Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (09:01): On 5 August, Australia lost Judith Durham. On behalf of the government, I extend my deepest sympathies to her family and loved ones. Few people made their voice heard quite like Judith Durham. For a time, hers was the best known Australian voice in the world. You could fill a speech with the descriptions that were given of her voice alone—the purest voice in popular music; powerful and bell-like; a clear, warm clarion call. Judith was a classically trained singer and pianist and gained her associate degree in music and classical piano at the Melbourne University conservatorium, with her first professional engagement in the arts playing piano for a ballet school. After she left school, Judith met Athol Guy. Athol played acoustic bass and also sang in a trio called the Seekers, and he invited her that very night to come and join him and the two guitarists—my friend Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley—to sing acoustic four-part-harmony folk and gospel at a Melbourne coffee lounge called Treble Clef. And with that, the carnival had begun. Some bands set out with a plan, but, as Judith put it in her own words, the Seekers simply set off on 'an adventure', with 'no idea we would stay in England and become popstars'. In 1965, they won the NME Award for best new group. Think about that—in 1965 winning the NME for best new group, beating a couple of lesser known outfits that were eligible at the time called the Beatles and the Rolling Stones! They hit No. 1 in the US in 1967 with 'Georgy Girl'. When they signed off, their farewell concert was broadcast on the BBC and watched by more than 10 million people. Their 'best of' album stayed on the British charts for more than two years. And on she went. She sang through the decades, even performing a cameo in a Silverchair song. She performed with her husband Ron Edgeworth, and, after Ron died from motor neurone disease in 1994, Judith became patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Australia association. It was one of the many charities she put her energy into supporting. Judith's work showcased Australian stories to the world in her own way. For people to choose careers as musicians, there are often a range of barriers, and for women there can be even more. The extraordinary determination and talent of Judith Durham places her in that set of iconic, outstanding musicians. Many of us grew up singing the songs of the Seekers, like 'Morningtown Ride', when we were children. It was one of the few vinyl singles that I remember being in my home. They were then sung to our children—beautiful melodies that have stood the test of time. May Judith's musical family and her loved ones take some comfort knowing that people around the world are listening to the music she made and will keep listening to it, still feeling the joy of it. This treasured music will stay with us, and for Judith we are forever grateful.