Mr GILES (Scullin—Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) (15:57): Linda White only served as a Victorian senator for less than two years, but Linda's impact on our national life, as well as on the trade union movement and the Australian Labor Party, is incalculable and indelible. It's written in this place. That the Albanese government is comprised of a majority of women is the work of thousands, of course, but Linda's steely resolve and unshakeable principle was a critical factor in turning values into action. Turning values into action is what Linda did as a lawyer, as a unionist, in the Labor party and in the Senate. She was both principled and pragmatic. She fought and fought hard for those values but always understood that empty rhetoric is just that—empty. She was a formidable advocate and negotiator because she always appreciated what the other side were trying to do. She saw the whole picture not to admire it but to put it right in the interests of working people and working women in particular. She lived a life of service on her terms, and we saw that in that beautiful memorial service, with stories of contribution told to a packed room at ACMI, a place she loved, along with vignettes that explained and explored her passions and complexities: from the MCG to a missed vocation in comedy production; from farmers markets to book club; and from the clerks reform group, which made the modern ASU, to managing Victorian Labor and administration. Through a singular commitment to governance, whether in the National Executive or, I suspect, that book club, she did things that brought her joy and things that mattered—hard things like fighting for justice for survivors of institutional abuse, delivering pay equity and securing the dignity and the livelihoods of workers stranded by the Ansett collapse. All of these involved Linda speaking truth to power. She would be pleased with the super changes announced last week, but she'd be asking straight away, 'What's next?' All of us who knew her knew that she would be direct and speaking truth to us whenever our actions didn't meet her expectations. She never took a backward step and never accepted anyone else doing so. She never forgot that our movement is, at its heart, concerned with human dignity. She cared for people deeply and always. As one example, when my electorate office had to be closed for security reasons, she personally kept in contact with the team there, sending a hamper and regularly checking in. It meant the world and it sums her up. I began these remarks reflecting on the discrepancy between Linda's too short time in the Senate and her achievements. I want to end on this point too—not as a lament, because that isn't the Linda White way, but as a call to action for those of us who have the chance to make a difference to seize it with both hands as Linda did. She cared for neither title nor credit. She knew that there is never a moment to waste, and she didn't waste a single moment. As she said in her first speech to the Senate: For some people, their pathway in life is determined by the circumstances of their birth. Governments, however, have the power to open up new choices and opportunities that would otherwise remain out of reach. The power we have in this place to change lives is significant. I miss Linda White—my comrade and my friend. I stand here as one of so many who loved her and as one who should have been clearer in expressing the depth of my debt to her. I'm thinking now of all that she did and how her influence lives on through the work of all of those she inspired, and especially of her wonderful staff—Ben Armstrong, Ekta Mahal, Amit Aalok, Ned Lindenmayer and Ead Stokes—and of course her brother, Michael. Vale, Linda.