Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is a pretty hard act to follow. It is with mixed emotions that I make my valedictory contribution this evening. It has been a tremendous honour and privilege to have served in this place for approaching 15 years now. In my first speech on 8 October 1996 I said:

I have found that principles and high ideals are not enough on their own; they need people to express them, to make them live and to make them work.

I went on to say:

I see it as my task in this place to work for and with the Tasmanian community to repay their faith in me by my commitment to them. In doing that, I intend to be governed by the examples and philosophies that I referred to earlier in this speech, particularly with honour and with special regard for people needing help and compassion and by respecting the beliefs of others.

I hope that I have lived up to the principles that I espoused in my first contribution to this place. It has certainly been a fabulous experience. I think it was Paul Keating who said that a career in parliament was effectively the same as attending university. I have been here long enough to have done a few degrees in a number of different subjects. It is probably well known that one of the subjects I came here with no qualifications in is one that I learnt the most about while here—that is rural and regional affairs and transport.

It was early in 1997 that Brian MacDonald and Jack Lake, from then Senator Bob Collins's office, approached me to take up the cudgel, as it were, as a member of the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, because Senator Collins was not keen on the travel involved in performing the work on that committee. So I was handed a few pages of a brief and I was asked to attend a hearing. I was subbed into the committee for an aviation safety hearing. When I came out of the hearing, Jack and Brian were waiting for me, to pat me on the back and say, 'We think we have the person who is going to continue in that committee.' I found that I was appointed to a committee which dealt with rural affairs and transport—as I said, not matters on which I had any great knowledge or involvement up until that time.

Since that time, I think I can say that I have bored many coalition senators and many of my own with estimates contributions that ran for days. I have been involved in committee hearings on diverse subjects including aviation safety—questioning the roles of our regulators, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Airservices Australia, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Australian search and rescue organisation. I was involved in inquiries into tragedies such as the sinking of the Red Baron off the west coast of Tasmania, the Margaret J that went missing in Bass Strait and the Malu Sara which tragically sank in the Torres Strait.

Through committees, I have been involved in biosecurity issues, including issues relating to New Zealand apples—and we are still hearing about those—to bees and various production issues and equine influenza, which had such a devastating effect on the Australian horse industry not so long ago.

My history saw me involved in the dairy deregulation inquiry that Senator Forshaw just referred to but also in the continuation of inquiries, which have recently been almost concluded, before the Senate Standing Committee on Economics on: the continuing problem of dairy deregulation; on wheat marketing, the performance of the Australian Wheat Board and related issues; on regional issues, which under the former government we came to know as 'regional rorts', including the inquiries into the various funnellings of funds into coalition electorates by the government for electoral purposes; and something which is still topical, the live export industry, which manifested itself then with cattle and sheep and which now we are seeing in cattle exported to Indonesia.

In all of that time we have had the privilege as a committee of travelling throughout Australia, meeting fabulous people involved in critical industries—in regional industries, service industries and transport industries—right around the country. One of the great privileges of being a member of this place and participating in the committee system—in opposition certainly, but also in government—is the opportunity to meet people of integrity and high ideals, people who have strong interests in their community and in their industry and who put a proposition before a Senate committee and seek an outcome that they believe will assist them, their community and their industry.

That has been a great privilege and something that I can commend to every senator in this place. I am sure you all already know that. I think it is one of the great benefits that members of this place have. I hope that it continues and I think it should be supported on a bipartisan basis.

I have also had the privilege of serving on two select committees in the Senate, including the Senate Select Committee on the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States of America. Senator Brandis, former Senator Peter Cook, now deceased, and Senator Conroy also participated on this inquiry. We were privileged to hear some very interesting information on an issue which is critically important to the Australian people. I think some unkind members of the coalition referred the Labor members of the committee to the Privileges Committee about a certain press conference. I think I still have that report. Our side was very certain that a certain coalition member of the committee was backgrounding journalists and probably that provoked us to do something which I think justified reference to the Privileges Committee, but the outcome of the inquiry was probably the just outcome as well.

The other inquiry was into the removal of ATSIC and the future role for an Indigenous representative body, an inquiry which I participated in as Labor spokesman on Indigenous affairs. That inquiry again allowed me to meet with and speak with some very inspiring Indigenous Australians representing their communities in various parts of Australia. What I saw on that inquiry told me that if we could get the government settings right there was a great future for Indigenous Australians, notwithstanding the fact that it would take some time for it all to be put into place. I can honestly say that I came in to this place foreseeing my role as that of a hardworking backbencher, prepared to support my party and the people of my state. When I entered the Senate there was a very strong Senate team in the outgoing Labor government. Many of the remaining senators had the benefit of experience in government, and they were the ones I saw as the benchmark for success as a member of the Senate.

