Ellie Whiteaker (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's an honour to speak tonight about my friend and our comrade Tim Picton. When I first heard that Tim Picton was going to be the next state secretary of WA Labor I was a little wary; I'll be honest. I thought, 'Here we go: another bloke from the east coast Right coming to WA to tell us what to do!' Tim would have stopped me here and insisted that he was not from the east coast; he was a South Australian—and he would have wanted that clarified in the Hansard. But, as far as I was concerned, he wasn't from WA, and I really didn't want to like him. But it took all of about five minutes for him to win me over, because that was Tim. He could easily win just about anyone over. It's one of the things that made him so successful—in government, in campaigning and in the private sector.

Tim's sharp intellect, his strategic brain and his unending commitment to Labor values made him a brilliant state secretary and an exceptional campaign director. Tim was meticulous. He would spend days writing campaign ads. He'd obsess over them and he'd tweak them and he'd tweak them again and he'd tweak them again. His best work was what we referred to in the party office as the Mark McGowan movie trailer. It was really long—much longer than it needed to be and much longer than a campaign ad should be. It gave everyone who watched it goosebumps, which is pretty weird for a campaign ad. It was meant for the campaign launch, but Tim insisted that we just 'chuck it up online and see how it goes', despite our protests that it was far too long and far too soppy. But of course it ended up being our best-performing ad in the campaign.

I've been trying to find some pictures of us all together, the team on election night in 2021 and 2022. We took so many, but Tim is barely in any of them, because he was still at the computer in the tally room obsessing over the numbers and hoping we'd get just one more seat over the line. Tim was one of the hardest-working people I've ever worked with. He never stopped. My time working with Tim were some of the best years of my career. I learnt a lot from him, and we achieved a lot together. There's so much to be proud of: the record-breaking state election win in 2021, followed by another record-breaking federal election win in 2022.

But I was most proud of our team—the teamwork, the camaraderie, the friendship. Tim led a team that worked hard and campaigned hard and, most importantly, a team that looked after each other. You don't always get that in politics, and you certainly don't always get that in a party office. But it was because of Tim's leadership that we still have those friendships. It was his leadership that fired us up every day, kept us going when things were hard and brought us together, regardless of age, faction, role or seniority. We were a close-knit group, and I think I speak for many of us when I say that I hoped we might one day work together again and win another election together. But, now, it wouldn't be the same without Tim. I want to say to all of those members of our team: I know you're all feeling this loss really hard. It is one that will be difficult to come to terms with.

A lot has been said about Tim's potential—rightly so—and what he could have done if his life hadn't been so tragically and cruelly cut short. I really hoped he might have been convinced one day to join us here in this chamber, because, selfishly, I'd have loved to have worked with him again. For our party and for our country, he would have been an asset. But I think it would have taken a bit of strong convincing to get him to enter politics as an elected member. The reality is he could have done anything. He was a highly respected member of the Perth business community, and he would have continued to excel there if that's the path he took.

Beyond his professional life, Tim was a really bloody good friend. He was generous and thoughtful, and he'd tell it to you straight. He was fiercely loyal. When he was stepping down as state secretary, he was very clear with the people around us that he wanted me to take on the job. He didn't have to do that, but it was his loyalty and commitment to bringing up others around him, to backing people in. The other thing about Tim was that he was really good at holding a baby—really good. He'd grab one at any opportunity and he'd usually get them to sleep in a flash.

By any measure, his loss is a loss for our party, for WA and for our country, but, mostly, it's a loss for his family. My heartfelt condolences go to his parents, Fiona and Michael, his brother, Chris, and sister, Johanna, his sisters-in-law and his nieces and nephews, who he loved so dearly. He talked about you in the office a lot. It was obvious that he came from a loving family and that he loved you all back.

To Priya and Charlotte: I'm devastated for you both. Priya, the two of you were formidable together. Charlotte is lucky to have you as her mum and, while she will miss out on so much in losing her dad, she's got a whole lot of love and fight and a stellar example of a loving and successful parent in you.

At Tim's funeral, his family asked for us to leave messages for Charlotte. I thought I'd give my message here and one day Charlotte can read in the Hansard.

To Charlotte: your dad was beaming with pride the day he told me he and your mum were expecting a little girl. He couldn't believe his luck. I think he was born to be a girl dad. He loved to dress up. He loved a good singalong, and he was pretty good at being silly. Anyone who saw the two of you together could see just how much he adored you. You've got a lot of your dad in you, but you've got a lot of your mum, too. And that means you're resilient and you're fierce. You'll go so far and do great things one day. Your dad was a true legend of the Australian Labor Party and a much loved and respected member of the WA Labor family.

I'm a better campaigner, a better political operator and a better senator because of Tim. So, to Tim, thank you. I'll miss you. We'll all miss you.