Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the opposition to pay tribute to the life and, without a doubt, distinguished service of former senator Dr Alan Eggleston. Senator McAllister, thank you. Those words really do mean a lot to the Western Australian Liberal Party, but, more than that, there are still some of us, including Senator McKenzie, who is here in the chamber, and Senator Dean Smith, who served with Alan Eggleston. He was fondly known as 'Eggy'—nothing more and nothing less. But I did appreciate your words when you said—and I'm going to paraphrase you here—that he was from the 'old school' of doing things. Those who have been here for a very long time will know what that means. It was never about personality; it was only ever about policy, about standing up for what you believed in, about representing the state that sent you here, but, more than that, about working across the aisle to achieve the best outcome for the people of Australia. So, again, Senator McAllister, we do really appreciate those words on behalf of the government.

He was a remarkable Western Australian. As I go through his journey, I hope that does become incredibly evident to the people who may be listening in or who will read this speech in the years ahead. He was a proud Liberal. He was without a doubt and, I think, from a very early age, because of his small stature—he did have a form of dwarfism, achondroplasia—a man of principle, very much so. His stature did not define him. I knew Eggy for at least 35 years—in fact, possibly longer. I can honestly say to the Senate—and I'm sure Senator Dean Smith, Senator Brockman, Senator McKenzie and Senator O'Sullivan would agree with me—that Eggy never once raised that with us, never once. When he came into the chamber he would have his little stand and, if he was going to speak, he would kick it over—remember?—and jump onto it, straight up to the microphone and off he'd go. Nothing stopped him.

His life without a doubt was marked by service. Eggy was a man who, despite his small stature, when he walked into a room literally did become larger than life. That was just the way he approached life. He appreciated the opportunities that were given to him that he fought so hard for. He was a man of great kindness. As I said, as I go through this speech, it will take people on the journey of Alan's life of service and of his quiet dignity. But I think, more than anything, we know Alan from this place. The Western Australian Liberals know him also from Western Australia. But certainly, when it comes to Port Hedland, they are the people who knew him for his kindness. Over the course of his 18 years in the Senate and, indeed, throughout his entire life, Alan without a doubt demonstrated a commitment to the values of fairness, opportunity and duty.

We were lucky enough in Western Australia. Alan's family, because many of them are overseas, decided to have a private funeral. Obviously that is always a choice for the family. But what they then offered to those who wanted to be part of a celebration of Alan's life was just that. They had a service at the Christ Church Grammar School, and it was truly incredible. It was attended by hundreds of people. As a politician, clearly I stood outside to shake everybody's hands as they came through but, more than that, to talk to them, and what I loved more than anything was that everybody who walked through was in high spirits. They were there to celebrate Eggy's life. Yes, he has passed, but, wow, isn't it wonderful to come together and swap stories with people? And, Senator McAllister, I will pick up on those comments in particular: those who studied with him and were there at the time when those words were said to him were very honest about how they felt at the time—how offended they were on behalf of Alan Eggleston but also how much they admired him when all he did was jump on a plane, go to the UK and qualify there. It was as simple as that.

He was born and raised in Busselton, so he was always a country boy. He attended Busselton Primary School and then, as we've heard, Christ Church Grammar School in Perth. He was a boarder, because he was from the country, between 1953 and 1959. The wonderful thing about Alan, even at a very early age—as I said, he was very small in stature, but it just never worried Alan, and that, as many said at the celebration of his life, was because of his parents. His parents never made any excuses for him. They just told him: 'We're treating you like your brother and sisters. Get on with life, and we will support you in doing that.' Any challenge that was ever thrown Alan's way was met with courage and humour—qualities that would then serve him so well throughout his professional and public life, as well as his personal life.

As we've heard—and I think it is important to repeat this—Alan's path to medicine was not straightforward. When he was applying to study at the University of Western Australia the selection panel expressed concern—I know this was decades ago, but it is very confronting—that his height might present 'practical challenges in the clinical setting'. Whenever you spoke to Alan about this—when you hear from some of the doctors who had studied with him at the time, so were there in that class and who had maintained a friendship throughout decades, even they're still touched today by what Alan's profound answer was. There was no shouting, there was no screaming, there was no 'How dare you do this to me!' As we've heard, Alan offered a simple yet profound answer that I hope, in later life, shamed those who at that time made the comments to him. He merely said: 'When other doctors need to take no steps, I might have to take two. Where others have to take one step, I might have to take three or four. If I find a terminally ill patient on a high bed, I will stand on a stool to care for that person.' And as we've heard, yes, he was duly admitted. He graduated in medicine, not just becoming a doctor—and, again, this is part of Alan's journey when he went up to Port Hedland for six months and stayed 22 years—but also becoming a formidable advocate for the people he served, in particular for the most vulnerable and for those most in need in Port Hedland at the time.

