Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong—Leader of the Opposition) (14:04): Warwick Parer came from a family with a fine tradition of serving our nation. His father, Kevin, lost his life in 1942 serving in the RAAF in New Guinea, and his uncle Damien was arguably our most famous Australian war photographer. Born in Papua New Guinea, Parer attended rugby powerhouse Nudgee College in Brisbane and then went on to study at the University of Melbourne. In his business life, Warwick played a key role in negotiating Australian export deals within our region and quickly became one of the most well-regarded executives in the Australian mining industry. In 1985 he made a decision to take a significant pay cut and to serve his state of Queensland as a senator. He brought his strong business background to parliament and quickly established a reputation as a well-informed and no-nonsense operator. As a senator, and then as Minister for Resources and Energy in the Howard government, Warwick was known to Labor members as a highly knowledgeable opponent and a tough adversary, but always a respectful and cordial one. Upon leaving the Senate in 2000, Warwick continued to serve his community as chair of the Energy and Transport Advisory Sector of the CSIRO and chair of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Foundation. He was a widely respected Queensland state president of the Liberal Party between 2005 and 2008, and helped oversee the merger of the Queensland Liberal and National parties—a significant accomplishment. I know the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis, was one of many Queenslanders who counted Warwick Parer as a mentor and a friend and valued his advice and counsel, and I acknowledge his loss today. Madam Speaker, I was struck by one passage from Senator Parer's first speech in the other place, which I wanted to share with the House today. I acknowledge the Prime Minister quoting some of it, but there were some further lines that I wish to also drawn on in reflecting on the senator. He said, reflecting on the role of politics and politicians: … politicians too often spend time either scoring cheap points against their opponents or against other governments … or simply blaming a current malaise on the policies of a previous government. As we mark the passing of Warwick Parer, let us all reflect on his words. Let us all in this place and the other place think of how we can be better parliamentarians in the days ahead. Our thoughts today are with Senator Parer's family and friends. We offer our condolences to his wife Kathi, their seven children and their many beloved grandchildren. May he rest in peace.