Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

As the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, I also rise to honour Senator George Brandis for his almost two decades of exceptional service to this place and of course as senator for Queensland. I'd also like to express that I unreservedly concur with the sentiments that were conveyed prior to mine. I will try to keep these as brief as I can; I know there are a number of other colleagues who'd like to make a contribution.

Senator Brandis, you and I have been colleagues for a very long time. You were elected in the year 2000 on a casual vacancy for the Liberal Party and I just over a year later for the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory. On top of working together for many years in the Senate, we've served as ministers together in several terms of government in the Howard years, the Abbott years and now the Turnbull government. In those unmentionable opposition years in between, we found ourselves on the front bench of the other side, keeping the government of the day to account as shadow ministers. Throughout it all I've always valued your advice and support as a colleague and as a mate.

It might come as a bit of a surprise to many that I as a fisherman and buffalo shooter from the Northern Territory and you as a lawyer and erudite statesman from Brisbane became such close mates, but you have been a great friend and someone who shares many of the same interests and passions as I do. Although hailing from opposite ends of the country and certainly from such different backgrounds, we continuously work hard towards the same goals for this country, and I think we're living examples of the broad church that is in fact the Liberal-National coalition.

On a personal note, I'd like to tell some stories of our time together, but I think that tales of sharing adventures of pig shooting with our children and that sort of thing are probably best left until we are out of this place! I say that also because I think many Australians may not actually understand who I think the real George Brandis is—the George Brandis that I know. I will relate a trip where the cabinet went to the Torres Strait. I remember leaving Thursday Island and going to the mainland for some work. There were ministers in a boat and, as things do on a sea trip, it got a bit left-handed and there was a bit of spray. You could see most of the ministers and the staffers cowering on the floor, wondering where this was all going to end. George didn't have his shirt off, but he was leaning out and just loving it! And there are so many parts of this man that you don't see when you see the man in the suit, so erudite and statesmanlike.

George, your contribution to parliamentary debate has been—words fail me! During the time I've been here, I've heard the way you're able to put your point forward: you are just such an incredibly good speaker. There is the way you've been involved in the development of every element of such important legislation that affects the freedom and fairness of Australian society. You've been such a valued member of the coalition, and you've shown us time and time again on both sides the importance of our right to speak our minds freely and to fight for what we believe in.

So I don't think anyone in this place would deny that you've been one of the most enthusiastic and somewhat colourful senators to grace the floors of this parliament. As the tenacious Leader of the Government in the Senate, you furiously and articulately rebutted those on the other side countless times. In those long nights that we all know well, debating until the early hours of the morning, you've displayed mighty endurance in the face, quite often, of absurdity about the time we were there. But you always spent time encouraging your colleagues to push on, to stick with it and to get the job done.

In your time as Attorney you fought boldly for issues that preserve the liberties of the Australian people and uphold the justice of our society. That was not without the occasional consequence, which, as I said, you dealt with absolutely head-on. In particular, I think that last year many Australians saw the true George Brandis—again, just a fair and compassionate man who is prepared to stand up immediately for values that make this country the great nation that it is. Your speech in response to the presentation of someone in a burqa in this place captured national attention and made us all proud to serve in this place, and your advocacy and your passion for same-sex marriage is part of your legacy in this place. There was also your approach to native title reforms last year and your engagement with me and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians on these very important issues of native title reforms that strengthen the rights of traditional owners to make decisions about the use of their land.

I'd like to finish by thanking you for working so hard for this government and for the betterment of Australia. We certainly need more courageous members and senators like Senator Brandis, who, when faced with opposition to what was clearly right, worked even harder to achieve the outcomes that we sought. George, it's safe to say that you'll be leaving a legacy of many things, but I think of your style of audacity and of zeal. Your absence will certainly be felt by those on this side of the chamber; we will miss your passion in debates.

I congratulate you on this new position and we wish you well in this new tenure. I'm looking forward very much to catching up in London. I want you to keep fighting for the things that you believe in, mate.