Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

What beautiful speeches—and so appropriate for all of your years here, Janet. I feel like years in the Senate are dog years. You've done 10, and that is 70 in my book. It is such a privilege to celebrate you with everyone else. I consider myself, like Penny, so lucky to have had nearly two years at your side, with your example before me and with all of your support. I have really loved working alongside you, and I have learnt so much from the way that you work. Just like Dorinda said, you gave me confidence from day one in the courage that you take into your incredible role here. You are an inspiring leader, senator, activist and human being.

Three things have really stood out for me. I have been really inspired by your consistent and persistent standing up on human rights. You have just always been the one to name things immediately in the party room and to have the courage to follow through for people whose democratic rights are denied, whose lives, land and very survival is threatened. You are there for them every time: Palestine, Tibet, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Uighur people and many people in Australia—our human rights here as well. The fact that people have come tonight to celebrate and acknowledge that is a very important tribute to you. The Australia Tibet Council is lucky to have you in its future as well as its past.

You always do the brave thing—most recently, calling out the human rights abuses in the Philippines when the president of that country was invited to address our parliament, ignoring the ongoing and long history of human rights abuses. You lead the way to call out the hypocrisy of that. I was sitting next to you and I could almost feel your heart beating. My heart was certainly pounding. I was watching everyone slowly turn towards us to look at you as you held up the sign that you had made. And, exactly as Penny said, you felt the fear—I could feel the fear next to you. It's not about feeling the fear; it's about doing the thing, remembering the trade unionists who have been shot in Manila, all of the human rights activists, the community members and the villagers who have lost their lives. That is what you take into that work.

As you said when you did that protest, there are at least 800 political prisoners in the Philippines at the moment and you felt it was your obligation and responsibility. It's such a powerful thing you have given us. With your inspiring commitment to truth, whether it is truth in science or truth in calling out hypocrisy and suppression of human rights, you have more than truly stood up to your first speech pledge to work for self-determination for First Nations Australians and a treaty—very powerful work.

Secondly, you have been an incredible campaigner for LGBTQI+ communities and individuals. I have been in awe of your powerful contributions arguing against—this is where I will cry—the regular hate directed in this place at trans communities and individuals. You have stood up time after time while that hate has come at us and you have insisted that people have the right to be who they are, that everyone is welcome here and that trans kids in particular are loved. So thank you for standing up truly to something you also promised in your first speech, which was to speak up always in the chamber for our rainbow community. You have more than adequately fulfilled that promise as well—energetically, lovingly and courageously.

Finally, Janet, you have an extraordinary work and activism ethic, and these are very big boots to fill as we have acknowledged. I am really in awe of your work ethic, your commitment to making change, not only through activism but also through your parliamentary work. You have always walked on both those legs: doing the community work on the weekend, coming back here the following week to do all the parliamentary legislative work that you have shouldered. They are both demanding places, they will take all that you can give, and you have given both places everything that you had.

You now get to rest for a bit but it won't be for long. You are unstoppable. I thank you for your sisterhood, for your inspiration, for your sweat, for your generosity. I wish you and Anne and family and friends all the very best and many wonderful times in the forest and on your beloved bike, avoiding planes—won't it be wonderful that you won't have to get up and get on a plane! You will go on to do all those things at a pace that you set yourself. You leave a giant legacy and I thank you for all of it.