Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Palmer United Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the Palmer United Party to offer our deepest sympathies to the family of Edward Gough Whitlam AC, QC, and acknowledge the significant impact that Gough made on our great country.

I am told that Gough was committed to bringing about social reform in Australia, and that the Whitlam government was relentless in enacting legislation. In fact, in 1973 alone, 203 bills became legislation. While I was only a young bloke when Gough was Prime Minister, it is clear that as an adult today I am enjoying many of the great reforms that Gough was responsible for. Our challenge is to show the same degree of tenacity and bravery, while maintaining the important balance between delivering what is important from a social perspective and what is possible from a budget perspective.

I would also like personally to thank Senator Faulkner for giving us an insight into the great man Gough Whitlam and his legacy—not only in his speech today, but in the days since Gough's passing. Thank you.