Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching farewelled at St Patrick’s Cathedral
Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching’s husband has told a packed funeral service in Melbourne that she endured “internal hostility” to fight for her beliefs in Canberra.
Victoria
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Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching was hurt by a “cantankerous cabal” in her party and “deserved so very much better” before her sudden death, her grieving husband says.
In a powerful eulogy before hundreds of mourners, Andrew Landeryou said the 52-year-old was “living her best life” as a senator before she died of a suspected heart attack on March 10.
But he said she endured “internal hostility” to fight for her beliefs in Canberra, including standing up for human rights and challenging the Chinese Communist Party’s power, and her staff and friends were “angry about how she was treated”.
“They know what they saw with their own eyes,” Mr Landeryou said.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese and his Senate leadership team of Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher — who Senator Kitching privately described as “mean girls” prior to her death — were among the crowd gathered for her funeral at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday.
They were also addressed by former Labor leader Bill Shorten, one of Senator Kitching’s closest friends who praised her “great Labor heart beating in overdrive” and remembered her “recipe for a good life”: to have “no fear, malice or jealousy”.
Mr Shorten issued a call for unity in the Labor Party after a difficult week in which Mr Albanese rejected calls from her allies and friends for an inquiry into her treatment, and Senator Wong and her colleagues denied bullying allegations made against them.
“I know if she were here with us still, all her energy and activism and enthusiasm and the powerful force of her personality would have been dedicated to a Labor victory in May,” Mr Shorten said.
“This is not a political speech and with the greatest respect to her true friends across the political aisle ... I believe Kimberley would want everyone in her Labor family to channel their grief, gather their strength and move onwards from here together in the pursuit of that goal.”
Former prime minister Tony Abbott, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, Defence Minister Peter Dutton and deputy federal Labor leader Richard Marles were also among the crowd of mourners which featured dozens of state and federal MPs, union leaders and foreign dignitaries.
Speaking publicly for the first time since her death, Mr Landeryou said it was “rather bizarre and horrifying” that some in politics questioned his wife’s Labor loyalty because of her beliefs.
“Kimberley’s political and moral judgement was vastly superior to the small number who opposed her internally,” he said.
“There’s a lot I could say about the unpleasantness of a cantankerous cabal — not all of them in parliament — that was aimed at Kimba. The intensity of it did baffle and hurt her. I hope it’s sufficient to say she deserved so very much better.”
“Despite the harshness of some of it, truth be told what I saw was that Kimba had a deep love of her time in the Senate ... She was perfect for the Senate, and it was perfect for her.”
Mr Landeryou said he would not “give lectures about being nice in politics”, and that he was ultimately angry with himself because he “failed and failed again to persuade her to slow down” and “didn’t protect her from menace, and I fear I attracted some”.
Describing her as “unafraid of all foes”, he said Senator Kitching wanted to become the minister for defence or foreign affairs “when the time was right, and she rightly believed that the times suited her”.
“I am so proud that Kimberley was a shining beacon of what should and could be in our public life,” Mr Landeryou said.
Her father William described her as a “positive advertisement for her country” ever since their family lived overseas during her childhood, recalling her “1000-watt smile” and her ardent belief in human rights.
“Kimberley greatly loved this country that nurtured her, and those who served to protect it,” Mr Kitching said.
He said he hoped the “almost paralysing grief” over her death would soon be replaced by joyful memories of a woman defined by her faith, love, loyalty, generosity, humour, charm and strength of character.
A message was also read out on behalf of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who shared his prayers for Senator Kitching’s loved ones and described her as a “steadfast supporter and friend of the Tibetan people”.
The hundreds of mourners included several people Senator Kitching helped rescue from Afghanistan when the Taliban reclaimed power last year.
Mr Shorten shared the story of Roya, an ethnic Hazara who was caught outside Kabul Airport. Senator Kitching had her take a picture of herself in a yellow scarf — which Roya was wearing as a tribute on Monday — and sent it to an Australian soldier to find her.
“Only Kimberley could combine good works, international intrigue and fashion sense in such a way,” he said.
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