Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to pay tribute on behalf of the opposition but, in particular, the Liberal Party. Senator Bridget McKenzie, the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, will obviously give the lead tribute on behalf of the Nationals.

As I said, today we pay tribute to the life of the Hon. Ronald Leslie Doyle Boswell AO, former senator for Queensland. I have to say, when I first read that line—as Senator Wong has said and Senator McKenzie and, in particular, Senator Colbeck—it's difficult to even come to terms with that name because he was only ever known in this place as Bozzie. But today, as we gather in this chamber, we do so in the presence of those who loved him most. In particular, I acknowledge and warmly welcome to the Senate Ron's daughter, Cathy Boswell, and his granddaughter, Sophie Beasley. Cathy and Sophie, your father and grandfather gave more than three decades of his life to the service of our nation, and we honour him today.

As I said, Ron Boswell was known to all of us simply as Bozzie. In fact, if you referred to him as Senator Boswell, I honestly think he didn't even know who you were talking to. To say that he was a giant of the National Party was a complete understatement. Not only was he a giant of the National Party; he was a stalwart of the Senate and a tireless champion for Queensland but, in particular, for regional Australia. Elected to this place in 1983, he served, as we have now heard, until his retirement in 2014, and that was a remarkable 31 years, three months and 26 days. On reflection now, the reality is that we actually have some senators in this place who are younger than his entire service.

He was the 369th member of the Senate and the 57th senator for Queensland. But, more than those numbers, he was without a doubt a conviction politician in the truest sense of the word. Bozzie came to this parliament as a manufacturer's agent—a small-business man who well and truly, from firsthand knowledge, understood the pressures faced by those who back themselves, employ locals and keep regional communities alive. From the very beginning, he promised to be a strong voice for small business, for primary industries and for traditional family values. If we all look back at Ron's contribution in this place, that was precisely what he was.

Another thing that we all loved about Bozzie was that there were no airs and graces. There couldn't be; that just wasn't Bozzie. But he also never pretended to be anything other than who he was. The following slogan I think we're going to hear several times throughout all of the tributes to Bozzie today. As I said, he embraced it. His famous campaign slogan, 'Ron Boswell—he's not pretty, but he's pretty effective', captured Bozzie perfectly. There was no artifice with Ron, no spin, no carefully crafted persona. What you saw was quite literally what you got: direct, principled, determined and effective.

For 18 years—some people don't even serve 18 years in this place—he served as Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, from 1990 to 2007, guiding his party through opposition and government. Each one of us in this place knows that that longevity in leadership speaks volumes. In politics, longevity is earned through trust, through loyalty and through the confidence of one's colleagues. Bozzie had all three.

He also served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services from 1999 to 2003, a role that perfectly aligned with his passion for the bush. He understood that infrastructure, transport and communications are not luxuries for regional Australians; they are, in fact, lifelines. Upon his retirement, he nominated improvements in bush telecommunications as one of the highlights of his career. That focus on practical outcomes, on making life better for people outside of the capital cities, defined his parliamentary service.

Bozzie was also the Father of the Senate from 2008, and that is, of course, as senators know, a title given to the longest serving member of this chamber. It was a role that he well and truly wore with quiet pride. He understood the history and traditions of this place. He respected its processes, its committees and its capacity for rigorous debate. His service across an extraordinary number of committees, ranging from national resources to foreign affairs and defence, from environment and communications to rural and regional affairs and transport, reflected both his breadth of interest and also his work ethic.

But, if there was one chapter of Ron's career that he himself singled out, it was his 2001 electoral battle against Senator Hanson. In his valedictory speech, he did describe it as the fight of his life.

Bozzie, as so many of us know from working with him, was a man of deep and abiding faith. That faith informed his politics, and it also shaped his world view. He spoke passionately, on so many occasions, on issues of life, family and marriage. Many in this chamber will have disagreed with him, sometimes strongly, but no-one could ever doubt that his views were sincerely held or that he expressed them with clarity and with courage. He was never afraid to stand alone if that was where his conscience led him.

He was, as so many colleagues and those who knew him said following his passing, a conviction politician. He articulated arguments with force, he championed stronger competition laws to protect small businesses, he stood up for fishermen, he backed primary producers, he was one of the first to raise concerns about the policy settings around energy and the subsidising of renewables, he fought for vulnerable Australians overseas, and, even in retirement, after 30-plus years in the Australian Senate, he never stopped working. I'm sure we're going to hear from contributions today that he was always on the phone, always engaged and always ready with advice.

In 2020, Ron was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia. It was a fitting recognition of a lifetime of service to his party, to Queensland and to our nation. Yet, for all of his public achievements—and there were many—we know that the centre of Ron's life was his family. He was married to his beloved wife, Leita, for more than five decades until her passing in 2021. Together they endured the heartbreak of losing their son, Stephen, in 1999. Those who knew Bozzie well know how deeply that loss affected him. Through joy and through sorrow, family was his anchor.

I sat with Bozzie once on a plane from Sydney to Perth, and it was around a 4½- to five-hour trip. Probably the one thing that he wanted to discuss with me the entire trip was the losing of his son, Stephen. I think I got a completely different perspective on Bozzie once I'd listened to him for those five hours—how much he loved his son, how it affected him, how he would never forget him, but, more than that, how he knew each and every day they had to go on.

He was immensely proud of his daughter, Cathy, and of his grandchildren. Cathy and Sophie—and I know you'll hear more of this day—your father and grandfather spoke of you often with enormous pride, and that pride was evident to us all.

Ron's memoir—30-plus years in the Senate; it doesn't also stop you writing a book when you leave, though—was published in 2023. Again—we're going to become very familiar with this—it bore the title Not pretty, but pretty effective. It was a classic Boswell: self-deprecating, honest and quietly proud of what he had achieved. He charted a life that began in Perth in 1940 and led, through party service in Queensland and leadership with the Nationals, to more than three decades in this place. He was part of an era of National Party figures who lived and breathed the bush. He chaired his local branch. He served on the management committees. He was a central councillor of the party from 1976 onwards. His commitment was lifelong and selfless.

In reflecting on Bozzie's life, we see a man who believed that politics was not about personal advancement but about service—service to small businesses struggling under red tape, service to farmers facing drought, service to families seeking stability and opportunity, and service to a nation whose unity he cherished. The Senate, as we all know, can be a place of fierce contest, and Bozzie understood that. He loved a great debate; he relished it. But he also understood that beyond the contest of ideas lies a shared commitment to our great country, and that is why, even amongst those who disagreed with him, there has always been respect—respect for his integrity, respect for his conviction and respect for his warmth. As we record our sorrow today, we also record our gratitude—gratitude for 31 years of faithful service, gratitude for the leadership that endured for nearly two decades and gratitude for a life lived with conviction.

To Cathy and to Sophie, your father and grandfather has left an enduring legacy in this parliament and in our nation. May you take comfort in knowing that his service is recognised, his contribution is valued and his memory will endure in the history of this place.