Zoe McKenzie
Flinders · Liberal Party · Australia
“Wet lettuce. That is the official verdict on this government's attempt to prevent harm to Australian kids via social media regulation. 'Wet lettuce' were the exact words the eSafety Commissioner used to describe the reforms a month ago in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.”
“Schedule 1 contains a large number of technical amendments across Commonwealth legislation, while schedule 2 repeals more than 100 obsolete amending acts that no longer have any operative effect.”
“They include amendments affecting the Criminal Code, veterans legislation, radio communications, the Midwife Professional Indemnity Scheme, marine safety legislation, family law, freedom of information and electoral legislation.”
“Too often we have seen legislation introduced in haste, legislation requiring significant correction after introduction or legislation producing unintended consequences because proper scrutiny was lacking. Australians expect better.”
“I rise to speak on the Statute Update Bill 2026. The coalition recognises the important role that the statute update legislation plays in maintaining the quality and integrity of the Commonwealth Statute Book. These bills have long been a feature of good legislative practice.”
“It strengthens parliamentary scrutiny, it improves transparency and it provides confidence that the legislation described as technical does not, inadvertently or otherwise, produce substantive legal change. Good lawmaking is not just about good drafting; it is about careful scrutiny.”
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“These are not wealthy elites asking for handouts. My residents have an average weekly income of $745 versus $805 for the rest of the country. These are Australians who worked hard, paid their taxes, raised families and did the responsible thing by taking out insurance. Now Labor wants to make them pay more for it. Older Australians deserve much better than this.”
“Private health insurance allows older Australians to get surgery when they need it, to see local specialists and to maintain their independence—costing the public system less, in both health and aged care. Last week, I launched a survey asking local residents what these changes would mean for them—and the response was overwhelming. There were hundreds of replies within hours. Jana from Safety Beach told me that after her husband underwent two open-heart surgeries and after she herself underwent two knee replacements, rising insurance costs will force them to cut back on everyday activities just to stay insured. Deb from McCrae said she has faithfully paid for her private health insurance since 1977, but now feels she's being pushed and punished at exactly the age she is most likely to need it.”
“Nearly one in three residents in my electorate of Flinders is aged over 65—the third highest of any electorate in Australia. We have more than 33,500 private health insurance holders aged over 65. Private health insurance supported more than 41,000 hospitalisations for older Australians in my electorate—once again, the third highest in the nation. Every one of these hospitalisations covered by the private system is one less cost for the public system to bear. Let's be very clear about this: private health insurance is not a luxury item for retirees on the peninsula. It keeps pressure off our already overstretched public hospitals, like the Rosebud Hospital which the state Labor government refuses to rebuild, even when the state seat of Nepean was its most marginal seat.”
“If you're over 65 on the Mornington Peninsula, Labor's latest budget is likely to rip hundreds of dollars out of your pocket just to keep the private health insurance you've been relying on for years. Buried in this budget is a decision to axe the private health insurance rebate which has been offered for older Australians since 2004. What does that mean in practice? It means more than 1.4 million Australians aged over 65 will be forced to pay up to $640 more every single year just to keep the health cover they already use at a time when electricity bills are up 32 per cent, groceries are up by 17 per cent, insurance is up by 42 per cent already rents are up 23 per cent and just about everything else is up too. Nowhere will this hit harder than on the Mornington Peninsula.”
“Translation: in most cases people will pay significantly more tax when they sell an asset, unless, as the Cabinet Secretary is so keen to tell us, the government totally stuffs inflation for yet another decade, in which case you might be better off—and, let's face it, they're doing a pretty good job of that. But to base your taxation system on your inability to curb inflation and to tell people that they're better off for it? Have they lost their senses on the government benches? Flinders will be harder hit than most electorates in Australia because our median age is 48—a full decade older than the Victorian average of 38. More locals are approaching retirement, selling businesses that they've built up over a decade or decades. We've got more tradies and owner-operators than the state average—nearly 18 per cent of workers in Flinders.”
