Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, rise today to pay my condolences to Jim McKiernan, a senator for WA. I endorse the comments made by Senator Cormann; our leader, Senator Wong; and other Labor senators in this place. I want to put a personal perspective on my knowledge and friendship of Jim. First of all, I pay my deep respects and condolences to Jackie, up there in the gallery today, and I acknowledge former senators Ruth Webber and George Campbell. I knew Jim through the Labor Party and I knew Jim particularly through the Left of the Labor Party. I'm a proud member and many of the senators you've heard from today are proud members of the Left of the Labor Party. But, in knowing Jim in that role, through the Labor Party and through the Left, you couldn't help but know of and feel his deep passion for the trade union movement and his deep passion particularly focused on the AMWU. Jim was a metally through and through and you just knew that the minute you met him. As we've heard from others today, the values of the Labor Party and the values of the trade union movement were who Jim was.

We've heard today about his role as an education officer with the AMWU. I was reminded by Helen Creed today that one of the things the metallies did in those early times was produce material in cartoon-type strips, which Jim contributed to. That took a message about the global struggle of union members out to workplaces in Western Australia. So, from very early on as an education officer, the global struggle and how it tied to a local struggle was very important to Jim, making sure that message resonated locally with workers. Jim was a formidable force in the Labor Party. He was also a formidable force in the Left of the Labor Party. I remember that we would have long debates, often coming to an agreement and taking longer than it would when we finally brought it to the floor of the Labor Party. I'm sure that we all remember those very long debates.

But I have to say that, whilst Jim may have been a formidable force, Jim and Jackie together were very, very powerful. One of the things that they did was really build Labor in the northern suburbs of Perth. Senator Pat Giles, who has sadly passed as well, was a trailblazer out there, but was so Jackie, as the member for Joondalup and later the member for Wanneroo, and Pam Beggs. It's really pleasing—and I'm sure Jackie reflects on this in the work Jim did in the northern suburbs—that, at the last state election, we took those northern suburbs back with Sabine Winton and Emily Hamilton. Just two weeks ago, as we gathered in Pearce, again in your footsteps and the footsteps of Jim, with our candidate for Pearce, Kim Travers, Kim Young was there and he talked about the sad passing of Jim. It had been only a few days before. As you know, Kim Young is out there every Saturday doorknocking. We talked to the young people we were with on that Saturday morning before we began doorknocking about who Jim was and what his contribution to Labor has been. He might have passed away, but the footprint of your early work and Jim's early work in those northern suburbs, along with Pat, and Jackie's work in Joondalup and Wanneroo, is now getting larger and the Labor beat is getting stronger.

I also spoke to Cheryl Davenport, who told me a funny story about Jim when he was contesting the Senate. Jim was always a great supporter of women and he said to Pat Giles, 'Don't you worry, Pat, I'm not going to take your seat; I'm going to win one of my own,' which, of course, he went on to do.

As I said, Jim was fierce. We have heard of his contribution. He often put a perspective so that, when you looked at him, you shook your head and thought, 'Where does that come from?' One of those was smoking. Sadly, Jim was a big smoker, but in this place he led the charge to try and implement a smoking ban. He wanted it done by 1997. Even though he fought against outlawing smoking in the parliament, he wanted a ban by 1997 because he said too many young people were smoking.

I pay my respects to Jim. I know what a sad loss he is to you, Jackie. He is a sad loss to the broader Labor movement in Western Australia. When we win seats in the northern suburbs, we will do so in Jim's name and in your name. My condolences to you and your family.