'Deep loss': Queensland Labor stalwart Tim Mulherin farewelled
Queensland's former Labor deputy opposition leader, government minister and long-time Mackay MP Tim Mulherin has died at the age of 63.
After the death of his father in late 2014 and before the state election that swept his party back into government the following year, Mr Mulherin announced he was leaving politics and the role as then-opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk's right-hand-man.
Tim Mulherin (right) with then-opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk and Bundamba MP Jo-Ann Miller in 2015.Credit:Michelle Smith
He had served as the member for Mackay since 1995 and alongside Ms Palaszczuk since 2012. Under premiers Anna Bligh and Peter Beattie, Mr Mulherin held cabinet portfolios including Primary Industries and Fisheries, Rural and Regional Queensland, along with Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, Ms Palaszczuk paid tribute to her "good friend" and a "gentleman" who believed a stranger was "just a friend he hadn't met yet".
"Tim had a deep and abiding love for workers and their families," she said. "He fought for those families every day of his political life and long after."
Tim Mulherin has been remembered as a passionate advocate for his community.Credit:File
Ms Palaszczuk said she visited Mr Mulherin on her last trip to Mackay and offered her condolences to his wife, Erin, and sons Declan, Liam and Rory.
"His pride and love for them was boundless and on constant display," she said.
Mr Mulherin was the youngest of six children.
Tributes flowed from all corners throughout the morning, with the Brothers Cricket Club of Mackay farewelling their friend and long time supporter.
Jo Whitehead, chief executive of the Mackay Hospital and Health Service, where Mr Mulherin had served as board chair since 2016, said he had continued his duties "until the end".
Mr Mulherin's successor in the state electorate, Julieanne Gilbert, described him as a mentor and "politician with integrity".
"He garnered the respect of his colleagues and the Mackay community and all others who knew him," she wrote on social media.
Treasurer Cameron Dick said his colleague's passing was a "deep loss" for the party, the region, and many others across the state.
"The current face of Mackay was to a very large extent chiselled by the hands of Tim Mulherin," Mr Dick said.
"He made an enormous difference to his community, he loved his community greatly as well."