Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death, on 25 June 2023, of the Hon. Simon Findlay Crean, a former minister and member of the House of Representatives for the division of Hotham, Victoria, from 1990 to 2013. I call the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its sorrow at the death, on 25 June 2023, of the Honourable Simon Findlay Crean, former cabinet minister in the Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments, former leader and deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party, and former member for Hotham, places on record its gratitude for his service to the Parliament and the nation and tenders its sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Colleagues, I rise on behalf of a Labor government to express our condolences following the passing of a great servant of our nation, of its working people and of the Australian Labor Party: the Hon. Simon Crean—former union leader, minister, Labor leader and member of the House of Representatives—at the age of 74. I start by conveying our condolences to his family: to his wife, Carole; to his daughters, Sarah and Emma; and to his brother David, with whom he shared a special bond, as well as to his former colleagues here and to his many friends. I welcome Carole Crean and members of the Crean family to the gallery today along with friends, including from the European Australian Business Council.

Simon Crean was courageous, decent, kind and principled. These traits defined his character as he served our nation at the pinnacle of our trade union movement and in some of the most esteemed political offices of our democracy. Simon made an extraordinary contribution to our movement, to our party and to our nation: president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, cabinet minister to four Labor prime ministers and leader of the Australian Labor Party. In these positions, he worked alongside some of the most consequential figures in our country's history to build a better Australia.

Imbued with an outlook that was positive and optimistic, Simon Crean fundamentally believed in the role of Labor governments as agents of change, as agents of transformation at home and abroad. For him, it was never enough to simply administer the status quo. He saw that, with purpose and vision, government could effect real change for the benefit of working people everywhere and could create opportunity for all our people. This optimistic outlook also served him well when confronted by challenges along the way. He met them as they came, and occasionally sought them out—persevering, sometimes facing setbacks, but never trammelled by personal nastiness. At a time when we regrettably witness the practice of politics becoming increasingly personalised, we reflect fondly on this mark of his great character.

Simon Crean was widely respected. When the times called for them, he made hard decisions and he stuck with them. At his core, he loved people. I saw firsthand Simon's genuine interest in the lives of others and his remarkable ability to recall names, family histories, anecdotes and events, all of which brought others closer to him.

Born in February 1949 in Melbourne, politics was part of Simon Crean's life from the very beginning. He grew up in a political household. His father, Frank, was already a Labor parliamentarian, serving in the Victorian state parliament before becoming a member of the House of Representatives a few months after the second birthday of a young Simon—the middle of his three sons. He later became Treasurer in the Whitlam government. As a consequence, and along with his siblings, Stephen and David, frequent trips to Canberra were a feature of Simon Crean's childhood and adolescence. And whilst this background might seem to have preordained his own progression into politics, Simon Crean still forged his own path, studying economics and law at Monash University. It was his connection with the movement against the Vietnam War that spurred his own political activism. But before this, as a teenager, it was the tennis club that commanded Simon's attention, and it was at the tennis club where his life's match was fulfilled when he met Carol. Their loving union, so apparent to all who knew them, would endure until his passing, spanning more than 50 years.

Simon Crean began his career in the labour movement in the early seventies at the Federated Storemen and Packers Union, a forerunner of the NUW and what we now know today as the United Workers Union, alongside Bill Kelty. What a formidable partnership—first at the union, later at the ACTU, with Simon Crean as president and Bill Kelty as secretary.

His involvement in union leadership came at a pivotal time for our movement. As assistant and then general secretary of the union between 1976 and 1985, this included leading key disputes to advance industry superannuation and equal pay. You see, before there could be an accord between the unions and government, there had to be accord between the unions. An agreement was reached on the fundamental steps for advancement: improving year 12 completion, guaranteeing national superannuation and health care, instituting collective bargaining, setting institutional minimum wages, providing the greatest opportunity for advancement to those disadvantaged by sex or race, and building the union movement on its own terms.

Simon Crean was a key influencer in shaping the modern Australian economy of the 1980s and by the time he became president of the ACTU in 1985, having served as vice-president and then senior vice-president over the preceding four years concurrently with his union role, he had already done so much to help establish what would be a defining period in our country's history, a defining period in relations between unions, business and government. You see, the tripartite relationship fostered by the Hawke government in this period transformed our country, and Simon Crean was part of that—a transformational shift in industrial and in social policy.

Whilst his genuinely conciliatory and consensus driven style was effective, Simon Crean was fundamentally a successful union leader because he understood the struggles and the aspirations of working people. He could meet people from all walks of life and engage with them meaningfully and sincerely, and he, in turn, was held with such wide affection.

At the 1990 election Simon Crean took his passion for representing people from the shop floor to the floor of the House and he was elected the member for Hotham in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, a seat he would continue to hold until 2013, and immediately upon his entry into parliament he became a minister. He served alongside other Labor giants like John Button and Peter Cook, individuals who saw such great opportunity for Australia and worked earnestly to ensure that opportunity was realised and that it was shared. Simon Crean took the same approach.

Bob Hawke appointed Simon as Minister for Science and Technology, and a few months later he was appointed to cabinet for the first time as Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. He continued to serve in this portfolio when Paul Keating assumed the prime ministership and through the 1993 election for the remainder of that year. Much like his predecessor, the late John Kerin, he was highly respected and is still warmly regarded in the agricultural sector.

At the end of 1993, Simon Crean became Minister for Employment, Education and Training, a portfolio he would hold until the end of Labor's time in office in 1996. It was a highly consequential time to hold such a portfolio as our economy emerged from recession and the impact of technology necessitated structural change across the economy. And the centrepiece of this time, for both Simon Crean and the government, was Working Nation. Bill Kelty called this the most significant statement on employment since World War II, and during Simon Crean's time as minister Australia's unemployment rate experienced a steady decline from 10.6 per cent when he took office to 8.1 per cent two years later.

