Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for his heartfelt words and I join him in honouring the life of Professor Richard Scolyer AO. To read Richard's final farewell letter is to appreciate all the more that our nation has lost a great Australian, a gifted scientist and a generous and gracious man. He was a rarity: bright, brilliant, brave, big hearted—the very best of us.

Today, as a parliament, we commemorate this remarkable Australian, we commend his work and we celebrate his life and his legacy. In the touching goodbye he penned, Richard said:

… cancer does not define us.

Yet Richard's more than three decades of work has defined cancer research and treatment, and I'm confident that the inroads he made will ultimately help humanity defeat this dreadful disease. Earlier this year, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sydney. His deteriorating health saw him prerecord the speech. Humble and happy, he delivered a heartfelt message for graduates—one full of hope. He said:

Be brave. Be bold and challenge the status quo.

He lived by those words, and his life has inspired, and will continue to inspire, others to live by his noble example.

Richard admitted that his childhood was full of adventures built on how, not if. That childhood nurtured his inquisitive nature and his 'give it a crack' attitude. For him, life was about possibilities, not problems. His optimism was matched by his deep sense of duty. He wrote:

I have always been driven by the belief that we all have a responsibility to try to change the future for others and leave the world a better place.

And he did exactly that. His work and clinical trials pushed forward the scientific fields of pathology and cancer. His research pioneered breakthrough melanoma treatments that have saved and improved lives. He helped start a melanoma biobank, now the world's largest—and he passed on his knowledge as a lecturer and in more than 1,000 publications. He nurtured a new generation of young doctors and researchers, who will carry on his vital work, and of course one of his defining achievements was when the pathologist became his own patient.

He was the first person to receive the experimental brain cancer treatment he helped pioneer, but he didn't sugarcoat his darkest hours. Notably, there was valour in his vulnerability, and through his sincerity he inspired others. He inspired strength in fellow cancer sufferers. The self-effacing Richard admitted that he never felt entirely comfortable with public accolades, but, in the eyes of our nation, he was more than deserving in being named an Officer of the Order of Australia and as an Australian of the Year.

Professor Richard Scolyer sits with the pantheon of remarkable Australians, but, as we just heard from the Prime Minister, he was more than that. He was a devoted husband and loving father, and our thoughts today are with those dearest to him: Dr Katie Nicoll and his children, Emily, Mathew and Lucy. In his final farewell letter, Richard implored government to keep funding science and medical research. May Richard's wish hold this federal parliament and future federal parliaments to that mark. That's the way we can honour his memory and push forward his work. May Professor Richard Scolyer rest in peace.

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