Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to acknowledge and pay tribute to the life and work of a great Western Australian and a true stalwart of the WA Liberal Party, Peter Sim CBE. Even though it is a very long time since Peter Sim served as a Senator—he retired from this chamber in June 1981—he was still keenly interested in and involved with the activities of the WA Liberal Party until quite recently. It would not be unusual for me to run into Peter Sim at various Liberal Party functions around Perth and also on occasion in the Members' Dining Room at WA's state parliament house when entertaining community representatives. On the occasions when we would meet, he was always unfailingly courteous to me and was always happy to share his thoughts on contemporary political issues. Although he was not born in Western Australia, Peter Sim moved west in June 1946, following his distinguished service with the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War. Like so many of his fellow veterans, Peter Sim was encouraged to move to Western Australia due to the availability of relatively cheap agricultural land and, together with his brother Hugh, established a wool-growing operation in WA's Great Southern region. Also around this time, he became active in the newly-formed Liberal Party and through his efforts managed to secure the third spot on the party's Senate ticket in 1958. Unfortunately, the WA Liberal Party did not secure that position in the election held that same year. Undeterred, he continued to serve the Liberal cause, becoming the WA Liberal and Country League—as it was then known— vice president in 1960, he chaired both the rural and policy committees of the WA Liberal Party.

When WA Liberal Senator Seddon Vincent passed away in 1964, WA Liberals actively sought a replacement who they were confident would stand up for rural Western Australians. In the preselection that followed, Peter Sim prevailed handily over another candidate who would also go on to enjoy a distinguished Senate career, the late Reg Withers. For students of Australia's constitutional history, it is perhaps worth noting another instance where Peter Sim enjoyed more luck than Reg Withers. Reg Withers did eventually enter the Senate in 1966, after Liberal Senator Sir Shane Paltridge passed away. However, at that time, any senator who took up a casual vacancy was required to contest their place at the next subsequent general election, which in this instance occurred in November 1966. At that election, Senator Sim was successful in securing his place.

Yet despite the fact that Prime Minister Harold Holt secured a resounding coalition victory, increasing his parliamentary majority, Senator Withers lost the place he had held for only nine months to the Australian Labor Party. He was forced to run again at the 1967 Senate election and only then did he secure the Senate seat he eventually held until 1987, allowing him to go on to become a minister and Senate leader.

Peter Sim served as a senator for Western Australia from 1964 to 1981 and over that time built a reputation as someone whose parliamentary contributions were always thoughtful and true to his own values. In particular, he was opposed to protectionism and was an enthusiastic backer of moves to dismantle high tariffs, which earned him enmity from some in the then Country Party.

As the Deputy Chair of the Society of Modest Members, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge at this point that when Bert Kelly was fighting an uphill battle against protectionism within the coalition governments of John Gorton, William McMahon and, later, Malcolm Fraser, Peter Sim was one of the very few allies of his cause right from the beginning. In 1978, Bert Kelly wrote of his experience working with Peter Sim in trying to overcome the pro-protectionist mindset that still enjoyed dominance within the Liberal Party of the day. He noted that Senator Sim:

… believed in the virtue of making decisions that were soundly based. And we have always been prepared to embark on an argument with the Liberal Party Manufacturing Committee which used to have some rather ultra-protectionist ideas.

Senator Sim was not afraid to speak his mind, nor was he afraid to push back against his own party when he felt it was acting contrary to the interests of Western Australia. He crossed the floor some 13 times over the course of his career, clearly demonstrating an independence of mind.

He was a committed federalist and an opponent of the creeping tide of centralism, especially during the Whitlam era. I think it is particularly worth noting that he crossed the floor in 1977, against the Fraser government, to oppose two bills which went to referendum later that year: the Constitution Alteration (Simultaneous Elections) Bill, and the Constitution Alteration (Senate Casual Vacancies) Bill. In this, he reflected abiding suspicion about the proposals in WA. Indeed, WA voted against the simultaneous elections bill at the referendum, helping to secure its defeat.

In typical fashion, his method of declaring his intention to cross the floor on that occasion was a masterpiece of understatement, quite foreign to the sorts of theatrics we sometimes see today. So brief was his speech on that occasion that I can now quote it in full:

Mr President, I will speak for 30 seconds. I rise merely to say that I support the view of those of my colleagues who oppose this legislation and to declare that I will be opposing the legislation when it comes to a vote. I do not cast any doubts on the integrity of those of my colleagues who disagree with me. But I take a very strong view. I am opposed to this legislation. They have the right to support it. But my position will remain constant.

Although Peter Sim was never to achieve ministerial rank, he was an active and effective chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, a role he held under prime ministers William McMahon and Malcolm Fraser. In this position, and mindful of his role as a Western Australian senator, he was keen to emphasise the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean, which was sometimes overlooked in favour of the Pacific.

Peter Sim was an early critic of what he saw as the pro-China tilt of Australian foreign policy at the time, warning that Australia had an obligation to protect its interests in both Japan and especially Taiwan. As others have noted, he maintained a particular interest in international affairs, and was active in this area well after his retirement from front line politics. Indeed, following his retirement he was an active member of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, and served as that organisation's Western Australian president over a long period—from 1982 to 2003. In this role, he continued his long-standing interest in issues that had been top of mind for him during his Senate career, including defence, foreign affairs and trade liberalisation.

Also following his political retirement, from 1982 until 1991 Peter Sim was a member of the Senate of Murdoch University in Western Australia, serving between 1991 and 1997 as a board member of its Asia Research Centre. In 2006 Japan honoured his long-standing contribution to Australian-Japanese relations by awarding him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.

All Western Australians have reason to be thankful for Peter Sims' service as a senator for our state, and for his unswerving commitment to freer trade and opposition to centralism at a time when that approach was at its zenith, during the Whitlam era. It was interesting to examine some of the contributions Peter Sim made during his time as senator, but I think I was most struck by his valedictory speech, a contribution which, again, is decidedly short, in keeping with his belief that speeches should be kept short. He said:

Somebody said-I am not sure who it was, and I do not even know whether he said it!-words to the effect: Curse my enemies and bless my friends. I hope I leave this place without having to curse anyone and only to bless my friends on both sides of the chamber. I have enjoyed my nearly 17 years in this place; it has been a challenging and interesting experience. I have enjoyed the friendship of many people from all walks of life, but, above all, I mention my political opponents. I will not name them all, but I look across and see perhaps some of my closest friends sitting on the opposite side of the chamber.

Those words will not come as a surprise to any of us who ever met or dealt with Peter Sim. He was a true gentleman, in every sense of the word—courteous, respectful and always well considered.

His counsel, his contribution and his friendly smile will be missed by many Western Australian Liberals, and we extend our sympathies to his daughter, Elizabeth, son-in-law, Ross, and grandchildren, Erin and Katelyn.