‘No friend in me’: Keneally warns those who use Kimberley Kitching’s death for political gain

Labor senator Kristina Keneally has suggested anyone who uses Kimberley Kitching’s death for political gain will “find no friend in me” and instead urged her colleagues to channel their grief into winning the federal election.

And one of Senator Kitching’s close parliamentary friends, NSW Labor senator Deb O’Neill, has urged the party to seek “respectful disagreement rather than torrid taunting” between colleagues.

Labor senator Kristina Keneally has said anyone who uses Kimberley Kitching’s death for political gain will find “no friend in me”.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Senator Keneally, one of three Labor parliamentarians to jointly deny bullying allegations against the late senator, said in a tribute in Parliament this morning that “much had been said and written” about the stress Senator Kitching experienced during preselections.

“Some of what has been suggested, I have strongly responded to on the record outside this place,” Senator Keneally said, referring to a statement she made with Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher about mistreatment claims earlier this month.

“Today in this place I will treat her life and legacy, as I did prior to her tragic death, with deep respect for her intelligence and her capacity.”

She said Senator Kitching was “not manipulated by others in her career, her beliefs or her passions.”

“Those who use … the grief caused by her death to purposes other than honouring her life and her work will find no friend in me.”

Senator Penny Wong has given a condolence speech about the death of Senator Kimberley Kitching.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Labor senator Penny Wong said during her tribute she would not “return anger with anger” over the death of Kimberley Kitching.

Senator Wong, the opposition’s leader in the upper house, acknowledged talk surrounding Labor’s internal politics – in which she had also been mentioned – following claims Senator Kitching had been bullied and shunned in the lead-up to her death from a heart attack.

“Much has been said and written in the days since Senator Kitching’s passing,” Senator Wong said.

“Many are hurting and many are grieving. I understand that grief and loss can be so profound that it can provoke anger and blame ... I’ve made my views very clear outside this place about some of that misplaced anger and blame. I will not return anger with anger, or blame with blame.”

She said Senator Kitching “deserves her life and legacy to be celebrated and remembered”.

The third of the Labor colleagues Senator Kitching reportedly referred to as the “mean girls”, Katy Gallagher, told Parliament she had been reflecting on their relationship in the days since the Victorian’s death, and re-reading Senator Kitching’s old speeches.

Senator Keneally also urged her colleagues to channel their grief into winning the upcoming election, repeating the sentiments of former Labor leader Bill Shorten at Senator Kitching’s funeral.

“Securing a Labor government is the most fitting tribute to Kimberley’s life,” she said.

Senator O’Neill said the best way to remember her friend was through actions.

“We need to commit to a kinder, more harmonious place to work and to lead. We need to commit to agreement-making, seeking respectful disagreement rather than torrid taunting and brokenness,” she said.

“We all need to lift and rise in her honour. That is the commitment that I make. That is, I hope, the practical outcome of the loss of our great friend.”

Senator Kitching’s husband, Andrew Landeryou, was sitting in the Senate chamber as parliamentarians took turns to pay tribute. A single white rose sat on his wife’s desk.

His presence was acknowledged by Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, who said Mr Landeryou “spoke at Kimberley’s funeral with incredible strength, he traversed, in an open and courageous way the highs and lows of that relationship”.

He said it was “never easy to see those you love judged”, referring to Senator Kitching’s political career.

“Your angst at this reality in parts of Kimberley’s life is evident, but you should take heart in all that she achieved.”

Lower house Labor MPs in the Senate this morning include Deputy Leader Richard Marles, Mark Dreyfus, Tanya Plibersek and Madeleine King, among others.

Those to speak have included independent senator Rex Patrick, Greens senator Janet Rice, and the Nationals’ Bridget McKenzie.