Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

When working out how I could possibly summarise Marise Payne in just a few simple minutes, I thought I'd throw away my script and just speak from my heart.

I've known Marise now for 33 years. I did count, I'm sorry Marise, and I can't say we were 10 years old either at the time. I first met Marise as a Young Liberal. The Western Australian delegates had hired a HiAce, and we'd driven across the Nullarbor. We arrived in South Australia, and I first met this amazing woman. I'd been in the Army reserves for a few years already, but I'd never quite met a young woman—she was a year older than me—like Marise. Marise won't remember this, but I will never forget. For me, as a young conservative Liberal—conservative, as in broad church—just seeing this woman who was leading the Young Liberals gave me my first example of what leadership could look like as a Liberal woman. In the military, I didn't have women at that time who I could look up to, because they just simply weren't there. So I was greatly inspired by Marise.

Through the years our paths continued to cross. When I was chief of staff to Chris Ellison, the Minister for Justice and Customs, Marise was making her way, in her own inevitable way, still demonstrating all of those qualities that have been so eloquently mentioned here today. Again, as chief of staff, seeing Marise's passion for service men and women and, in our portfolio, for the men and women in blue—how she stood up in committees and in parliament, particularly during September 11, the Bali bombings and everything else that we had to deal with—my admiration for her only grew.

But it's only in later years, serving with Marise in the Senate as a colleague and also as a friend, that I've truly come to appreciate the legacy that she leaves this place and that I know she will take to wherever she goes next, and that is showing Liberal women that you can support other women, that it is okay to be a conservative woman and that we can lead as women. As people have said here, every day you had that compassion and the commitment—not having to be obsessed over by the press gallery, and sometimes copping criticism for that, but that's okay because you were doing your job, and you were doing it bloody well.

I learned a great deal from you, becoming a minister and then becoming a cabinet minister. At that time, whether we were on one of the many bilaterals and multilaterals we did as foreign minister and defence minister, I learned such a great deal from you—the way that you engaged with your counterparts and your unfailing politeness to officials. As you can see in the acknowledgements here today, you always did your homework. When you speak, everybody stops to listen. I was very fortunate. I was the second behind you in being a female defence minister.

I also want to acknowledge the incredible work that you did first as defence minister and then as foreign minister—the white paper, getting the funding and restoring the confidence of our men and women in uniform in this place and in the executive government, in particular. I came in behind, and I inherited the great work that you did. I was able to implement the Defence Strategic Update and the associated budgets and documents that went with that. But for two years it fell to you and me to travel the world and speak up for Australia's sovereignty and for our regional neighbours who didn't and weren't able to speak up on their own at the time.

I also learned a great deal from you about strength, courage and commitment in all of that, in policy development, on the big things and on the small things. A number of people have acknowledged the work and the passion that you have for Afghanistan and their women. I saw that firsthand. I saw that in your leadership during the evacuation of 4,000 Afghans. I'm glad Senator Farrell acknowledged that, because you and your office—and I know some are here today—did an extraordinary thing. You were basically running the operation out of your office 24/7 and taking calls from all of us, including me. We had people we were desperate to get evacuated, and you had time for each and every one of us. We had 16 members of one family came out here as a result of that who are fine Australians—Khalid Amiri and his family. That story is probably replicated by most of us here in this chamber. So not only did you have the passion, commitment and values for the big things that have changed our nation for the better, but you also never ever forgot each and every person.

In conclusion, there's a lot more I could say, but I think a lot of it has been said. You have changed the course not only for women in the Liberal Party but also for women in Australia, as Michaelia, I think, so wonderfully said. I will never forget that at every cabinet meeting, the Commonwealth boards gender balance—everybody would look to Marise: 'Marise! We're closer to fifty-fifty!' And I'm sure it was one of Marise's proudest moments when we left government that she got, and we got through her, over 50 per cent women on Commonwealth government boards. That was your dogged determination for years—and your ability to scare the bejeebers out of so many of our cabinet colleagues!

On a personal note, Marise, thank you for your friendship and for the unknowing leadership, guidance and support you've given so many. I'm just one of so many. I know that so many women will walk in your shoes. Most of us probably won't be able to fill them; nonetheless, you've trailblazed for us all. On another personal note, thank you for your support of me when I couldn't speak for myself. I'm here because of that, and I'll always be grateful. Godspeed to whatever is next. I know it's going to be even bigger and better. We will miss you.