David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to join with other members of this House in supporting this motion of condolence to the family of Jo Cox. I commend the member for Scullin for bringing this to the House. Ms Cox was the first member of her family to go to university. Having graduated from Cambridge University, she went on to work in very important parts of the community, through Oxfam and through being a strong advocate for women's rights and refugees, and also as a political adviser. Ms Cox's experience in those fields made her a fitting member of the British parliament to represent her constituents in Batley and Spen, which is a diverse electorate. Ms Cox thoroughly enjoyed representing the people of Batley and Spen in the 15 months that she was in parliament. She quickly made her mark as a bright and compassionate representative for those people, advocating across political party lines to ensure that she got the best outcome, not only for the people she represented but also for the people of Britain. There is no doubt that her hard work and dedication was something that she saw as a commitment to the people of Britain and to the people she represented, and particularly to the most vulnerable in the community. She stood for parliament for that particular reason—to be the best representative and to be entrusted to represent them in that place.

From her time with Oxfam, where she worked on humanitarian issues, to her role as an MP, through which she sought to address some of the most pressing international challenges of our time, particularly in Syria, Jo Cox committed to making the world a better place. Her contribution to public life is an example to all of us as we carry on our parliamentary duties here. Her death at such a young age—similar to my age—is a tragic loss for constituents but above all for her family, particularly for her husband Brendan and her two small children—and that is quite poignant to me, because it mirrors much of my life and my family situation.

Ms Cox's death occurred in the midst of the Brexit campaign, and the attribution of the nature of the campaign to the stupidity of the man who wrongly took her life. I was not there, and I did not know Jo. I do not know the man who took Ms Cox's life, other than the reports that he was quite unwell. But I think that this tragedy illuminates more broadly the growing contempt of democracy and of the role that we as MPs play and the work that we do in representing the people of our constituencies, particularly when there are 69 countries around the world where democracy does not exist. Democracy is something that we as elected representatives should be custodians of, to ensure that it is seen as something precious. The voices of the people that we represent in this parliament—that is something that is precious to us, but also precious to them, in ensuring that democracy in our country is undertaken without the vitriol and hatred that this person exemplified by taking the life of Jo Cox.

These principles are really the foundation of any good democracy. But it is important that we as their representatives ensure that is encapsulated in our actions in this place—that we actually take the community with us, and that the community understands and respects that, while we have differences of opinion in this place, we are able to work together collectively for a better nation. There are plenty of examples that I have seen, only in my short five months in this place, where both sides of this parliament can work collectively and constructively to make our electorates and our country a better place. That is our responsibility. It is also the responsibility of the media to ensure that they come on that journey with us; that they portray the bipartisanship that does exist from time to time. This tragic death should not be just a tragic event in history; it should be something that we should all learn from. We should all ensure that we actually move forward as a nation, and that we move forward as a world, to ensure that this type of hatred and violence is never accepted, and that the community understands that each and every one of us, no matter our political persuasion, is here to make this place a better place in the world.

Can I again commend the member for Scullin for bringing this forward: this is a very important motion. I give my deepest sympathies to the British people and to Jo Cox's family. Thank you.

See this speech in context