Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong—Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): Towards the end of last year I was walking through Sydney Airport, heading back to Melbourne for the day, when I got tooted by one of those little motorised carts. It was Ron Walker riding on the back. He had a half-smile on his face, a twinkle in his eyes and was probably going about 150 kilometres slower than he would have liked. By the time I boarded the plane, he was already settled in his trademark spot, '1ALPHA', right next to his beloved Barbara. I assumed he was tired, and I knew he had been in the fight of his life. I thought that, like most of us when we get on a flight, he would want to rest on the trip home. So I said hello and took my seat; I didn't give it much more thought. Soon after, the flight attendant came and said that Mr Walker was wondering if I could spare a minute to chat. We only had a brief conversation—it was politically encouraging, I acknowledge!—but I was very touched by the gesture. I thought it was a measure of the man—warm and courteous, the mind still firing with ideas, still a keen observer and an analyst of the national political contest. Mr Speaker, like you, I am a Melburnian, born and raised. Like everyone proud to call Melbourne home, Ron Walker has been omnipresent in our lives for decades. From my earliest memories of life in Melbourne as a primary school student there was Moomba, there was World of Sports on TV and there was 'Big Ron', the Lord Mayor of Melbourne—in all his regalia, of course. Regardless of one's politics, you'd have to acknowledge the difference that Ron made to Melbourne. The Prime Minister has dealt with his accomplishments for his beloved Liberal Party. I would like to talk a little bit about the transformation his vision helped to drive in Melbourne. Ron undoubtedly loved Melbourne and he wanted to give the world a chance to fall in love with this marvellous city. I am sure in days to come there will be a discussion about how the city can honour his contribution to its success. Perhaps it will be a plaque, a statue, a car race, a hospital—something that carries the Walker name. But I think the simple truth is that there are already monuments to Ron Walker everywhere—the Australian Grand Prix, the revitalised South Bank, the world-class facilities built for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and the tourists who come to watch the Bledisloe Cup or the President's Cup. There are the thousands of lives that he's changed through his generosity—from saving the Walwa bush hospital to championing Keytruda for cancer sufferers and following up a call he heard on the Neil Mitchell show and chipping in some money for someone doing it tough. But perhaps the most powerful and enduring change that Ron helped to achieve was a change in mindset. From the hard times of recession, he helped restore Melbourne's faith in itself as a global destination, a city that could boldly bid for world events, confident that we could put on a world-class show in Melbourne. Ron's love of his home town was perhaps even bigger than his lifelong loyalty to the Liberal Party. In John Ferguson's generous tribute to Ron in The Australian,he told the story of how, within hours of Steve Bracks being sworn in as Premier in 1999, Ron Walker called. I recognise Victorian Labor has spent some years targeting Ron's support for the Victorian Liberals, so Bracksy had no idea what to expect. Ron began with a simple statement: 'I am happy to serve your government and support you.' Mr Melbourne indeed! When Ron first fought and beat cancer in 2012, he said, 'I didn't want to die. I had things to do.' I suspect, even last week, as his valiant fight against illness drew to a close, he still had things to do. For a man with Ron's drive and energy, his zest for life and his love of family, there's always more to do. Today we can say with certainty that he loved his family, he lived life to the full and he had done more than enough for his city, for others and for our nation. May he rest in peace.