Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with the Senate in expressing our sorrow and sadness for the passing of Senator Linda White. I join with the Senate in expressing our condolences. I express my appreciation and my celebration of Linda's life, and for the brief time that I knew her. I express my condolences to Linda's family and my condolences to her Senate staff team.

Senator Wong spoke very well today; I don't need to say too much more—plus, I didn't know Linda very well. I decided to come down here because I knew her enough that my brief encounters revealed some wonderful qualities in Linda. No. 1, her integrity—she always struck me as having high integrity. Her competence was quite clear. She was intelligent but also practical, with a lot of life experience. Her commitment and her persistence—I watched her, and I wasn't aware of her background but that commitment and that persistence was there. Her genuineness and her sincerity—she never said anything frivolous; she had a good sense of humour, but she was very, very genuine in what she did and how she went about things. She had a pleasing economy with words. She was very direct, but she was pleasant in doing it; I echo Senator Payman's comments in that regard. She was a very effective committee chair, in my view.

Senator Wong earlier this afternoon rightly praised Linda's belief in the power of government. Although I disagree with Linda's stance on that, I admire her tenacity in pursuit of using that power of government. She used it for positive purposes, and she used it very, very well. In a world, lastly, in which our human species is often denigrated, I celebrate humans, and I celebrate and very much appreciate Linda's life and knowing her briefly. She touched me, and she helped me. Thank you.