Mr Stuart Aubrey (Scarborough) (12:51 pm): Today I rise to acknowledge and thank the recently retired Senator Louise Pratt for her many years of service to Western Australia. She used her career and platform to fight for the health and inclusion of people everywhere, but particularly those whose stories are less heard or understood. Louise's years of fearless advocacy and leadership as an out LGBTQIA+ parliamentarian have left an indelible mark on the lives of many people, including myself. As a parliamentarian, she blazed a trail that many could follow, all while she endured some of the most vile and personal attacks, hurled both publicly and across the chamber floor under the shield of parliamentary privilege. Yet she stayed and served both in this Parliament as a member of the Legislative Council and as a senator for Western Australia. In doing so, she changed history for the better by improving the quality of life for many Western Australians, which is our job in this place. 

Recently, in her valedictory speech, she spoke of her time in this place, during which she was an integral part of leading the change to laws in 2001 that allowed greater access to IVF for Western Australians. At this time, these groundbreaking reforms made WA a leader in anti-discrimination and inclusion law. I know she will be incredibly proud of the legislation tabled this week that is designed to remove barriers for all those seeking to raise a loving family in Western Australia. When I reflect on this, I am reminded that when we are talking about surrogacy legislation, we are talking about families and giving hope to people like me that one day I may have my own. 

I will not attempt to recount every chapter of Louise Pratt's illustrious career, for it is long and there are many achievements. But I will say that when we speak of standing on the shoulders of giants, we speak of people like Louise. She is a reminder to us all that our job in this place is to engage with challenging ideas, perspectives and discussions, especially those of people whose lives and identities are unfamiliar to our own. In doing so, we embrace perspectives that provide transformative learning experiences. That is true leadership. Thank you, Senator Louise Pratt.