David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to the life of an outstanding Australian, one who had an enormous impact on the sociopolitical events of the 20th century—possibly more so than any other Australian—but whose passing has largely gone unnoticed in Australia. Dr Frederick Charles Schwarz, a man who dedicated his life to the pursuit of truth and freedom, passed away in Camden, south-west of Sydney, on 24 January 2009. Born in January 1913 in Queensland, Fred Schwarz was raised as one of 11 children. He graduated with a science degree in 1943 from the University of Queensland and worked as a teacher for several years in Warwick, where he met Lillian. They were married in 1938 and he then returned to university to study arts and medicine. During his time as an intern, Dr Schwarz successfully fought for greater remuneration for financially struggling medical interns, demonstrating the tenacity and boldness that would come to epitomise his later career as a political activist.

In 1946 Dr Schwarz moved to Sydney, where he took over a medical practice in suburban North Strathfield, expanding it to become one of the most successful and busy in the western suburbs. During this time, he became aware of the threat that communism posed to humanity and began devouring all the material he could find on the topic. His wife, Lillian, has jokingly said that she often found four men in her bed: Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Fred. Dr Schwarz’s extensive reading and study eventually led him to defy a common notion of the time that communism was a good idea that just did not work in practice. He, in fact, was adamant that communism was a terrible idea and that it did work in practice, ‘unrestrained by law or conscience’, leading to suffering, oppression and the loss of millions of lives.

Despite a highly successful and lucrative career and a young family, he was a man consumed by the desire to pursue truth and freedom and was soon debating prominent communists of the time in Australia. He closed his medical practice in 1955 to focus full time on his work with an organisation called the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, which he established in the US in 1950. His passion to educate the Western world on the dangers of communism led him to devote his life to this calling and he moved to the United States that year to further pursue this. He spoke at meetings all over the US at churches, service clubs, universities, public meetings and even at a mass rally at Madison Square in New York.

He built up a network across the US and kept in touch via a bimonthly newsletter. He conducted schools of anticommunism in scores of cities and was particularly successful in California. It was here that many of Ronald Reagan’s future aides attended school—some helping as members of the crusade—and obtained a sound understanding of communism doctrine and practice. These aides were later partially responsible for the writing of the renowned ‘Evil Empire’ speech, which signified a solid drawing of the battlelines in the lead-up to the Cold War era ending. Ronald Reagan himself attended some of the school’s programs and became a firm supporter of the crusade. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan personally wrote to Dr Schwarz, congratulating him for his life’s work. He was truly a warrior in his calling and this was acknowledged by all of those who followed his work. Reagan wrote:

Fred, you’re to be commended for your tireless dedication in trying to ensure the protection of freedom and human rights, and I know you join me in special satisfaction in the recent events in Eastern Europe. Of course, Lillian is also to be commended for being supportive of your lifelong efforts.

Fred also appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee as an expert witness and copies of that evidence were distributed in their tens of thousands. In 1960, his first bestseller was published. It was entitled You Can Trust The Communists (to be Communists). An important quote that summed up both the theme of the book and Schwarz’s philosophy in life was:

In the battle against Communism, there is no substitute for accurate, specific knowledge. Ignorance is evil and paralytic.

This book was profoundly important in influencing many prominent Americans of the day who would go on to stand up against the Communist threat, including, as mentioned, Ronald Reagan. His other books include, among many others, The Three Faces of Revolution and Beating the Unbeatable Foe. Of course, as with any bringer of the truth, attacks were constantly mounted against him by the liberal press of the day, encouraged by the communists. But despite their best efforts at undermining and infiltration—which they were particularly good at, at the time—not a hint of scandal or mismanagement was ever found. Nor could his arguments be refuted because so much of his information was based on the communists’ own writings. Dr Schwarz’s time in the public spotlight proved him to be a talented media performer. His intellect was sharp and his wit ever-ready to deliver. He constantly exasperated his opponents by always remaining of warm and friendly temperament.

In 1998, Dr Fred Schwarz retired from his anticommunism crusade, returning to Australia to retire in Camden with his beloved and ever-supportive wife, Lillian. I first met Fred Schwarz as a small child on one of his many visits to my home in Launceston. My father, Max Bushby, had known Fred for most of his adult life and my parents maintained a strong friendship with both Fred and Lillian throughout their lives. Through his friendship with Fred and their common beliefs in the threat that communism posed to freedom and the rights of people everywhere, my father became heavily involved with the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade and spent many years on its international board.

When my father was diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer in 1993, in recognition of their relationship Fred offered to personally fund a trip to the United States so that Dad could undertake innovative treatment not then available in Australia. I personally did not know him as well as I would have liked, but the interaction that I did have with him and the clear respect that my father had for him and the work they did together impacted on me deeply. It is not drawing too long a bow to say that the grounding that I received in the need to ensure government does not interfere unnecessarily in the freedom of its citizens or in the choices they should be able to make in their lives—as a direct result of the activities of my father, which were inextricably entwined with those of Dr Schwarz—set me on the path that has led me to this chamber. Republican commentator Phyllis Schlafly summed up the greatest achievements of Dr Schwarz’s career in one of many messages of thanks and tribute read out at his funeral. I will quote some of Phyllis Schlafly’s words to you now:

Dr Fred Schwarz is a monumental example of the Power of One. There are few people in the 20th century who had as widespread and lasting influence as he did … In those days, Communism was the biggest issue the United States faced—Communist infiltration of government and colleges and the growing Soviet missile threat. Dr Schwarz explained and taught the objectives, strategies and tactics of Communists to hundreds of thousands of Americans especially during the 1950s and 1960s, and continuing in later years. I believe it was the fact that grassroots America had been taught the truth about Communism that enabled Ronald Reagan later to brand the Soviet Union as the “evil empire”, to demand that Gorbachev “tear down this Wall”, and to eliminate the threat of Communism worldwide. As I travel around the country, I meet people every week who say, “It was Dr Schwarz’s school on Communism that started me in the conservative movement. Fred Schwarz’s reward should be rich in Heaven. Not only all Americans, but people all over the world, are in his eternal debt.

How apt that in this year, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we remember such a life. Throughout his extraordinary and fast paced career, Dr Schwarz was sustained in his work by his personal faith, the unassailable strength of his convictions and the love of his family. As a family man, affectionately known as ‘Nandi’ by his grandchildren, Fred was much loved. He is survived by his wife, Lillian; their three children, John, Rosemary and David; and their adopted son, John Whitehall.

Despite accolades by some of the most outstanding Americans of his time and the lasting impact his influence has had on averting the very real threat to the West posed by communism during the Cold War, there was, shamefully, very little in the Australian media to mark the passing of one of the 20th century’s most influential Australians. It is therefore of great personal and professional importance to me, in marking his passing, to acknowledge the life of a great Australian, an Australian who will be missed by his family and those to whom he offered so much insight and wisdom. He was not known as well as he should have been in this country but his legacy is experienced by all Australians in the freedoms we now enjoy. I am proud to have known him and I truly believe that the world is a better place because of his work.