Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to pay my tributes to Senator Kimberley Kitching and associate myself with the remarks of other senators, but particularly, coincidentally, with those comments of Senator Louise Pratt.

'Patient persistence' is how I would describe Kimberley Kitching's style; a consistent observer of those courtesies to other senators that allow this place, at most times, to be a demonstration of our political civility—someone who knew and practised the power of scrutiny over just politics and, importantly, understood the effort that's required in one and less so in the other; a person who loved this institution and all that it offers and worked its levers to achieve real outcomes that have had, and will have, a lasting legacy on the life of so many senators. 'A senator's senator,' I remarked after her untimely and sudden death, knowing the tremendous admiration of her work was felt by so many in this chamber.

In such a short period in the Senate she achieved much. Her pursuit of human rights for people at home through the Senate select committee on marriage equality, which was the precursor to the marriage equality bill, should not be overlooked. Indeed, as Senator Pratt just remarked, her faith came without discrimination. And her achievement in legislating Magnitsky-type laws became the nation's success. These two achievements demonstrate to me that the dignity of all people, whether they be at home or abroad, was Kimberley Kitching's core pursuit. In our country she has been a champion of human rights and justice without peer.

When I met Kimberley Kitching, when she arrived in the Senate, I also approached her with care and caution. But through the work on the Senate select committee I gained a much deeper appreciation of her values, her priorities and her view of the world, and how, curiously, despite the media reports and the scuttlebutt, they aligned with mine. She thought deeply about how we reconcile the principle of equality before the law with the protection of people's religious liberties. She brought a deep philosophical view, one that she chose not to hide behind, and instead put her mind to committing to finding practical ways that these matters could be resolved for the benefit of all.

The LGBTI community in our country owes Kimberley Kitching a huge debt of gratitude. Curiously, we had both been invited to co-host a program on JOY radio, Australia's largest broadcaster to LGBTI communities across our country. During divisions in this place we speculated—when restrictions were lifted in Western Australia and I was free to travel—about the sorts of things we might talk about when we were co-hosting the Saturday Magazine morning program. We talked about the songs we might like to play. We talked about the stories we might like to tell. I speculated, to create a little bit of colour, that I might invite former Prime Minister Julia Gillard to join us. She cheekily responded that she thought she might invite Malcolm Turnbull. I said that I thought the theatre of that would be better suited to television than to radio.

I also was deeply disappointed that I could not attend the funeral. But having to choose between two things that mattered very, very deeply to me, I am confident that Kimberley would have understood the decision I took. Of course, we'll never now know what that radio broadcast would have looked like.

Kimberley talked about what type of parliament we should want. I think her legacy is more about what type of parliamentarian we should want. What value do we put on working across the aisles, what value do we put on bringing a bigger and more ambitious view to our national politics and what value do we put on restoring courtesy to the way that we all work together? Gone but never forgotten, Kimberley Kitching's achievements are now carved in our national story.

I'm someone who believes that people never actually leave us, that their presence can always be felt and that all that is required is for us to live consciously and to pay close attention to those things that are happening around us. Kimberley Kitching's legacy will be easy to see for so many and for so long. To Kimberley's family, to Andrew, her parents and brother, I extend my deepest condolences.