Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with others in this Chamber and in the main chamber to speak on this motion today. The Prime Minister, the Speaker of course, and the opposition leader had many fine and eloquent words, as did the home affairs minister, as did the member for Oxley just now. Sir David Amess, 69, had been a member of parliament since 1983, 38 long years. Just think about that: 38 years. He'd been elected 10 times—initially in Basildon, three times from 1983; and in Southend West, where he had been elected seven times since 1997. Of course, his great passion was to get Southend city status, and may that happen soon, perhaps as a legacy of his memory.

He was married to his wife, Julia, with whom he had five children—four daughters and a son. How very heartbroken they must be. We sign up to this, but our families do not. They ride the highs and lows, and, sadly, this is one of those dreadful circumstances that no family anywhere should have to endure. He was a father, a devoted member of parliament, going about his business, making sure that his constituents knew where he was, where he was going to be and that he could openly discuss matters of importance to them. The frenzied attack which brought about his end is really shaking the very foundations of the British parliament as we speak. He was a member of numerous Commons committees, including the health and social care, and the backbench business committees. He had wide and diverse interests. Of course, as we've heard, he had a particular interest in animal welfare and in socially conservative values. He was a good man.

He was born in Plaistow in East London in 1952. He went to school in the capital and he taught at a school in the city—a great occupation, being a teacher. That's just like you, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander, being a doctor: they're great occupations. I know that members of parliament who have been educating people or who have been treating people—as indeed you have for many years—and then go into the parliament bring those values into the parliament, and the parliament is better for it.

He was also a recruitment consultant before becoming a member of parliament. He was knighted in 2015 for a life in politics and public service; he was always there for the public good. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said that Sir David had an outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable and that he was a man who believed passionately in his country and its future. He said:

We've lost today a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague.

I know the fact that we've had the Prime Minister, the opposition leader and others, including the minister, speak about Sir David, indicates that the Australian parliament is also shocked by this tragedy. And we are: all of us in this chamber and right across Australia. I've had constituents phone me and say how dreadful this is.

Just 15 minutes before the attack Sir David was standing on the church steps, chatting and laughing with locals, as we all do as we meet constituents. I know it's an important part of our job; to be there for them is an important part of our job in the here and now and will be in the future, although it must be said, given the fact that this is now the second tragic death in the past five years, following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, it must make British parliamentarians really worried about their security. That is understandable, but they will go on doing what they need to do for and on behalf of constituents because that's what members of parliament do. That's on both sides, on every side, whether they're Labour, whether they're Conservative or whether they're, indeed, Independents.

Sir David had spoken about the worrying and disturbing rise of knife violence in the UK after one of his constituents, just a teenager, just 18 years old, had been stabbed to death just months before he, too, became a victim himself. This must be particularly heart-wrenching for those people of good mind and faith who just abhor violence, and that is 99.9 per cent of people right around the world.

The family, as the member for Grayndler has pointed out, have put out a very loving message of support to Britain. They described how enormously proud they were of him, as they should be. The public statement said:

Our hearts are shattered. However, there was still so much David wanted to do – this we know from the events of the last few days.

So, this is not the end of Sir David Amess MP. It is the next chapter and as a family we ask everyone to support the many charities he worked with. There are so many to mention, so find one close to your hearts and help.

You can just imagine a family in their time of need and their time of darkness, reaching out and still having that faith and that devotion to public good, having lost their husband, their father—somebody who they would look to for advice and he will no longer be there. But he will be there in spirit. Of course, he was working on the South End gaining city status and was also trying to raise funds, and as much as he could, for a memorial to Dame Vera Lynn, the famous World War II singer and entertainer who brought so much joy and hope to the allied troops. Hopefully, that project can get off the ground, too, as another legacy of this fine man.

As an aside, I would also like to pay tribute to the former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who died on Monday, US time, battling cancer and complications due to COVID-19. We've lost two fine statesmen and the world is poorer as a result. I offer my condolences, certainly to Sir David's family as well as to Colin Powell's family. These are tragic losses and the world is, as I said, so much the less for them.

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