Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the passing of John Owen Stone AO on 17 July 2025;

(2) notes his extensive contribution to public life, including his service as Secretary to the Treasury, and as a Senator for Queensland;

(3) recognises his role in shaping policy and contributing to the national debate on issues from national economic policy and industrial relations to federalism; and

(4) extends its sincere condolences to his family and pays tribute to his lifelong dedication to the Australian people.

I acknowledge the contributions that will be made by the members for Wide Bay, Bean and Riverina. John Stone was an Australian original, the sort of person our country is fortunate to produce from time to time. Born in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, John was educated at Perth Modern School alongside Bob Hawke and then at the University of Western Australia, where he beat Hawke to become the president of the SRC. John became the 1951 Rhodes scholar for Western Australia and represented his state in hockey. He took out a PPE at Oxford and married Nancy Hardwick, his fellow Western Australian student, the following day. They would be married for 70 years.

As an economist, John joined the Commonwealth Treasury in 1954 and rose through the ranks, serving periods in London and Washington, DC, before returning to Canberra. He became Secretary of the Treasury in 1979, a position he held until his resignation in 1984. John's tenure as Secretary of the Treasury also left a lasting mark. He was at the centre of debates about economic policy when, as now, Australia was grappling with inflation, productivity and the direction of financial markets. His voice helped shape the public conversation about economic reform for nearly 70 years. From there, John entered political life, serving as a National Party senator for Queensland between 1987 and 1990 and as the leader of the National Party in the Senate for the duration of his service. He was also shadow finance minister from 1987 to 1989.

After parliament, John became a much-sought-after company director. I'm too young to remember John's career in the Public Service or the parliament, but I remember first seeing him on television in the early nineties on a program called The Last Shout, hosted by Barrie Cassidy, where John would do battle with some noted leftists—usually Anne Summers, Ros Kelly or Malcolm McGregor. John put his point forcefully, logically and with all the facts at his fingertips. Here was an example of a true lion in debate. He was trenchant, clear, courageous and always entertaining. His crisp language and distinctive intonation made his contributions crisp, compelling and memorable. They were also highly amusing. This was also true of his written contributions in the Australian, the Financial Review and Quadrant.

I came to know John personally through his intellectual and organisational leadership of the great institutions of conservative thought in Australia. He was a thought leader at the Institute of Public Affairs in the 1980s and 1990s. With the late Sir Harry Gibbs, he co-founded the Samuel Griffith Society, devoted to defending the Australian Constitution, especially from a federalist perspective, and John was an early supporter of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. John quoted de Tocqueville in describing these groups as launched to advance some truth and foster some feeling about the great questions of our time.

The annual meetings of the Samuel Griffith Society under John's leadership became a highlight of my year. They were gatherings of patriots, political leaders, lawyers, judges, academics and Australians from all walks of life interested in our Constitution, its history and ideas about public policy. Although the society was largely conservative, John always insisted on debate. He encouraged speakers from different perspectives because he relished arguments. As Nancy once said to me, 'Debate is the stuff of the Stone household,' and so it was with the Samuel Griffith Society. Some of the most important reflections on Australian public life in the last 50 years were delivered under his leadership: Sir Garfield Barwick on the rule of law, Sir Paul Hasluck on the role of the governor-general, and important critiques of the 1999 republic model and a bill of rights, among other issues. These were not just papers; they often shaped the public debate.

Some of my fondest memories of John Stone are of standing at the bar at Samuel Griffith conferences late into the night discussing issues over a few cold beers, just as John did in his Canberra days with public servants and members of the press gallery. Another highlight of any conference came when John himself would rise to the conference floor to make a point or critique and argument with which he disagreed. He attacked arguments with volcanic force, not to wound but to rebut with passion, because that's how John held his convictions. As one of his children said at his funeral, John didn't care if he hurt feelings; he cared about the integrity of the argument. Nancy held convictions strongly too, but she would temper some of John's rougher edges.

Some felt John could be harsh. I never found him so—quite the opposite. John and Nancy were extraordinarily generous to me. I was honoured when John asked me to succeed him as the conference convener of the Samuel Griffith Society, and before I entered parliament, when I wanted to understand the federal budget, it was John who sat me down over several weeks and explained to me the way the budget was put together, why debt was a problem and where to find the key information I was looking for. This was invaluable to someone without an economics background. Joanna and I were privileged to enjoy John and Nancy's hospitality, with sparkling lunches and superb conversation. The fact that he and Nancy raised five remarkable children is further testament to the lives they built together. As it so happens, earlier today the children gathered to scatter John and Nancy Stone's ashes at Wyalkatchem in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, where both John and Nancy grew up. John Stone was a remarkable Australian. May his memory be a blessing.

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