Former Liberal MP Kevin Andrews has been remembered as “determined and duty driven” by former colleagues from both sides of the political divide.
Andrews, who held the Victorian federal seat of Menzies for three decades, died in December following a year-long battle with cancer.
His wife Margie listened on the floor of the House of Representatives as Australia’s leaders paid tribute to her husband during Question Time on Tuesday.
Anthony Albanese said the former minister in Howard and Abbott governments was marked by his “deep faith, belief in public service, and devotion to his family.”
“Kevin Andrews was regarded by his opponents with true respect and affection,” the prime minister said.
“This was indeed a man determined to fill every page, his life was indeed a very full story.
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“Our condolences to the Liberal Party of Australia, an organisation that he loved and served with loyalty and with distinction. May Kevin Andrews rest in eternal peace.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the avid cyclist revealed himself early in his career as a parliamentarian of “profound skill and a man of principle driven by his Catholic faith.”
“Dignified, decent, determined, and duty driven,” Dutton said.
Addressing Mrs Andrews, Dutton said she and her husband had been a “formidable partnership.”
“Together, you created an amazing legacy for your family and for this country. And we pay our respects, our deep respects, to you and to your family.
“May God bless Kevin Andrews, and may he rest in peace.”
Prime Minister Says Labor Has Plan for Australia’s Future
Addressing the Labor caucus, Albanese spruiked his government’s policies while taking aim at his opponent’s “free lunches and cuts.”
He backed in the government’s economic track-record pointing to lower inflation and low unemployment, saying Labor had a plan for Australia’s future.
The prime minister positioned the government as the party championing women’s health, referencing the recent $573.3 million announcement to lower costs.
He said the coalition hated the government discussing Medicare because voters knew the Liberals and Nationals don’t believe in the public healthcare system.
“We have the right candidates to win seats from the coalition and from the Greens,” Albanese said.
Polling shows the election will be a tight race, with the government looking to sandbag seats and the coalition needing to win 21 if it is to govern with a majority.
In Victoria, Labor suffered a massive swing away from it in its traditional heartland in Melbourne’s west during a weekend by-election.
The Liberals gained Prahran from the Greens in a second by-election, recording a lift in its primary vote.
Dutton congratulated the Victorian team on the win in an address to the partyroom.
He said the nation was coming to the end of the term of a “terrible Labor government.”
One party member said the feeling in Sydney among women was much more positive this time around.
The coalition wants to send Labor’s three-days-a-week guarantee of subsidised childcare to a parliamentary inquiry, halting the government’s plan to fast-track the policy.
They are questioning the government’s claim the program would only cost $450 million, when the Productivity Commission has said removing the activity test would cost more than $2 billion.
