Every nation tells a story about itself, and tonight I want to tell a quieter part of ours. It belongs to a man who spent his life at the front gates of the hospital. His name is Dr Easwaran Krishnan, and after 48 years of service to medicine he is handing over for the last time. His journey began in Delhi. He trained at the Armed Forces Medical College and wore the uniform of the Indian Air Force. Medicine then carried him across the world to the United Arab Emirates, to the United Kingdom and then, finally, to us. He could have gone anywhere but he chose Australia, and he spent the best years of his life keeping our people alive.

Let's think about what that means. When a young man was pulled from a car on a dark freeway and brought to hospital, Dr Krishnan was there. When a mother ran through the sliding doors at three in the morning, holding a child who was not breathing, searching for anyone that knew what to do, he was there. Night after night, year after year, Christmas mornings, missed birthdays, long drives home at dawn—he bore it all, quietly, so the rest of us could sleep. There are Australians at their kitchen tables tonight because of Dr Krishnan—fathers who walked their daughters down the aisle, children who grew up never knowing how close they came.

His name is written in the stories of many, including my own. He was my very first supervising emergency physician, and I can still recall to this very day his calm instruction. In an emergency department that is so often built for speed, he always found the time to be gentle. He taught me that truth is a kindness, even when it breaks your heart to say it. He taught me that the cleaner and the professor deserve the same respect. And he taught me that integrity is what you do at four o'clock in the morning when you are exhausted, when you are tired, when no-one is watching, and the only witness to that interaction is your own conscience. He is part of the reason I became an emergency doctor and he is part of the reason that I stand here in this chamber tonight.

And I am one of many; there are many people right across this nation and right around the world—the many doctors, the many nurses, allied health professionals and other health staff—who carry him right into every shift. Every steady hand, every hard truth told gently and every life pulled back from the edge, Dr Krishnan is there. That is a legacy. It's not marble, it's not monuments—it's people. Australia is the sum of the people who give themselves to it, and Dr Krishnan has given us everything. I say to his family: thank you for sharing him with us.

Dr Krishnan, for 48 years you stood at the front gates and you made sure that all those that came through the hospital—fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, friends, family and loved ones—were never ever alone. Tonight you hand over to us, and we stand ready for you. Dr Krishnan, on behalf of all those people right across the Central Coast and those who'll be listening at Wyong Hospital, thank you for everything you've done for us and thank you for everything you've done for our community. I wish you all the very best in your retirement, my friend.

House adjourned at 16:59

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie) took the chair at 09:53.