Senator Ayres (New South Wales—Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) (13:59): I was very sorry to hear of the death of a wonderful trade unionist and champion of workers from country New South Wales, Geoff Lawler, on Saturday 8 July 2023.

He was born in the Hunter Valley in 1950, and he worked tirelessly in country New South Wales for decades. A carpenter by trade, he was elected by his workmates as a delegate to the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia.

He played a leading role among union officials in the Riverina—a group that I was very privileged to be a part of. An official of the old Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union of Australia, now the United Workers Union, he was a very decent person.

He'll be very sadly missed, and I want to pass on my condolences to his wife, Yvonne, and children, Scott, Justine and Steven.