‘He has found the peace that eluded him’: Hundreds farewell MP Jimmy Sullivan

Until his unexpected death this month, Jimmy Sullivan had been the state member for Stafford for the past six years, holding the north Brisbane seat his father, Terry, once represented for Labor.

But for Jimmy’s younger brother, Daniel, the MP was a man he loved and looked up to, a man in his 40s who was filled with enthusiasm, a fierce competitive streak, had a keen intelligence, and “pretty questionable dance moves”.

Hundreds of mourners joined to pay tribute to Sullivan at Little Flower Church in Kedron on Wednesday morning, next to his former high school, Padua College, where he was captain, played sport and was on the debating team.

Daniel said Jimmy had three sides: as a son, brother, nephew, cousin, friend and teammate; and as a man filled with compassion and drive to serve his community. But he was also a man battling his demons.

“And it would be wrong to gloss over, to ignore this version of Jimmy today,” Daniel said.

“Jimmy three is the reason we’re doing this today, 40 years too early.

“So, today, we lay all versions of Jimmy to rest, and we know that he has found the peace that eluded him in the final years of his life.

“And we can take comfort in the knowledge that his death does not define his life, and we will treasure the loving and joyful memories that we shared with him on his journey.”

Jimmy’s friend, Jakub Lodziak, said he didn’t recall anything noteworthy happening in his life without Jimmy by his side.

Lodziak described his friend as diligent, responsible, trustworthy, empathetic, collaborative, humble, warm, and a confident advocate.

If something was important to you, it was important to Jimmy, Lodziak said.

“What everyone would always lead with when they spoke about Jimmy was how nice he was,” he said.

“Teenagers, particularly in high school, can sometimes be unkind – Jimmy was the antidote to that.”

But not only was he adept at bringing people together, he was also great fun and a seasoned karaoke performer, Lodziak said.

“[He] was able to convince even the shyest attendee to sing some Powderfinger, Dolly Parton, INXS or Johnny Cash with him,” he said.

Lodziak said Jimmy’s face would light up with a huge smile when he greeted a friend.

“I’m sure there were times we shook hands – I don’t actually recall ever shaking his hand, he had a hug for every occasion,” his friend said, choking back emotion.

Lodziak also shared Jimmy’s humour, describing how he had once chosen a biscuit with orange cream from a packet of assorted creams.

Jimmy “logged it” and then started arriving at his friend’s home with packets of assorted creams.

“But when I would pull the tray out, only the orange biscuits were in there,” Lodziak said.

“He would claim that he’d just been at a function where the whole selection had been on the table, but the orange ones ended up being all that was left behind.”

His father, Terry, told the hundreds of people gathered at the church and watching on a livestream, they could be tempted, in a time of terrible loss and sorrow, to dwell on what they could have done.

Instead, he encouraged them to remember the best of times.

“And through these 44 years, there are many such times,” Terry said.

“Jimmy, I love you, go gently, my son, to your place of rest.”

During the Franciscan Catholic service, symbols were placed on the coffin, including family photos, a Padua senior jersey, ALP and AWU insignia, sports memorabilia, and a copy of his first speech to parliament.

The service was attended by many members of the Labor caucus, including Opposition Leader Steven Miles, Cameron Dick, Bart Mellish, Meaghan Scanlon, Mark Bailey, Shannon Fentiman and Stirling Hinchliffe. Federal Labor MP Julie-Ann Campbell and Greens MP Michael Berkman also attended.

Sullivan took leave from parliament after an incident at his home on October 27, 2024, the evening that Labor, led by Miles, lost the state election to the LNP.

He moved to the crossbench in May 2025, after he was expelled from Labor, and he continued to struggle with personal issues.

Sullivan was also a former judge’s associate in the District Court of Queensland, working across government and law in Brisbane, Canberra, and in the office of a Democratic US senator.

He was chief of staff to former attorney-general Yvette D’Ath before his election to parliament.

Sullivan was found on April 9, with police treating his death as non-suspicious.

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