Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Western and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday I was deeply saddened by the news that Paul Andrews, the former state member for Southern River, had died after a long battle with kidney disease and cancer. Paul was born on 11 November 1955 in Bunbury, Western Australia, and was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008. He began his professional life as a teacher and was a long-time supporter of the Australian Labor Party. He worked on many campaigns and contested several elections for Labor before successfully entering parliament in 2001.

During his time in parliament he was known as a strong supporter and advocate for organ donation and the fight against kidney disease, a condition which he battled for much of his life. He earned deep respect from both sides of politics for his fair and reasonable conduct while Acting Speaker and for his work on parliamentary committees. Paul believed that parliament was essential for maintaining a humane and civilised society and endeavoured to ensure that he and his colleagues behaved in a manner consistent with that. Paul was passionate about his community and worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for all in Southern River. Paul was an outstanding parliamentarian. Paul is survived by his wife, Gim-Hoon, and his children, Lara, Rebecca and Peter.