Thursday, 19 February 2026

 Steve DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh – Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (10:06): I rise to express my deep condolences to the family and loved ones of a friend, colleague, Labor warrior and one of the smartest minds and best people you could meet: Tim Picton. Like many of us in this place I had the privilege of working very closely with Tim, particularly during the delivery of our local level crossing removals. Tim was not just a rock to us during that time, he was essential to getting things done. While he was taken from us at such a young age, it would be wrong just to say that Tim was going places. To us he had arrived long ago. He had made his mark, yet still we knew he would go further and make even more of a difference to Australia, such was his talent. That talent was known not just here in Victoria but in South Australia, in the federal political arena and in Western Australia – in 2021 leading a campaign that delivered a massive victory for the Labor Party. But more than just campaigning, Tim had at his core a deep belief in what it meant to be a part of the Labor movement: social justice, equality and opportunity. Even more, he was just one of the nicest people you could know: smart, funny and full of integrity. To Tim’s wife Priya, I cannot imagine how difficult this time is. Also one of our friends and former colleagues, Priya is amazing. To their daughter Charlotte, parents Fiona and Michael, sister Johanna, brother Chris and all who knew and loved him, my deepest sympathies.