Members

McLachlan, Hon. A.L.

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.I. Lucas:

That this council notes the resignation of the Hon. A.L. McLachlan as President of this council and recognises his meritorious service to the council and to the parliament.

(Continued from 5 February 2020.)

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (16:57): When I heard news of Andrew's successful bid to secure his party's nomination to replace outgoing senator, Cory Bernardi, I sent him a text message that said simply, 'Congratulations. Canberra's gain is our loss.' I think that summarises what a lot of us feel, because Andrew is a good legislator and he has made a fine contribution both as a backbencher and, for the last two years, as President; but on top of that he is also a decent person, which helps.

As Andrew said yesterday, he and I were bench buddies on the red vinyl seats of this chamber when he was first elected, and in that space we had many interactions, especially since we both had responsibility for the Attorney-General's portfolio bills, which comprise the bulk of the legislative agenda. Much has been made of Andrew's crossing the floor over legislation that he saw, as a lawyer, crossed the line of what was appropriate for a parliament to pass. He cares about the rule of law and the separation of powers in our democracy. Whilst crossing the floor is usually seen as a career limiting move in the old parties, Andrew got away with it because his colleagues knew that he based his position on solid legal reasoning, and deep down I expect that some agreed with him but they did not have the courage to do what he did.

Yesterday, Andrew acknowledged that I had some small impact on his parliamentary work, to which I would reply, 'It goes both ways.' In fact, we would often egg each other on. I was often disappointed that sometimes in debate I would make what I thought was a strong point, only to be told later by Andrew, 'That was a bit weak. You could have gone much further.' Of course, we did not always agree, and that is why we are in different parties. I expect, or I am worried, that my current bench buddy, the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos, must be nervous about whether there is a risk of getting too close to the Greens. Perhaps sensible policy is contagious if you sit too close.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: My big hope for Andrew is that, when he gets into the bigger pond of federal politics, he will have a good influence on his federal party room colleagues, because goodness knows they need more rational voices in there who understand the issues that are facing our nation and the world and who respect the importance of defending civil liberties and human rights. I wish Andrew well in his Senate career, and I will give him a good reference to my federal parliamentary colleagues.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. D.G.E. Hood.