Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make my contribution to the motion of condolence for Major General Andrew James 'Jim' Molan AO DSC, and I acknowledge his family in the gallery here today. I acknowledge the contributions and I associate myself with the contributions of colleagues around the chamber. I thank the government for the way that they've supported the arrangements for today's motion, as acknowledged by Senator Birmingham. It is a great tribute to Jim that the government has been prepared to do that; I think it's a clear demonstration of the mark of respect for Jim across this chamber that the government's been prepared to do that.

Much has been said of Jim's military service for over 40 years in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Iraq. Forty years of service in the Defence Force is in itself an extraordinary thing. The progression of his career, his promotions and his experiences also became so valuable to the development and implementation of Operation Sovereign Borders. Jim's understanding of the region, Jim's understanding of the people not only here in Australia but in Indonesia and that experience was put to use so powerfully in the design of Operation Sovereign Borders and then the implementation of it. The fact that remains a policy today makes it one of Jim's great legacies. Despite the criticisms of the policy and its implementation, we understand its effect.

It's quite sadly the case that it's on occasions such as this that we learn so much more about our colleagues. Jim was so much more than just a military man. As has been indicated today, he was a man who so strongly supported his community. He gave to his community in the form of his service through the country fire service, for example. He was also strong as an advocator for his community as part of his parliamentary service.

I had a number of occasions to interact with him when things weren't going as they could have been in his community, and his advocacy was always there. As has been said by so many of our colleagues, it wasn't aggressive; it was factual, it was persistent and it was looking for solutions for his community. We all respected him so much for the way that he conducted himself in providing that advocacy for his community for the issues that he was working on, and they've been very well described across the chamber today. Sometimes we actually get cast by the public perception of who we are, and I think today is a great opportunity for us to reflect on the greater breadth of Jim that was the reality and to pay acknowledgement to that and to recognise how much he gave in so many different ways.

Like Jim, I came back into this place through the accident of section 44, a little bit after Jim. He'd been here before me, and my first interactions with him were walking to divisions from the part of the building where we'd both been stationed when we'd come back in. That was about the time of his hip replacement, and I can always remember, when I walked behind him, when I caught up with him as we walked down the corridor, how straight he stood. I think that's a mark of Jim too. He stood strong. He stood tall. He always did in whatever he did. You knew he was hurting, but he wasn't going to let it beat him, and he continued to hold a posture. That was a reflection of him more broadly—the way that he carried himself. Many have spoken about his presence in this place. It was more than just about what he said. He was a man of his word. He was a man you knew you could trust. He was honest. He was the straightest arrow. I'm so pleased I had the opportunity to know him.

There's been discussion about his smile. On the very sad occasion of his passing I was sent some photographs of his interactions with various colleagues around the chamber, and there's a photograph of me and Jim sitting over there in the corner of the chamber. When the place was a lot more sparsely populated, in divisions we got to sit right in the far reaches of the chamber. There's a photograph of him and me smiling, while we were talking to each other. I think that photographs of me smiling over the last three years are a pretty bloody rare thing! But Jim managed to get that out of me, and I was so pleased to receive that from my staff.

There's been a lot of discussion about his love for his family, and that smile was never as wide and never as proud as when we were talking about his family. We know how much he loved them. It's been said so many times around the chamber today, but you could see it in him when we were discussing family—how important his family were to him and how proud he was of his family. It wasn't just something that he said; you could see him glow, and you could see it in his smile when he was talking about his family.

Jim is someone who's been taken from us way too soon. He gave a lot, as we've all discussed, but, gee, he had so much more to give. Clearly, his legacy will live on through his actions, many of which have been discussed today; through the policy work that he did in the Defence Force, in the community and in this parliament; and of course through his own writings, which will endure.

I think we were all so pleased in the coalition Senate party room when Jim turned up to see us just before Christmas. It was so good to see him. He knew things were tough; we all had those personal conversations. But the fact that he took the time to come in and see us was just so special. We're all going to miss him. I think that's evident from what's been said around the chamber. We know that many others will miss him too, and we send our condolences to them. We know how much his family will miss him, just based on the fact of how much we're going to miss him and that they loved him so much more and they will miss him so much more. Sincerest condolences to you, Jim's family, to all those who loved him and to my colleagues who had so much regard for him. May Jim rest in peace. Vale, Jim Molan.