Tributes are flowing for Labor MP Duncan Pegg who has died of cancer weeks after urging colleagues to listen to terminally ill Queenslanders before deciding on right-to-die laws.
The state MP for Stretton is being remembered as a gentleman of politics who won friends on both sides and a tireless champion for his community who even learned Mandarin so he could better communicate with his constituents.
He died after an 18-month battle with cancer and just seven weeks after he told parliament he was resigning. He would have turned 41 later this month.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the death of her friend and colleague, saying he'd fought the disease with bravery and grace.
"Duncan's work in the parliament earned respect across the political divide. He showed politics could be a force for good. It was an honour to call him my friend," she said in a statement.
She said his loss would be felt acutely in his multicultural electorate on Brisbane's southside.
"He was the common thread that united so many groups in his community. He loved them. And they loved him."
Mr Pegg was first elected in January 2015, after a campaign launched by then federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten.
"A wonderful man and politician who has left us too soon," Mr Shorten tweeted on Thursday. "I held him in the highest esteem. What a tragedy."
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd also campaigned for Mr Pegg and visited him in hospital last week, when they spoke at length about his life in politics.
"As a young activist, Duncan joined my team in the federal seat of Griffith to help defend fairness and multiculturalism against the rising forces of injustice and Hansonism," Mr Rudd said on Thursday.
"Even when Duncan was in the fight of his life against cancer, he poured every ounce of available strength into fighting for his community. It's not hard to find someone in Stretton whose life was personally improved by Duncan's advocacy."
Mr Rudd said his death at such a young age was a profound loss.
In his last major address to parliament in late April, Mr Pegg made it clear he would not win his cancer battle.
He used that speech to urge colleagues to seek the views of terminally ill people before deciding if they would back assisted dying laws in Queensland.
"Let's be very clear, people with terminal illnesses don't want to die, they want to live. They fight to live every day. I personally fight to live every day," he told them.
"However, if you are diagnosed terminal then ultimately you are going to face death. People with terminal illnesses won't have an option.
"I will not tell members how to vote your conscience, but before making a decision I encourage every MP in this place to make sure they speak to and listen to people with terminal illnesses and their families."
Queensland parliament will vote on legalising euthanasia for terminally ill people in September.
Mr Pegg was awarded the Queensland Public Service Award from the Queensland Intercultural Society for his community work in 2017. Before being elected, he worked as a lawyer with a focus on employment and insurance law.
Those who want to pay tribute to the MP have been asked not to send flowers and instead make a donation to the Cancer Council Queensland.
Australian Associated Press
