Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching died suddenly in the Melbourne on Thursday. She was 52.
The senator, who was fully vaccinated, suffered a suspected heart attack according to reports.
Anthony Albanese, The federal opposition leader said on Thursday night: “The Labor family is in shock tonight at the tragic news that our friend and colleague senator Kimberley Kitching has died suddenly in Melbourne. My sincere condolences to her family. Kimberley will be missed by us all.”
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The Guardian reports: The prime minister, Scott Morrison, also offered his condolences, describing Kitching’s death as “a deep and terrible shock”.
Morrison paid tribute to Kitching as “a serious parliamentarian who had a deep interest in Australia’s national security”.
“She demonstrated that her passion for her country was always greater than any partisan view. She clearly loved her country and it genuinely showed,” Morrison said in a statement.
“Senator Kitching was a practising Catholic and we witnessed her authentic faith in the life of the parliament. She followed her conscience and was fearless and I admired that.”
Kitching, a Victorian senator since 2016, was one of the driving forces for Australia to adopt Magnitsky-style laws allowing the country to introduce targeted sanctions against foreign officials. She celebrated the passage of those laws late last year.
Bill Shorten, the former Labor leader and a close friend of the senator, said in a statement: “With a desolate heart I share the news that Kimberley Kitching has passed away.
“Kimberley suffered a heart problem Thursday evening in Melbourne and passed soon after,” he said.
Shorten said her death was “an immense loss to Labor and the nation”.
Last year Kitching posted a picture to her social media accounts showing her receiving her second covid jab. She wrote:
I feel so lucky to be fully vaccinated from corona virus as of today. Please go and get it done, for your health and peace of mind, for your loved ones and your country.”
