PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION

Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Women, Minister for Government Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (17:43): I rise this evening very reluctantly. In fact, I don't like losing arguments or votes. Yet I've been unable to convince Senator Duniam to change his mind and not leave this place.

And I have tried. I'm also unaccustomed to giving nice speeches about a political opponent. In fact, this is my first one ever and possibly my last.

When I was thinking about what to say, I thought, 'I wonder if I'll end his career by saying nice things.' But then I remembered that you'd already done that yourself. So, despite my opposition to you leaving—and I accept that you disagree with me on that—I won't subject your departure to a vote of this Senate, because I have a feeling that I would have the numbers to win a vote that required you to stay.

I think the number that have turned up here this afternoon in this chamber, including from the other place, to listen to you and your valedictory speech is a testament to the high regard with which you are held across the parliament. I do accept that Senator Duniam has four very good reasons to leave—Anisa, Hugo, Henry and Spencer—who have sacrificed a great deal to have a husband and father a federal senator, so often away or consumed by work.

It is a sacrifice made by all of our families that, at some point, has to be righted, and that time has come for the Duniam family. For those of us who have worked closely with Senator Duniam, we will miss him in this chamber, in the work of the Senate more broadly and, I believe, in national politics. He's given a decade of dedicated service to the people of Tasmania and to this chamber, a decade of committee work, executive roles under the former government and, of course, more recently, the thankless but essential work of the Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.

He has given decades of service to the Liberal Party of Australia, including across various roles before being elected. For a young guy, it's a very impressive record of achievement. To the Senator Duniam of 10 years ago, who came into this chamber and spoke about Tasmania and spoke passionately about politics with principle and practical outcomes—the Senator Duniam of 2026 can leave this chamber knowing that he has remained true to what he said in that first speech, not only in how he worked and what he achieved but also in the way he worked.

I believe that decency and respect are often undervalued qualities in politics. Senator Duniam has both and holds them close. To be able to make your political point, to argue your case and to outline your alternative view without getting personal, belittling or seeking to silence alternative views is quite rare in modern politics, but that's how Jonno works, and, because of that approach, people listen to him and take him seriously, as reflected in the number who have come to listen to him tonight.

This way of operating really harks back to a different time in our political history, long before the 24/7 news cycle and social media driven click obsessed politics of today where everything seems fair game as long as the algorithms reward you. So perhaps the biggest compliment I can give you is to say you did your politics without the need for algorithmic endorsement—practical politics, a believer in tradition and the power of institutions and true blue Liberal.

On paper, I accept that the two of us are not natural friends. We come from different political parties and have different views on a lot of things—politics, tofu and 'Sky after dark', for example. We've had many discussions about all three of those subjects.

We have different backgrounds, different ages—a Tasmanian conservative Liberal and an ACT lefty from the Labor Party. However, none of that has got in the way of Senator Duniam and I becoming good friends who respect and trust each other, particularly through this term after you took on the role of Manager of Opposition Business and our paths began to cross on a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis.

Through our friendship, I've learnt that there is something very lovely about making friends with someone you don't expect to. Perhaps it's that you don't expect much and so are pleasantly surprised on the upside. But, in our mad, high-pressure, adversarial and conflict driven world, to build a friendship out of that world is something special.

You, Sarah and I have done that as managers without agreeing with each other on pretty much anything that comes to this chamber. Even on those really tough votes where you lose or where we lose and where it matters for different reasons, the ability to separate the politics from the personal and to immediately move on grudge free is something that's hard to come by and something that we should work to protect.

I have loved the wheeling and dealing; the doing each other over; sometimes winning, sometimes losing, and sometimes in between; delivering on our jobs; and remaining true to our respective positions. The fact that we were able to have a laugh, to have some fun, has made those long days and weeks in the chamber more bearable. Our Thursday end-of-sitting week reflection meetings—that makes them sound official—were something to look forward to, something we started planning on the Monday for the Thursday, and it's one Sarah and I will keep going.

You leave this chamber with much to be proud of from your time here and perhaps more importantly and more excitingly, with so much more ahead of you. Of course, you're taking the time for your family and, in particular, Anisa and the boys. You have much to be proud of from your time here.

I know how much you've missed them and felt torn by the separation that working in Canberra and other travel imposes on them. You have chosen to leave politics on your terms and in your own time. I hope that you're able to enjoy some stress-free time with all of them, without 'Sky after dark'interrupting your evening.

See—I can't let it go! But your next opportunity will come along before you know it. So thank you for your friendship, your professionalism and your public service.

And you might be able to leave the Senate, but our friendship is ongoing.