“Labor's budget not only smashed savings, hard work, risk and endeavour; it crushed aspiration for future generations—addressing intergenerational equality, my foot! Their cynical disregard for entrepreneurialism is nowhere more to be seen than in their changes to the capital gains tax—the tax Aussies pay when they sell an asset like a business, an investment property, crypto or shares for more than what they started with. Right now, Australians who hold an asset for more than 12 months will get a 50 per cent discount on their capital gain, and it's been like that for 25 years. But Labor's going to scrap it. Instead, the discount will now be tied to inflation alongside a new 30 per cent minimum tax rate on capital gains.”
“It's $1.3 million. Labor is spending five times as much on shielding the CFMEU as it is on helping small business find its way through the Fair Work quagmire Labor has created. Every day I meet small businesses being crushed by it—the cafe owner in Rosebud, the tradie in Hastings, the restaurant owner in Sorrento, the family business struggling in Somerville. All are expected to keep pace with Labor's endless industrial relations changes with next to no support. Australians are now literally paying more to keep a dysfunctional, corrupt union afloat than to help small businesses create jobs and opportunity.”
“Last night's budget told you everything you need to know about this Labor government's priorities: in the macro, punish ambition, tax wealth, make it harder for everyday Australians to get ahead, lift rents, keep pressure on interest rates and, in doing so, crush the construction industry's willingness to build the homes we so desperately need. By Labor's own data, 35,000 fewer homes will be built over the next decade. But the true-believer, pro-union, anti-employer bias is in the microdetail of the budget, too. Last night the Albanese government set aside $5.3 million to prop up the CFMEU's administration, a union mired in allegations of corruption, criminal infiltration, intimidation and bikie links. How much money for small businesses trying to navigate the impossible morass of Labor's ever more complicated Fair Work system?”
“The worst part of it is that the peninsula is paying for all this work over the ditch. We pay more in taxes in everything—land tax, cladding tax and $225 million more in payroll tax every year. We're funding the upgrades, but we're not getting any of them. But, right now, voters in Nepean have a chance to call it out. This by-election on 2 May is your opportunity to send a message loud and clear to the Allan Labor government that the peninsula is done being treated like a poor cousin, and I ask my fellow residents of the southern Mornington Peninsula to vote for Anthony Marsh so he can fight for our fair share in Spring Street.”
“The Mornington Peninsula is being left behind by Victoria's state Labor government. The Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula recently released a benchmarking report showing that the state government has poured $4.2 billion into the Geelong region, but just $1.8 billion into the Mornington Peninsula. Per person, that's $14,400 versus $5,600—same state, but a very different scoreboard. And what's Geelong getting for it? A $449 million convention centre, train infrastructure and waterfront upgrades. Meanwhile, on the peninsula, we're still calling for basic road upgrades, better public transport and a hospital that's fit for purpose. Geelong gets a stadium refit. We get potholes on Point Nepean Road. Geelong gets major investment in train infrastructure, while 80 per cent of my electorate still has no access to public transport.”
“We share today's battles not just in Ukraine but in rebuilding a rules based international order, resisting those who test boundaries and fighting against economic coercion, foreign interference and extremism. Our region is no longer peripheral to European strategic thinking. As I saw on a recent trip to NATO, what happens in our sphere of influence affects global trade and stability, and Europe now understands this. The ties between Australia and Europe are old and deep, forged in the crucible of shared loss and renewed through decades of shared prosperity. This week, we remembered we have rebuilt shattered civilisations together before and, in the future, we can meet the defining tests of this century.”
“Recently I walked through the Commonwealth war graves in Ypres with Angus Campbell. You cannot get a better guide. Angus was born in Rosebud Hospital, a man of the peninsula who has served our nation in war and in peace and now serves as our ambassador in the European Union. We are still sending our best to Europe to serve. Today's relationship between Australia and Europe is mature and multifaceted. We are united by democratic values, the rule of law and a belief in the fundamental dignity of the individual. We are trading partners, research collaborators and together contribute to international institutions which, despite their many imperfections, remain worth defending and reforming.”
“This week we took a moment to reflect on Australia's most enduring and consequential relationship—that is, our relationship with Europe, built on a shared history, shared sacrifice and a shared future vision of what democracy ought to look like. We are the proud custodian of the longest uninterrupted culture on earth. But the story of modern Australia began in the traditions, the languages, legal systems and faiths of our European founders and the generations which followed. Europe's gratitude to Australia is profound and still practised daily. When the world descended into catastrophe in 1914, Australia answered Europe's call. Of our less than five million Australians at the time, we sent 416,000 to war, and 60,000 never came home. Thousands remain lost in the mud of the Western Front and in the skies over France and Belgium.”
