Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong—Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): On indulgence, I thank the Prime Minister for his words just then. I want to thank all of Michael's colleagues for the tributes that they have penned over the last few days: beautiful words for a man who's given us so many of his own. It was a mournful digital ripple that started spreading late Saturday morning, early Saturday afternoon, with those sad phone calls: 'Have you heard? Can you believe it? Do you have X's or Y's number so we can tell them the sad news? They'd want to know.' I'm sure many had the same reaction that I did. I thought, 'Oh, not Mick—so much to do, so much to look forward to.' Shock would best describe the reaction because, even in those first moments, we also knew what we had lost. He was a person of complete integrity, absolutely trustworthy, an honest soul and a compassionate one. Mick took the best side of everybody, and I think he believed in the fundamental decency of politics. You knew that if you told him something it wouldn't mysteriously pop up somewhere else. As a journalist he never chose to put himself at the centre of things or make himself the star. He wasn't interested in sensationalism or sneering. He was a genuine reporter; he cared about the story. He was an understated, earnest man who, in that understated, earnest way, gave the reader the respect of intelligence. When an article had Michael's by-line, you knew that what was written was sincerely believed and to be believed. And, if he was critical of you, it was genuine; you were being weighed and measured by the very best. I count myself lucky that I knew Mick well enough that I could ring him up and receive his good and honest advice, even if it wasn't always what I wanted to hear. In those conversations—and I know many of us shared them with him—he was a man who saw the whole picture, whose craft was distilling his panoramic view into a snapshot where not a single word was wasted. I think he was at his very best when shining a light into the dark corners of our nation's soul, from the shocking allegations on Manus to the daily injustices facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Without Mick's courage and intellect, his capacity to be both the recorder and the translator, I don't believe those issues would have received anywhere near the attention that they warranted. In particular, I want to pay tribute to the way that Mick wrote about the First Australians, not from the air-conditioned comfort of a Canberra office but out there on the ground. He planted himself in the red dust and he absorbed the wisdom of people who live with disadvantage and strive every day to overcome it. There wasn't cynicism in Mick's work—no long litany of hopeless cases or lost causes. He didn't shirk hard truths, but he found the joy and the hope and the optimism too. I think he had a gift of describing a universal humanity, and therefore invited us, the readers, to share responsibility. The press is fundamental to nurturing our democracy and to holding our parliament accountable. The quality of our national debate is, in part, defined by the quality of journalism, and, in the end, great journalism depends upon great journalists. Michael Gordon was genuinely one of these. I think he will be recorded as one of the great journalists of the generation, and of any generation. It is such a terrible shame that we're all denied the third act of his writing life. It is so sad that Mick and his family have been robbed of the long days of leisure that he so thoroughly deserved. Our love and condolences to Robyn and his family. May he rest in peace.