Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

It's with great sadness that I rise here today to pay my condolences to our Luch. No-one in this place does their job alone, especially in Parliament House. Some of us are lucky enough to spend enough time in this place to get to know a lot of people behind the scenes—and I say 'behind the scenes' but, for all of us, Luke stood out. He was someone who had the heart and soul of our parliament really close to his heart. He was ever the professional. He carried out his role with pride and with really good humour, and he was a big personality. He was a friendly face who cared deeply.

When I learned of his passing, it came as a shock, and I know it came as a shock to many people across this parliament—both elected officials and all of the people who work in this building. He was someone who was so full of life—Luch Jonceski from Jerrabomberra. He served parliament and its members for four decades, always with a smile on his face and always bringing a bit of fun and humour to a place that can be short on it a lot of the time. He'd offer you water and he'd say, 'It's on the House.' He'd greet me every single sitting day with, 'How's my local member today?' He'd sneak in a chocolate, and he'd do so from within the sleeve of his coat, and he'd always chat to me about his beloved Queanbeyan City Football Club. He'd ask for his birthday card and his Christmas cards to be delivered personally, and I always obliged.

It's been really interesting talking to so many other people across this building, because everyone has a personal story or a connection with Luch just like that. There was his daily quip to the Speaker of the House at the opening of parliament every day: 'Let's do this, Mr Speaker.' He was comfortable speaking with prime ministers, with opposition leaders and with members from all political persuasions, and he helped each and every person in this building. His work here was diligent. He was diligent in his job because he had a deep respect for the institution that he served and he had an existential belief in the proper running of our democracy.

Luch, it was a privilege to be your local member. It's something I'll always cherish. A couple of weeks ago, in that extraordinary sitting of parliament, I'm sure I wasn't alone when I came in and was looking around and found it quite weird that he wasn't actually in the chamber. And I'm sure it's going to be a habit that's hard to shake for many of us, because Luch was the very best of us. He was a friend to a lot of people. He was a genuinely good man. He cared for others, and he's going to be really missed in this place. My sincere condolences to his family and friends and to the many members of the Macedonian community, of which Luch was a really, really proud member. These halls will not be the same without you, but we are forever indebted to your memory. Vale, Luch.

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