Following the defeat of the Keating government, Simon Crean became the senior figure in the Labor opposition, including deputy leader and shadow Treasurer under Kim Beasley between 1998 and 2001. And following Kim Beasley's second election defeat Simon was elected unopposed as federal Labor leader and leader of the opposition. In his two years as leader, national security and international relations dominated. With the aftermath of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and then the October 2002 Bali bombings, Australia faced an uncertain world.

The Bush administration in the US, supported by Australia led by John Howard, and the United Kingdom, led by Tony Blair, were preparing to invade Iraq based on flawed justification. It would have been easy, certainly much easier, to stand behind the ascendant Howard and provide bipartisan support for this action. Simon Crean and Labor did not, and history has demonstrated this principled and courageous judgement to be correct. Two decades have passed since that time, and, given the way this action unfolded, the lengthy duration of the conflict, the destabilisation in the Middle East, it's easy to forget what the political climate was like in the initial stages. Simon Crean was castigated in the parliament and in the press. But he maintained his stance, and as leader of the opposition he made several major speeches outlining Labor's position against the war.

At the HMAS Kanimbla farewell in 2003 he gave a short but consequential address, and he said this:

I don't want to mince my words, because I don't believe that you should be going. I don't think that there should be a deployment of troops to Iraq ahead of the United Nations determining it. But that's a political decision; that's an argument that the Prime Minister and I will have, no doubt, over the coming weeks and months.

But, having said that, I don't support the deployment of our troops in the circumstances. I do support our troops and I always will, and that distinction is fundamentally important.

an honest, courageous and decent statement reflective of the man. In February 2003 Simon Crean spoke in detail on Labor's position on Iraq to the parliament, and he again emphasised support for Australian troops along with the importance of non-proliferation, addressing border security issues in the Middle East and backing the authority of the UN and international law. But he also systematically dismantled John Howard's arguments for war, observing that the Australian people did not want peace at any cost, but neither did they want Howard's war at any price.

In case anyone thinks this stance was not without political consequence, we are reminded that, when Labor released its detailed policy statement on Iraq in 2000, the then foreign minister and then Treasurer said we were appeasers, and we were 'talking like Saddam Hussein' because we wanted the issue to go back to the UN Security Council. Yet again, it was Labor that addressed Australia's most significant international security issues with maturity, and it did so under the leadership of Simon Crean. At a National Press Club address the following month he spoke about the support he had received from the parents of troops who had been deployed. For him, the personal cost of war was never far from front of his mind. He also noted the courage of past Labor leaders John Curtin and Gough Whitlam who had stood up for Australia's interest in times of war. And Simon Crean was able to hold and articulate these positions because he deeply understood how fundamental they were to Labor's core.

In October 2003, several months after the conflict commenced, the President of the United States, George W Bush, addressed our parliament. In a speech of welcome Simon Crean addressed the president directly and made clear Labor did not agree with the war in Iraq. He spoke of the strength of our shared values, our interests and our principles, and he spoke of how the strength of our values, interests and principles did not prevent us from taking a different perspective and that did not diminish or weaken our partnership but enriched it and strengthened it. Simon Crean and Labor were proved right on Iraq—exercising cautious judgement and understanding that it was possible to be a constructive ally but not an unthinking one.

In this period, Simon Crean also demonstrated courage in the way he pursued reform within the Labor Party. Following a review conducted by Bob Hawke and Neville Wran, he implemented reforms that were wildly unpopular in some quarters. The effect was to reduce the influence of affiliated trade unions from 50 to 60 per cent in party forums and to increase the minimum target for the election of women to parliament.

When Mark Latham became Labor leader in December 2003, Simon Crean again became shadow Treasurer, before going onto serving the trade and regional development portfolios during Labor's final term in opposition before the defeat of the Howard government in November of 2007. When Kevin Rudd led Labor back to government, Simon Crean returned to the cabinet table, and I was honoured to be his cabinet colleague. Along with John Faulkner, he was one of only two ministers who had previously served at that level in a federal government. He retained the trade portfolio he had held in opposition, before becoming Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts under Julia Gillard. His service in the trade portfolio has seen him credited with influencing so many of the foundations of Australia's approach to international trade.

Regional development and arts were portfolios that suited him but were also politically important for a government that relied upon the support of country independents in New South Wales for its survival. In Simon Crean, not only did they have a minister who spoke their language but they also had someone with a genuine appreciation for country music—I did not know this fact—as evidenced by regular attendance at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. You learn something. One of his last acts as arts minister was to launch Labor's national cultural policy, something which didn't get its opportunity to flourish with the government's demise in 2013 but the legacy of which is carried on by the Albanese government's Creative Australia policy.

Simon Crean left politics at the 2013 election. He continued to contribute to our nation through his post-political pursuits. Organisations spanning primary industries, regional Australia, education, trade and the arts all benefited from his wisdom and his guidance—as well as his local community. Amongst others, he chaired the Australia-Korea Business Council, was on the board of Linfox, served as deputy chancellor of Monash University and was an ambassador for the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership. When he died suddenly last month, he was in Germany, participating in a trade delegation in his capacity as chair of the European Australian Business Council.

Simon Crean was a great Labor reformer, a man who came from Labor traditions and sought to shape our movement, our party and our nation for better. He grew up in and was surrounded by the Australian Labor Party and its significant figures and then forged his own path for himself to become one of the most significant figures in our party and our movement. Variously described as our most successful trade minister and our most influential art minister amongst many attributes, he was held in wide esteem. And I too held him so. Simon Crean was the first leader I served as a parliamentarian when I entered the Senate in July 2002, and his positive and optimistic outlook struck me along with the fundamentally decent way in which he practised politics and conducted himself personally. I went on to serve alongside him in the cabinets of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, and we were fortunate to have the benefit of his wisdom and knowledge. Ideological he came squarely from the Hawke and Keating tradition, forging consensus, driving reform, taking an expansive view of our place in the world, and he reminded us to do the same. His passing reminds us again, as it is more important than ever.

