Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to Tim Picton, a devoted Labor organiser, a respected strategist, a generous colleague and friend and, above all, a loving husband to Priya and father to Charlotte. His passing has left a deep void in the Western Australia Labor family and far beyond.

There are many facets to a person's life, particularly a life like Tim's—a life that was long in achievement and cut heartbreakingly short. Tim was a comrade, an occasional legal instructor and, most importantly, a friend. Few individuals have shaped Labor's modern success in Western Australia as profoundly as Tim did during his time as state secretary. He played a pivotal role in delivering the historic 2021 Western Australian state election result—a victory that reshaped the Western Australian political landscape and provided the McGowan government with an unprecedented mandate to govern. That campaign was remarkable not only for the scale of its result but for its discipline, its clarity, the unity that Tim brought to the team and the hard work that he demonstrated.

It reflected his innate understanding of voters, his strong commitment to Labor values and his ability to bring together candidates, volunteers and staff around a shared purpose. The 2021 campaign also demanded steady leadership in uncertain times, a calm hand during a global pandemic—and that was Tim. Tim brought that same commitment to the 2022 federal election, where he played a crucial leadership role in our campaign efforts across Western Australia—a campaign that was central to the national result.

What was particularly notable about both those campaigns was Tim's swift and intimate grasp of the Western Australian mindset and outlook, which may on occasion differ from the outlook of our brothers and sisters in the east. The result was very Western Australian campaigns, reflecting Tim's conviction that election campaigns were ultimately about people.

Those who worked with Tim will remember that his professionalism, his strategic mind and his unflappable nature under pressure were often on display. We will also remember his kindness, for Tim was a mentor to many, particularly young organisers and staff finding their feet in politics. He took the time to explain, to listen and to encourage. He believed very deeply in the Labor movement, not only as a political force but as a community of people who look after each other. Beyond the campaigns and strategy documents, Tim had a fundamental decency. He treated colleagues, volunteers and opponents with respect. Working on legal cases on behalf of the Labor Party with Tim, it was impossible not to be struck by his intelligence, his quick grasp of subject matter, his robust interrogation of advice and his sound judgement, which was particularly impressive, occurring as it did outside his own professional field.

Tim was also a friend, and he had a wonderful capacity for friendship. His warmth, his genuine fondness for people, and his curiosity about their lives and what shaped them made him an incredibly likeable person. From prime ministers to premiers to mates of mates at the front bar at the Wembley Hotel in Perth, we all saw a part of us in him and treasured his affection. Tim's energy was palpable and infectious. He had a singular ability to bring a room to life simply by entering it. We will all miss the Picton bear hug—whether at the pub, a state conference or a formal dinner—performed without inhibition and with genuine excitement.

Tim was a devoted and loving father to Charlotte. Tim spoke of Charlotte often and with such immense pride. Charlotte is only four years old and far too young to comprehend the scale of what has happened, but she will grow up knowing that her father made a significant contribution across the country. He helped shape a better state and nation and he did so with decency, compassion, care and love. Tim's legacy lives on through her and through the countless people whose lives and careers he touched.

There are some words of George Eliot that seem appropriate, and I would like to read them today. Eliot wrote:

O May I join the choir invisible

Of those immortal dead who live again

In minds made better by their presence: live

In pulses stirr'd to generosity,

In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn

For miserable aims that end with self,

In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars,

And with their mild persistence urge man's search

To vaster issues.

So to live is heaven:

To make undying music in the world,

Breathing as beauteous order that controls

With growing sway the growing life of man.

Farewell, Tim. May he rest in peace, and may we honour his memory by continuing the work he believed in so deeply.