to the detection and treatment of gynaecological cancer, which will perhaps be her most lasting legacy.

Parliament produces some great and memorable characters, and I believe Jeannie Ferris was one such character who, I am sure, will be long remembered in the records of this place as someone who gave her all and did so with great determination and always with a twinkle in her eye. May she rest in peace.