“This week we have spent much time in discussion of Australia's relationship with Europe, one in which I've had a deep interest for almost 40 years. I lived in France in my teens and studied in Germany in my 20s, and in this way I say France got a piece of my heart and Germany a piece of my head sufficiently early for both places to feel a bit like home. In both lands I developed a fascination for language and for culture, and, as so many Australians know, speaking another language is a door to curiosity and tolerance—a magical power to stand in different shoes and to sit comfortably with diversity. Those experiences also made me profoundly grateful for home—Australia's egalitarian spirit, its levelling self-deprecation, its spectacular generosity and good humour, its bounteous beauty and the vastness of our breathtaking landscapes.”
“Right now, people on the peninsula are asking a simple question: if the political arm of the CFMEU has got money to throw around on waste and corruption, why hasn't Jacinta Allan—”
“While billions are being poured into these projects with little to no accountability, costs are blowing out, delays are mounting and a suggested $15 billion has been diverted to bikies and organised crime. What is the Mornington Peninsula getting? Three hundred and fifty kilometres of state managed roads falling apart, a hospital in Rosebud crying for rebuild—yet somehow the money keeps flowing into projects crowded by allegations of serious corruption. Where is the state Labor government? They are failing to act. They are failing to address corruption. They have lost control. It's not just about unions; it's about construction, where the hardworking communities like mine are being short-changed while the system is being gamed by Labor's mates.”
“There are serious allegations that organised crime has infiltrated Victoria's construction industry through the CFMEU. With each day, the full details are revealed—deals of a scandal that goes right to the heart of whether governments are in control or whether organised crime is in control on major infrastructure projects funded by the public purse. Last week, on the front pages of the Melbourne Age , it was reported that federal police believe that whistleblowers against CFMEU corruption are being threatened, businesses are too scared to speak up and investigations are being undermined. All of it is happening on projects paid for by taxpayers. That means your money—the money of people right across the Mornington Peninsula, families right across the state of Victoria.”
“He will be a passionate and persistent advocate for our area in the state parliament within a future Wilson coalition government. It's not enough that we pay higher payroll tax and Airbnb tax and contribute billions in tourism, agriculture and hospitality. In the eyes of Jacinta Allan's Labor government, we are an easy target for tax grabs. Now that Labor has run out of money, it's coming after yours. It's time for a fairer classification, a fairer land tax and a government that remembers that the peninsula is part of Victoria—not its ATM.”
“Across the last three state budgets, Geelong received about $4.2 billion in capital investment, compared with just $1.8 billion for the region of Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. That works out to be $14,400 per person in Geelong, compared with just $5,600 per person on the peninsula. When you look at where that money goes, the contrast is even starker. Geelong receive funding for tourism, regional development, justice and city-shaping infrastructure. The current by-election in the state seat of Nepean, which falls within my electorate, is a chance to give the Allan government a healthy and loud reminder that they need to pay attention to our region. Every day that I'm not here, I'm out on the streets with our Liberal candidate for Nepean, Anthony Marsh—our mayor, with whom I've worked for years.”
“We also cop the cladding rectification levy and the metropolitan planning levy, neither of which apply to Geelong, due to our metro classification. We have nearly 3,200 short-stay listings on the Mornington Peninsula, compared to roughly 1,500 across Greater Geelong. And, despite shouldering a much larger proportion of Victoria's influxes of tourists, we get taxed more as a result of the government's short-stay levy. We are taxed like a city but funded like an afterthought by the state Labor government, which takes us for granted. Last week, the Committee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula released its 2026 benchmarking report comparing our region of the peninsula and Frankston to the comparable region of Geelong and Queenscliffe on the other side of the bay. It showed the scale of imbalance in state government investment.”
