Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews has joined other ALP members in signing a condolence in the State Parliaments commemorating Shimon Peres.
Andrews said: “The life and times of Shimon Peres can teach us all a lesson in the difference between politics and public service.
From the beginning, Peres understood that the foundation of Israel was not merely a political statement, but a powerfully human one: the act of an oppressed people wanting to live simply, soundly, and in peace. To the end, he remained faithful to it.
In his final years, he became Israel’s interpreter to the world – its poet laureate and its professor. His discipline was humanity. His method, grace. His message, peace. Let us hope that message continues to be the light unto the nation, its people, and its neighbours.
I offer my condolences to all those who knew and worked with Shimon Peres over the decades, and to his three children and family. My thoughts also go out to another type of family across Israel and the Diaspora: one that’s many millions strong.
May his memory be a blessing. “