As Carole spoke about in her heartfelt tribute, Simon was possessed of incredible self-belief and intellect. He trusted his judgement and was prepared to fight for what he believed in. His abundant passion was coupled with humility and a beautiful ability to forgive and let go.

He lived up to the ideals of his mother, Mary Crean, articulated as being that a Labor Party that should always be caring, compassionate and courageous and should always provide hope for those who need it most. And he understood that our job in Labor is not to do what is easy for ourselves. Our job is to do what is right and sometimes hard for Australia.

Simon Crean died in June 2023. There wasn't any warning. His state funeral, at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne the week before last, was attended by hundreds. It overflowed with gratitude for the life he had led, the contribution he had made and the love he had given. As his daughter Emma said through the tribute, 'Si: A Martlet of Love', which she wrote and delivered: 'A man with the strength to dream, redeeming his soul to fly at constant quest for knowledge, seeking truth, helping all he can, through adventure, leadership and hard work. One soul—a soul we all knew.'

This Labor government shares the gratitude of so many for the life of the Hon. Simon Findlay Crean. We express, again, our condolences and our sympathies to Carole, Sarah and Emma, Simon's wider family and all those here and beyond who knew him well.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the opposition to give full support to the motion moved by Senator Wong, to associate ourselves with the fine and thoughtful words of Senator Wong and to pay our own tribute to the life of the Hon. Simon Crean.

Simon Crean did indeed dedicate his life to the service of Australians and to the pursuit of his vision and the Labor vision for a stronger Australia. He performed his duties always as a gentleman and a man of principle, remembered as not only a stalwart of the Labor Party but someone who truly reflected the very best of the values and the ethos of his party.

Simon Crean was born into the world of politics. In hindsight, it almost seems inevitable that Simon would one day enter parliament. The son of Frank Crean, deputy prime minister in the Whitlam government, Simon got a political education from the family dinner table onwards, with dinner conversations and guests ranging from Evatt to Calwell to Whitlam. But, of course, he forged his own path, and, as Senator Wong rightly acknowledged, he forged a path that ensured he will be remembered for his contributions and his deeds.

At Monash University he studied law and economics and initially joined the storemen and packers union, as acknowledged, with Bill Kelty. Together, they would become—and I've got the same word as you had, Senator Wong—a 'formidable' duo, who would eventually come to lead the Australian Council of Trade Unions together. Simon was first elected ACTU vice-president in 1981, and eventually became president of the ACTU in 1985, with Bill Kelty as secretary by his side. They played key roles in negotiating big reforms through their time at the ACTU, engaging extensively on reforms such as universal superannuation, reforms to welfare and social security payments, and pathways to skills and employment. It is fair to say it was an era of effective, pragmatic and forward-looking leadership by the ACTU, which itself, in partnership with the Hawke government at the time, left a lasting legacy on Australia and was perhaps the ACTU's most impactful era in terms of its contribution to Australian public policy.

Following this significant period of work at the ACTU and in the union movement, Simon Crean made the move to parliamentary politics, into the House of Representatives. He was elected as the member for Hotham in 1990 and continued to serve as the member for Hotham, being re-elected for seven consecutive elections.

Amongst so many tributes paid to Simon Crean, it is notable that, through so many of them, there are reflections upon his commitment to his local community, to his work as a local MP and to never losing touch with those local ties. This is notwithstanding the fact that he was, immediately after his election, appointed as a minister, serving from 1990 to 1996 and again from 2007 to 2013. It is quite a remarkable feat to have spent some 23 years at the Labor Party frontbench, most notably serving as a minister under Prime Minister Hawke, Prime Minister Keating, Prime Minister Rudd and Prime Minister Gillard. Not only the diverse array of portfolios through that very long span, serving as minister in the fields of science and technology, primary industry and energy through to employment, education, trade and the arts but also the significant impact he had in each of them that is in part evidenced by the extraordinary range of organisations that pay tribute to Simon Crean upon his passing, from the Australian Ballet, the Australian Livestock Exporters Council, Monash University, Screen Producers Australia to his very much beloved North Melbourne Football Club.

Simon's parliamentary biography paints quite a picture also of the international representations and engagement he made during his time as a cabinet minister, undertaking some 68 international official visits to 134 countries, probably some not even captured within that. Notwithstanding the intensity of his work and the tempo of his travel, it is notable just how much unfailing love and kindness Simon Crean is credited with having shown very much not only to his family and his loved ones but across his friends, his colleagues and his wider community. Following the election of the Howard Liberal government in 1996, Simon served as deputy opposition leader and shadow Treasurer through the 1998 and 2001 elections, before becoming opposition leader for the Labor Party in late 2001.

As has been mentioned by Senator Wong and reflected upon by so many, one of Simon Crean's most profound moments in his parliamentary and political career was when he opposed Australia's involvement in the Iraq war as leader of the opposition. As is depicted by the Australian Financial Review, he did this from a difficult and challenging position. They said:

It was a tough environment for a Labor leader who was unpopular in the polls against an ascendant Howard. But on February 5, 2003, just over a month before the invasion began, Crean stood his ground.

Simon's qualities as a leader of the upmost principle and integrity were displayed in his strong support of the Australian troops being deployed, working tirelessly on his part to actively avoid a repeat of the Vietnam War, while still being clear in his grievances with the government and that his grievances with the government, never with those who wore the Australian uniform. Indeed, as so many have acknowledged, he farewelled our troops as they left Australia not only with patriotism but also with the respect of honesty, treating them with that respect and outlining very clearly not only the views and stance he took but also why they deserved not only his respect but that of all Australians. He did likewise in the parliament when the US President George W. Bush visited Australia, speaking to, again, his principal nature, being up-front yet gracious, saying very directly to President Bush:

Our commitment to the alliance remains unshakeable, as does our commitment to the war on terror, but friends must be honest with each other. Honesty is, after all, the foundation stone of that great Australian value—'mateship'.