“On the Mornington Peninsula, we live with an administrative identity crisis. The state Labor government's official tourism site lists it as one of Victoria's beautiful 'regions' to visit. But then, when it comes to tax time, we are on par with St Kilda Road. The Allan Labor government treats the peninsula as metro for revenue and as regional for responsibility. We've got regional buses running every half hour and a diesel powered, single-track train that runs every hour or two, but we get metro-style taxes that arrive with terrifying punctuality. Our businesses pay the metropolitan rate of payroll tax of 4.85 per cent, nearly four times the 1.21 per cent rate that applies to eligible businesses in Geelong. That single difference accounts for an estimated $225 million more in payroll tax paid by the peninsula every year.”
“In other words, when fuel supply is uncertain or prices spike, Peninsula families cannot simply jump on a bus or a train. They have no alternative. Fuel security and affordability is a local economic and a national security issue. COVID exposed just how fragile global supply chains can be, and at that time the coalition established a comprehensive fuel security package, including minimum stockholding obligations and support for Australia's refining capacity. The question now is whether the current Labor government has the same level of urgency. Australians deserve confidence that, in times of global instability, we have a clear strategy to secure adequate fuel supplies.”
“Fuel security might feel like a technical issue, but on the Mornington Peninsula it is something that locals feel each and every time they pull up at the bowser. Prices always surge before a long weekend, as they did last week, but this is something else. Today, across the peninsula, prices are sitting around $2.19 for unleaded and nearly $2.30 for diesel. For families, tradies and small businesses alike in my electorate, those costs are biting hard, and that's because communities like Flinders are more exposed than most. On the Mornington Peninsula, 59 per cent of households have two or more cars, well above the Melbourne average. More than 58 per cent of residents drive to work, and at least half of them work outside of the electorate. Over 80 per cent of our region has little to no access to public transport whatsoever.”
“If there are serious allegations involving taxpayer funded projects—allegations of organised crime, bikie infiltration, cost blow-outs in the billions—the Victorian public deserves full transparency. The independent watchdog has asked for the tools to do its job, the parliament has recommended it, the coalition and the crossbench stand ready to vote for it, and only one party is standing in the way. This is not a coincidence; this is a protection racket. The CFMEU has long been a major donor and affiliated union to the Australian Labor Party. Under this Prime Minister's leadership, the Labor Party has accepted $11.5 million in donations and the support of the CFMEU. That was before being forced to suspend the construction division's affiliation in July 2024 in the face of a mounting scandal.”
“In December last year, the Victorian parliament's own Integrity and Oversight Committee recommended amending the IBAC Act to give the watchdog 'follow the dollar' investigatory powers—the ability to investigate private subcontractors where there is substantial connection to government funding, equivalent to the powers already held by the Victorian Auditor-General. Those amendments had the support of the Greens, the opposition and the crossbench, and on 19 February this year those parties were preparing to move precisely those necessary amendments in the upper house in Victoria. The Allan Labor government abruptly pulled the bill it was attached to, yanking it from the floor of the Legislative Council to prevent the amendments from passing, therefore shielding the CFMEU from proper investigation yet again.”
“On the Big Build, which, as I said, is a $100 billion program delivered in significant part through private firms, the money flows from government to head contractor, to subcontractor, to labour hire firms, beyond the eyes of all of our accountability mechanisms. The solution is obvious and indeed one that the Victorian opposition has been calling for for days: fix the problem; pass laws to give IBAC the powers it has been calling for. But that is exactly what has been blocked by the state Labor government. It's not just the opposition who's been calling for reform here.”
“Commissioner Elliott told the committee that IBAC needs to have 'follow the dollar' powers—that is, the ability to look behind deals to see where public money actually ends up once it leaves government hands and flows on to private contracting chains. Right now, under Victoria's legislative framework, IBAC can investigate public officials and public bodies, but it is extremely difficult for it to examine subcontractors. It cannot follow the money when it moves from a government agency to a first-tier contractor, then on to a second-tier subcontractor and then on to a labour hire firm, which may also have some of these organised crime links.”
“But here is the rub: the Premier had already been told privately, well back in October 2024, that IBAC had determined that such a referral was outside its jurisdiction. The referral was therefore quietly dismissed, and Victorians weren't told until February 2026. The Premier knew that the referral had gone nowhere for over 16 months and stayed schtum. Two days ago, on 2 March, IBAC Commissioner Victoria Elliott appeared before the Victorian parliament and told the parliament's Integrity and Oversight Committee directly that IBAC cannot properly investigate the CFMEU and Big Build sites because the laws are too weak.”
