Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

In her very good book of 2020, John McEwan: right man, right place, right time, Senator Bridget McKenzie interviewed the late, great Peter Nixon. Trade is an important thing at the moment. We're often talking about the need to boost trade and increase our trading relations with other countries. In the interview that Senator McKenzie did in her book, she referred to Mr Nixon in several pages, because they formed such a good relationship—Black Jack and Mr Nixon. She interviewed him:

… former Country Party minister Mr Nixon says that history has misremembered McEwen's trade philosophy. "McEwen was wise enough to know, and he would have changed as the world changed," Nixon says on tariffs. "It's something people never understand. He was far sighted. He'd look ahead to see what the storms were and he'd be ready to meet them."

Peter Nixon and Black Jack McEwen, the former Country Party leader, had a great affinity. They understood, as the trade storms swirled around the world, the importance of Australia as a trading nation and as a trading partner and what we needed to do more of in this regard.

Furthermore, in her book, it says:

What did McEwen try to protect Australia's infant industry from? "What's been lost in the debate is dumping," Peter Nixon explains, "A hell of a lot of countries in those days were over-manufacturing and dumping. We were always within the world trade rule with our operations."

And it's a very compelling insight, this particular book, into what was going on at the time. What it spelled out was the fact that the likes of Peter Nixon and John McEwen—we as a nation were playing within the rules. We were trying to increase our trade. We were doing as good Country Party or National Party members do, and that was protecting the interests of our farmers. Mr Nixon was no different in that regard.

Here's another really interesting quote, because it relates very much to how we're faring now with the tariffs being imposed by the United States. The book says:

As Nixon recalled:

He (McEwen) believed that the tariffs granted were too high. What used to happen, a company would be given tariff protection and then the unions would squeeze the company for higher wages. What people don't understand is that when the war finished …

We're referring to the Second World War, here. It goes on:

… we had migrants pouring into the country that had to be employed. There was a hell of a strong trade union movement in those days. In those days, anybody who worked anywhere was a trade unionist. And so, we had a high wage level compared to our competitors internationally …

The more things change, the more they stay the same! It goes on:

Tariffs were the answer. And sometimes the unions would strike for a wage rise and that was granted by the wage body at the time and that would put the damn industry at risk.

Again, from the more things change, the more they stay the same. What we saw with Peter Nixon, Doug Anthony and Ian Sinclair were people who Mr McEwan could look to as people who would very much take the Country Party forward. He mentored them. He supported the Liberal Party. They formed the coalition, which has been the best form of government, obviously, that could possibly be put in place.

But rest assured the Hon. Peter James Nixon AO was an amazing contributor to public life, to the life of this parliament, to the growth of the Country Party—now the National Party—and to cabinet processes. He had a number of ministerial appointments, but, more than that, he never forgot the people in Gippsland, because that's where he was from and that's who he represented. Certainly, he wanted to make sure that the people of Orbost, where he grew up farming, and the people of the wider to Gippsland area were always first and foremost in any of his considerations. Yes, he played a big game on the national stage and on the international stage, working with the likes of Anthony and Sinclair and McEwen, those great names of the Country Party past, but he ensured that Gippsland was indeed always remembered and always advocated for. He was incredibly proud of the people he served and the region he represented.

He served as a federal government minister under five prime ministers in a 22-year political career. He passed away at the age of 97. But even after his long, distinguished and decorated political career, he continued to serve. I know that he was one of the movers and shakers in the Australian Football League. Football was one of his great passions. But more than that, there were so many other areas of endeavour that Peter Nixon put his mind to. We certainly mourn his loss. We certainly know that his family will greatly miss him. He lived a long life, but it was very much a productive life. He was very much still contributing right up to the very end.

We admire him. We respected him. We will miss him. Vale Peter Nixon, and sincere condolences to all your family and wide circle of friends.

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