ADJOURNMENT

Senator BABET (Victoria—United Australia Party Whip) (20:40): Thank you, Senator Collins; that was beautiful. Now, Vicki Derderian was an Australian woman of extraordinary faith, courage and conviction. She was a devoted mother of two, a loving wife and a woman whose life was deeply grounded in her belief in God.

Her faith was not something she simply spoke about; it shaped every decision that she made, every hardship she endured, every battle that she faced. Vicki believed wholeheartedly that her life, her struggles and her future were in God's hands, and she believed that until her very final days. A heart transplant had always been on the cards for Vicki.

She, after all, had lived for years with a very serious heart condition, carrying the burden of illness with quiet dignity and remarkable strength. Now, despite grave suffering, uncertainty and hardship Vicki did not complain. Those closest to her often said that others complained more often in a single day than what she did throughout her entire ordeal.

In 2021, because of her heart condition, Vicki was granted a medical exemption from the novel COVID-19 injection by her doctor. The exemption was in line with ATAGI guidelines. These injections are well known for their potential adverse impacts, like myocarditis and pericarditis, on heart health.

An adverse reaction for Vicki could have been fatal. Yet, despite holding a valid medical exemption, Vicki was denied any chance of receiving a heart transplant in Australia by our medical bureaucracy. She was, in my opinion and in her family's opinion, discriminated against.

She was shut out. She was told, in effect, that her conscience, her medical exemption and her circumstances were not enough. But did she respond with bitterness?

No. She responded instead with resolve. She challenged the decision, alleging discrimination, in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

She fought respectfully and with dignity. During the proceedings, she and her family believed that their case was progressing favourably. But then Vicki was told that even if she were successful, she would still not be eligible for a heart transplant.

They said that she was medically unfit for transplantation. Although she was weakened by illness, Vicki found her strength to stand before powerful institutions and say, 'This is wrong.' She did not cower before authority, but neither did she abandon grace, because her belief in doing the right thing never faltered. With no pathway left in Australia, Vicki was forced to seek treatment overseas.

Even then she faced further obstacles. Approvals were needed from the treating hospital and the airline to travel. Initially, these approvals appeared to be straightforward.

However, according to her family, once it became known that Vicki was travelling overseas to seek a second medical opinion the process became even more difficult. I helped Vicki as much as I could. I contacted Mark Butler, the federal health minister.

I raised her plight right here in the Australian Senate. I called for compassion, common sense and basic human decency. Those attempts, however, fell on deaf ears.

But the Australian people heard Vicki. They rallied behind her. Ordinary Aussies donated to her cause.

They prayed for her. They supported her. They saw in her not controversy but a woman literally fighting for her life.

Despite these many challenges, Vicki and her family persevered. When she arrived overseas, an independent medical team conducted a comprehensive medical assessment and reviewed her results. Their conclusion was very different from what she had been told here in Australia.

They determined that Vicki was, in fact, eligible for a heart transplant and she was subsequently placed on a transplant waiting list. This gave Vicki something that the Australian health bureaucracy denied her: hope. During this period were discussions about whether assistance from Australian officials might help expedite the process.

Vicki's family sought support from the Australian consulate and from members of the Australian government. The consular representative visited Vicki in hospital, witnessed firsthand her condition and, of course, expressed sympathy for what she was enduring. Efforts were also made to seek assistance through government channels, but, ultimately, no meaningful intervention occurred.

So Vicki waited for more than a year at great personal expense. She was separated from her home, separated from her family and separated from the country that she loved. And, through it all, her faith sustained her.

Vicki believed that, whatever the outcome, God's will would ultimately prevail. Eventually, Vicki did receive her heart transplant, and, for a time, there were signs of recovery, there was hope, and there was relief. There was a possibility of returning to a life no longer dominated by uncertainty, waiting and, sadly, institutional indifference.

But, sadly, complications followed, and earlier this year Vicki passed away. The Australian health bureaucracy did nothing to prevent her death. Vicki and her family suffered needlessly.

Even after her death, the indignity continued. Upon her return to Australia, a certificate was requested by the Australian government confirming that Vicki did not have COVID-19 before her remains could be brought back into the country, despite the fact that she had already passed away. For her family, this was a painful reminder of a system that she had been forced to fight.

But Vicki Derderian should not be remembered merely for what was done to her. She should be remembered for who she was: a person of strong character who trusted life completely to God and remained faithful to her final day. She was a woman of integrity, a woman of courage, a woman who loved her family deeply, a woman who endured suffering without complaint and a woman who stood by her beliefs when it would have been easier to surrender.

I was proud to call Vicki a friend—very proud. Now may we all remember Vicki as a faithful wife, a loving mother and a courageous Australian woman who placed her trust in God and refused to abandon her conscience. My sincere condolences to Vicki's husband, John, her children, her extended family and all her friends.

May Vicki's story never be forgotten, and may no family ever have to endure a similar ordeal. God bless you, and thank you.