“A damning report by barrister Geoffrey Watson SC and commissioned by the federal administrator of the CFMEU found that worksites had become drug distribution hubs, that convicted killers were being handed high-paying jobs and that organised crime and bikie gang members had embedded themselves across Big Build projects statewide. What we have seen in recent days shows just how determined the Victorian Labor Premier, Jacinta Allan, and her team are to shield the CFMEU from full transparency and accountability. In a show of what we might call 'faux follow-through', the Premier made much of the fact that she had referred allegations regarding CFMEU misconduct to IBAC, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, in Victoria.”
“In recent days in Victoria, we have seen the full extent of the protection racket that the Allan Labor government is running for the Victorian branch of the CFMEU. For those who are not following this story in detail, with rolling revelations every day this week, the CFMEU has been a dominant force on Victoria's Big Build, a $100 billion program to build roads and rail right across the state—not in my electorate, of course, or, I doubt, in any coalition held electorates. Over the last decade, companies covered by CFMEU enterprise agreements have been given public money to deliver these projects, with—it has now been revealed through various inquiries—the CFMEU wielding enormous influence over who gets hired and on what terms. Over the past year, a series of deeply troubling allegations have emerged.”
“Finally, for the days between each of these milestones, imagine that we make a clear case to Australians which restores trust across our institutions: a sustainable budget that avoids us falling down a cliff of intergenerational inequality, preventing interest on debt from being the dominant budget item; and evidence that we are helping aspiring Australians to buy a home of their own, not complicating or deferring that time line. When you think about it, our time on these benches is not about us; it's about those students that I spent Tuesday morning with and the many like them who are counting on us to do a better job.”
“This is the result of a bipartisan commitment to limiting social media for those under the age of 16. We in this place agreed that the wellbeing and mental health of our young people was above politics, In May, who knows, the Treasurer might have the opportunity to limit the surging, repetitive spending that has been fuelling inflation. Executed properly, his budget could halt the predicted series of rate rises that have been eating away at family budgets. And in November we could finally see a change of government in Victoria—a fresh start for our state led by a team who are eager to rebrand Victoria as a place worth investing in again, as opposed to further cementing our status as the nation's most indebted and high-taxing jurisdiction.”
“On weeks like this, it is easy to get lost in the beating drum of politics. Social media has no off switch in the 24-hour news cycle. An increasingly unpredictable political landscape requires that each of us be even more mindful of not getting lost in the fury. We are but six weeks into 2026, a year which started mourning the loss of life at Bondi. Severe bushfires weaved through the Victorian countryside in between cyclones, flash-flooding and heatwaves. And last week the Reserve Bank raised interest rates, squeezing pockets. Many look at the year ahead with a degree of real fear and uncertainty, but a different future is possible. In March, when students set off on their Easter holidays, they may just spend more time with their family and friends, not the persistent consumers of endless online content—instead, maybe outdoors.”
“Earlier this week I had the great joy of meeting year 6 students from my electorate. The girls from Toorak College came with open and curious minds. Among their many questions came why I sought to be a parliamentarian. I told them the story of my first visit to Parliament House with my mum when I was eight. It was love at first sight—one might say maths: the democracy edition. I stuffed my bag with all the parliamentary education brochures and I learnt all the names of the prime ministers. This week I explained to the girls how great the responsibility is to stand here and contribute to how this nation looks and works not just today and tomorrow but also in their future. It is those girls and the millions like them who must be front of mind while we occupy these benches on all sides.”
“The Victorian government is nothing short of a disgrace. Responsible road planning, respecting the commercial calendar of the peninsula, is not too much to ask for.”
“It also said, 'We will undertake these works in sections, rebuilding the freeway from the ground up, replacing layers of pavement below the road surface to make it stronger and better suited to local road conditions.' So why have we suffered closures causing traffic chaos and reduced speed limits for months so that in February they can start rebuilding the freeway from the ground up? Today's commuters are spending an average of 10 to 20 minutes each trip stuck behind cones and lane drops. While that doesn't sound like much, when it's your lifeblood, your connection to work, family, health services and education, an extra 40 minutes a day of driving really impacts your commute. Businesses are bearing the cost, local roads are bearing the load, and residents are bearing the poor planning.”
