Mr HOWARTH (Petrie) (14:09): I thank the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for the fine words on the condolence motion of John Hodges. I had leave yesterday to attend his funeral. I knew him personally since I was elected. When he was first elected, in 1974, I was just two years of age, so I didn't know him whilst he was the member for Petrie, but he reached out to me, as candidate, back in 2012. He gave me some words, as many people do, as the candidate. But he always did so in a way that was best for the local people. He was very much a grassroots member, from what I could tell. Right up to the day he died he was always involved in the community. As the member for Petrie, at every election he'd always give me a call beforehand, and a cheque would come in the mail for my campaign account. Members would understand, right. You would understand what I'm talking about here—he was very supportive and just always good to pick up the phone and wish us well. It was unexpected that he died so quickly, because his wife, Margaret, had been sick for many years. But he certainly lived a fantastic life. Yesterday, at the funeral, the Hon. John Howard, former Prime Minister, was present as well, which goes to show how highly he was regarded. We heard some stories about his time as a minister. Whilst, as the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition said, it was a brief time that he was a minister, what he actually did was reach out on certain issues. He met with people whose cases he was looking at and found, in a very grassroots way. Sometimes he went against what the media might have been saying at the time and made decisions that he thought were right. He was certainly a man of character. His three children and three grandchildren will miss him, but he has left a legacy of service to the Australian people. The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect to the memory of the Hon. John Charles Hodges, I ask all present to rise in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— The SPEAKER: I thank the House. Debate adjourned.