Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (12:33): I move: That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 29 March 2023, of the Honourable Stewart John West, a former Minister and Member of this House for the Division of Cunningham from 1977 to 1993, place on record its appreciation of his meritorious public service, and tender its sympathy to his family in their bereavement. Try to imagine this scene: it's Wollongong in the early 1980s. Picture a kitchen table in a council house in the suburb of Berkeley just below the splendour of the Illawarra escarpment. Hard at work at that table is Stewart West, a former branch president of the Waterside Workers Union turned member for Cunningham and shadow environment minister. Maybe he's working in silence, as he often preferred. Maybe the radio's tuned in to a horse race. Spread before him is the environmental policy that Labor will take to its national conference. At its heart is saving Tasmania's Franklin River. Forty years later, as a direct result of that policy taken by Stewart West, the Franklin still flows wild and free. What a profound mark to make as a shadow minister. When the 1983 election lifted him out of the shadow and into power, Stewart West went on to serve with distinction as a cabinet minister in the Hawke government, holding the immigration, housing and administrative affairs portfolios. It was by any measure an extraordinary time in an extraordinary government, and Stewart was an important part of it. His passion for the environment, spanning the continent from Tasmania to Kakadu, was as powerful as his commitment to serve the people of Cunningham. In his beloved Wollongong he was central in saving the steel industry and in expanding the university. He was instrumental in reforming Australia's immigration policy and remained vocal about the plight of refugees long after his political career came to a close. He was willing to put his money where his mouth was. Stewart was a politician of unbending principle, one who cherished the privilege of being in cabinet but nonetheless prioritised principle over career. It was a choice that he had to make along the way, resigning from cabinet over a matter of principle. No-one joins the Labor Party for a smooth ride or a quiet life. It's not our nature. People are passionate about doing what's best for our country, but, while we generally agree on the destination, there are sometimes powerful differences of opinion on how to get there. So it was when Stewart quit cabinet over uranium policy. As our great mutual friend Tom Uren would later record, 'I've never seen anyone so broken-hearted for so long as Stewart over that decision.' But such was the calibre of the man that the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, soon brought him back into the fold and restored his position in the cabinet. Over many years, I was proud to sit beside Stewart West at ALP national conferences. I was proud to stand alongside him to improve the lives of working Australians, and I am grateful for the advice that he gave me as a young man and for the lessons that he taught me. I'm honoured to speak now of his achievements. Stewart died just two days short of his 89th birthday, but his legacy and all that he was remain with us. Our hearts go out to his loving wife, Mary, and to all of his family, to all who loved his company and his laughter, and to all who held a special place in his heart, particularly the great people of the great city of Wollongong. May Stewart West rest in peace.