Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my privilege to rise to join in support of the motion by my leader, Senator Abetz, in honouring the life of Senator Judith Adams and to celebrate that life. I first came into serious contact with Senator Adams when I had the opportunity to put my name forward when then Senator Chris Ellison decided that he would retire from the Senate. I went to see Judith, and it was like going to see the headmistress. She was quizzing me on what sorts of attributes I had. When she learned I was a veterinarian she was fairly happy with that, and then when she learnt that I had a fairly strong rural background she was all right. It was really only at her funeral, when I learnt that she had been a racehorse trainer, that I came to understand why she was so intensely interested in the fact that I had been the WA Turf Club's veterinary consultant. In provincial racing days I had known Judith as an administrator in the racing industry in that way; I never knew that she in fact had been a trainer.

One of the interesting things, Mr President—and I can say this to you because you are not one—is that she said to me, 'What are people saying to you?' and I said, 'Well, because Senator Ellison is a lawyer, there's a perception that he has to be replaced by a lawyer,' which caused her, of course, to get one of her staff members in and to go through the list of Senate colleagues who were lawyers. Learning that particular number, she said to me, 'Chris, I actually don't believe that we do need yet another lawyer.' To this day, I have no knowledge of whether she supported me or she did not.

It was also on that occasion that she informed me so warmly of the role of the relationship between the Australian Defence Force and the parliament, and I think almost on day one I was signed up to a parliament­ary program to go to NORFORCE. She remained, as we all know, very, very keen on that relationship.

It is unfortunate that you have to go to somebody's funeral to learn more about a person with whom you have spent so much time, but all of us I think were enriched by the stories of her brother-in-law, Gordon's brother; of her two sons; and, of course, of Wilson Tuckey. It is a shame—no, Senator Nash is back here now. At one stage in his proceedings, Wilson was reflecting on some of Judith's passions and one of them, of course, was the abolition of the single desk. I felt compelled to lean forward to Senator Nash and tell her that she actually did not have a right of reply at Judith's service to rebut whatever Wilson was saying! But, as others have said, it was a day of great celebration in a town that she called her own.

We all know her background from New Zealand in the territorial army of New Zealand, meeting Gordon. When Gordon passed away, as others have said, she was not with him. The circumstances were, as somebody has already mentioned, that it was the day that they were to move into their new home in Gidgegannup, having sold the farm in Kojonup. She was not able to contact Gordon. She got one of her staff to pop around to her home to see that he was okay, and of course he had passed away. I did not know Ruth Webber, but Judith was overcome by the number of people who travelled to WA and down to Kojonup on that occasion for Gordon's funeral, and she mentioned then Senator Webber for her courtesy in so doing. I will come back in a few moments to reflect on others who came to Judith's funeral.

I happened to be sitting with Judith on a Senate inquiry relating to aircraft noise. We were all there in Perth, and there was great discussion about noise to the east of the city. Judith was absolutely giving it—as Senator Siewert has said she did, on matters about which she was passionate—to the chief executive of Airservices Australia, whereupon they brought out a great big map. On the map, as Senator Fawcett would understand far better than I, were all the trajectories of the arrivals and departures of aircraft coming into Perth Airport. For those of you non-Western Australians, you need to know that Gidgegannup is just to the north-east of the airport. There were three intersecting lines upon which aircraft could either arrive or depart, and you would not believe it: the Airservices chief executive looked at me, and I said, 'Yes, you've managed to get the spot directly above Senator Adams's home,' which gave him that opportunity.

I wish to reflect finally, if I may, on two areas: that of Judith's passion as the divisional president for O'Connor and for her role in the Senate, and her great capacity for and interest in doorknocking. Judith always said that doorknocking is what gets you across the line. I know one of her moments of great pride. She was asked to assist Ken Wyatt in his quest for the seat of Hasluck, which the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senate Evans, has already referred to. Ken learnt what it was to doorknock with Judith. I do not know how many pairs of shoes she must have worn out but those of us who knew her know that this was at a time when she actually could not feel her feet as a result of the treatment she was receiving.

It was a moment of enormous pride for all of us when we attended in the other place the first speech of Ken Wyatt as the first Aboriginal man in the House of Representa­tives and, so proudly, as the member for Hasluck. I make the observation—and I believe he will because he is an outstanding person—that if he has a far vision into the future it will be because he stood on the shoulders of Senator Judith Adams. I take nothing away from him in that result. That stands as testament.

Mr President, I finish by acknowledging your presence, that of the leader Senator Evans, Senator McEwen, Senator Siewert, Senator Nash representing the Nationals, Senator Xenophon, so many from our side including our leader, and Senator Macdonald who came down from North Queensland. I think every state of Australia was represented and that gave those of us from Western Australia a great degree of pride. I know it would have given Stuart and Robert and Gordon's family a great degree of satisfaction that she was so highly regarded in this place. I join Senator Faulkner in his comment that this place is poorer for her leaving. May she rest in peace.