Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition) Share this | Hansard source

My Victorian colleague Senator McGauran's speech tonight illustrated that he is the master of understatement in so many ways. He referred to how he joined the Liberal Party on short notice. I can recall being the recipient, as the chairman of the party's constitutional committee, of a phone call from our state director, saying we had to find a way to make him a Liberal Party senator. I had not read the news; it was about to break. I had to inform our state director that, because Julian had actually run against the Liberal Party in 1987, we had to go through one of those arcane and democratic processes that only the Victorian division of the Liberal Party manages to have. Over five weeks we had to make sure that Julian, up against some concern from some Liberals, Victorian and national, was accepted into the Liberal Party. It was put to me by our then state director and our state president, 'Well, Scott, if you get this wrong we will lose our majority in the Senate'. That was not the sort of thing you wanted on your CV at that time. Julian, I got to know you then. You have always stood by your principles. You have not been ashamed of voicing them, even when those principles have not been popular. If someone can go to bed at night knowing they have followed their principles, they will sleep easy.

This gives me an opportunity to also make a brief comment about Senator Troeth, because I could not be here last week. Senator Troeth, the same as Senator McGauran—although in a very different way—stood by her principles even when it was not easy. That represents the great strength of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party. We are all better for their service.

Senator Ferguson, time constrains me from saying what I would like to. I did not know you before I got here, but you came with the finest of character references from my predecessor. I know you and a number of others have commented on the fact that fortune did not necessarily give you the opportunity that it might have given someone else, but your loss of that in some ways was this chamber's gain and this country's gain. You have demonstrated to people like me and particularly our intake, as Senator Cash outlined, the importance of being a parliamentarian. This chamber is vital to the good functioning and safety this country, and you demonstrated exactly what a senator should aspire to be. It has been a pleasure to work with you and I look forward to maintaining our friendship.

This brings me to Senator Minchin. I had the privilege of briefly working with Senator Minchin when he was minister for industry, as his speechwriter. I am not quite Senator Minchin compliant—I am not a monarchist and I do not necessarily share his sympathy for the car industry—but those of us who might describe themselves as free-trading, tax-cutting federalists have no greater inspiration. We have already heard that tonight. Nick, you have always been on the side of the angels—in this case the taxpayers—and the sign of your decency was in some ways the humility of your speech tonight. Many people would not necessarily only list what we might say are their alleged failings and would not necessarily say that someone else was a greater finance minister than they were, but I think that the Australian nation is better off if the mark of a man is the impact he has had, the regard in which he is held by ally and foe alike, and the humility he can express upon an occasion such as this. That is a sign of a man's character. The only thing I will finish with is that, while our loss is your family's gain, just like voting, service to the Liberal Party is not always voluntary, and you may be drafted in the future.