Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to pass on my condolences to Linda's family, her friends, her colleagues in the Labor Party and her staff. It's a very, very sad time. It's something that surprised many of us who, as others have remarked, didn't understand quite the bravery that Linda was going through to bear this affliction with very little outward evidence and to continue on with her work.

It's always very sad when we lose one of our colleagues. It's always very sad when anyone passes away, but it's even more sad when there's the residue of unfulfilled potential. That's why we're very sad when children pass away. Linda was no child. She had a very extensive career, as we've heard during this debate, but she clearly had enormous unfulfilled potential in this place. She had already made a mark as a senator in a very brief period of time, and there was no doubt that she was only going to become more and more effective as a senator as time passed. It's very unfortunate, especially for our colleagues in the Labor Party, that Linda couldn't fulfil that promise.

I got to know Linda through my work on the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee. I could tell Linda was a good senator because, truth be told, she kind of annoyed me at times. She was quite effective at pursuing certain lines of inquiry. No reflection on anyone in this chamber, but sometimes in estimates, especially on government benches, when you are given questions to go through—dorothy dixers, so to speak—the line of questioning might not be as enthusiastic, as passionate or as driven as it could be. But Linda was never like that. She always took up the battering ram very strongly; therefore, she was a proverbial 'pain' for those of us on the other side. Linda had a very direct and frank approach, which I think delivered to her enormous respect from those in rural and country areas, who appreciate being told directly what people think and who appreciate that frankness.

Linda was clearly interested in issues that faced those of us that live in country areas, and her contribution on the rural affairs committee was greatly appreciated. I was only just speaking to one of her friends Wendy Streets, from the financial services union. I know Linda was very passionate about the issues facing country towns where bank branches are closing and people have no access to services. We travelled around that country with that committee, and Linda was often there in far-flung places to give voice to those communities. Linda was part of a process that had some impact. It was, I think, one of the more successful Senate inquiries I have been on. We stopped 11 branches from closing around Australia, and I appreciate the support of Linda and other colleagues in other parties in this place who gave all of us a push for those results in a bipartisan way. The work of that committee and many other bits of work that will be done in this chamber in the months and years ahead will be the legacy of Linda. It is really sad that she won't be here to see the finalisation of that report and push for it within government, which is what we need to do, but her contribution won't go unrecorded.

Everybody that knows and loves Linda can be very proud of her achievements in this place, notwithstanding how sad it is that they have come to an untimely end. Vale, Senator Linda White.