Thursday, 15 August 2024

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (10:02): I would like to put on record the Nationals’ condolences for those who we are mourning today in this house but specifically speak to Inga Peulich. She was a force of nature. The first time I came and sat in here in 2015, she wandered in with her handbag, plonked it down and then went forth into the debate. It was something that was so good to see. She was an inspiration. She was well versed in her subject matter. If English was her second language, you did not know it because she adored the debate, the contest of ideas and the picking out of the issues that she felt were real and relevant to her and her community. But she also cherished the fact that she had come to Australia and our Australian values and our freedom and our democracy. These were things that really impressed on me, as a new MP, her will. I too was very saddened to learn of her death in the news, and I think we should learn from her and cherish the good things that are in Australia and fight to keep our democracy whole and rigorous and push away socialist and communist ideals from this house and from this country. I have two sons and she had one, and I remember swapping photos and discussions about our love of our sons. To her family I do say vale.