Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will be very brief. I will not talk about trips because I will have to change names to protect the guilty—and I will do that when I write my book! I first met Michael Forshaw when I came here in 2005. I had the pleasure of sitting next to my great mate Hutcho, and to my side were Hoggie and Michael. I could not believe how Michael could come out with such witty interjections so quickly. When we came over to this side of the chamber, I escaped and went up the other end. I thought, 'You beauty, I misbehaved and I'm back down next to him still enjoying his interjections!' Michael, thanks mate. I am not going to say I am going to miss you, because I am looking forward to you coming to Perth, where we are going to have a whack of a golf ball and blow the top off a few frothies. I will also miss our conversations in question time on 'who sung that song', but that is between us. Michael, good luck, mate.

As for Kerry O'Brien, I cannot say much more than my good mate Mark Bishop from Western Australia said. I agree whole­heartedly that he is the best agriculture minister we never had. For six years I have witnessed Kerry's diligence and good work on the committee. I am a fellow RAT with Kerry—that is, rural and transport. I sit there and watch Kerry go through every issue. There is nothing that gets past Kerry. Anne and I, as brand-new senators, could doze off in estimates because Kerry would go from—