Mr TURNBULL (Wentworth—Prime Minister) (14:02): I move: That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 18 December 2017, of the Honourable Barry Cohen AM, a former Minister and Member of this House for the Division of Robertson from 1969 to 1990, place on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement. Today we pay tribute to a man who understood the power and indeed the necessity of laughter. Warm and hearty, unrestrained and blissful, soft and controlled, Barry Cohen courted laughter in all its forms. He did so with a sharp wit and an endless store of anecdotes. That's how he connected with his constituents and his fellow parliamentarians, how he inspired hope and kept two feet on the ground. In a good lesson to us all, he didn't take any of us too seriously and particularly he didn't take himself too seriously. It was a humour that flowed from a joy of life and was complemented by the deeper, sweeter tones of a man who felt acutely and cared profoundly. For 21 years in Canberra and eight decades of life, that was the Barry Cohen Australians knew, and we were richer for it. He entered parliament as one of Gough Whitlam's '69ers—passionate, determined and keen to contribute to a new vision of society in the nation. However, his was not a typical story. He came to Canberra with a resume as eclectic as his humour—a golfer, a squash court manager, a television sports commentator and a postman, just to name a few, and of course there was his menswear store. His dapper appearance, of course, is still remembered—always perfectly dressed. He made his mark by staying true to who he was. His great friend and fellow Labor Party member Fred Daly offered him some early advice which the Leader of the Opposition recalled earlier today. As the Leader of the Opposition said, Barry was very wise to ignore it, but the advice was, 'If you want to make it, cut out the comedy'—one of the few occasions, I imagine, that the Leader of the Opposition would concede that Fred Daly's advice was wisely ignored! Nonetheless, Barry Cohen did it his way and he succeeded. Following Labor's victory at the 1983 federal election, he was appointed Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment and then Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Environment. He served as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Bicentennial from December 1984 to July 1987. He secured lasting policy achievements, particularly for the environment. During his tenure, the government handed back Uluru to its traditional owners, doubled the size of the Kakadu National Park and extended the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. He had a passion for fairness and he was always, throughout his career—beginning, as his son reminded us today, with his maiden speech—a powerful advocate for the rights and the advancement of our First Australians. Of course, as a proud Jewish man, he understood very personally discrimination, and that informed his perspective and he carried that throughout his life. He wrote prodigiously and well and entertainingly in the Bulletin, in The Australian and, of course, in his many books. Her pursued his writing talent for over 30 years and it continued even after Alzheimer's cast its long shadow. An article he wrote in late 2014 in The Australian is a particularly powerful and poignant one. He said there that he expected he would never hear the cry, 'Eureka, we've found the cure to Alzheimer's!' and he was right. He hoped it would be so, but he didn't expect it. But he did use his voice to fight for better awareness and support for Australians with dementia. His writing opened up the door on what had previously been the very private pain of those who lived with Alzheimer's and dementia. But his humour remained when former Prime Minister John Howard called on Barry to check on his welfare. Mr Howard asked what life was like in the nursing home. Barry replied, 'It's like question time.' To Barry's beloved wife, Rae, and his adored family, with whom we were, just a few hours ago, in Old Parliament House, I offer the heartfelt sympathy of this parliament and the thanks of the nation for his public service.