Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

Only about two, but they are two quite significant ones, Kay. That is the beauty of this place. We can have a disagreement or a battle of ideas and you can advocate fiercely for what you believe in, but if we respect each other as Kay has certainly respected my position—and I hope that she would consider that I have respected hers—we can take different sides in a battle but continue to get on and advocate very fiercely together on what we agree with. I value that very highly, Kay. It is what I have always intended to do in this place. I will play it as hard as everyone else but at the end of the day we are in the business of politics and we advocate very strongly for what we believe in. You have always done that.

I remember when you were part of the group that introduced the therapeutic cloning bill, along with another one of my very good friends. I rang you up and said: ‘Please do not lobby me. I do not agree with you at all on this. I am not going to vote with you. I understand and respect your right to do this, as all of us have a right to pursue our passions in this place, but in a positive manner.’ One of the great things was that you never missed a beat. You never rang me and lobbied me. You respected my position on that.

You have always been there for me when I have wanted to have a cup of tea and to ask you about where I should be heading next. I will miss you and I will still leave those phone messages for you asking you to ring back with some advice over the course of time.

Last—actually, not last and certainly not least—I would like to speak about Senator Kemp. I met you for the very first time when I was on the board of the Australian Sports Commission. You became Minister for the Arts and Sport and what a wonderful addition you were to the sports portfolio. I noticed that Senator Eggleston spoke briefly about your contribution to the arts. May I say that I agree with Senator Eggleston in that you punched above your weight when you married Daniele. People often accuse me of the same thing so we have that in common. I have not married Daniele but I have certainly married a wonderful woman who people look at and think, ‘My goodness, there must be some redeeming quality in this man because he has married such a great lady.’ I think you are the same. So I recognise your contribution to the arts, but it is in the sports portfolio that you truly made a difference to the athletes of Australia. As a former sports person, I know how important it is.

For all the words said about how important it is to get participation, there is nothing that will encourage sports participation in this country more than winning gold medals at Olympics and having heroes who young people can worship and idolise. That is one of your lasting legacies. You advocated very strongly for increased funding for the ultimate centre of high performance in this country, the Australian Institute of Sport. They have brand new facilities there such as an aquatics facility, sports science and medicine facilities, new residences and a whole range of things that are going to contribute to elite sport in this country for decades to come. That is the result of your advocacy, your lobbying, your interest and your commitment to that portfolio. I hope you do not underestimate it because, if we are to address juvenile diabetes and obesity in children and in the wider community, we need to produce heroes for young people so that they will become involved. You have made a great contribution to that, Rod.

You have been a great friend all the time. You have been most generous with your advice and with your support for me, not only because of our common portfolio interests but simply as a mentor. I thank you for that.

Whilst I have covered the six retiring senators, I did not say ‘last’ when I referred to Senator Kemp because one of my great friends when I came into this place is not with us tonight, and that is Senator Jeannie Ferris. Jeannie would probably not have liked to have given a valedictory speech because nothing that Jeannie did was really about herself. She was always interested in other people. In saying these few remarks about her, I remember her as a great friend, as a fierce ally and as a fierce foe on occasions too. Unlike Senator Patterson, Jeannie never stopped lobbying me about stem cells, and I sat there and took it like a good boy because I was worried about what would happen if I left. Jeannie was a great mate and it would have been wonderful to have shared this occasion with her, but she has gone; however, she is certainly not forgotten. In paying tribute to all my retiring colleagues, I would like to also recognise Senator Ferris tonight.