I have spoken in this place about listening to my parents' records in my early years. Olivia Newton-John's album was one of the very first that I bought by myself. In 1977 her greatest hits album was released and, at the age of about 14, it was not long before I owned it. I did not realise I was listening to a crossover of country and pop but I loved those songs. I still know most of the lyrics to 'Something better to do' and 'Sam' and 'Have you never been mellow' and 'I honestly love you'.

These were the songs of my teenage years and I can picture myself sitting in the sunroom of my Strathfield home singing away, sadly not nearly as tuneful as Olivia herself. And then, of course, a year later Grease was released, an eye-opener solidifying in my teenage brain that Olivia was an absolute hero and star. The thing about the songs of your teenage years are that they return to you at different times and at different points throughout your life. As I would spend hours on the road in the mid-1980s heading between Canberra and Sydney I would rotate through music new and old, and Olivia ended up on a cassette tape, one of those mix tape with my favourites. A three-hour-plus drive provides a lot of time to sing along. So my tribute to Olivia Newton-John is a huge thankyou. Thank you for being the soundtrack to heartbreak and joy, to homesickness and adventures.

It was not until I came to parliament, though, that I met Olivia in her role as an advocate for better support for cancer sufferers. She used her own experience and her own money to further that cause. She was a compelling campaigner and leaves a huge legacy for this work. From her young days to her later years she was always such a proud Australian, and I loved that she never lost her Aussie accent, even though she was an international star. She loved this country and we loved her. Rest in peace, Dame Olivia Newton-John AC DBE.