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 late Martin Bruce Cameron, a man of principle, conviction and tenacity, whose public life spanned three decades and whose passing on 24 June of this year marked the closing of a significant chapter in the history of South Australian and Australian politics. Martin Cameron was born on 24 August 1935 in Millicent, South Australia. He was the only son of Gordon and Asta Cameron. He had a country upbringing rooted in the values of hard work, independence and service to others, and these would become the hallmarks of his political life.

He was educated at Scotch College in Adelaide. As a young man, he actually travelled widely, attending the Scouts jamboree in Austria in 1951 before studying agriculture in New Zealand and then returning to Australia to help run the family farm. He completed national service in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1954. He would later work on the family property at Thornlea, near Millicent, and it was from the land and the challenges facing primary producers that he was drawn into public life.

He became politically active in 1965 when he opposed the Labor government's restrictive transport legislation that limited the movement of farm produce by road. Finding the ruling class unresponsive to the concerns of rural communities, he resolved to act, and so began a life of political engagement grounded in the principle that parliament should serve people, not parties. Martin was first appointed to the Senate in 1969 to fill a casual vacancy following the death of Senator Keith Laught. His time in the chamber, as we have heard, was brief—it was just five months—but there were no two ways about it; he left a lasting impression. In that time, he delivered a maiden speech rich in South Australian concerns and asked questions that held the government of the day to account. He spoke directly, with clarity and purpose—qualities that would define his decades in public life.

Defeated at the 1969 election, Martin returned to farming, but not for very long. In 1971, he was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council, where he then served for nearly two decades. There he became a key figure in some of the most transformative political struggles in South Australia's history. As a founding member of the Liberal movement, alongside Steele Hall and Robin Millhouse, Martin stood for integrity, reform and individual conscience within a political culture that often demanded conformity. He fundamentally believed in electoral fairness. He was opposed to the deeply entrenched 'playmander' system that distorted democratic representation in South Australia. Through his efforts and those of his allies, lasting electoral reform was achieved.

Martin Cameron, though, was never afraid to stand alone. Whether taking an unpopular stance in support of progressive legislation or challenging the influence of hard-right factions like the League of Rights, he acted with the courage of his convictions. He was also unafraid to cross the floor. He believed in the sanctity of individual conscience, even when it put him at odds with his own party. In a career of contradictions, Martin championed causes both liberal and conservative, supporting the decriminalisation of homosexuality while also resisting certain aspects of progressive reform that he believed threatened personal liberty or institutional balance. He was complex, but he was always principled. He was not a factional warrior. He was a thoughtful parliamentarian who judged every issue that came before him on its merits.

Even in retirement from elected office, Martin continued to serve the state that he loved. He held senior appointments in the electricity sector, fisheries management and marine conservation. He chaired the South Australian Seafood Council and the Sailing Ship Trust. He was also a republican who chaired the state branch of the Australian Republican Movement, always consistent in his belief that power should be accountable to the people. In the 1990s, when internal divisions again threatened the cohesion of the South Australian Liberal Party, Martin returned as state president. He sought to unify, not divide, and to remind the party that division is death and that a shared commitment to purpose and values must transcend personal and ideological differences.

Martin Cameron was a husband to Barbara and a father to five children, and he was a devoted family man. The values he championed in public life—personal responsibility, fairness and respect for others—were lived daily in his private life. His legacy is measured not only in legislation or electoral milestones but in the many lives he influenced by his example of public duty and personal integrity. In remembering Martin Cameron, we do more than mark the passing of a man. We honour a legacy of principled service and we reflect on what it means to act with integrity in public life. To his wife, Barbara, and to his children, and to all who loved him, we extend our condolences.

With indulgence, I would now like to read some words about Martin Cameron from the former opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham:

It is hard to imagine anyone whose length of service in the Senate was so brief, yet whose contribution to the politics so significant.

Though only serving in the Senate for a matter of months, Martin's political impact stretched decades, most obviously through his long service in South Australia's Legislative Council but also for many years either side of that through significant service to the Liberal Party in South Australia.

At a personal level I could never have asked for more support, encouragement and wise counsel than I received from Martin.

Martin was something of a legend who flew somewhat under the radar. He was front and centre in the Liberal Movement split of the 1970's, maintaining principled positions on electoral reform and respect of one vote one value principles that were at the heart of those divisions.

Martin opposed restrictions on women's choice, championed indigenous health initiatives, and played a key role in luring the required extra vote—that of Labor Legislative Council defector Norm Foster—that was necessary to enable the Olympic Dam uranium mine to go ahead.

As a Young Liberal in the 1990's I have fond memories of Martin, after leaving parliament, being convinced to return to the political fray at what proved to be the most fractious of times to take on the presidency of the SA Liberal Party.

Martin led with his customary mix of conviction, humour and pragmatism, but also sought to inspire a new generation of YLs, including me, to overcome the divisions of the time and see positive ways to contribute.

Martin would give his time to YL events with equal measure of insight and anecdote, even allowing a good number of us to return to his city home in Kensington to help to empty a few bottles of red or scotch. It was there that we were able to cajole him into treating us to a late-night bagpipe performance, possibly not to the joy of the neighbours!

At Martin's memorial service in the Adelaide Hills the tales of his bagpipe performances featured in many memories of family and friends, including in a moving eulogy by Sir Lynton Crosby who equally reflected on the key role Martin played in the beginnings of Sir Lynton's own long and successful political career.

As I sought to contest positions on the party's state executive and ultimately preselection I knew that I could always rely on Martin to give helpful advice, provide valuable intelligence on the delegates and to personally travel the hundreds of kilometres from his much loved farm near Beachport in SA's southeast to cast his vote in my favour. His commitment to support me continued for many years, for which I remain eternally grateful.

I last saw Martin last year at Steele Hall's funeral. The years had taken their toll, but there was still the magical glint in his eye, cheeky twinkle in his smile, a fire in his belly and conviction in his soul. Vale Martin, from one who owes you much.