Senate debates

Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Parliamentary Representation

Valedictory

5:50 pm

Photo of Bridget McKenzieBridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise with some short remarks from the National Party on the retirement of Senator Di Natale. We associate ourselves, obviously, with the comments from the government leader, Senator Cormann. It might seem a little odd, Senator Di Natale, that The Nationals wish you all the very best in your retirement, but we really do.

Senator Di Natale and I arrived here in the same batch of senators representing the same fabulous state and sharing a passion for the great code, AFL. I know he's looking forward to getting the boots on with the boys after today. It's a great privilege to serve the great state of Victoria. To be fair, other than probably two instances in our entire careers, we've been at polar opposites politically. But I think it's a great testament to this institution, to the people who are called to serve here, irrespective of their political persuasion, that at a time of a new senator's arrival and a senator's deciding to retire we come together as an institution and respect their contribution because we recognise a cohort of Australian people sent them to this place to represent that set of values.

And as violently opposed to most of your values, Richard, the Nationals have been—and I know Senator Canavan recalls a time he offered his 'Start Adani' T-shirt as a jersey swap with your 'Stop Adani' T-shirt after a Q+A appearance—there has been some friendly banter. But we are here to do serious things and to stand up for our values. But we are able to do that respectfully and to acknowledge that we each bring a sense of purpose and a sense of drivenness, knowing that we're representing the needs and interests of people who have sent us here. We disagreed on the role of coal and the mining industry in the Australian economy. We've disagreed on firearm regulation. So, yes, we have disagreed on whether a sugar tax is the best way to combat the obesity epidemic. But we have agreed that a pluralist democracy is the best place to raise our children and to do our very, very best in seeing out our service to our state.

I would like to thank the former leader of the Greens, Senator Di Natale, for sensibly assisting Australian agriculture to get the workforce it needed and also to get a cool $100 million out of Senator Cormann for a great program, Landcare, which is a great, pragmatic way to support conservation programs in rural and regional communities, with community partnering with farmers to get great environmental outcomes. I recall that Senator Di Natale said on seasonal workforce in that debate at the time that if we do not remain competitive in this area then Australian agricultural business are going to lose out. Thank you, because that was a real point of crisis for rural and regional communities. I wish he'd supported other regional job-providing industries in the regions—mining obviously is a key part of that and is something we as a party pursue ad nauseam and with good cause.

Senator Di Natale is also a great advocate of the role of sport in the broader Australian community as an integral part of the national character. I loved his quote:

In my own state of Victoria, for example, the AFL occupies a space somewhere between sport and religion.

He's right. I hope he gets to enjoy a lot more of that in his time off.

Thank you for your service, Senator Di Natale. I hope you enjoy some time with your family out in rural and regional Victoria, the great south-west. I'll send you a membership form. After a bit of time on the land out in the community, you might appreciate the National Party's contribution here. Thank you for your service. The battle of ideas is so important, and we on our side and in our party absolutely value diversity of ideas, of which you've been a key contributor. Thank you.

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