John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to pay my respects to Senator Mark Bishop, whom I do not know all that well, but I have watched him and how he conducts himself, and I believe he has been a credit to himself and to the ALP.

I know Senator Ron Boswell a bit better than I know Senator Bishop, and I rise also to add my voice to the chorus of voices congratulating Senator Boswell on his time as a senator. For the past 30 years, Senator Boswell has been an enduring fixture in this place. He began his parliamentary career in the old Parliament House and has become this place's longest serving senator. The people of Queensland have elected him again and again—a ringing endorsement in what is the ever-changing game of politics. Thirty years of service, dedication and representation cannot be summed up or glossed over in a few minutes. I believe Senator Boswell can leave this place with his head held high, knowing he has made a contribution to the past, the present and the future of our country.

I do not agree with Senator Boswell or the National Party on everything, but we do share some common ground. I applaud Senator Boswell for his work seeking statistics on the number of abortions in Australia and for his fight to uphold the traditional definition of marriage, amongst other things. I applaud his efforts to expose the financial fraud of the wind industry. I applaud his work defending farmers, fishermen and Australia Post LPOs amongst others. The banana industry comes to mind, and his support and advocacy for it in the face of overseas imports, as does his work to establish clarity around product labelling and his work in the horticulture industry to secure a commitment to a mandatory code of conduct. With Senator Boswell's departure, small businesses, co-ops and farmers have lost an ally and a voice for those who have not got a voice.