Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

And as a former agriculture minister, I know exactly what the member for Monash is saying about the warmth with which John Kerin was held. We have a really strong principle of letting families be the guide of when we make the speeches. They might not end up choosing budget day, but there have been occasions where we've actually waited some weeks before the speeches happen. The undertaking that I can certainly give, though, is that, on whatever day it occurs, I will certainly move a resolution referring the speeches that are being made to the Federation Chamber so that there is a proper opportunity for the many members who want to speak on the condolences to do so. Notwithstanding how much we would like to say something straight away, I really don't want to depart from the principle that we have kept in letting the families make that decision.

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