Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to Professor Rinaldo Bellomo AO after his death in May this year. Professor Ronaldo was a director of intensive care research at Austin Health in Heidelberg. He was a giant in Australian and global intensive care medicine—the most published and most cited medical researcher in the history of Australian medicine. Professor Rinaldo arrived in Australia from Italy in 1980, completed his medical degree at Monash University and earned his PhD from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. He became a professor at Monash University, where his passion for research and teaching shaped generations of clinicians and scientists.

In 2018, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to intensive care medicine as a biomedical scientist, researcher and systems innovator. He once said that his life's work wasn't just about finding answers but about having conversations with patients, students and fellow clinicians, rooted in humility and empathy. He said: 'Patients are not just cases; they are people with stories. The privilege of being a doctor is being invited into those stories, sometimes at their most vulnerable point, and trying to help.' I know he is very much missed by the community of Austin Hospital, and our community and our country are grateful for his immense contributions. Vale, Professor Rinaldo Bellomo AO.

I continue to be contacted by many people in my community who are deeply distressed by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. I share their horror. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid, the killing of civilians, including children, as they seek access to water and food, is indefensible. The Australian government has called on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law. This includes ensuring that the United Nations and NGOs can carry out their life-saving work safely and without obstruction. As the Prime Minister said:

… it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March …

It is also a breach of basic humanity.

I hear and I stand with members of my community. We are all devastated as this war continues to take innocent lives. The situation in Gaza has gone beyond even the world's worst fears, and the position of the Australian government is very clear: we must continue to contribute to the global efforts to break the cycle of violence, because every innocent life matters. This war must end and we must have peace.

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