Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to support the condolence motion moved by my leader, Senator Abetz, and celebrate the life of Senator Judith Adams and the contribution that Judith made, not only to the people of Western Australia but to the Australian parliament.

Listening to everybody's tributes today, I am humbled to have served with Judith as a senator for Western Australia. It is apparent that, even though Judith is no longer here with us in body, she will live long in this place through the memories of her and her dedication to her work and, in particular, her service to the committee process—something we are going to remember in this place for a very long time.

Without a doubt those people who knew Judith, both here and in Western Australia, recognised that she was a strong and determined lady. It did not matter what God threw at her in life, she was someone who grabbed it with both hands and then she threw it back. She once said to me, 'Michaelia, not even the big C is going to stop me from achieving what I want to achieve in my life.' In fact, in one of the chats that I had with Judith—I often relate this story when I go to divisional functions, because I think it is an example of the type of person that Judith was, and it complements all of the stories we have heard today—she said to me: 'Michaelia, you will never believe what the doctor has gone and done—he has changed my chemo appointment to Monday. I said to him, "Look, that's fine, but you've got to understand this: the parliament is sitting and I've got to be on the 3.30pm direct flight back to Canberra because I need to be in Canberra to ensure I'm making a contribution."' The doctor would say, 'That's okay, Judith; we can do your chemo in the morning'—and that was it: Judith would be back here on the Tuesday morning. You would bump into her at 7 am on Tuesday walking through the Senate doors. And how many of us, especially the wider public, would have known that she had been in hospital in Perth on Monday having chemo? Such was her determination that she ensured that she was on that 3.30 pm direct flight back to Canberra on the Monday afternoon.

Listening to the wonderful tributes and anecdotes people have shared with us today, there is no doubt that Judith was an inspiration to all sides of politics. It was wonderful to see so many senators and members from the other political parties attend Judith's funeral. I thank you all. When we saw each of you walk in we were humbled to know that one of our WA senators had meant so much to you. In fact, a number of people at the funeral asked me, 'Who is that person, Michaelia?' to which I replied, 'Oh, that is Senator Rachel Siewert,' or, 'That is Senator Moore,' or, 'That is Senator McEwen,' or, 'That is Senator Xenophon.' They were so touched that you came along to pay respects to someone they in Kojonup considered to be one of their own.

I went through Judith's maiden speech in preparing my condolence. In her maiden speech in 2004, she said:

Having travelled extensively throughout rural Western Australia, I understand the problems and issues confronting such a diverse state.

And there is no doubt that she did understand them. When it came to representing the needs of rural and regional Western Australia, Judith's voice could be heard across Western Australia and, of course, it could be well and truly heard here in the national parliament.

As someone who lived in rural Western Australia, and as a former nurse, Judith was very aware of the increased burden and other challenges that faced country people who are coping with debilitating illnesses. As a committed campaigner for improved services for rural people, Judith demonstrated that she was a true advocate and champion on behalf of the disadvantaged and of those living in rural and remote Western Australia.

As we have heard, Judith and her husband, Gordon, farmed for 36 years at Kojonup, in the Great Southern region of WA. I loved that the number plates on her little Gopher read 'KO', which was a tribute to Kojonup. Judith and Gordon's two sons, Stuart and Robert, were with them on the farm. The family was very involved in the community, Judith in particular through the Country Women's Association and other local and regional clubs and associations. In fact, Judith's work was so well known in Kojonup that she was recognised as the Kojonup Lions Citizen of the Year in 1995.

It was very fitting that her memorial service was held in the Kojonup town hall. The memorial service was a typical country service, right down to the fact that there was an announcement that the organ was playing up on the day and if it blew up could we all just remain seated, and also for the fact that the hall was so hot that you sat there the whole time fanning yourself! I was laughing to myself through the funeral that it is exactly what Judith would have wanted it to be. She would have been humbled by the many senators and members who attended the service, and in particular those who came in from the eastern states.

Without a doubt, Judith was a tireless advocate for those who had suffered from breast cancer. Whenever the need arose or the opportunity presented itself, she put her efforts into improving awareness of and the services for women experiencing not only this type of cancer but also ovarian cancer and bowel cancer. Her experiences both as a nurse and as a breast cancer sufferer gave her a real understanding of the challenges that cancer sufferers face. This was one of the factors that motivated her in all of her work.

Judith had a very long history in the Liberal Party in Western Australia, including being president of the O'Connor division. Senator Pratt referred to the fact that Judith had wanted to attend the O'Connor division conference, which was being held in Albany on 31 March. It was slightly ironic that that was the day of her passing. But what was so beautiful about that morning was that we were all gathered there in Albany when the President of the Liberal Party stood and made the announcement that Judith had passed away earlier that morning. It was beautiful because the O'Connor division was Judith's family. It was almost like she knew. She was giving them a message that everything would be okay. They were all together on that morning and were able to provide themselves and her Senate colleagues, and Dean Smith as well, with the comfort that we all needed.

Today in the Senate we recognise that Judith achieved much in her lifetime. For that, we celebrate her life. May she rest in peace.