Kimberley Kitching’s husband has used his eulogy for the late Labor senator to say she should have been treated better during her time in politics.
Speaking at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday afternoon, Andrew Landeryou said his wife’s life had been “tragically cut short”.
“I’m angry I failed to persuade her to slow down,” he said.
Senator Kitching died suddenly onxjmtzyw March 10 after suffering a suspected heart attack. She was 52.
Mr Landeryou told the congregation on Monday he wouldn’t blame any one person or particular meeting or “campaign” for the circumstances leading up to his wife’s death.
“Her friends and ferociously loyal staff are angry about how she was treated,” Mr Landeryou said.
“There is a lot I could say about the unpleasantness of a cantankerous cabal – not all of them in parliament – that was aimed at Kimba. She deserved so very much better.”
In the wake of Senator Kitching’s death, her supporters have come out publicly to detail her belief she had been bullied and ostracised by some of her colleagues, saying they believe the alleged mistreatment had contributed to her stress levels before her death.
Speaking in the church where they had married some 20 years earlier, Mr Landeryou acknowledged Senator Kitching’s colleagues, family members and “old foes” in attendance at her funeral.
“Politics can be, maybe even has to be, fickle. But Kimberley was not,” he said.
Her father William Kitching’s eulogy followed, in which he told congregation about the early life of a clever girl who made many friends and excelled at school where she loved learning languages.
He wept as he described his daughter’s strong belief in the value of human rights.
“Kimberley believed each human life had worth and individuality,” he said.
“Public opinion indicates she did make a difference. And today we honour Kim’s good life”.
Senator Kitching, a 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.
Her family and friends were joined on Monday by an eclectic mix of MPs, union officials and powerbrokers from across the political spectrum to mourn a senator who was respected on both sides of politics.
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.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese sat side-by-side in the congregation.
Senator Kitching’s political mentor Bill Shorten, who spoke at the service, set off a tumultuous chain of events in an extraordinary interview with the ABC the morning after his close friend and right factional ally died.
The former Labor leader said at the time 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 detailed the bullying allegations and included reports that the first-term senator’s preselection was under threat amid a factional brawl.
In his own eulogy on Monday afternoon, Mr Shorten said his friend would have been dedicated to seeing Labor form government at the upcoming federal election.
“This is not a political speech and with the greatest respect to her true friends across the political aisle, I believe Kimberley would want everyone in her Labor family to channel their grief, gather their strength and move onwards from here together in the pursuit of that goal,” he said.
Anthony Albanese has stared down calls for an inquiry into claims of bullying, 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 they had bullied Senator Kitching were untrue and other assertions which had been made were “similarly inaccurate”.
Senator Kitching’s funeral service was livestreamed and journalists were also invited to attend.
