Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

There's precious left for me to say, so I'll be brief. Let me start by saying: Senator Brandis, you have left an enormous mark on this chamber. We have mostly sat on opposite sides of the chamber, but there were several occasions where we sat on the same side. Indeed, there was that moment in September where, if somebody had told me at the start of the week that by the end of the week I would be standing up, giving a standing ovation to a speech that you'd given, I would have thought they were stark raving bonkers, but it was, I think, a moment of moral clarity. It was spontaneous. It was heartfelt. I assume it was difficult, because I'm sure those views weren't shared by all members of your own party, but it was a moment that meant a lot not just to those of us in this chamber but to people right across the country. I want to thank you for your leadership in that moment when a member of this place came in wearing a religious garment in an effort to offend so many people who are part of the Australian community. You chose to call that out, and I want to thank you for doing that.

Equally, on marriage equality, you again, despite some recalcitrance from members of your own side, worked very hard behind the scenes, and it was your contribution that ensured the final passage of the marriage equality bill. It was your exposure draft that served as the template for the Senate select committee's inquiry out of which emerged Senator Smith's bill. People may not know that, but your contribution right through that process, and particularly early on, was critical to the passage of that legislation, and I think you need to be acknowledged for that. Again, on behalf of the Greens, we thank you for that.

I must say I did take some joy in taking on one of the most pedantic people in this chamber by correcting you on the pronunciation of my surname! Perhaps we can take it a step further: it is actually Di Nataleh, which is a little closer to what I indicated.