Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I was honoured to attend and to speak at a celebration for Colin McDonald KC at Melaleuca Australia. We recognised his service and his contribution, particularly to the refugee community. Colin was the chair of Melaleuca for many years and has continued as a board member.

I joined Darwin diocese Bishop Emeritus Eugene Hurley and Bishop Charles Gauci to acknowledge Colin's work at Melaleuca and across a range of fields in his distinguished legal career. Colin had an exceptional legal career, across courts up to the High Court. He worked against the death penalty across countries. He worked for youth diversion. He served as the chair of the Royal Darwin Hospital board. He was a champion for the arts, and continues to be—in particular, for First Nations and Indonesian art.

However, Colin's work at Melaleuca, and his dedication to refugees and providing representation, has been his passion and a key cause throughout his career. So we recognised his outstanding contribution to refugees and to humanitarian entrants in the Northern Territory and his many years of dedicated service to Melaleuca Australia and, more broadly, to the Australia-Indonesia relationship, particularly in the fields of human rights and arts. Terima kasih, Bapa Colin.