This was not the only area where Simon Crean in a relatively short period of parliamentary leadership within this building demonstrated his willingness to use his political capital. During his time as opposition leader and as leader of the Labor Party, Simon Crean took the opportunity to pursue dramatic change within the Labor Party. Against great opposition from some, this product of the trade union movement used much of his capital to pursue reforms in Labor including the dilution of union influence in Labor Party preselections from 60 per cent to 50 per cent while also taking the step of ensuring female candidates were picked in 40 per cent of winnable seats, leaving a lasting and positive impact on his party.

His opposition to the war in Iraq, his reform of the party created disgruntlement and challenges, both outside and within Labor, during those tumultuous times. Being opposition leader then, as it has been for so many generations and remains, is an often thankless task and so it was for Simon. He stepped aside as a leader in late 2003. Nevertheless, as a respected former leader, Simon Crean was appointed and served as cabinet minister following Labor's election in 2007, notably as trade minister, a position that naturally aligned with his character, with his principles and with which he showed great gusto. After 23 years as the member for Hotham, and the majority of those as a cabinet minister, Simon announced his retirement before the general elections in 2013.

I can say that Simon Crean was someone who was always generous. As someone who followed him, though some years apart, in both the education portfolio and the trade portfolio, his willingness to provide advice, to engage and to work was always evident. His kindness, his thoughtfulness and his engagement, I acknowledge, I thank him for and I welcome. Whether it was on matters of international education or in the pursuit of our trade agreements, particularly those with the European Union, Simon Crean was always somebody worth having a conversation with, worth listening to and worth ensuring that he was deployed, as he would always seek to be, in the national interest.

One of his most notable post-parliamentary appointments was as the chairman of the European Australian Business Council, working to facilitate more open trade with the EU. His belief in the advancement of those trade networks and ties and their benefits to our nation were unwavering. It was this work which he so loved and was so good and effective at that he was pursuing at the time of his sudden death.

In Simon Crean, Labor has lost a former leader and a principled yet pragmatic advocate. But our nation has also lost an effective advocate and champion for our interests right around the world as well as for good, sound policy across our nation. His passing was sudden, and this no doubt has been a terribly difficult time for his loved ones, but I hope they can find some comfort in the recollections that have been shared across this place and in so many others, and in the huge outpouring of respect and admiration across all sides of politics that so many held for Simon Crean. As John Howard summarised, he was 'a formidable adversary who I both liked and respected' and that respect is perhaps the most important of all attributes.

On behalf of the opposition, and in joining all senators, I acknowledge and thank Simon Crean for his service, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Carol; his daughters, Sarah and Emma; their families; and to Simon's so many loved ones, friends, colleagues, including many here, I know, across from us who served closely with Simon and who valued and treasured his friendship and support. We extend our deepest sympathies and our thanks for his service to our nation.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the Australian Greens to give our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the honourable Simon Findlay Crean. It's always difficult to lose a loved one, and even more so when it happens unexpectedly and away from home. It is clear that Mr Crean had many people who loved him.

Senator Wong has given an account of his numerous roles and achievements, which I won't seek to repeat. But one thing to note are the—at the time—bold commitments Mr Crean made to invest in the long-term protection of the Murray River in the lead up to the 2003 election. That work gave the environment a prominence in an opposition campaign that it had not had for some time.

He was a dedicated union leader and an advocate for workers' rights. He was committed to the arts and to regional communities. He was part of a political family but was a politician who saw getting outcomes as more important than people recognising his role in getting there.

A lot has been said already about Mr Crean's courage in speaking against Australia entering the Iraq War. He called for a decision to be deferred until the UN inspectors assessed the weapons of mass destruction claims that were used to justify the war, saying that denying the UN extra time to inspect undermined any legitimacy for the war. He took that stand while President Bush was in the chamber. Senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle made their own statement on that day, and the collective power of that opposition strengthened the resolve of the anti-war movement. Mr Crean said that the media at that time had joined 'a stampede urging Australia to war, but had failed to question the evidence presented'—evidence which, history has shown, simply did not support the claims being made. Thousands and thousands of people took to the streets, but the Howard government was belligerent, and we went to war without a vote in parliament and without proper consideration. We went to war on a lie.

Mr Crean also called out Mr John Howard's disgraceful attempts to use the grief of Australian families affected by the Bali bombings to justify his war. It should not be so notable to stand against powerful allies and demand transparency, accountability and honesty. It should not be so rare to stare down a voracious media and do the right thing. It shouldn't be, but it is. History has supported Mr Crean, Senator Brown, Mr Wilkie and all those who stood against that illegal war. At a time in history when the drums of war are beating again, I hope that Mr Crean's legacy gives everyone in this place pause for thought about the mistakes that drove us to war in Iraq and how to make sure we don't repeat them. I hope his legacy is a government committed to transparency and rigorous decision-making.

I want to note the personal tragedy that Mr Crean experienced when his brother died bushwalking in a remote area and was not found for some time. It is hard to imagine the trauma of that long period of waiting, of not knowing, of losing hope. I would not wish that on any family. From that experience, Mr Crean maintained an empathy for communities experiencing tragedy. The sensitivity with which he addressed families and friends of the Bali bombing victims in the days and months following that tragedy was a testament to that empathy.

