Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to join with my colleagues in recognising and respecting the life of Dr Alan Eggleston, a former senator from Western Australia. I associate myself with all those who have gone before me to speak here this afternoon.

Dr Eggleston was born on 30 December 1941 in the beautiful Western Australian town of Busselton, and he spent his early years there before relocating to Perth to attend Christ Church Grammar School in Claremont, where we held his commemoration service. After completing secondary school, he ventured on to pursue a degree in medicine at the University of Western Australia. Despite facing notable challenges due to his medical and physical condition, he modelled great determination and tenacity. Following his time at UWA he travelled to the United Kingdom, where he completed his studies at London university and Birmingham hospitals. He then returned to Australia as Dr Alan Eggleston.

In 1974 Dr Eggleston relocated to Port Hedland. What was initially intended to be a short time became a 22-year commitment to the Pilbara region and its people. For those that aren't familiar with the Pilbara, it can be a challenging place. Through my career, I've been a part-time FIFO worker to the Pilbara, and to base yourself there and live there is a tremendous commitment. Those that do it absolutely love it, but its scorching hot summers and cold winters—or cold nights—could not have made the idealistic backdrop for a young medical graduate. Despite that, Dr Eggleston devoted himself to his community, and we saw that right through his career, particularly as a senator.

For 22 years, his Port Hedland surgery was a refuge in a region where access to medical care was limited. At times he was the only general practitioner for literally hundreds of kilometres. He cared for all with dignity, compassion and resolve, even famously delivering several babies mid-flight as a flying doctor. It was out of his deep commitment to service that Dr Eggleston went on to become a local government councillor and widely respected mayor of Port Hedland.

It was his enduring commitment to service that led him to represent the Western Australian people, at the federal level, that we all have the privilege of serving here in this place. He served in the Australian Senate with distinction for 18 years. Together with his devotion to the north-west, Dr Eggleston was a committed federalist, believing that federal and state governments have a critical role in ensuring the best interests of regional Australia are served and not just the exclusive domain of the cities.

Some of my colleagues have talked about votes that occur in political parties. I have a sliding-door moment that relates to Dr Eggleston myself, and it's due to a vote. I was a preselection candidate for the seat of Burt in 2016, and I was involved in the party but not really in the forefront of the party, you would say. I ran as a candidate and met with Dr Alan Eggleston, a former senator at the time. I, of course, knew who he was, but it was the first time he got to meet me. Through that meeting and that exchange that I had with him in South Perth, he made a commitment to me that day that he would support me in my preselection, because he was drawn as a random delegate from state council.

I knew it was going to be a very tight preselection, and it would come down, literally, to one vote. Unfortunately, Dr Eggleston was sick on the day of the preselection, and he wasn't able to come, so I lost by one vote! But the sliding-door situation is that I was, you would say, somewhat in obscurity within the party, but it went to state council, and the decision was overturned by state council. I therefore had to do my preselection in front of state council—sorry, I went on to lose by that one vote, and I went on to state council to have the preselection recontested. Had Alan Eggleston turned up to my original preselection, I would have won it, run for the seat of Burt, not won at the election and just been that guy that ran for Burt that one time. But, instead, I was put in front of state council, where I got the opportunity to be introduced across the whole state council. Then, literally three years later, I was pre-selected into the Senate. Life is filled with strange moments like that. That path may never have been opened for me if that circumstance didn't happen, and these are small moments that remind us of how the lives of those around us can unexpectedly shape even our own.

It was a privilege to attend Dr Eggleston's commemoration service at Christ Church Grammar School. Those that were there saw that the auditorium was filled to the brim with many people—family, old schoolmates, former colleagues and even former premiers—with many gathering to reflect on the profound and lasting impact that he left on all that had the privilege of encountering him. His legacy will endure well beyond his lifetime, and his influence will continue to be felt in regional health, local government and indeed in federal politics. Dr Alan Eggleston will be remembered with a deep respect and admiration as a man of resilience, compassion and servant leadership. Senator Brockman just quoted from his obituary that, I think, he had in the West Australian. You said:

A man of enormous heart, great intellect, and unwavering courage, Alan never let the world define his limits. From Doctor to Mayor to Senator, he carved out a remarkable life of service and purpose—always with humility, wit, and determination.

And you went on to say in your obituary—you didn't just say it here—he was a 'dragon slayer'. And that's true.

Vale, Alan. You left the world a better place than you found it. May you rest in peace.