Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I was joined by the Leader of the Opposition last night, with the rest of Australia and the world, to farewell Shane Warne at the 'G. I want to thank Premier Andrews, the Victorian state government and Eddie McGuire for the great job that they did last night in farewelling Warnie.

The memorial service at the 'G was a fitting occasion to reflect on and give thanks for a truly extraordinary Australian life—the king, the legend, the father, the son, the brother and, as Merv said, the bogan. Shane Warne lit up this country and the cricketing world, just like he lit up the wicket every time he went out there, with his joy, with his enthusiasm and with his extraordinary talent. He was the boy who played for East Sandy and practised his flipper in the hallway of his family home with his brother, Jason. Shane claimed, as we know, more than 700 test wickets and was declared by Wisden to be one of the five greatest cricketers of the century. There was the hat-trick, the one that Boonie caught, the ball of the century that Gatting is still trying to understand! We know the achievements because we had the joy of witnessing them wherever we might have been.

Shane Warne didn't just play the game of cricket; he was the game of cricket, and he changed it forever, as only the greats of the game can. But Australians didn't just know him and love him for his tremendous sporting success and for his wizardry with the ball in hand. I think Australians really identified with Warnie—with his successes but also with his great vulnerabilities. As he once said: 'I'm not a very complicated person. I've never pretended to be something I'm not.' And that is true.

What came through last night, at a truly memorable service, was what so many of us had experienced. He encouraged people, including me. He accepted people for who they were and embodied the timelessness of Australia's greeting of 'mate'. His children, Jackson, Brooke and Summer, spoke of what their dad had taught them: manners are free—they cost nothing; always say please and thank you. Great advice from a great dad. When it came to sport, he told them, 'Just go out there and have some fun, because, when you're happy, good things will happen,' as Jackson said last night. These were stories of his generosity, of his decency, of his good common sense, of his humour and of his humility—loading up the car after the Black Saturday bushfires and heading up to Kinglake; spending a day with a local community playing cricket with the kids, signing autographs and encouraging all.

Shane often visited sick kids in hospital. As his dad, Keith, reminded us last night, none of that is said to deify Shane; it is simply to appreciate the depth of this great Australian. He was a wonderful Australian larrikin, a goodhearted bloke who lived large, enjoyed life and truly loved people. It is to appreciate the depth of this great Australian hero. At last night's fitting farewell we witnessed the unveiling of the Shane Warne stand, where his own cricket journey began with his brother so many years before. As Shane's daughter Summer said last night, he will always be with us, just not in the way we hoped.

Of all Shane's greatest achievements, it was clear to me, and I'm sure to all Australians and those around the world who witnessed it last night, that his crowning achievement—the one that he shared with their mother, Simone, and the one that I think he took the greatest delight in—was his children, Brooke, Jackson and Summer. To Shane's parents, Keith and Brigitte; to his wonderful and brave children, Jackson, Brooke and Summer; to his great brother, Jason; and to all who loved him, we send our love and our condolences. May Warnie rest in peace. That saint has now gone marching in.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—Last night Australia farewelled a legend at the most fitting place of all. The MCG was the scene of some of Shane Warne's greatest triumphs, not least of which was that mighty 700th wicket he took on a cold, damp Boxing Day. In a way we can think of yesterday as Warnie's final MCG triumph, a memorial service that brought together the nation and so much of the world in the literal hundreds of millions.

The family asked to have a meeting before the service, and I met his father, Keith, his brother, Jason, and his wonderful children, Brooke, Jackson and Summer. I must say I was pretty nervous. They walked in, and they were so upbeat about celebrating the life of their son, their brother and their dad. They're sad to lose him at just 52 years of age, but they wanted a celebration. And what a celebration it was, with artists from all around the world, with sporting legends from here and afar and with people—ordinary people, people with disabilities, and kids and families of kids who are sick who the Shane Warne Foundation helped—all paying tribute to the great Shane Warne.

We all knew he was the best leg spinner of all time, and one of Wisden's five greatest cricketers of all time. I think, for many of us, to learn of his generosity, his determination to help—particularly to help vulnerable people—and his commitment to keeping his word when asked to help out was really something. It was a night of joy, grief and love. It was a night of sadness, laughter and great pride. It was an extraordinary celebration of an extraordinary Australian.

As shocking and premature as Shane's death was, there was a common theme—that he made every second on this earth count. He was a phenomenal sportsman, an actual game changer. When he had the ball in his hand, he was a magician. And, when that ball left his hand, it could feel like he was slowing down time and bending space. He was a larrikin and an artist. To watch him in action was one of the purest joys that sport had to offer, and a reminder of what is best about sport and how it can bring out the best in us. A generation was inspired to bowl leg spin because of him. That's an inspiration that will light up future generations. Of course, he carried this love of cricket into the commentary box. We all thought we would be sharing in that love for so many decades to come.

Warnie was a great Australian with a sparkle in his eye and magic in his fingertips. We loved him, warts and all. Shane Warne was a force of nature. But, when he was so shockingly, suddenly gone, we began to hear so many stories of the generosity, the kindness, the manners, the general joys that he shared and the small encounters that had such an enormous impact on people. I think, of all of last night, as much as there were some big stars who sang and spoke, his family gave the most extraordinary, heartfelt speeches in honouring their loved one. The speeches of his three children, Brooke, Jackson and Summer, were just extraordinary. It was understandable how much pride and adoration he had for his three children.

We won't see Shane Warne's like again. He was a great Australian given the fitting tribute of having the Shane Warne stand named after him. I join with the rest of Australia in wishing his family comfort at this difficult time in the knowledge of how much their son, their father and their brother was loved. May Shane Warne rest in peace.