Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I rise to speak in awe of Senator Rachel Siewert. It's so sad that we can't all be there with you in person. Each of our senators will be making their own contribution, so I hope you've got enough tissues there, Rachel. Adam, of course, sends his love. I'm going to be sharing some words from him and a few of your other former colleagues in this contribution.

After 16 years of contribution to our polity, to our parliament and to society, we are going to miss you so very, very much. They are such big shoes to fill, even though you have really tiny feet and very pointy shoes! This place isn't going to be the same without you, Rach. You are held in the absolute highest regard by not only all of our party room and our party members but by everyone in this chamber, as you've just heard and as you will hear for hopefully a long while yet tonight.

Your work ethic is just phenomenal. Your integrity is unquestionable. Your honesty, the respect with which you treat others, your dedication, your tenacity and your relentlessness are legendary. The way you do politics, Rach, is a lesson in how we should all do politics, in my opinion. We are going to miss you so desperately.

You can be so proud of what you've achieved after a lifetime of service, not just in this role but in your previous careers as well in your service to the planet and service to its people. You have now well and truly earned the right to have some of your time and some of your life back. Your family needs you now and you need that time also. I think we know that you have a very exciting chapter coming up.

You're so well loved that we are going to share around some contributions, and some of your former colleagues have asked that I share some words from them to you. There are too many of them, so Senator McKim will be sharing some messages from Christine and Bob, and I've got messages from Adam, Richard and Scotty.

I will start off with Greens leader Adam Bandt who, of course, would be here, but he's in lockdown in Melbourne. Adam says: 'For 16 years Rachel has been a force of nature in the Senate and she has made an immeasurable contribution to the community, to the Greens movement and to Australian democracy. Rachel is recognised across the political spectrum as being one of the most hardworking and dedicated senators this place has seen. She is a tireless campaigner, and no matter what is thrown in her way she will keep fighting for justice for people and the planet. Her time in parliament has been shaped by her belief that when the people in parliament work for their community we can do powerful things together. Rachel has been instrumental in fighting for a fairer income support system and has humanised the experiences of people on income support, making sure their voices are heard. She has led the campaign to increase Newstart and JobSeeker in the parliament.'

He goes on: 'Rachel has been the leading voice in parliament fighting the punitive measures successive governments have imposed on some of the most vulnerable in our community, including cuts to single parenting payments, the Northern Territory Intervention, income management and the cashless debit card, Work for the Dole, the Community Development Program and the woefully low rates of income support. Rachel has campaigned alongside the community for justice for the victims of the illegal robodebt scheme and demanded the ministers responsible be held to account. Rachel chaired and referred the robodebt debacles to the Senate inquiry in 2017 and again in 2019.'

He continues: 'She has been the Chair of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee for 12 years, where she has chaired and referred issues such as past adoption practices—thank you for that—former child migrants, hearing health, suicide prevention, the violent abuse and neglect of disabled people, indefinite detention of people with cognitive and psychiatric impairment in Australia, the aged-care sector workforce, out-of-home care, grandparent carers, income inequality and robodebt. She was a driving force behind the forced adoptions inquiry and was instrumental in securing a national apology to mothers and their children—a day to be proud of indeed.'

Adam continues: 'Rachel is one of the first politicians to campaign for a royal commission into the violent abuse and neglect of disabled people, pursuing a royal commission since 2015, when it was a key recommendation of the Senate inquiry. In 2012 she made history by introducing a private member's bill into the Senate to help address petrol sniffing in the Northern Territory, which passed the parliament and became law. Rachel played a key role in the community campaign which stopped a major Woodside gas hub at James Price Point in north WA.' And he says, 'I'm sure her persistent presence at estimates will be missed by many, but perhaps not by the public servants that you have grilled over the years, Rach!'

I'll continue on with Adam's comments here: 'Rachel has been the only Greens Whip and Greens spokesperson on family and community services, First Nations issues, aging, mental health, health, healthy oceans, agriculture and industrial relations. Before being elected to the Senate in 2005, as the fourth in a long line of strong Greens women senators from the west, Rachel Siewert spent 16 years as the coordinator of the Conservation Council of WA and played a role in a number of national and state forums, tackling pressing environmental and social justice issues, including the World Heritage listing of Shark Bay.' He finishes, 'It goes without saying that Rachel's departure is a huge loss to the Senate and the Australian community.'

Another former leader of our wonderful party, dear Richard Di Natale, also wants to share this with you, Rach. Richard says: 'Rachel, a huge thankyou for fighting so hard for so long for people who don't have a voice. You will be remembered for your work to help people who are out of work live with some dignity, for your work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and for campaigns like James Price Point. I'll remember you as a friend. Good luck on the other side. I can highly recommend it!' He's doing well, as you know.

Lastly, from the senator to the senatrix, a message from Scotty, former senator Scott Ludlam. He says: 'This place has never known anyone as fierce, tenacious, smart and grounded as Senator Rachel Siewert. To say her voice will be missed in here would be an understatement because her voice has been raised for so many people sidelined and shut out of this place. From day one, for 16 years today, it's been Rach against the machine. Thank you for everything.'

Rach, your work will live on. Your 16 years in this chamber will live on for many years in the successes that you have driven and achieved. I've already detailed, through the words of our leaders and former leaders, the impact that you've had in so many policy areas. But I want to briefly reflect on how much I've valued you as a friend and a confidante in this place, and I want to remember to you some of the really wonderful experiences that we've shared in this bizarre and privileged role that we've had.

From the very early days, there was campaigning against the Traveston dam, before I had the honour of being a senator for Queensland, campaigning against that dam that was proposed for the Mary River, which we successfully stopped, Rach—in part, no doubt, because of you—and those beautiful places and the wonderful farmers that we spoke with in Gympie. To the tour throughout WA that we did opposing fracking, which sadly we will continue to have to fight for, and flying in that tiny plane out of Broome over the Canning Basin. You, Scott and I had inadvertently all worn exactly the same thing and looked somewhat like Mormons on the day. To the shared committee trips that we did on the Northern Australia committee out the back of Bourke and then some, our trips to Bundaberg and Hervey Bay opposing the cashless debit card and that beautiful, joyful day of your wedding that I was so blessed to share in the joy of with you, as did many of our colleagues. To standing with you at the press conference in Perth to support your re-election when I was actually secretly pregnant and for the first time was doing a press conference without coffee. I welcomed everyone to Cairns, and you kindly corrected me to say that no, we were in fact in Perth. To all of the wonderful chats that we've had in the chamber and on our walks home, over dinner or at coffee about terrible sci-fi, about food, about your family, about your skiing and your paddleboarding prowess and about the latest surfboard lighting design and shark-deterrent amazing paraphernalia. To your aspiration to ensure the protection of biodiversity, including the 'spiral shit fish', which I believe is incumbent upon us to have entered in the Hansard annals for history to recall.

For all of those times and more, Rach, we will miss you so very, very dearly. I actually can't imagine the place without you. Of course we'll do our best without you. The wonderful Dorinda Cox will soon be a senator for WA in your stead and fantastic Nick McKim will soon be our whip. But there's no-one like you, Rach, and our team will miss you so desperately much. We wish you all the very best and thank you so very much for everything that you've done for the wonderful party that you represent and for the values that we all share. Best of luck, and we'll miss you very much.