Tribune’s note

Senator Dean Smith used the Senate adjournment on 23 June to place on record his congratulations to Rob Gillam of Dongara, Western Australia, on his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday honours [TA-260623-senate-0d6febb35e23:s091]. Smith drew out the breadth of Gillam's contribution to the state's agricultural and pastoral sectors over many decades, citing his service on the Geraldton Port Authority, the Agricultural Protection Board, and his chairmanship of the Pastoralists & Graziers Association of Western Australia [TA-260623-senate-0d6febb35e23:s091].

Smith specifically highlighted Gillam's leadership through the wool stockpile crisis and his sustained advocacy against the live cattle export ban — both episodes that cut directly to the political fault lines between regional producers and federal policy decisions [TA-260623-senate-0d6febb35e23:s091]. The tribute closed on a personal note, with Smith commending Gillam's accessibility to farmers in difficulty at any hour.

This was a single-stream adjournment contribution with no parallel comms activity on record for the same period.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

HansardADJOURNMENTSen Dean SmithTuesday 23 June 2026