Back in 2018 or early 2019, Cathy McGowan, the former member for Indi, confided in me that she wasn't going to run again. I said: 'Cathy, don't leave me. You're the only other regional woman who's on the crossbench.' She said: 'Don't you worry, Bek. You'll love Helen.' And we all love Helen. She said, 'Helen's going to be just as good as me'—and then she winked and said, 'Maybe even better.'

Helen is such a wonderful woman and desperately needed in this place. Here's just a little example of Helen's kindness and love. In our last sitting week, the member for Ryan—I'm sure she won't mind me saying—was having a special birthday. Helen organised a little surprise dinner for the member for Ryan with us ladies. The member for Ryan thought it would just be her, and she was so delighted to see all us ladies of the crossbench there to celebrate her birthday with her. That's the level of kindness that Helen exudes. When this tragedy happened, the member for Curtin wrote in our WhatsApp group, 'Helen is the best of us.' Indeed, she is the very best of us not just on this side of the chamber but the whole chamber. I acknowledge her integrity, her tenacity and her fierce advocacy, with respect for all in this place.

There's been a lot of conversation about turning the temperature down. I don't disagree with that in this chamber at all. I do think we need to have fierce and robust debate, but it needs to be respectful in here—and, often, question time is not respectful. But that respect for each other needs to happen outside of this place, towards each other, as well. I just say to every person who's maybe preparing a dirt file or something on another person: how about you don't press 'send'? How about you let the journalists do their own work, and you hold your head up high with integrity?

Inside and out, Helen is a beautiful person. I feel that this chamber is a little bit diminished without her, and I hope that she returns here as quickly as possible. I acknowledge her wonderful team. I acknowledge all those bystanders who helped keep Helen alive, and her husband, Phil, who has a strength that only comes from having the angels lifting him and her children, Will, Nick and Georgia, and her grandchildren. One thing Helen and I share is that, pretty much every time we come into the chamber, we're always showing each other new pictures of our grandchildren; Helen has two and I have one. That's something we share as well as a love of the regions. We also talk about my girl, who's doing nursing. I think Helen's nursing is the real compass of her work in here; she's always caring for everyone in this place and everyone in her community. I would say she has that care that nurses have for Australia.

I end with saying: what would Helen want us to do? I borrowed this from the member for Ryan: she would want us to keep finding the hope for a better parliament and the hope for a better Australia. I would urge all of us: let us have that hope in our heart and let us be our best selves.