As I said at the outset, despite his sometimes stern demeanour Mr Crean was clearly loved and was loved by many. His sudden and unexpected death should be a reminder to us all to nurture our relationships outside of this place and to make sure that we let people that we care about know as often as we can. Our deepest condolences and best wishes to Mr Crean's family, his friends and colleagues.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise as Leader of the Nationals in the Senate to support the motion moved by Senator Wong and the comments made by both the government and the opposition on the passing of the honourable Simon Crean.

While many of the speeches are about his achievements in the union movement, his lifelong interest in the arts, his principled stand against participation in the Iraq war and his contributions to the Labor Party, I want to concentrate instead on his contribution to agriculture and regional Australia. He was dignified in a profession that is often brutal and cruel. When Simon Crean was promoted by Prime Minister Bob Hawke to be Minister for Primary Industries and Energy in 1991, he took to the job with great gusto and enthusiasm, donning his RM Williams boots and travelling extensively and relentlessly throughout regional Australia, meeting communities on the ground to hear firsthand from them. He was a staunch supporter of free trade and Landcare so communities in agriculture could actually reach their full potential. He knew that most people in the regions generally didn't vote for Labor and that as a prominent Labor person he would have to work doubly hard to gain their respect and trust, and he did. As a relatively new MP, he knew if he did well in agriculture and was respected by the sector that would stand him in good stead, and it did. The reason he was so different and so respected in the agriculture industry was that he did not readily become captive of noisy special interest groups, environmental groups or animal welfare activists. He took his high intellect and his commitment to evidence based policy development to the real world, and that was evidenced by how his pragmatic, solution-driven approach to policy development was supported by the regions and the agriculture industry more broadly.

I also want to say thank you to Simon, because when I became agriculture minister in 2019 he came to my office very early in the piece and was extremely generous in offering me his time and advice if and whenever I needed it. I appreciated his generosity and openness in this regard.

It is worth recording here that, post politics, Simon also became the chair of the Australian Livestock Exporters Council. I noted at his funeral at St Paul's Cathedral, which many in this chamber were at, there was significant representation from the agriculture industry. It was a testament to his ability to build bridges right throughout his life, no matter what job he was in, to have Baillieu, Brumby, Kennett and Bracks celebrating the life and achievements of a man like Simon Crean. I asked former Victorian Nationals leader and Deputy Premier of Victoria Peter Ryan for his thoughts, as they worked on regional development together as ministers at the federal and state levels. He said he was a man for all seasons who always had the greater good for our Australian communities in his compass.

Putting politics aside, I want to say in conclusion that Simon Crean was a politician who always tried to make a difference and who wanted to achieve a great outcome from whatever position he had throughout his public life. He was opposition leader and he aspired to become Prime Minister, but it was never destined to be. He was a man of deep faith, enthusiasm and drive and a great supporter of the North Melbourne Football Club, which I am very glad the Saints beat last weekend!

My thoughts and prayers go to Carole and his daughters, Sarah and Emma, his young grandsons and his close family and friends. Parliament needs more Simon Creans on both sides, in government and in opposition, for our nation to flourish, for the best of us to prevail, to be intelligent, not ideological, to have a work ethic that befits the people who sent us here, to have a curiosity for new ideas and to have a care after the human condition.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay my respects to the Hon. Simon Crean and to extend my very deep condolences to Simon's wife, Carole, their two daughters, Sarah and Emma, and the Crean family and friends. It was an enormous shock to learn of Simon's sudden passing last month while visiting Berlin as part of an industry delegation in his role as chair of the European Australian Business Council. We often have to give eulogies in this place about parliamentarians that we never knew, but, of course, that is not the case with Simon.

I first got to know Simon more than 40 years ago when he worked for the Storemen and Packers Union with his great friend Bill Kelty. At the time I was an industrial officer with the shop assistants union in Adelaide. In those days, we were often involved in demarcation disputes with the Storemen and Packers Union over who should cover warehouse workers in South Australia. But those disputes were always conducted with great civility. That became a hallmark of Simon as a Labor leader. I long valued Simon's friendship and advice over those decades, and I was pleasantly surprised when I first got elected to the Senate in 2008 when he sent me a letter of congratulations—a very thoughtful act, I thought, by a very busy cabinet member.

Simon gave a lifetime of service to the Australian people in a range of senior ministerial positions, including as Minister for Trade between 2007 and 2010. Most recently, my engagement with Simon has centred on the ongoing trade negotiation—very difficult trade negotiations—with the European Union. I sought Simon's views on engaging with the Europeans and was deeply grateful for his support, including during my visit to Europe in December last year. If in the end we do secure a free trade agreement with the European Union, it will be very much because of Simon's advocacy.

Simon's dedication to public service continued beyond his political career, including as chair of the Australia-Korea Business Council and, of course, the European Australian Business Council. Simon was a strong supporter of Australia as an open trading nation and was a vocal advocate for the primacy of the multilateral trading system. With his always warm and welcoming smile, he will be missed by all those Australian businesses and workers that rely on international trade for generating greater prosperity. But, of course, he will be most deeply missed by those who loved him: his family and friends. And all of those who knew him know that his passing was a very great loss for all of us. Vale, Simon.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to join with the government and all of the parliament today in support of this condolence motion for the late honourable Simon Crean. In doing so, I recognise his legacy and contribution to public life in Australia.

Simon was a principled leader with a curious mind and a thirst for adventure, and we know, of course, that he had courage. We've heard that many times already today. He made a substantial contribution for over 50 years in public life, serving as leader of the ACTU, minister in four Labor governments and leader of the Labor Party. Perhaps just as important, he was a thoroughly decent and affable man with friends across the parliament and the Australian community. Simon had an empathy and humanity that was bigger than party politics. His commitment to the Labor Party was strong, but his believe in good politics was always at the centre of everything that he did.

