Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

History will show that Malcolm Fraser was a friend of Tasmania. This week in the Tasmanian state parliament both Premier Hodgman and Minister for State Growth Matthew Groom expressed their fond memories of their fathers, who had both served as ministers under the man who they described as a political giant.

Will Hodgman's father, Michael, and Matthew's father, Ray, served as ministers under Malcolm Fraser before going on to successful state political careers. Ray Groom, of course, became Tasmanian Premier. Mr Fraser had a soft spot for Tasmania, where he enjoyed his fly fishing. He was very skilled in that area and appreciated the quality of the trout fishing in Tasmania's lakes and rivers, which he regarded as some of the very best in the world for the sport he loved. He and his wife, Tamie, maintained a fishing shack in the Central Highlands, in my electorate, for many years, where they both indulged their fly-fishing passions.

I note the comments this week of Senator Abetz about how Malcolm Fraser, soon after he became Prime Minister, recognised the need for the special treatment of Tasmania to take into account the Tasmanian freight travelling interstate. If nothing else, this is one of Malcolm Fraser's truly great legacies. In recent weeks Prime Minister Abbott has added to that legacy that the Liberal Party has in respect of the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme. It should never be ignored that it was Malcolm Fraser who introduced that scheme in the first instance, in 1976. I am sure that he would be very, very delighted with Prime Minister Abbott's recent announcement of the extra money for northbound export freight that will be included within the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme. This is our Hume Highway; this is our Pacific Highway.

In 1980, Malcolm Fraser established the Australian Maritime College at Launceston as a world-class centre for maritime studies and expertise. The legacy of that far-sighted investment is still paying dividends today, as students from all around the world come to my state to study at the Australian Maritime College. As well, in 1981 Malcolm Fraser moved the Australian Antarctic Division from Melbourne, where it was at the time, to Kingston in southern Tasmania, and expanded it, recognising Tasmania's strong scientific and practical links with Antarctica and Macquarie Island. This was, again, a very far sighted decision that has played to one of our state's natural geographic strengths. Clearly, the investment that has continued to be made in the area of Antarctic research spreads the value of that investment right across Tasmania to this day.

As Premier Hodgman said, Malcolm Fraser, who was a family friend of his father's at the time Fraser was Prime Minister, gave Australia a strong sense of direction. That was true also of the state of Tasmania. Ray Groom remembered Malcolm Fraser as a formal person who was fundamentally shy but a great Australian—a statesman who might not have operated so well with the repetition that is sometimes demanded in the roles that we play in the business today, with the way the media covers the business that we are involved in. The former farmer was a thinking person who always had firm views, which he expressed forthrightly up to this death. His farming background meant that he had a great understanding of rural and regional Australia and, as I have highlighted, particularly Tasmania.

One of my predecessors in the federal seat of what was Wilmot, which became the federal seat of Lyons, Max Burr, said that his favourite memory of Malcolm Fraser occurred at a 50th birthday party at Old Parliament House. He said that Michael Hodgman, who was the member for Denison at the time, wrote a song to the tune of Jesus Loves Methe lyrics are 'Jesus loves me, this I know'—but his was entitled Malcolm Loves Me. There were about four verses to the song, which finished with, 'Backbenchers, to him we belong, because we are weak but he is strong.' The parliament, class of 1975—

Debate interrupted.

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