Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

It was really lovely to hear that story, and I've learned something new about the member today as well. I rise as well to join colleagues from across this chamber in offering my heartfelt condolences to the family of our very beloved Luch, a proud Macedonian. Like many others, I've had experiences of him sharing his culture and language through this place. My husband is Croatian. It's a similar sort of language and ideology, so on occasion he would attempt to compare and teach me words in Macedonian and vice versa.

I've known Luch for my entire political career, first as a staffer—a very, very long time ago now—and for the past 24 years that I've been a member of this place. He knew this building and Old Parliament House that came before it like the back of his hand. He spent more time here than he would have done at his family home. Always extremely professional, he was the person you could rely on for absolutely everything. I think many of us remember back in late 2014, when question time coincided with a really big thunderstorm, a leak was spotted in the ceiling above the chamber, and Speaker Bishop remarked, 'I realise that leaking is a familiar problem for political parties; however, I think we need a bucket!' Within minutes, Luch had sprung to his feet and gotten a bucket to the floor of the chamber, rightly to the applause of all members. There was an iconic photo in the Age newspaper with Luch and the bucket, rescuing us all from imminent threat of getting very wet.

Luch's unfailing good humour, kindness and absolute love of this parliament and the people who work here made him a joy for us all to be around. No matter how you were feeling or what was happening in the chamber, he could always put a smile on your face. I'm so sorry that he is gone. It is not how any of us ever expected to say goodbye to him. After a 40-year career, you would have expected that we would have had a retirement motion in the parliament. I know we were all just extraordinarily shocked over summer and just couldn't believe it. He's just been such a part of this place. We are so grateful to Luch for his long and dedicated service to this House and to the people of Australia, and I thank so much his beautiful family, including his daughter, who works in this building now as well, continuing in her dad's footsteps. We are so grateful that you allowed him all of the time that he spent with us. And I want to say thank you in Croatian, not too dissimilar to Macedonian: [Croation language not transcribed].

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