MR PALLAS (Werribee—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations) (09:40):

I rise to pay tribute to Andrew Herington, who passed away unexpectedly on 24 April, aged 68.

I once described Andrew as the greatest ratbag that the labour movement had produced in a generation. He was a man of unparalleled work ethic, integrity and policy vision. It is not hyperbole to say that Andrew was a giant of the Victorian Labor Party, the genesis and the genius behind many of the landmark policies Labor has implemented over the past four decades.

In our great movement his healthy disrespect for conventional thinking and bureaucratic process added creative thought to policy platforms and filled policy gaps at lightning speed. Right up until the Friday before he passed away Andrew was still striving to make Victoria better and fairer, working with the commissioner for better regulation to improve our state’s planning system.

His legacy can be seen all around us—the ban on tobacco advertising, the Southern Cross station redevelopment, the Batman Avenue CityLink exit and stopping the east–west link, not once but twice. But his greatest legacy is in the lives he impacted, the colleagues he drove to be better, the young staff he mentored, the activists he inspired and the ministers he jousted with.

I will miss Andrew, and I offer my deepest condolences to his two daughters; his partner, Clarice, and her three children; and their 12 grandchildren. Andrew lived his life true to his values and put his talents to the best use. Go well, comrade, and thank you.