Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Justice) Share this | Hansard source

Vale Michael Gordon, a giant of Australian journalism, a father, a husband, a grandfather, a dear friend of mine and a mentor to so many of us here in Parliament House. His passing is a devastating loss to the gallery and, I believe, to our democracy. Michael was an incredible man. I can't recall knowing someone more respectful, polite, dignified and humble. It's especially noteworthy to have these qualities in someone who spent so much time around politics. Disrespect and ego are contagious diseases in this building, but Michael never fell foul of either.

I've noticed that, since his death, an incredibly large number of people have come forward saying they had a special and deep relationship with Michael. I felt that I had a special and deep relationship with him and I've been surprised and delighted to see that so many others in this building got to share in his amazing wisdom. Michael was a journalist in the old mould. His model of journalism was better for the country. I don't think you'd find anyone in the press gallery who'd disagree with that. It was the kind of journalism that stuck with a story, that genuinely held decision-makers to account and that provided deep analysis of the issues that made readers and their leaders think better and more clearly about national problems.

Journalism has moved on from there and that's a very sad thing. Many of us here saw Mickey struggle to give the qualities of courage and integrity to the story in the new media environment. He continued with the style and type of journalism that may not serve as particularly good click bait, but it was something that the public and all of us desperately needed more of: tempered, nuanced, balanced, fair and thoughtful words.

This week I sat in Labor's first nations' caucus amongst some of the leading Indigenous thinkers in our country. I'm lucky to sit with them in the Labor caucus. We were discussing what I regard as one of the most critical and important issues that our country faces: how we close the gap with our Indigenous brothers and sisters. I thought: 'Who is going to report on these issues now in the way that Michael would have reported on them? Who is going to take the time to really understand this, visit the first nations leaders and speak with their communities to understand what's actually happening on the ground? Who is going to follow this story for decades to really understand the ups and downs?' I don't think we'll ever see an Australian journalist get as across these issues as the way Michael Gordon did.

I saw Michael about two months ago. We caught up for lunch and he was entering a new phase. I heard the member for McMillan talking about how excited he was about Michael's new project. It's ironic that it was after leaving Fairfax that he looked like he was going to be able to get back to that type of journalism—the long-form type of journalism that so much sustained him.

I want Robyn, Scott and Sarah to know that much of our last conversation was about them and his excitement about what was happening in their lives and the fact that, after his retirement from The Age, for the first time he was really getting to share so much more of their lives with them—spending time with Robyn at their holiday house; Sarah having recently become a mum and all the time he was spending with little Harry; and his incredible visit to Sierra Leone with Scotty. He was so proud of his kids and he talked about them all the time.

I know I will miss his presence in the press gallery as he watched over question time. I used to look up at his face and I could see we were disappointing him every single day, but seeing him up there made me strive to do what we're trying to do better. I think others felt the same. There he sat, quietly, seriously, watching over affairs, seeing the parliament through its ups and downs over many decades and writing calm, serious, real journalism about the most important issues that confront our country. We are going to miss Michael Gordon, the man, and also his contribution to public life in this country. May he rest in peace.

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