I now look back over my career of 14 years and 283 days, as of today, and I can say that I believe I have exceeded my expectations for my role in this place. I was chosen to fill a casual vacancy left by John Coates, whom I replaced on 5 September 1996, not many months after the Labor government had been removed, so I entered this place as a member of the opposition. Just over two years later, on 19 October 1998, Labor caucus chose me to become Labor's Opposition Whip in the Senate. On 22 November 2001, caucus chose me to become part of Labor's shadow ministry, and I remained a member of the shadow ministry until I was excluded from the incoming ministry by the Prime Minister on 3 December 2007. Caucus then chose me as its Government Whip in the Senate, a position I held until 27 September 2010.

I will always feel honoured that caucus chose me to fill important roles for the Labor Party in the Senate and in the party's leadership positions for what amounts to near enough to 80 per cent of my term in the Senate. It has always been my view that caucus is the supreme body of my party in this parliament and it has always been my view that it is a great honour to be chosen by that body, the elected representatives of my party, to fulfil roles in this place or in the other place. It is an honour and a privilege to have been, for half of that time, a front bench member and serving in important portfolios. It is certainly something I will hold dear for the rest of my days.

I have been privileged to have served and worked with former members and senators Gareth Evans, Robert Ray, Peter Cook, Kim Beazley and Bob McMullan, whose leadership and advice I have valued. I also record my appreciation for former Senate leader John Faulkner and the current leader, Chris Evans, for their help and advice over the years and for their great leadership of the Labor Party in this place and in the internal forums of the party. I think there would probably be a number of amusing stories I could tell, but will not today, about Senate tactics in opposition and about some of the comments that some individuals made—they would probably blush if I repeated them. Nevertheless, I am not going to do it now. I will hold that up my sleeve just in case.

No-one in this place succeeds without a substantial contribution from their staff, and I would like to record my thanks to my staff. There have been a number of people over the years and whilst I have not had a huge staff turnover I will not mention them all. I particularly want to thank Sharon Burnie, Lee-Ann Patterson and Bev Catlin, from my Launceston office, whose work over the years has kept the office functioning, even while I spent many days travelling on committee or shadow ministry business in my time in the Senate. I should note that Sharon started with me on 28 April 1997 and deserves particular thanks for putting up with me and doing such a great job over 14 years. I will also thank the former member for Bass and current state member for Bass, Minister Michelle O'Byrne, who worked for me from my commencement in the Senate until her election to the House of Representatives.

As Opposition Whip and Government Whip I have had a number of members of staff whose roles have been invaluable. I particularly want to thank Lara Giddings—yes, that Lara Giddings—and Llewellyn Rees for helping me as Opposition Whip, and Kay O'Leary and Maria Neill, who were two of my valued staff members in my role as Government Whip in the Senate. I am certain that they are performing a similar valuable function for Senator Anne McEwen. I want to thank them again, now, for the work they did that allowed me to do the job that I did in that role.

In the variety of shadow portfolios that I had, I had a number of advisers. All shadow ministers depend on hard-working dedicated staff; often the degree of their success is proportionate to the capacity of their staff. I began my role as a shadow minister with Jack Lake as my key staff member. Later, Matthew Jose joined my staff. Both went on to work for prime ministers. On the way they were invaluable members of my staff and I want to thank them again for all their hard work and their dedication to the cause.

I also want to make special mention of Martin Breen, who worked so hard with me to help pull together Labor's agriculture policy for the 2007 election. It was gratifying to see that much of the policy that we initiated was subsequently implemented, particularly the reform of export wheat marketing.

I want to echo Mike Forshaw's comments on Senate staff and echo his thanks to Harry Evans, Rosemary Laing, Cleaver Elliott and Richard Pye. My role on the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs Committee, or Rural Affairs and Transport, as it is now, has been greatly assisted by a number of staff members, but I particularly want to thank Jeanette Radcliffe, who puts up with very difficult circumstances at the moment. I know that Senator Heffernan agrees with me in that regard because he has given her flowers a couple of times, I think.

