James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) | Hansard source

You meet a lot of politicians in this place. Many are earnest. Some light up our lives. Too few leave a legacy. Then there are the oxygen-thieving dementors. Ewen Jones was no oxygen-thieving dementor. Ewen sadly passed away a few weeks ago after battling cancer. Ewen was rightly seen as a funny guy. He was hilarious, but he was so much more. To define Ewen merely by his wicked sense of humour is to not know Ewen. Ewen Jones was earnest, thoughtful and caring. As an eight-year-old his family accidentally left him behind at a petrol station. This chapter of a five-act family melodrama became Ewen's driving force—that no-one would be left behind.

As an MP, he stood up for those who had no voice. He stood up for those left behind. Ewen lit up any room. He always had joy in life. Even when he was being crowded out by dementors, he would use his happiness, that bouncing smile, those quivering, glinting eyes and those flailing arms, to seek out the best in people, even those who were not so deserving. In his six years as member for Herbert he left a legacy. The only reason Townsville has a football stadium, a home for the Cowboys, is because of Ewen. No matter what others may say, Ewen delivered it. I know. It's a fact. Ewen delivered the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, now proudly housed at James Cook University—fact. Ewen fought for the funding for the final stage of the Townsville Ring Road, which has been delivered—fact. Indeed, his last speech in parliament was about developing the Port of Townsville with a connected eastern access rail corridor.

But his legacy isn't just about infrastructure; Ewen's legacy is as much about the man himself—decent, passionate, occasionally stubborn, a family man, intelligent and an ideas factory. But, upon reflection, while Ewen fought to leave no-one behind, after our loss in Herbert in 2016 very few of us, not enough of us, checked that Ewen wasn't again being left behind. Too often, too many of us fail at checking on those who leave this place, and that failure reflects poorly upon us all.

To Ewen's family and friends—to Linda, Emma, Abbie and Andrew—you all know how special Ewen was. Thank you for lending him to politics. Thank you for lending that streak of sunshine to this grey mess that sometimes is Canberra. Townsville and Queensland are both better places because of his service. Please accept my condolences and those of the Liberal National Party.