I've known Simon since I was a kid. He was a dear friend of the family. I know when I first came to this place Simon always made an effort to check in and see how I was going, and that continued long after he had left and I was still here. I remember sharing Christmas at his family's home. I was deeply honoured and think back on it very fondly. When I was a kid he was a great union leader, and I just took it for granted. As I got older I realised the real contribution that people like Simon made and, of course, what his strong union with Bill Kelty meant to working people in this country. The reforms that they made and their contribution to the lives of Australian workers and to real changes to working conditions in this country have, I think, been unmet and unmatched by those who have come after.

Simon was a great union leader. My own dad was a member of the old storemen and packers union. On the news of Simon's passing, dad texted me and said, 'Simon Crean. A really top bloke and a humanitarian,' and I think that goes for a lot of workers who really valued and succeeded from the leadership of Simon in his union years. My dad's a harsh critic—he doesn't say those things about people very lightly—but he always had the utmost respect for Simon, and I think workers right across the country did as well.

I want to recognise Simon's contribution to a number of portfolios and passions that he and I both shared: his advocacy for the arts and for the Murray River and his principled opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

As the Minister for the Arts in the Gillard government, Simon launched national cultural policy Creative Australia, the successor to Keating's 1994 Creative Nation, delivering on one of the key ideas of the Rudd government's 2020 summit. Creative Australia presented a vision and strategy to place arts and culture at the centre of modern Australian life. Simon knew arts was for everyone, not just the elite few. It spoke, of course, this policy, to five overarching goals developed in close consultation with the artistic and the broader Australian community.

Simon ensured that goal 1 of the policy's five objectives was to recognise, respect and celebrate the centrality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to the uniqueness of Australian identity. That was important, as important then as it is now. Those goals established the framework that was central to the development of the current Australian government's cultural policy, Revive, and I look forward to seeing that implemented properly and funded with gusto. Simon was personally involved actively in the arts, serving as the Chair of the McLelland Gallery, and was an enthusiastic supporter of the Australian National Academy of Music. He always understood and championed the value of arts in Australian society and, as I said, for everyone, not just a few.

On the Murray River, obviously a topic that's very close to my heart, being a senator from South Australia, Simon was one of the first political leaders to push for a national plan on the Murray-Darling long before others had chimed in and before John Howard followed suit. As Labor leader, in his 2003 budget reply speech, he made national cooperation over the Murray-Darling instrumental to his response and to the policy. He chaired the regional affairs committee's first parliamentary inquiry into the Murray-Darling Basin. Ironic it is that now all these years later we are still facing these battles, but we are in a much better position now than we were back then because of his leadership and courage.

He emphasised the importance of people working together to strike the right balance and protect the river and the economy, knowing that there are no jobs on a dead river. He understood the environmental limits of extraction. He said, 'You can't keep taking water out of the system and think that the basin is going to be there in the long term.' He understood the basics of how our economy needs a healthy environment. When some reacted angrily to the river plan and burned hard copies in front of the media, Simon Crean acknowledged the frustration but urged people to work together. He said, 'Burning books has never solved a problem in the history of the world,' and he challenged people to work together for constructive solutions.

There's been much said already today and lots written about Simon's principled stand against the illegal invasion of Iraq. As one of the millions of Australians who marched against the war, when I was at university, I want to acknowledge his moral leadership in opposing this catastrophic war. His words at that time meant so much to those of us out there on the streets. As Kim Beazley said recently:

Had his call been heard, picked up in the US and the UK and by the Australian government, the Middle East would not be the mess that it is, and we probably would not have gone out in Afghanistan in the way in which we did.

Simon's leadership at the time was so profound and important. Simon Crean was right. The majority of Australians who opposed the war were right. John Howard, George Bush and Tony Blair were wrong. Crean's stance on the invasion of Iraq reflected that he was partly politicised of course, as we've heard today, from his opposition to the Vietnam War during his youth, and as his speechwriter and former colleague Dennis Glover wrote about Simon Crean recently:

… he was a student during the Vietnam War. In our meetings he mentioned repeatedly how he knew of young men, including some close friends, who had come back from that war physically and mentally damaged. Agreeing to send people to fight was something he would never, ever do lightly.

Simon Crean stood up to John Howard on Iraq, and, like the former Greens leader Bob Brown, he stood up to George Bush, although slightly differently. On 4 February 2003, just over a month before the invasion began, Simon Crean stood his ground in parliament and told John Howard:

Prime Minister, you argue that the United States alliance requires you to respond to all requests from the US. It does not. The very first article of the ANZUS treaty makes it clear that all alliance decisions must be in conformity with the United Nations.

Only two weeks earlier, Simon had joined the Prime Minister Mr Howard to farewell troops who had been deployed to the gulf. Simon said at the time to the troops:

The men and women of our fighting forces in a democracy are expected unquestioningly to accept the orders of the government of the day.

You don't have a choice and my argument is with the government, not with you.

This was Simon Crean, leading with courage, conviction and empathy. Our national debate and our politics would be richer today if there were more leaders with the moral conviction and courage that Simon Crean showed on Iraq.

Whether it was as a friend, as a unionist fighting for workers or as a minister advocating for the arts or the plight of our river or showing strong opposition against an illegal war, he stood with conviction. I want to recognise Simon Crean's life and legacy and express my sympathy to his family, his friends and his colleagues today. I know that he will be missed dearly, and I think, for all of us, taking a leaf out of his book—courage, conviction and standing still in the wind—is something we should all consider.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to mourn a great unionist, a principled parliamentarian, a respected minister, a strong leader and an outstanding family man. Simon Crean was truly a great Australian. I acknowledge Simon's family, who join us in the gallery today. While I didn't know Simon as well as many of the others who have spoken here today, I do know that he was humble and compassionate and a man of great intellect. Labor through and through, he will probably be best remembered by the wider public for his time as opposition leader.

