Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (12:18): On behalf of all of us on the side of the House, I thank the Prime Minister for his heartfelt words. I also thank the Prime Minister for the conversation we had on the night of Kimberley's tragic passing, and also the Deputy Prime Minister for the discussion I had on that evening as well.

Even with the passage of more than a couple of weeks, the sense of shock at Senator Kimberley Kitching's death has not softened. It is hard to fathom that now when we speak about our friend and colleague we do so in the past tense. In this place we are used to celebrating the lives of those who served the Australian people: long lives; lives that blazed brightly through the spring and summer of existence long enough to be granted the sweetness of autumn and the reward of retirement and reflection; lives that ended in the fullness of time—but not today. Kimberley's fire has gone out tragically early. Fifty-two is no age for life to end. She gave so much in those 52 years, but she had so much ahead. When a life is curtailed so cruelly, the sense of all those years unlived lingers, entire decades that should have been theirs.

After a globetrotting childhood through a mosaic of countries, cultures, schools and languages, Kimberley's career was fittingly multifaceted. She was a Melbourne city councillor. She was a lawyer, a political adviser in the Bracks-Brumby state Labor governments in Victoria, general manager of the Victorian No. 1 branch of the Health Services Union, and then she arrived in the Senate with a bang, guided by her determination to make a difference for Australians.

Kimberley was passionate about the cause of Labor. She was passionate about international affairs, passionate about democracy and defending our way of life. One notable way that she channelled that energy was in her advocacy for a Magnitsky act in Australia to allow sanctions to be imposed on individuals connected to regimes guilty of violating human rights. She was a staunch defender of Israel and just as staunch a critic of China's treatment of Uighurs and Tibetans and other minority groups in China. Her compassion for human suffering was unwavering. Here's just some of what she had to say about Australia's friends in Afghanistan when their nation once again fell under the shadow of the Taliban—she was talking about those who assisted us:

These people risked their lives to assist us and work with us. It would be a national disgrace if we were to abandon them now to the terrifying revenge of their enemies. Even worse, it would be a failure on the part of the democratic countries if we were just to sidle off into the night.

I think one of the most significant moments in what was a remarkable and memorable send-off to this remarkable Australian at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne was when stories were told by the member for Maribyrnong and others about Kimberley's efforts in getting people to safety as the Taliban returned in Kabul and Afghanistan. The fact that some of those whose lives Kimberley Kitching literally saved were present in the pews of St Patrick's Cathedral that day was something that will remain with everyone who attended Kimberley's service.

As a result of her concentration on these issues of international affairs and democracy and human rights, the ALP's national executive has determined, upon my recommendation and in consultation with Andrew and the family, to institute a Kimberley Kitching human rights award at each national conference for someone who's a member of the Australian Labor Party who follows Kimberley's legacy of being active in human rights and being an advocate often for those without a voice, and I think that is a fitting tribute to Kimberley going forward.

Her range was very broad as well. She recently brought her energy and drive to the Senate inquiry into Australia's sovereign capability in manufacturing, Just how crucial that is has been highlighted by the COVID pandemic, which has made it all too clear that when the world is turned upside down the most precarious place for Australia to be is at the end of the global supply chain. Kimberley understood the connection between national security and making things here. In that inquiry Kimberley helped bring many voices together in a bid to drive the case for improving Australian manufacturing.

On a personal level, I had the privilege of travelling with Kimberley on a delegation to Taiwan just a few years ago. Not surprisingly that was a delegation that included Brendan O'Connor and Michelle Rowland and Tony Zappia and Milton Dick. It was a terrific delegation in which we were talking one on one with the leadership of Taiwan about the importance of its position as a democratic nation. The truth is, as well, at that point, though, she was so strong an advocate—and she was strong. She was smart, she was vivacious and she was always the life of any room that she was in. The truth is we didn't always agree on every issue, but no-one expects that in something as broad as the Australian Labor Party. You never get the harmonies or the big chords if you're all singing the same note. But there was no denying Kimberley's energy, which is why I appointed Kimberley, after that visit, to the frontbench of the Labor Party, firstly as shadow assistant minister for government accountability and then as shadow assistant minister for government services and shadow minister for the National Disability Insurance scheme, where she worked so closely with her friend Bill Shorten, the member for Maribyrnong. She also served as Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.

Politics can be difficult. There's so much at stake, passions are high and there isn't always automatic agreement as to which is the best course of action. People fight for what they believe in, and Kimberley was a great fighter for her beliefs. She had a big presence, powered by a sharp mind. She stood her ground. She had strong opinions, and she was a fighter in the best possible sense. Kimberley Kitching was a formidable force in her own right. There is now such a poignancy to Kimberley's own words when we lost our friend and colleague Senator Alex Gallacher last November. As she put it then:

The death of a colleague while they still serve here in the Senate is a reminder to all of us that our time on Earth is limited and that we should never waste a day, or indeed a minute, here.

Kimberley didn't waste a second. It's worth going back to her first speech in the Senate. She said this:

I come here to represent everyday Australian people: the working Australians, the families, the students, the hospital cleaners, the retail workers, the mortgage holders, the renters, the mums and dads, the 4 am shift workers, the nurses, the police, the firefighters and the factory workers.

She went on to say:

I come here to represent the people who work hard, pay their way, do the tough things, build our community and only ever ask in return that we remember them in this place and make their opportunity the focus of every decision we make in their name.

Kimberley's death has been really hard on the Labor family. We have lost one of our own. Her place in the Senate is empty today, but, for her many friends here, on both sides of the political divide, it will be hard to shake off that expectation that she might walk through the door at any moment.

My condolences go especially to her beloved husband, Andrew. In that speech to the Senate, Kimberley reflected on their marriage and said this:

We have lived an adventurous life together—that much is certain.

Well, may the glow of the adventure stay with Andrew always. My sincere condolences as well to Kimberley's parents; to her brother, Ben; and to all of her family and friends. May Kimberley rest in peace.