“Peninsula Link connects the Mornington Peninsula community to work, services and the city every day. Over the last year the incompetent Allan Labor government has turned Pen Link into an obstacle course, with inexplicable speed limits, phantom roadworks, unpredictable lane closures and enough orange cones to be visible from outer space. Last year there were months of roadworks, with southbound lanes closed between September and November. My community was completely baffled. We have a long list of roads that desperately need to be fixed, but not that one and not as we head into the summer blitz. Last month I got a flyer telling me that major works would again resume in February, with southbound lanes closed this month and northbound closure next month.”
“I leave you with the final words of Luch's family—so raw and yet so formal, as was our man Luch: The Jonceski family extends their sincere gratitude for the kind words shared and for recognising the positive impact his presence in Parliament had on many, all of whom he regarded as family.”
“Leanne, the former attendant, wanted you to know specifically.' I don't know Leanne, but I know she's one of the angels of the architecture of this building. Wherever you are, Leanne, I say: thank you. I sat with the news of Luch's loss for a day, and then I wrote an ode to him on Facebook. Then I observed Luch's last great gift to democracy: 300,000 people read that post. Thousands engaged with it, and hundreds of people commented. It was obvious that through the story of this wonderful, humble and humorous man, so dedicated to this place, that Luch had restored their faith and hope and belief in democracy itself.”
“He went far and beyond for all of us to make democracy work, and he was so proud of his time here. He sent me a photo of the pollie class we all do when we first get elected. When I looked at it carefully the other day, I realised the reason he sent me that one was that it shows Luch in the attendance box, watching over us for the future. My great regret is that I missed my last Christmas photo with him. He'd said to me, 'Can we do the Christmas photo?' I said, 'Yes, yes.' But the end of the year was so crazy and so busy. There's one person I want to thank, who is one of the silent angels in this building. On New Year's Day, I received a message from the member for Fadden. He said, 'I just need to tell you that we've lost Luch.' I was shocked and I said, 'Are you sure?' He said, 'Yes, absolutely.”
“The next day the Crunchie explosion was gone, and there were more to replace them. Luch was an avid follower of politics. I think he knew more about politics than most of us. At the last election he would send text messages every few days, checking in on the count and making sure that I was going to be okay. And then came good wishes for Easter and then came good wishes for promotions. He signed off every text message 'Luch-elicious', which I called him one day. He seemed to like it, and so he stuck with it. There was one day in the campaign when we'd run out of all the money that we had, and we had run out of stamps. But I knew there were about 40 stamps somewhere in the office here. Luch broke in, got the stamps, stuck them in a package, and sent them down to Melbourne.”
“Honestly, that is the least appropriate thing to put in the drawer when it's illegal to chew anything in the chamber. But he gave me a Flake once, and I was talking to the member from Macnamara, who'd come round for a chat. I looked down and I said, 'Oh, dear, Josh. There's a problem.' He said, 'What?' I said, 'I've had a chocolate explosion on my pants.' He looked down, and he said, 'There's no recovering from that.' I said, 'I know. I don't quite know what to do.' Anyway, it turns out we have leather on the seats down there, where the chocolate went. Luch must have known, and that's why he gave me a Flake. But there was another instance where I said, 'Luch, my goodness! I've had a mini-Crunchie choc explosion in my drawer. How do I deal with this disaster?' 'Leave it with me,' said Luch.”
“There was one day when we were threatened with a Saturday sitting, and I said, 'Luch, can you remember when it was that we sat on a Saturday?' Here came the response: 'It was back when Kevin 07, Mr Rudd, was PM, and Mr Randall got a cardboard cut-out of Mr Rudd and brought it into the chamber that morning.' I said, 'Oh, my goodness.' He said, 'And before that, well, I think that was when we were doing Mabo, the stolen generations legislation. But I will confirm tomorrow.' He followed up with an Excel spreadsheet of exactly when we'd sat on a Saturday. I don't even know how he did it. Luch, as we know, was famous for sneaking chocolates into the drawers of some of his favourites. It didn't always work well. I do remember once I was chomping down on a Flake. Why would he put Flakes in my drawer?”