In 1974, a short six-month stint in the Pilbara became a 22-year commitment to the people of Port Hedland and the wider region. In fact, so many were touched by Alan's passing—we in the WA Liberal Party were absolutely devastated because we loved him and we appreciated him—but I have to say the response from the people in Port Hedland was incredible. Many here probably don't know, but Alan basically, as we used to joke, delivered every baby ever had in Port Hedland. Throughout Alan's life, when he walked down the streets of Port Hedland, he'd meet a mum: 'Hi, Alan. You delivered small Johnny.' Years later 'small Johnny' would walk down the road: 'Alan, how are you going? You delivered me and, by the way, you just delivered my daughter.' That is the Alan Eggleston that we all knew.

It's a well-known fact that his medical practice became an anchor in the community. His contribution to Indigenous health in particular—that was actually where Alan found his passion and excelled—left a lasting, positive legacy.

He also didn't limit his service to the consulting room. His deep concern for his community led him into local government, serving on the Port Hedland town council from 1988 and as mayor from 1993 to 1996. His broader commitment to regional development saw him serve on the board of the Pilbara Development Commission. He very much was someone who understood the unique challenges and the opportunities of regional Australia. He dedicated his efforts—and they were absolutely his lifelong passion—to advocating for those communities that he felt were so overlooked.

Parallel to his professional and civic life was, of course, Alan's unwavering dedication to the Liberal Party. From 1974, he was a stalwart of the party's Kalgoorlie North division, representing the Pilbara and Kimberley regions. His leadership within the party spanned decades. He was a member of the state council from 1976, a divisional president from 1980 until 1984 and again from 1992 until 1996, and a state vice-president between 1983 and 1987. I think his long service to our policy committee, from 1988 until 2008, speaks to his enduring influence on the party's direction and priorities.

His first time as a Senate candidate was at the 1987 double dissolution, standing in what was then considered an unwinnable sixth position on the Liberal ticket. His election to the Senate came in 1996 when, after two competitive preselection processes, he emerged as a unifying candidate in third position. He was comfortably elected, and so began the 18-year career that Alan Eggleston had in this place. Again, his preselection victories and his record in office are testament to the respect he commanded within the Liberal family and the broader Western Australian community.

Alan's Senate career reflected his deep-seated convictions. He was a proud Western Australia federalist—long may that reign—a champion of regional communities and a principled Liberal. As a team player through the years of the Howard government and in opposition thereafter, Alan, as we've heard, brought his characteristic diligence and thoroughness to his parliamentary work. He served with distinction on numerous Senate committees, including as chair of a legislation committee for eight years. His long-term membership of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade reflected his broader policy interests and his commitment to Australia's security and place in the world. To go back to the humility, he never, ever sought the spotlight. He never spoke—unlike, perhaps, some of us today—for the sake of speaking. But when he spoke, in particular in this place—it didn't matter who you were or where you were from—you listened because you knew that his words were considered and grounded in experience. But it was just Alan. They were delivered without malice.

He continued to engage with the Liberal Party at all levels, attending divisional conferences, state council meetings and party events. In fact, after his retirement from this place in 2014, Alan remained a valued source of wise counsel and a dedicated supporter of the party he served so well. In recognition of his contribution, Alan was awarded life membership of the Liberal Party. In 2017 he was recognised as a legend by the Christ Church Grammar School Old Boys' Association, and in 2019 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to the Parliament of Australia, to regional development and to medicine.

Those of us who had the privilege—there are only a few of us left—to serve alongside Senator Dr Alan Eggleston, or 'Eggy', as he was so fondly known in this chamber, will remember him as a colleague of great kindness, decency and wisdom. His humility was only matched by his generosity of spirit. He was driven not by ego or ambition but by a deep sense of responsibility to his constituents, to his state and to the nation. His life was marked by service in its purest form. Whether it was tending to patients in the heat and dust of Port Hedland, guiding local government, shaping Liberal Party policy or contributing to the deliberations of this Senate, Alan gave himself fully. He exemplified the quiet virtues of public life, patience, resilience and a steadfast belief in the value of service over self.

He was a man of considerable warmth. He was fondly remembered by all who knew him as a kind, unselfish and wise individual. These qualities made him respected not only as a senator but as a treasured friend and mentor. He brought people together, bridged divides and quietly reinforced the better angles of our political culture.

For me, personally, having served alongside Alan, I can say without hesitation that his contribution enriched the Australian Senate, the Liberal Party and parliament as a whole. His life stands as a powerful reminder that integrity, humility and service endure long after titles and offices are left behind. Alan's passing is a loss deeply felt by his family, his friends, his former colleagues and many communities he touched across Western Australia and beyond.

To his loved ones we extend our heartfelt condolences. May they draw comfort from knowing that his legacy is one of profound significance—a life well lived in the service of others. May he rest in peace.