Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

I want to begin by thanking all those senators who made very kind remarks about me in my valedictory yesterday. I had the opportunity to say some warm and good farewell words to those members of the National Party and Liberal Party who are leaving this chamber, but there are four senators I still need to address. The first is Senator Nettle. I think Senator Nettle has made a very considerable contribution for her party. She is one of the better debaters of this chamber. She is able to speak clearly, in a principled and articulate manner, with great focus, when dealing with legislation. She also understands that you do not have to be rude to be passionate. In fact, she is of a gentle and determined demeanour. I think she will be missed by her party. She has certainly made a very significant contribution to this chamber.

Senator Webber, from my own state of Western Australia, is a clear example of how the Senate allows people to grow. Senator Webber has become a very able contributor and a very strong participant in the chamber and in committees. She has earned my respect over time. I have enjoyed her company. I have certainly noticed her laughter, including in aeroplanes. I do not know anything about your successor, but I think you are a loss to your party in Western Australia. A kiss on the cheek to you.

Senator George Campbell is a naughty, naughty boy! He is actually a very good fellow. It has not gone unnoticed that he has won the affection and, indeed, the respect of many political opponents from the coalition. That is because, as a strong unionist, as a strong supporter of the manufacturing sector, and as a person with a very considerable trade union history, his consistency, diligence and application in expressing his opinions on behalf of those he supported and backed was very effective. I am quite an admirer of George Campbell. I think he has done a good job for his party and he too will be missed. I will not give him a kiss on the cheek, but I will miss him.

Senator Linda Kirk, from South Australia, is a seriously clever and able woman. She too is a great loss to the Labor Party. Again, I do not know the quality or nature of her replacement, but she is a woman whose professional training and background, and the way in which she was working in the Senate, would have enabled her to make a bigger and bigger contribution as time went on. I got to know her well. She has been a very able senator with a very good heart and a very sharp mind. If I were the Labor Party, I would not have deselected her. She will be missed and I say goodbye to her.

To my own colleagues, who have spoken tonight, it is a historic moment. Your last words will be recorded by the extraordinary service that we are given by Hansard. They provide a great service to us all. Your last handshake will be with the Senate transport team. Ian will probably be here tonight rather than Michael, and they will give you the smile and service they gave you every day. You will get the wonderful, warm service from Comcar both here and in your home state, as I have in my home state. Your last sense of the Senate will indeed be of Comcar, as they help you from your car. Then of course on Monday, the very efficient parliamentary services CPU will usher you out with a smile and a wave, and a big pair of scissors to cut off your entitlements! In my own state, I must say that Chris Pelzer and his team have been just terrific.

I will briefly talk about our South Australian senator first: Senator Stott Despoja. In Adelaide, I have a good luck talisman called Peter Davies, who helped me get elected. I am sure Senator Stott Despoja has a good luck talisman there. Of all the Democrat senators I have known since I have been here—the wonderful Meg Lees; the terrific Vicki Bourne; the amazing John Cherry; the good, kindly and spiritual John Woodley; Aden Ridgeway, with all his complexity and talent; Brian Greig from my own home state; and even Cheryl Kernot—I, and the other three Democrats who are still here, think that Natasha will probably be the only one who will really stay on the public stage. Since the day she did up her laces on her boots, the media have been fascinated with her. I think they will continue to be fascinated with her. Her sheer, extraordinary talents will ensure that she will march the public stage again, and I hope she does. I hope she will return to public life in a considerable way, once she has enjoyed her two children and a bit of relaxation, because she has a lot to offer Australia.

I suspect the other three of us will be less noted on the public stage, but Senator Bartlett has an extraordinary capacity for consistent, compassionate hard work, which I hope he uses to good effect. Like my great friend Lyn Allison, if I emailed late on a Saturday night or on a Sunday morning with particular material I wanted to get to him, bang would come back the reply. He was on that computer day in, day out and his diligence and application in this chamber is well known. He can be somewhat lugubrious, can Andrew. His speeches often read better than they are delivered, if I may say so. But he has got an amazing wit. He can be very, very funny. I think he has a great deal to offer Australia and I hope, leaving this place, will see many opportunities open for him.

Lyn Allison, I know, with her energy, commitment, diligence and character will continue to make a contribution. I am not sure in what areas. She too is an amazingly hardworking, consistent and very compassionate individual—underrated, I might say, by the media; underrated in terms of her contribution as a leader. We have done extraordinary work over this period in which she has been leader but, regrettably, the media were not interested in serious people doing substantial work and her efforts did not get the recognition they deserved. I have enjoyed my time with my colleagues and I want to record a special note of appreciation.