It's been mentioned many times today already, but his courage to speak out against the invasion of Iraq in front of then US president George W Bush exemplified his bravery and conviction. His assessment that friends must be honest with each other is a lesson for us all. I remember being so proud to see the federal Labor leader of the time take that principled position and express it at an enormous rally in Brisbane, when I was a little bit younger than I am now. The benefit of time would, of course, ultimately vindicate Simon's position.

Earlier as well as later in his parliamentary career, he held various ministerial portfolios, including trade, agriculture, employment, energy and the arts. There would be very few people who could say they served as minister under four different Labor prime ministers across the different decades. His time as Minister for Primary Industries and Energy was defined by the promotion of a reform agenda, opening up the possibilities for Australian food and fibre production to benefit from free trade. As minister, Simon drove Australia's first drought policy, led industry restructuring and was an early advocate of Australia's image as a clean, environmentally sustainable food producer.

Simon forged strong, respectful relationships with the agriculture sector which continued post-politics. He challenged the industry to be more proactive in identifying growth opportunities themselves rather than relying on government handouts. In 1993, he told a conference of agribusiness leaders on the Gold Coast just that:

The role of government was not to try to pick winners (they pick themselves) but to provide leadership and direction to an industry with tremendous export potential but … with a few exceptions, largely domestically oriented.

Things have certainly changed since those times. Simon championed workplace reform at every chance and used science to inform his agenda around food processing and food exports. He established the Agri-food Council in the nineties, bringing together the ACTU, CSIRO and the National Farmers Federation to identify opportunities to access the rapidly expanding Asia-Pacific market. His collaborative approach, bringing together industry, unions and other stakeholders, has been a big influence on me in my role as agriculture minister, especially regarding matters of agricultural trade, workforce and biosecurity.

Reform was something Simon pursued his entire working life. He was fierce and determined but approached every situation with the decency, kindness and generosity we've heard every speaker reflect on. As has been said many times, Simon was revered by people on all sides of politics. After his passing, countless agricultural organisations, including the National Farmers Federation, Grain Producers Australia, the Australian Livestock Exporters Council and Cattle Australia, all paid tribute to his life and service to the industry. Senator Ayres pointed me to an article in the Land, where the very famous—and well-deserved famous—meat processor Roger Fletcher reflected on the time he'd spent with Simon as minister. Simon wanted to hear from those directly involved in the industry about issues they thought the government could actually influence and make a difference on. The quote from Roger—which is prescient, given other developments recently—says: 'He didn't like to use consultants. He liked to go straight to those with skin in the game and get their direct feedback on any issue. He used to ask himself, "What do I need to do to fix this issue?" That's the kind of thing he would ask.'

News of Simon's passing came through as I was getting ready to depart Australia for Rome to speak at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization conference. It would have been the type of event Simon would have loved—bilateral meeting with EU agriculture ministers, as we tried to assist Minister Farrell to get the EU free trade agreement improved for Australian producers. I know Simon had done a lot of work on this through his role as chairman of the European Australian Business Council. In his work with European business and, previously, the Australia-South Korea business council, Simon championed Australian products and the benefits that bilateral trade would have for our nation.

It was at a European Australian Business Council event here in parliament that I last caught up with Simon. I was grateful he imparted some further words of wisdom to me in my current role. In particular, he was a strong supporter of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, on whose board he served, and he shared his thoughts with me as to how this group could support an agricultural reform agenda. It was another reflection of the generous advice Simon was always willing to provide to any of us in this parliament.

To Carole and Simon's whole family: my thoughts are with you during this time. May our comrade Simon Crean rest in peace.

Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) | Link to this | Hansard source

First, I would like to acknowledge that Carole Crean is in the chamber today, with Simon's family. I express our condolences to you on behalf of the Tasmanian federal Senate team, including Senator Urquhart, Senator Catryna Bilyk and Senator Polley. I know Senator Polley will be speaking as well.

Labor has lost a leader who stood among the greatest. Simon Crean will be remembered as someone who made you feel at ease in his presence with his patience, his interest and his calm temperament. Simon showed absolute dedication to serving people, covering 50 years of public service, first in his time in the trade union movement and then as member for Hotham for 23 years. All of us in this place know that his legacy will endure for decades to come.

Simon served as a cabinet minister under four Labor governments—Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard. He covered a broad range of ministerial portfolios, covering trade, agriculture, resources and energy, training and industry. In each of these areas he spent time representing, he was always guided by a deep understanding of people.

Many reflect on Simon's powerful and principled speech against Australia's involvement in the Iraq War. This speech was just one example of his tireless and devoted efforts in all areas of politics. To many, these attributes will be his most significant legacy.

In 2013 Simon introduced the National Cultural Policy, Creative Australia, which invigorated creativity, laying the foundations to celebrate Australia's diverse and inclusive culture. Through Creative Australia, Simon ensured we recognised, respected and celebrated our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, essential to Australia's unique identity. The legacy of Creative Australia lives on today under the leadership of Minister Tony Burke. I know Simon would have been proud to see Creative Australia back in its rightful place, at the forefront of Australian cultural policy.

Despite his career stretching half a century, with many ministerial portfolios, as deputy leader and then leader of the federal parliamentary Labor Party, Simon will always be remembered for what he did while he was in these positions—the tangible changes that are unforgettable marks on modern Australia.

Simon never lost touch with the people, maintaining integrity and fairness throughout his parliamentary career. He truly was a visionary whose perspective and outlook were anchored in values of humility and compassion. Simon's family has a deep history with the Labor Party, exemplified by his father, Frank Crean, who served as Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government. His brother David Crean served as Treasurer of my home state of Tasmania, under the Jim Bacon government. Despite embodying true Labor values, the Crean family maintains respect, as we've heard in the contributions here today, from across the whole political spectrum, speaking to their qualities, and we have just seen that today.

