Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, we wish Greg Hunt well in his personal life. We thank Paula, Poppy and James—conscripts, as our families all are, to service. Two decades in parliamentary life is a significant achievement, and being a senior minister in a range of portfolios is something that you can be very proud of indeed. In particular, though, being health minister during a global pandemic would have brought enormous challenges, not least of which would have been the time you spent away from your family. I've been locked out of Sydney for three months, and it was difficult. You were locked out for a lot longer than that and you had to keep on top of the details. I'll say that any time I've requested information from you, it has been forthcoming, and you have been very professional. I thank you for that.

You get to spend time now in your beautiful electorate. I actually went down there and campaigned in that first election that you ran in, and it is a beautiful part of Victoria and a beautiful part of Australia. You can be proud of your efforts, you've been loyal to the Labor—Liberal!—Party. I'm used to saying the other! You've been a very loyal Liberal Party member. It's an honourable thing to stand by your beliefs and it is indeed something that you can be proud of.

You're a worthy opponent, as someone who has different values. I understand that, from your perspective, you have stayed true to them, and I congratulate you on that. I'm sure you will have a future contribution to make in your working life but, of course, it's your personal life that will be much improved by moving on.

All the best, Greg. On behalf of everyone on my team, on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I note that you have given your self—it's a class act, I reckon, standing up in the parliament, giving respect to this place—as a parliamentarian. I thank you for that, and I thank you on behalf of all who've benefited from your service during your 20 years in public life.

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