Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

I hope you'll give me the privilege of speaking not from my seat. I wanted to be able to look you straight in the eye. It has been a very long journey since 1987, when Linda Reynolds and Dean Smith joined the Young Liberal movement in Western Australia. For the first two years, I recall frequenting a cafe on Outram Street after Young Liberal movement council meetings, and I know that you're as delighted as I am to have Sandra Mutch and Russell Gianoli in the audience with us tonight, who were there in 1987 as well.

But it wasn't until 1989 when six Young Liberals descended on the car park at the Midland railway station. They had hired a Tarago van. There were three young men and there were three young women. The three young men were all under the age of 21, so they weren't able to drive the hire car across the Nullarbor to Adelaide to attend their first Young Liberal convention. In the car was one Linda Reynolds, myself and four others. We embarked on what was a pretty big adventure at the time, going to our first Young Liberals convention in Adelaide. So excited were we about our newfound importance in the Liberal Party. We got to our Young Liberals convention. Things were very tight. We were not part of the moderates; we were part of the conservatives. We were challenging the moderates, led at the time by Marise Payne and Chris Pyne, who were seeking the very auspicious positions of federal president and vice-president of the Young Liberals. Realising we didn't have the numbers, we thought would do something bold and brash—and we walked out of the convention! We learnt some very powerful lessons as a result of that experience.

Just to finish that tale: we got our first taste of senators interfering in party politics. News had got back to Western Australia that we were supporting the conservative candidate—Karen Raisi, I think, was her name—at the time, and that we weren't supporting Marise Payne and Christopher Pyne. We didn't realise at the time that we were caught in the Howard-Peacock leadership battles. One senator who was very prominent at the time got on a plane, flew to Adelaide, wined and dined us and took us to bars. We had a great night. The next morning they called us to a meeting and said: 'You had a wonderful night the night before. This is my suggested course of action.' We thought: 'That doesn't really make sense to us. We had a wonderful night, thank you very much. We're embarking upon our original course of action'—which didn't go down very well in Western Australia at all.

Ever since those days, Linda, you have shown consistency. You have shown tenacity. You have endured through very challenging and difficult times, and you have always triumphed. The Senate and our Senate party room will be the poorer for your absence. On a personal level, I thank you for the courage you have shown me in some of those more difficult battles.

You called out the importance of GST reform in your first speech, and it took some years after that to achieve that outcome. We often reflect on the very joyous photos of the marriage debate here in this chamber. Senator Hume and Senator Reynolds—I think there was a sequence in which I mentioned the names in closing the debate. They were very hard and difficult times for many of us in our party. But you, with Jane, were strong and clear, and you joined me in that Senate chamber when many others didn't. I thank you for that courage. It's yet another timely reminder that when the chips are sometimes down for your colleagues, or your friends, you are always there for them. When I caught up with Sandra and Russell last night, that was exactly the comment that Sandra and Russell reflected on—that, no matter the depth of the adversity or struggle you might be going through yourself, with your personal self or your professional self, you've always found time for other people.

You were right to identify your achievements: the fifth Liberal woman and the 96th Western Australian senator. You're also one of 10 Western Australian defence ministers. One of those 10 was Paul Hasluck, who later became Governor-General. One of those 10 was John Forrest, who had been Premier. One of those 10 was Sir George Pearce, who served 12 years plus as the Minister for Defence of this country. One was John Curtin, and one was Kim Beazley. You join those ranks as the only female Western Australian to have been a Commonwealth defence minister. And you are one of 60 Western Australian parliamentarians to have served in the federal ministry. These are great achievements by any measure, but I think it is the values, the care and the courage that you have brought to your role that are the stand-out virtues. As a friend, I wish you all the very best for whatever happens next.

In your first speech to the Senate, you mentioned how you were well accustomed to change. It's a bit difficult sitting here, having this conversation and extending these remarks, knowing that Linda Reynolds will always be somewhere, and my great hope—having, with myself and others, pursued some important battles of reform in our own party—that you will be a constant presence in the Western Australian Liberal Party going forward, demonstrating to young Liberals of the now and of the future that you can have values, you can have courage and you can make friends and that these things can endure through a parliamentary career. Thank you very, very much, from me to you, for your support of me and the causes that we've fought for together. I wish you, Robert and your whole family the very best of happiness and good fortune, whatever happens next. I'm sure we'll be walking that path in other places in years to come as well. Best wishes.