I also want to make special mention of Anne Lynch, who, as Mike Forshaw said, is no longer with us. Anne was here when I arrived in the Senate and gave me some very good advice. She said, 'When you start to feel comfortable in this place is when you will start to make mistakes.' It is always wise to bear that in mind, because people sometimes do get a bit relaxed and say or do things that they regret. It is also wise to bear in mind that, when you first come to this place and are scared to put a foot out of place, that is probably when you make the fewest mistakes. If you remember that, you will probably minimise the problems that you will be reflecting on when you come to make your final contribution. I do leave this place, as I say, with mixed feelings, and I have touched upon some of the reasons for those mixed feelings. I have had some tremendous friendships. I remember travell­ing to South America with the Trade Subcommittee of the Joint Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee on a self-funded trip. Alan Ferguson and I formed part of that delegation and it split in two and we were on our own, effectively, going through to Peru and Chile before going back to Uruguay. Alan is great company on a trip, and I am sure many people know that. He is also a great traveller. I can recall sitting next to him on an aircraft leaving Buenos Aires. We were taxiing to the takeoff point and I looked around and he was asleep. That was his greatest strength: he could sleep anywhere on an aircraft at any time and then when he got off he was really raring to go, whereas I was a terrible traveller and was always sleep deprived in that circumstance. Alan Ferguson, you taught me what I should have been able to do in travelling but I never could. You were great company. Although we disagreed on many things, we agreed that we could be good company, have a drink together and keep the confidence of travel in those circumstances.

I have also had good relationships with former and current whips. Stephen Parry has been a very good person to work with as the Opposition Whip in the Senate and Judith Adams, of course, has been assisting him. I have had a great relationship with both of those senators in that role and have a great deal of respect for them in the way they manage the honourable business of whip. Someone once said that there are a lot of dark arts to it, but most of it in my view is assisted by the fact that you give your word, you keep your word and there is a balance between being able to give leave to people when they need it and not giving leave when people are trying it on. I think as long as both whips know that this place will work well.

I have had the opportunity to work with a number of other coalition senators past and present: Winston Crane, of course, chair of the rural committee for many years before he left this place; Bill Heffernan, who always is passionate about what he believes, sometimes overly so; and John Williams—I refuse to call him by his nickname—who is also passionate about what he believes in on that committee representing his constituency.

On my own side it was a great pity to lose Peter Cook from the Senate, but I have had a great friendship with Glenn Sterle, who has been the chair of the rural committee since he has been on that committee. We have worked together very well. I have worked with Jan McLucas and Kate Lundy, particularly on previous committee inquiries, and Mike Forshaw on the regional com­mittee in early days and on the milk inquiry. I have known Steve Hutchins since New South Wales Young Labor days. He has not changed a lot other than the fact that he, like I, has changed his hair colour. I know that whether in this place or somewhere else Steve has a lot to give in his future in the labour movement.

Can I conclude by addressing what has been the most fundamental thing in regard to my time in this place, and that is my family. I have to concede that my family have probably made more sacrifices than I have since I came to this place. My wife left a good job because of the pressures of me coming to the Senate, and we actually moved our place of residence from a house we had recently part completed in Hobart to Northern Tasmania; we subsequently we sold that and established another place in the Tamar Valley. Louise, to whom I have been married for 32 years now—and I can even remember my anniversary—has been a wonderful friend, confidant and partner who has put up with extended absences, because when you are put on a committee like rural and regional affairs you travel a lot; when you become a shadow minister, you travel more. I have been doing that for most of the 14 years, nearly 15 years, that I have been in this place. Probably the greatest recognition of the load ought to go to my wife Louise. Thank you, darling, for your support over the years.

My two beautiful daughters Dale and Erin are also in the gallery today. Dale has had me as an absent father for nearly half a life and Erin for 60 per cent of hers. They have both grown up to be wonderful young women. My trip to South America must have been a bit of an omen because Erin ended up going there, learning the language and studying there as well. Maybe that was a good influence. Dale has been a rock for our family, lives in Launceston and works in the nursing profession. She is a very loving and caring person who works in her profession, doing the things that she has been trained for and I think has done herself proud and is respected well by her employer.

They are the people who have been my background. My parents died before I came here. In my first speech I set out the influence that they had on me and I hope that that influence and the support of my family have made me a person who has the respect of his colleagues. I will leave this place hoping fervently that that respect remains in the future. I thank you.