Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today on behalf of the Nationals in the Senate. Unfortunately, our Senate leader had other commitments. The Nationals sincerely want to congratulate Senator Arthur Sinodinos on the astounding contribution he has made to our great nation through his service in this place both as a staff member and as a senator and to lament his leaving. It isn't a stretch to call Senator Sinodinos a great Australian. He served for nine years as chief of staff to the great John Howard, prosecuting the reform agenda that helped to insulate Australia from the global financial crisis. But not content to leave his contribution to our country at that, he was then appointed to the Senate to replace another great senator, Senator Helen Coonan. Since then, Senator Sinodinos has provided leadership, sage advice and intelligence to all of us on this side of parliament. He has certainly treated us in the Nationals as part of that team.

Senator Sinodinos, though a Liberal, is a staunch coalitionist and has almost always been a friend to the Nationals. We on the conservative side of politics will be forever grateful for the senator's policy acumen and practical political skills. No-one brings policy and politics together quite like Senator Sinodinos. In fact, he wrote the rulebook for that marriage for the Howard government. The synthesis of these two attributes has also contributed strongly to the longstanding coalition between the Nationals and the Liberals. For example, my former boss Senator Ron Boswell, a great friend and an absolutely genuine and hardworking advocate for the bush, would often drop by the Prime Minister's office unannounced and felt absolutely comfortable doing so. However, when the PM wasn't available, which wasn't surprising, Senator Sinodinos would graciously meet Ron and faithfully pass on the nature of the discussions to the PM—particularly, at that point in time, on Telstra, which was the subject of numerous robust discussions. This was a policy area of particular interest to Senator Boswell, and Senator Sinodinos used his ministerial positions once he joined the Senate to the betterment of Australia—as Assistant Treasurer, as Cabinet Secretary and as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. And I note what he's done for the nuclear industry at Lucas Heights.

As the senator said in his maiden speech:

Observing John Howard convinced me that politics is not worth a candle unless you are fighting for something.

These words resonate with all of us in the Nats, because that's why we are here. We're here to fight rural and regional Australia. People like me and my colleagues, who live and work and raise families in rural and regional Australia, deserve the same opportunities and prosperity as others. So we need to take a leaf out of Senator Sinodinos's book and work the politics and the policy to deliver for the people we represent.

Senator Sinodinos's term hasn't always been plain sailing, and we acknowledge the quiet dignity that he took in 2017, stepping back from his ministerial duties and ultimately the parliament to concentrate on his health. His approach to his leukaemia diagnosis was the same as his approach to solving policy and political conundrums—no fanfare, instead discreet and humble determination. These must have been troubling times for the senator and his family, and both sides of the chamber were very relieved and pleased to see him return. Since then, the senator's advocacy for others who experience leukaemia is an absolute inspiration. He is a living and breathing demonstration that cancer doesn't always win.

The next chapter of his service to Australia will take place in Washington rather than Canberra. While we will miss him in this place, his appointment as the next Australian Ambassador to the United States means he won't be lost to public life and public service. I sincerely thank Senator Sinodinos for his service here as a senator, a minister, a coalition partner and a friend to the Nationals. Australia and our closest strategic ally are both looking forward to your next chapter. All the best.