Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) | Hansard source

I rise to pay my respects to the Hon. Simon Crean and to extend my very deep condolences to Simon's wife, Carole, their two daughters, Sarah and Emma, and the Crean family and friends. It was an enormous shock to learn of Simon's sudden passing last month while visiting Berlin as part of an industry delegation in his role as chair of the European Australian Business Council. We often have to give eulogies in this place about parliamentarians that we never knew, but, of course, that is not the case with Simon.

I first got to know Simon more than 40 years ago when he worked for the Storemen and Packers Union with his great friend Bill Kelty. At the time I was an industrial officer with the shop assistants union in Adelaide. In those days, we were often involved in demarcation disputes with the Storemen and Packers Union over who should cover warehouse workers in South Australia. But those disputes were always conducted with great civility. That became a hallmark of Simon as a Labor leader. I long valued Simon's friendship and advice over those decades, and I was pleasantly surprised when I first got elected to the Senate in 2008 when he sent me a letter of congratulations—a very thoughtful act, I thought, by a very busy cabinet member.

Simon gave a lifetime of service to the Australian people in a range of senior ministerial positions, including as Minister for Trade between 2007 and 2010. Most recently, my engagement with Simon has centred on the ongoing trade negotiation—very difficult trade negotiations—with the European Union. I sought Simon's views on engaging with the Europeans and was deeply grateful for his support, including during my visit to Europe in December last year. If in the end we do secure a free trade agreement with the European Union, it will be very much because of Simon's advocacy.

Simon's dedication to public service continued beyond his political career, including as chair of the Australia-Korea Business Council and, of course, the European Australian Business Council. Simon was a strong supporter of Australia as an open trading nation and was a vocal advocate for the primacy of the multilateral trading system. With his always warm and welcoming smile, he will be missed by all those Australian businesses and workers that rely on international trade for generating greater prosperity. But, of course, he will be most deeply missed by those who loved him: his family and friends. And all of those who knew him know that his passing was a very great loss for all of us. Vale, Simon.