The Dalai Lama has joined scores of politicians, diplomats and union officials in bidding farewell to Kimberley Kitching at a memorial service for the late Labor senator.
Tibet’s highest spiritual leader sent a representative to Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral to pay his respects to the first-term Victorian senator and her family early on in the funeral service on Monday afternoon.
Senator Kitching’s family, friends and parliamentary colleagues from across the political spectrum filled the cathedral, where she had married husband Andrew Landeryou more than 20 years earlier.
“I pray for her and offer my condolences to you,” Karma Singey read out on behalf of the Dalai Lama.
“Kimberley Kitching was a steadfast supporter and a friend of the Tibetan people. With my prayers, yours sincerely, Dalai Lamaxjmtzyw.”
Senator Kitching met the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala in 2017 with a delegation of Australian politicians.
She died suddenly on March 10 after suffering a suspected heart attack. She was 52.
Her funeral is being live streamed and journalists were also invited to attend.
Senior Labor MPs and Morrison government frontbenchers arrived to mourn Senator Kitching, who has been remembered as a talented politician who was respected on both sides of politics.
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese sat side-by-side in the congregation.
Former education minister Alan Tudge and Defence Minister Peter Dutton arrived at the cathedral together to join a large group of conservative politicians in attendance including former prime minister Tony Abbott and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
The former lawyer and trade unionist was sworn in as a senator in 2016 after a career that included stints with the Victorian branch of the Labor Party and the Health Services Union.
Key figures in the Victorian union movement including John Setka were seated in the cathedral on Monday.
Also there was Senator Kitching’s political mentor Bill Shorten, who told Australians in an emotional interview that he had sat with her husband on the night of her death as they waited an undertaker to arrive.
The former Labor leader set off a tumultuous chain of events in that extraordinary radio interview with ABC Radio National the morning after his close friend and right faction ally died.
Mr Shorten said he thought the political stress Senator Kitching had been under in her last weeks may have contributed to her death.
The ensuing media storm over the circumstances leading up to Senator Kitching’s death has included reports that the first-term senator’s preselection was under threat amid a factional brawl.
Her supporters have come out publicly to say Senator Kitching believed she was being bullied and ostracised by some of her colleagues.
Anthony Albanese has stared down calls for an inquiry into the bullying claims, which namely involved Labor’s Senate leadership team — Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher.
The trio responded to the “hurtful statements” on Friday, saying the allegations of bullying were untrue and other assertions which had been made were “similarly inaccurate”.
“This has been a difficult time for the Labor family. Senator Kitching’s tragic death has been a shock to us all. People are grieving and hurting,” the senators said in a statement.
“Our priority at this time has been Senator Kitching’s husband, Andrew, her family and her loved ones. Their grief is profound, their loss immeasurable.”
Labor frontbencher Mark Butler said the day of Senator Kitching’s funeral was not the time to address claims of bullying within the party and should instead be about celebrating her life.
“Today of all days is not the day to go into a number of the claims being made and things being said over recent days,” he told the ABC.
“Today is a day for the people who knew Kimberley to get around each other, hug each other and as I said celebrate an extraordinary life that was ended far too early.”
