Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to join other senators in making some brief remarks about Senator Payne. I've come to know Senator Marise Payne as a leading woman in the New South Wales Liberal Party. However, as a new senator, most of my interaction with her has been outside of this place, mostly in a place we share a love for, Western Sydney, and in another place that we maybe love a little less, the New South Wales state executive.

Western Sydney is a place that Senator Payne has long been an advocate for. In 2015, when I co-founded Western Sydney Women and we thought about who our inaugural ambassador should be, who could best demonstrate our values and what we wanted to achieve—empowering women across Western Sydney—there was no doubt that that person should be Senator Payne. Senator, I'm very grateful for your support of Western Sydney Women and, later, Western Sydney Executive Women. Your commitment and support made such a significant difference in the work that we did, as it did more broadly throughout the Western Sydney community, New South Wales and our country.

I thank you for your service and contribution in this place and for what we all know will be your ongoing contribution outside of it. Thank you.