Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

'Not pretty but pretty effective'—this statement will always be attributed to Ron Boswell. Today I dedicate my speech to the late former senator Ron Boswell AO. Ron passed away peacefully in his sleep on 6 January this year. On that day, the country lost an incredible Australian and I lost a mentor and dear friend.

Ron was the sixth longest serving senator in Australia's history, serving the state of Queensland for 31 years, three months and 26 days. He was elected to the Senate for Queensland in 1983 and then re-elected in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1996, 2001 and 2007. Ron then retired, with the expiration of his term in 2014.

Ron always backed the little guy. Whether it was backing the local fishermen, farmers or families, his loyalty to these people never wavered. I would often joke that Ron was a political addict. He would ring me many times during parliamentary sittings. If he couldn't get a hold of me, he'd ring my Canberra office or my Gladstone office, asking my staff to ring him back immediately.

Ron played a significant role in shaping national debates on agriculture, forestry, resources and energy, always grounded in practical experience and common sense. For instance, Ron was one of the most ardent critics of net zero by 2050. In November last year, Ron wrote an article for the Australian Financial Review which included the following quote:

The decision to drop net zero by 2050 is an easy one. It's easy because persisting with net zero by 2050 involves deliberate deception of the Australian people. Global net zero by 2050 is not going to happen. It's as dead as the blue Norwegian parrot in the Monty Python sketch.

This is a fine example of Ron's no-fluff, commonsense approach.

My thoughts are with Ron's daughter, Cathy, and his grandchildren. Ron is now reunited with his loving wife, Leita, and his son, Stephen. Vale, Ron Boswell. Thank you for your friendship and your mentorship over the years.

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