Bob Hawke has been honoured at Parliament House, with politicians across the political divide dedicating the day to the much-loved Labor prime minister.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As the anecdotes flowed on Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a new annual scholarship to commemorate Mr Hawke.
Mr Morrison pledged $5 million for the General Sir John Monash Foundation to create the new grant - the Bob Hawke John Monash scholarship.
It will provide support for Australians with great leadership potential to study overseas for post-graduate qualifications in any field and at any university, for up to three years.
The prime minister thanked Mr Hawke for his remarkable service to Australia.
"There was a great romance that played itself out in every part of this land with Bob Hawke," he told the chamber.
"They knew each other, he and the Australian people.
"They forgave each other. They understood each other's virtues, and they identified with each other's weaknesses. In Bob Hawke's own words, it was a 'love affair', and indeed, it was."
Just weeks after speaking at a state memorial service for Mr Hawke, Labor leader Anthony Albanese shared heartfelt gratitude for his "generous mentor and friend".
"He was at once our leader and our cheerleader," he said.
"He was ahead of us calling us on, and yet, somehow, he was also walking alongside us, and for good measure, giving us an encouraging push from behind.
"Bob was hardly a stranger to ambition, but his ambition embraced the rest of us."
Both chambers of parliament spent the day remembering Mr Hawke before adjourning as a mark of respect following his death in May at the age of 89.
Mr Hawke's grand-daughter Sophie Taylor-Price was in the chamber on Wednesday morning and expressed her gratitude to the day of tribute.
"Thank you to both parties for the beautiful condolence motion today for my grandfather," she wrote on Twitter.
"(To Mr Morrison, Mr Albanese and Labor deputy leader Richard Marles) thank-you for all your generous and kind words and bringing a tear to my eye."
Former Labor leader Bill Shorten, who earlier spent a quiet moment reflecting on Mr Hawke's portrait at Parliament House, addressed the chamber for the first time since the election, saying he never lost the sense of wonder he felt when turning to his hero for advice.
"It's amongst the great privileges of my life that not only did I get to meet my hero, I had the honour of knowing him as a friend and learning from him as a mentor," he said.
Senators also paid their respects to Mr Hawke, with government Senate leader Mathias Cormann saying the former leader's life was filled with "love for his country that burned brightly and was returned by his fellow Australians."
Regular business resumes on Thursday, following the tradition of devoting the entire day to condolence speeches upon the death of a prime minister.
He was Australia's prime minister between 1983 and 1991, leading Labor to four election victories before being replaced as leader by Paul Keating.
Australian Associated Press