“I will never forget the wonderful sight of Luch reporting to Mike Hughes' office at the beginning of a sitting week to have Mike do his tie. They would never let me film this little ritual, but it's always stuck in my mind. Towering Mike and modest Luch, preparing solemnly for another week in a place whose purpose and significance is far greater than that of any individual. It is a great honour for Australians that such a man both helped to assemble the bricks and mortar of this place, and then contributed an infallible humanity to its democratic function. In my interactions with Luch over the years, every single one of these stories was brought to life.”
“He was always worried about people's wellbeing, and he was genuinely interested in the humans that made up this building. People like him are the reason that these institutions stay strong, as he reminds those who work in it, when the stakes are so high and the stress is so much, and it all starts to feel not real, of the human stories that make up our democracy and our country. My friend Annabel Crabb, who had featured Luch in her series, T he H ouse , back in 2017, says: Of all the Parliamentary denizens we interviewed for our documentary series 'The House', Luch captured better than any what the spirit of this place can be when it listens to its better angels. He was courteous, respectful, charming, industrious and observant to a fault.”
“And so Unity Paterson in my team said: He insisted on showing me the prorogue personally when parliament dissolved—something I'd never forget, because he reminded me how genuinely incredible a peaceful dissolution and election is. People just rush past this inconspicuous document on this inconspicuous stand, on their way to do this or that, but Luch was PROUD. I would have done the same if it wasn't for him, and it really reframed how I entered the election. How lucky we are to have democracy sausages as a hallmark of our election, not violence, and that Luch's pride is what sustains that—it's not really luck after all. He was so proud of the functioning of this building, connecting the dots and people to get the best outcome, whether it be a piece of mail, a piece of advice, or just a feeling of inclusion.”
“I will miss the larger-than-life character, along with his trademark smile and booming laugh. Rest in peace my Friend! And there's another one from Messengerial Phil—I love the way they sign them off: Luch was a font of knowledge in the Reps chamber back office. Whenever he had answered a clarifying question from a colleague, he would then usually add, "What are you going to do when I'm gone?" or "What will you do without me?" Unfortunately Luch was taken from us too soon and we are left trying to work out what we are going to do without him. We all miss you, Luch. This is from one of my own staff members. We all love Luch in our office precisely because, as the member for Eden-Monaro would say, he'd always come around at Christmas time, my birthday, his birthday—any excuse for another photo and indeed another card.”
“He was a 'down to earth' kind of guy who was pretty happy (and so grateful) for his lot in life. He was the longest serving member in the Department of the House of Representatives and he had a vast amount of experience and knowledge in the functioning and operations of this place. All of which he was willing to share with you, and I've learned so much from him in my relatively short time here. Raff, it feels like forever. He goes on: Luch was a wonderful colleague who brought much joy and humour to this place. He took his role seriously but he also loved a chat and a joke behind the scenes, and occasionally from the Centre Stage of the Chamber. I will always cherish the many laughs and good times we shared. He was a wonderful workmate and friend, and it was a privilege to have worked with him.”
“I'm mindful many of them are watching from your offices and that some of them are here with us today. Here's the first one. This one's from Raff. Everybody knows Raff. Raff has been around forever, and I didn't know that Raff's official title is Messengerial Attendant. I assume that's what Luch was too. Raff said: I first met Luch when I joined the Messengerial Services Team a number of years ago. It was clear to me right from the start that he was well respected and much loved. It didn't take me long to realise that he was a bit of a legend throughout Parliament House. He was a trusted source of information and people would seek out his counsel—he was often a 'steady hand' that provided calm reassurance. One of the things that I admired about him was that he didn't have tickets on himself.”
“A few days ago I actually got up to give my speech for our dear friend Luch in this place because I was fearful that, listening to the contributions of others, I would struggle to keep myself together. And, may I say, I delivered in spades. I was a burbling, sobbing mess. But today I hope to tell some of the fun stories of Luch. After all, I can't cry in front of the member for Canning! I would never live that down. But, as I went to give my speech a couple of days ago, I actually reached out to Luch's colleagues, and I said, 'If there's anything you'd like me to say on your behalf—to read into the record of Hansard forever—then I am very happy to do that. And so here are some of the reflections of his friends and colleagues in the messages to Luch.”