David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Resources and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I commence my brief remarks tonight by conveying to all retiring senators my sincere and very best wishes for their futures. More importantly, to my coalition colleagues I want to say just a few words. Everything that could possibly have been said has been said, but I feel it necessary to say something personally.

Kay Patterson is a person of great conviction and dedication. She is a phenomenal example of what a true Liberal parliamentary woman should be: fighting all the good fights with great passion and great conviction and bringing those around her along with her. John Watson is a chartered accountant of great knowledge and has a wealth of experience. John, the thing that I learnt in my six years with you in this place is respect. I have respected you and everything you have stood for, said and done. He is someone who has seen it all, who has done a lot more than most, who has usually backed a winner and who has made the right decision at the fork in the road. You have been a great source of wisdom and experience to me. I say to Grant Chapman: you are the personification of Liberal principles. I enjoyed my time with Senator Chapman when he was chairing the coalition’s industry backbench committee. He is a man of foresight and wisdom, particularly with respect to science and innovation. I wish you well, Grant. I enjoyed our time together at RIMPAC and I know that there are many happy memories that you take with you from this Senate chamber. I know that I enjoyed some small part of those with you on at least two occasions.

A very important person in my life has been Senator Ross Lightfoot. As a very young man in the middle and early eighties, I was a branch president of the party in Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. I obtained tremendous support in that role from the then member for Murchison-Eyre, Ross Lightfoot. He would travel to Kalgoorlie often from Perth or some place further away to assist me in organising branch meetings to bring party members together on a monthly basis. When I was young and foolish, I stood for the federal seat of Kalgoorlie in 1987. Ross was one of my great supporters and took me throughout the Murchison district of Western Australia, which is no small feat. Ross, I congratulate you as an observer of your fabulous career in state and federal politics. I wish you all the very best for your retirement, and I thank you for your assistance and guidance over the years.

I say to Sandy Macdonald, a person who I want to talk a little bit about in a moment: you are a very affable and charming man whose company I have enjoyed enormously in my time here. I am very sorry to see him go. Rod Kemp is a giant of a senator, if I may be so bold. Rod, wisdom is a valuable commodity that a lot of people think they have seen and want to talk about; you actually deliver it. Your experience and your genuine wit is something that means that, for me, on 1 July this place will not be the same. I must say that it will be a lesser place for your retirement. I thank you for the guidance that you have given to all of us. Your genuine wit in particular has enabled me to see how one can fight the political fights and retain the respect of one’s adversaries. I think you have shown great political poise and are an example to the likes of me.

May I say to each of my coalition colleagues: I thank you for your tremendous service to the parliament, to your states and to your party. I compliment the state divisions of the Liberal Party that have delivered such a quality group of men and women who have been very, very successful for the Liberal Party and great ambassadors of their states and of their divisions.

I say to Sandy Macdonald: there is no justice in this place. We are the privileged ones. We come with no justice and we leave with no justice. I do not understand the reason why I am making a valedictory to Sandy Macdonald. I have respected Sandy’s contribution. He was a parliamentary secretary. He was a hard worker and has made, as I said, a phenomenal contribution. I wish Sandy and Alice every good thing in life. Sandy and I have served together on HMAS Newcastle. We have been to the United States twice on defence matters. It has been, as Sandy would say, a great, honourable adventure. I must pause to say to Sandy: I wish you every good thing.

To all of my Liberal and National Party colleagues, I say thank you and pay my respects and my compliments to you. I pause for a moment to say that I will miss Andrew Murray. Andrew Murray is a very honourable man and I have enjoyed his company, his commentary and his political perspective. He and Pam are people who I see on a regular basis at the lounge at Perth airport and on planes. I want to say thank you to Andrew and wish him well also. Natasha Stott Despoja is another conviction politician, though one whose perspectives I am not often on all fours with. I wish her and Ian a very happy future.

To my three Labor colleagues Linda Kirk, Ruth Webber and George Campbell: I know George is going to enjoy the golf course, but, for the life of me, I cannot understand why I am making a valedictory speech about Senator Ruth Webber and Senator Linda Kirk. I have admired the amount of effort, diligence and skill that they have put into the task that they have been given by their party. I stand here in some disbelief, totally lacking any understanding of why they have not been re-preselected. There is nothing fair about this business. I compliment them on the way that they have carried out the tasks that they have for their party. They have been hard workers and diligent members of their party. As I said, why I should be making a valedictory comment to them escapes me. I wish them both every good thing in the future.