Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

As I rise today, as so many of our colleagues have, I express my condolence to Kimberley's husband, Andrew, and Kimberley's family, as well as to Jordan, Maree and all her loyal staff, who should take great heart in Kimberley's achievements.

Kimberley will be missed by me for many reasons but especially for her capacity for human conversation. Kimberley had a way of reflecting on the human condition, at both a personal and a political level, that was warm and engaging. I know that her personal warmth was increased by the deep love for her husband, Andrew, and her family. I spent many occasions in the chamber talking to Kimberley, and you could see how her worldliness and curiosity stemmed from her childhood experiences with her family, which laid the groundwork for what was her very sophisticated and warm world view. She had in that sense a great capacity to make those things real and deliver on that world view, as shown by her pursuit of the Magnitsky law.

Kimberley's happiness, satisfaction and joy in her family—that is, her parents; her brother; her grandmother, who we would often talk about in the chamber; and her husband, Andrew—were always apparent to me in the way she spoke about you all. She would smile in that really delightful cat-that-got-the-cream kind of way that only Kimberley could. I always took great pleasure in that broad smile and the warm tone of her voice.

I have to say that I know personally, from my own experiences, that a tough preselection can take a significant toll on your own personal and mental health. I can't speculate as to the impact that might have had on Kimberley other than to say that, from my own experience, I know that it is significant but also that such stress is the inevitable price of the competition to bring your world views and your values to this place. I understand at a very deep level, as many others also do, the fight to do that when facing a tough preselection or an election, as we're about to go into. So I'm reminded that this is a stressful time for many.

I express my deep gratitude to Kimberley for her passionate desire to be here and her enormous contribution. I was saddened not to be able to attend Kimberley's funeral because of COVID in my household, and I'm very sorry for that. It's a strange thing for all of us to be here in the chamber and not to see her smile and determined face looking back at us. It will be a less interesting and, perhaps at times, less passionate place without her. Australia has indeed lost a great advocate and patriot.

I reflect on the causes that Kimberley held dear and on the irony in the way that these debates—the debate of her condolence and the discussion since her untimely passing—have given further momentum to the causes that she held dear. I hope very much that that continues to be the case. They are, of course, all causes that would do better from her actually being here, and we are all saddened that that is not the case.

I reflect on her first speech, where she said:

In this parliament, we must proudly make the case for Australian exceptionalism. Australia is not exceptional because we have been divinely mandated, or because of some inherent quality unasked and unearned; Australia is exceptional precisely because generations of Australians have made hard choices and hard sacrifices.

In that context, personally, I reflect on the fact she is someone who believed wholeheartedly in the Australian people and our potential for greatness. Kimberley certainly made her own hard choices and sacrifices in order to be here.

She fought for democratic rights and purposeful reforms and believed in making a difference to Australians at home and abroad. When she spoke on the Magnitsky bill—of course she was fluent in languages in which I can barely pronounce a simple name—she always spoke with such eloquence and passion. I was fond of listening to her quote others who she deeply respected, embedding their words into her own speeches in order to add gravitas and conviction to her own words. I think that came from her capacity to access in that very worldly way all of the thought and intellectual engagement of others.

She was someone, in that context, who was well spoken and direct in her convictions and therefore very quotable in her own right. In a speech which I think has already been quoted today, she said:

We are a democracy and as a democracy we should stand with other democracies and other like-minded people around the world and say no to the evil that we also see in our world.

I know that, in the context of world history at this point in time, it is timely for us to reflect on Kimberley's words. I also want to acknowledge the asset that Kimberley brought to Labor in her capacity to form friendships across the chamber. I daresay that you cannot exist as a councillor in the City of Melbourne without the capacity to befriend a Tory and not just fight them, which she certainly knew how to do, and I deeply respect her for that. It helps get good things done in this place.

So it's shocking to me that Kimberley is gone, as I know it is to us all. In closing off Kimberley's many contributions, I want to recognise her work on marriage equality. In this respect, I want to recognise her consistency in being a strong Catholic, a woman of faith, and a strong supporter of human rights and equality. For me, this took some getting used to, as someone who has traditionally had to do battle with church dogma in order to see justice. Kimberley helped me see past this. I could see how, for her, her faith came without discrimination, and that meant a great deal to me. I close by quoting Kimberley's contribution to the marriage amendment bill when she spoke of the kind of leadership Australia needs. She said:

We want and need leaders who are true to themselves, comfortable in their own skin, honest about what they believe and strong enough to have the courage to implement it.

Kimberley, you had this in spades.