Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The incorporated speech read as follows—

It is my great delight to have the opportunity this evening to make some remarks about some of our colleagues who will be leaving the Senate on 30 June.

Amongst the departing Coalition colleagues, all have made a significant contribution to Australian public life. These contributions are distinguished not only by membership of the senate, but in several cases through service to their state parliaments. Some were fortunate in having careers that took them into the ministry and in one case into Cabinet. But executive office should not be the only measure of a successful parliamentary career. It seems to me that all members of parliament act in the service of the Australian people and of our democracy. Indeed, more Australians should be willing to serve their country and provide the example of public service personified in the senate careers we are recognising tonight.

As I have discovered in the nearly three years that I have been fortunate enough to be in the Senate, one is required to make sacrifices to be in this place and each of our retiring colleagues has made those sacrifices. They have done it willingly and I suspect all have regarded the opportunity to be part of the Australian senate as a distinctive privilege. Nevertheless we should not dismiss the considerable personal costs involved in the contributions that our colleagues have made to Australian public life.

I agree with the remarks of many other senators, who have observed that the departure of colleagues does not just reflect change, it also means, in a way that is difficult to express fully, that we are losing some close, much respected, and greatly treasured friends. Although I have been here for a relatively short time, I certainly feel the sense of loss at their departure and will retain many very fond memories of each of them as they move on to other activities in life.

I will recall Senator Patterson’s warmth and generosity. Although when I arrived here she was in that very distant place - the Cabinet, she was always available to offer advice to a new boy keen to ask for it. There was no, ‘you need to know this’ about it, rather ‘here are some thoughts if you would like to make use of them.’ There is too much to disaggregate here, but especially valuable were Kay’s insight into the way a person with a university background could make progress in an arena not necessarily known for its commitment to or admiration of academics and their ways.

I will remember my many conversations with Senator Watson. These often seemed to take place during divisions, but whether punctuated by votes or not they invariably involved the dispensing of wisdom, whether on senate standing orders, the art of local politics or just life in general. Whatever the topic, I valued our talks, and the fact that they took place independent of any sense of urgency that there were other duties John was being called upon to perform.

My friend and colleague on the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, Senator Sandy Macdonald, sits in the parliament as a National, but whether he would thank me for it or not, I’d be more than happy to regard him as a Liberal. On slow days in Estimates and other many other occasions he offered me some extraordinarily valuable insights in to many things, not least life on the land and the sometimes confusing nature and workings of his party. I suspect that in light of Coalition developments in Queensland, these insights will prove more valuable than I might have thought at the time.

Senator Kemp has been particularly solicitous of my welfare on several occasions. I recall for example, his generous compliments after my first contribution to the Liberal party room. I also attracted his close attention when a matter close to his heart, public diplomacy, was the subject of an enquiry before the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. Rod pressed certain views upon me, not I hasten to add in any way that was improper, but he was persistent. As I remember, the Committee’s report was one with which Senator Kemp was eventually reasonably content.

Senator Chapman from South Australia whose distinguished career in politics spanned the Parliament of South Australian and the House of Representatives as well as the senate, always impressed me with both his ready good humour and commitment to the virtues of senate committees. And as all senators will know, it was difficult not to find one self propositioned for one of Chappy’s sporting enterprises. These opportunities were always extended without pressure and I took them as a sign of inclusiveness, though in my case it was an inclusiveness I resisted as I suspected the standards of competition were rather higher than the good senator was prepared to let on.

Finally, but hardly least, the distinguished senator from Western Australia, Senator Lightfoot. I think Ross would agree with me that we didn’t immediately seem to have much in common with each other. Before too long, however, his natural generosity of spirit and willingness to extend goodwill to a relatively new senator served as the foundation of a firm collegiality and friendship. This eventually led me to membership of one of the most important, but least recognised committees of the Senate, and for that I am most grateful. In so far as I have anything to do with it, he can be certain that the traditions of that committee will be maintained in his honour.

Each one of these people has made an important contribution to my professional and personal life in the Senate since I arrived here in 2005. I am grateful to all of them for friendship generously offered, professional development enthusiastically encouraged and wisdom liberally dispensed.

This is perhaps an occasion to also note the historical significance of the passing of the Democrats from this place. The Democrat philosophy is not one I embrace and I rarely agreed with their policy prescriptions. But for 30 years Australians from various states have been sending their representatives to the senate and that is something we as small ‘d’ democrats and in my case as a Liberal are obliged to respect. It is undoubtedly a moment of significance in Australian political history that at the end of this month their remaining number will all be leaving the senate. It is truly the end of an era, but also the involuntary end of two senate careers, that of Senator Allison and my colleague from Queensland, Senator Bartlett. Somewhat unexpectedly perhaps, Senate Bartlett and I have found that on occasions, we have had more in common than either one of us might have anticipated. I particularly wish him well in his post senatorial career.

Indeed in closing I wish all of the departing senators every best wish for their future in retirement, including those from the government and Senator Nettle from the Greens. I trust they will have long and fulfilling lives after the Senate. I especially wish good fortune, fulfilment and a richly enjoyed future to my colleagues in the Coalition. In many ways you have helped to define my early days and years in the senate and I very much hope that the friendships I have made with you will not be lost as you leave us.