Robert Hill's departure is a huge loss for the Government.
His resignation from the Senate will end 25 years of parliamentary service to the people of South Australia and to the Liberal Party.
By any yardstick his has been a distinguished and highly successful political career.
On behalf of myself and all of my coalition colleagues and, I know, the broader Liberal family I place on record our gratitude to Robert for all that he has done and achieved since entering the Senate in 1981.
He has been a fine Defence Minister, was an innovative and skilful Minister for the Environment and has ably led the Government in the Senate for the whole of the time that it has been in office.
Throughout almost all of that time, the Government lacked a Senate majority. That the Government secured passage of so much of its legislation, despite not having the numbers, speaks volumes for Senator Hill's leadership skills and negotiating style.
Robert Hill has been a close and valued colleague. He always enjoyed my full trust and I regularly sought his counsel on the difficult issues inevitably faced by a Government over nearly a decade in office.
Our close working relationship contributed significantly to the internal cohesion of the Government. The fact that on occasions we brought different perspectives to issues served to strengthen the relationship.
I pay special tribute to his work as Minister for Defence. He successfully brought to this position total dedication and a thoughtful appreciation of the evolving responsibilities of the Australian Defence Force through a time of both great change and very significant challenges.
His tenure covered a time of intense activity for the ADF including military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He oversaw major decisions to strengthen the Army and reequip the Navy and the Air Force.
For myself and my wife Janette I wish Robert Hill, his wife Diana and their family good health and good fortune for the future.