Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Labor opposition, I would like to support the motion of condolence moved by Senator Minchin following the death last week of Sir Harold Young. I send our sincere condolences to his family and friends at this time and I recognise his service to the Senate. I did not know Sir Harold, and I am pleased that Senator Minchin had a personal relationship with him because I think on these occasions it is much easier to speak if you actually knew the person on a personal level. But it is clear Sir Harold had a very distinguished career representing the Liberal Party and South Australia.

Sir Harold was born in Port Broughton in 1923 and educated at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. He was a well-known wheat farmer and grazier, and prior to entering parliament was obviously involved in a number of industry bodies. He was vice-president of the South Australian division of the Farmers and Graziers Association and a member of the Australian Wool Industry Conference, the Wheat Research Committee for South Australia and the exporters overseas transport committee. Sir Harold enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy in 1942 and served until 1946. He was a councillor for the Bunbury Municipal Council from 1954 to 1956.

Sir Harold was elected to represent South Australia in the Senate in 1967, for a term which commenced commencing in July 1968. He was subsequently re-elected in 1974, 1975 and 1977. He served on a number of committees during his 15 years of parliamentary service. These included the industry and trade legislative and general purpose committee for five years from 1970 to 1975 and the Senate Select Committee on Offshore Petroleum Resources for three years, on which he served as chairman for part of that time. He served on a number of estimates committees, joint committees and Senate standing committees. He was a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and also served on the Joint Standing Committee on the New Parliament House, of which he was joint chair.

Sir Harold served as Government Whip in 1971 and 1972 and then Opposition Whip from 1972 to 1975. It is always a good grounding for a President to understand clearly the chamber and how the parties operate in the chamber. He became President of the Senate in 1981 and held that position until the end of his parliamentary career in 1983. I understand he was chosen for that office from a field of government senators at the time which included senators Reg Withers—alias the Toe Cutter—Donald Jessop and Neville Bonner. So it was clearly a very competitive field, and he must have had political skill as well as merit to win it. I have always thought that taking on Senator Reg Withers in a ballot was a very courageous act; to come out on top says a lot for the man. Senator Young’s time as President coincided with the coalition’s loss of control of the upper house, which the Fraser government had won at the election of 1975.

During his time as President, Senator Young came into conflict with the then Speaker of the House, Sir Billy Snedden, including a dispute they had over the appointment of a new Parliamentary Librarian. I understand there was also a fairly notable difference in 1982 over a report of two years earlier which recommended the merging of the Parliamentary Library, Hansard and the Joint House Department to form a new Department of Parliamentary Services—the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Early in 1982, Senator Young appointed the first woman to a position of attendant in the Senate saying that it was about time women overturned the traditionally male stronghold. That of course has been reinforced in recent years. Senator Young lost his Senate seat at the 1983 election. Speaking of Senator Young following the 1983 election, Senator Chipp, whose passing we remembered recently, said:

He was a great fighter for the Parliament and the Senate against the greedy clutches of the Executive.

We could do with him now. Other senators noted his long and determined service to his core constituency, the rural and farming community of South Australia. In 1983, Harold Young was knighted for services to the parliament. I understand from those I have spoken to that he was very well regarded across party lines in this place.

Sir Harold’s funeral is being held this afternoon at Norwood, and the President is representing all senators there. Once again we pass on our sincere condolences to Lady Young and the family and assure them of our best wishes on behalf of all senators.