Senator John Faulkner has made a remarkable and enduring contribution to the Labor Party and to Australia. Our movement owes him its sincere thanks.

 

John has been a faithful servant of the Senate for 25 years, and of our Party longer still.

 

John was a respected, policy-driven Cabinet Minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard Governments.

 

He is an outstanding orator and Parliamentarian.

 

He is a fearless Senate Estimates examiner.

 

A relentless pursuer of reform.

 

A custodian of the Light on the Hill and the best example of the Whitlam tradition.

 

While Ministers and Departmental Secretaries may not miss his formidable, forensic questioning, we will certainly miss his invaluable wisdom and his indomitable spirit.

 

We honour John’s service today, but we don’t say goodbye.

 

I know that John’s contribution to our cause is far from finished. Labor and Australia still need John Faulkner.

 

John’s first campaign was the “It’s time” election of 1972, and his long friendship with Gough Whitlam is well known.

 

When he paid tribute to Gough in the Senate a few months ago, John asked all of us to remember his mentor’s example:

 

“To work out how you think Australia can be made better; and to bend every energy to that end.”

 

Our nation and our movement have been made better because of John Faulkner.

 

THURSDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2014

 

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