John Watson (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a close colleague of the former New South Wales Liberal Senator Misha Lajovic, I wish to be associated with this afternoon’s condolence motion. His passing marks the end of an era. The Senate does not have many accountants; Misha was one of them. Therefore, as accountants, we had a professional link. We also shared common membership of the Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit. But our friendship went far deeper than accounting or the JCPAA. He was the first non-Anglo-Saxon migrant in the Senate, where he served with great distinction for 10 years—from the 1975 double-dissolution election until 30 June 1985. A more loyal senator you could not find.

The senator was proud of the opportunities given to him in Australia, but he never forgot Slovenia, the land of his birth, or the troubles of the former Yugoslavia. He spoke often and passionately about the evils of totalitarianism. He urged our party to embrace migrants politically and he warned, even in those days, that failure to do so would make the party irrelevant.

Misha was a modest and a humble man. His first two years were as a labourer in Australia. In his maiden speech, he described his electoral success as one of the proudest moments of his life. And he described Australia as a country of a fair go, a fair go for anyone regardless of origin—a country which millions of migrants like himself had adopted as their home and the home of their children and their children’s children. He suffered under communism and, not surprisingly, when an opportunity offered itself, he sought refuge in Australia.

He had a delightful European sense of humour which, in the words of the late Don Chipp, enchanted us all. Former Senator Chaney, previously a leader of our party, spoke fondly of Senator Lajovic. In fact, Senator Chaney said that the remarkable thing was his survival powers, living in dangerous and difficult times and having been engaged at a top level in some bitter intellectual and military battles. Senator Chaney was indeed impressed with Senator Lajovic’s contribution to migration debates.

Former Senator Lajovic was indeed a great spokesman for the Liberal Party philosophy, where people’s individuality is protected and promoted and where the wishes of the majority are expressed by the government, which thus serves the people. Individuals are free to choose, free to learn and free to succeed. He learnt that, in contrast to his previous bitter experience. He described our committees in the Senate here, which he admired, as microparliaments.

The late former Senator Lajovic served his party, the Liberal Party of New South Wales, well. He joined it in 1958, was a delegate to the New South Wales Liberal Party council from 1968 and was on that state executive from 1971. He lived 86 productive years. He leaves behind a grateful son, Thomas. To the whole family, I express my heartfelt sympathy. Not surprisingly, his final request was that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the Salvation Army. He has indeed enriched the lives of all who knew him. Vale, former Senator Lajovic.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.