Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm convinced I'm going to cry very soon, but I'm going to do my best. Janet, I want to say thank you to you as an elder of our party, and to everyone else who's an elder of our party, for your vision, for creating a party that was committed to peace, social justice, climate justice and consensus. Without that, I wouldn't have a political home, and I really want to thank you for your foresight and the way in which you and our other party elders have created not just a party but a movement that we can really commit to and value.

I was going to talk about the fact that you are compassionate and fearless, but I actually don't think you are fearless, because one of the things that you taught me, particularly the other week, when you went into the House, is that being courageous is not having no fear; it's feeling the fear and doing it anyway. I think that has characterised the way in which you've approached so much of what you've done in your work both inside and outside the parliament, and I want to thank you for reminding me of that so that I don't let my fear stop me from being the advocate that we all need to be.

I want to thank you for your commitment to human rights. I know that the Global Greens and the Asia-Pacific Greens Federation will really benefit from the fact that you will have more time to spend with them on the work that they do. I know from my own involvement in APGF that that is something that will be really valued right across the region. I'm sure you're going to have a huge impact on that as well.

You talked about the Greens ecosystem and the members and supporters out there who support us. The first time that I really had much to do with you was on national council. I got to see, when you showed up and showed up and showed up, your commitment not just to consensus but to consensus between the members in our party and the members of party room and to making sure that that connection wasn't lost and that we worked together. I really respect and value that. I hope that, as I take my stint on national council coming from the other side, no longer being the party but being in party room, I can really model the things that you showed in that space.

I feel very daunted by the fact that I am taking on so many of the things that you have really set the standard for. It's a real honour to become the party room chair. But it's more of an honour because I know that I'm following you. I really hope that I can live up to your example of commitment to consensus and make sure that we continue to work together as a team. And I hope you don't mind if I ring you from time to time to get some advice on that.

I'm also so honoured and proud to be taking on the social services portfolio from you. I'm really conscious of the fact that I'm following on from a giant in Rachel Siewert and a giant in you. I am really committed to fighting tooth and nail to make sure that the vulnerable people in our community are heard and that we really make change for them because it really should have happened by now. The fight will continue, and I really look forward to carrying on your legacy in relation to that.

I also want to thank you for all the work that you did to bring about marriage equality. Even though our family didn't know it at the time, I am the parent of a rainbow child, and I know that bringing in marriage equality was something that contributed to her feeling safe about exploring who she really is and being able to come out, and I want to thank you because you played such a big part in that. I also observed the impact that it had on kids too. As a teacher, I saw time and time again how difficult it was for young people who were queer. That change in making them feel valued made a real difference, not just to adults in our community but to young people as well.

I know there are other people who want to speak and we are short on time, so I'll leave it there, but I just want to say thank you, Janet. I'm so grateful that I got to spend two years in the party room with you. I also want to thank you for the generosity that you showed for me as a new senator. You were one of the first people to check in and offer advice, support and encouragement. I really want to thank you for that; it means a lot.