Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I want to pay tribute to my brother-in-law Paul Gordon, who passed away last week. Paul was a much loved sibling of my husband Richard, and of Philip, Peter, Anne, John and Sue—siblings who were orphaned at a young age and who have stuck together through a life that has thrown up plenty of curveballs.

Paul was the police detective who made the breakthrough regarding Paul Onions that led to the arrest of Ivan Milat. He put together much of the evidence that let to Milat's arrest. If wasn't for his focus and determination, who knows where we would be. But, rather than being celebrated and supported, he was treated appallingly by the New South Wales police, particularly by Assistant Commissioner Clive Small. It was treatment which led Paul to struggle for a long time after. Hounded out of the police force, Paul ended up driving taxis in Queensland with no pension or benefits.

He was beloved by his family, and there are so many funny stories—far too many to relay now. We do know that there is likely a housing commission home in Canberra where the bathroom floor eventually fell through, as Paul's solution to flooding in the bathroom was to drill some drainage holes right through the floor. There was the time he literally flew out of a window, having shaved a beard off unannounced and no-one recognised him. Or, more recently, there was the time he was kicked out of a men's shed for constantly rearranging the tools to where he thought they should be—not where everyone else thought. He was very funny, solid politically and completely attached to his passion project—the shipping container renovation. That's something that I know won't be disputed in the will, unless it's left to us. Philip, I know you and Mandy would just love to have it at your place.