To Simon we owe a lot. We owe thanks that cannot be quantified, and my thoughts are with his family. When I first heard that Simon had passed away, I was so sad. I'd met Simon on a number of occasions, and of course I've met his brother David. It was a loss—to the Labor Party and the labour movement—that is very hard to put into words. He was a man of passion and a man of integrity. I hope you take comfort in knowing that sharing Simon with the labour movement and the country will have an enduring influence. You have our gratitude. Vale, Simon Crean.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak briefly about the Hon. Simon Findlay Crean. Like Senator Watt, the last time that I saw Simon was on budget night at a function hosted by the European Australian Business Council, and, in his characteristic way, he was warm and friendly and encouraging. I had recently come back from Berlin, where I'd had the opportunity to meet with a range of Australian and European businesses interested in the hydrogen industry. He was incredibly interested to hear all about this and encouraged me to share these observations with the very large group that had assembled, which I duly did. It was characteristic of the enthusiasm that he had for economic and cultural exchanges, which are at the heart of the council's mission, but also the values and objectives that he sought to advance through his parliamentary and public life, serving in portfolios across employment, training, regional development, trade, agriculture and the arts.

Simon was quite literally a son of the labour movement, which not many of us can say, but he contributed much more broadly, as a unionist, a parliamentarian, a minister and as Labor leader. Leading the federal parliamentary Labor Party is an enormous honour. It reflects the confidence of your peers and the eternal hopes of the labour movement for a better, fairer and more prosperous Australia. Simon was called to lead at a time of great change in Australia and in the world. He was not a radical, but he was called to make a difficult decision, much criticised at the time and since vindicated. I was active in the vast community movement at that time, which included faith groups, unionists, veterans and thousands of citizens who were opposed to the war in Iraq. Our movement insisted that there should be and could be another way. I well recall the significance of federal Labor's decision at that time to oppose the commitment of our troops, and I remember the firm courage with which Simon sought to explain that decision and our thinking patiently and honestly to the Australian people. Reading back over Simon's contributions from that time, I am struck by the care that he took to articulate the elements of Labor's position: admiration and care for our serving personnel, respect for the alliance between Australia and the United States, and a resolute commitment to identifying and serving our national interest.

This will be a time of great sadness for Simon's family and friends. I do hope that you find some peace in the admiration and affection in which he is so widely held. Vale, Simon, and thank you.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) | Link to this | Hansard source

I wanted not to say too many things, because many words have been spoken today, appropriately. Of course, they are appropriate but never enough in this situation. I want to echo Senator Brown's words just then. When the news about Simon's death came through to my family—both my wife and I knew Simon—we were very sad. Very sad. In my house, we have talked many times over the course of the last few weeks about the depth of Simon's contribution to the labour movement, to the Labor Party and to the country. We've talked about it with our kids, because he was an exemplar of what a leader in the labour movement should be.

Simon's funeral in Melbourne, just a few days ago, was also unaccountably sad. People have said it was attended by hundreds of people; I think it was many thousands. That church was absolutely full to the brim, and there were thousands of people who could not attend. The speeches spoke, in the same way that many of the speeches in here have, about Simon Crean's contribution to the country, to his portfolio areas and to the labour movement. I was particularly struck by Bill Kelty's contribution at the funeral.

Bill can never be accused of making a speech that's too short—that is true—but every word in that speech was well weighted, as it often is when Bill contributes. He talked about his and Simon's leadership and contribution the Federated Storemen and Packers Union of Australia at the time, and he said that he was never soft. That, I think, was really important to understanding the kind of trade union leader that Simon Crean was before he came into parliament. He was hard headed. He was pragmatic. He was focused on delivering for the low-paid workers—the storemen and packers who it was his job to represent. Of course, he's made a much-storied contribution to the ACTU, the labour movement, the parliament and Australia ever since. There are very few people who get the opportunity to serve in as many portfolios as Simon Crean did, and in not one of them was he resting on his laurels. In not one of those portfolios did he not make a profound contribution to the way it operated.

I was talking with Senator Watt earlier about Simon's contribution and making the point about Roger Fletcher and what he'd had to say about Simon Crean's contribution. The thing about Roger Fletcher, who's one of our great self-made businesspeople in the meat industry in Australia, is that he said all of the kind things to me about Simon before Simon died. He was always holding up Simon's contribution in trade and agriculture as being an exemplar of what an Australian trade or Australian agriculture minister should do, and I think Roger would want that point made here on his behalf. Of course, many have spoken about Simon Crean's contribution, particularly on the Iraq war, and I'm indebted to the other contributions on that as I don't propose to go over them.

He was a leader in the labour movement who also exemplified kindness in the way that he engaged in politics. He actually didn't bear grudges. He engaged in some very difficult internal and external struggles, but never bore a grudge. The people who were his staff, and even his opponents, spoke about the way that he engaged with his colleagues and staff. Again, he was an exemplar for us all.

I met Simon Crean at the Albury Gold Cup races. I had arranged a marquee to which I sold 1,500 tickets to members of the metalworkers union, and Simon came along as the guest speaker wearing what I think was a pretty startling sports coat that I imagine he probably wasn't allowed to wear in Melbourne. He was so loved and so comfortable in that crowd of not just members of the AMWU, but the business people and the racing community who gathered for that remarkable racing carnival that happens every year in Albury. He has provided, ever since that day, valuable support and advice to me, before I came into parliament and particularly over the last few months. I'm very grateful for it. I just wanted to place on record my appreciation for his work and his advice and his service to the country.

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge a champion of Australian primary producers and former champion of the Australian Livestock Exporters Council, Mr Simon Crean. The federal member for Hotham served in the Australian parliament from 1990 to the 2013 election. When in government, he held various ministerial portfolios, including Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, Minister for Trade, Minister for Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts. But it was the Australian Livestock Exporters Council who summed up his contributions to agriculture perfectly. They said:

During his time as Trade Minister and Primary Industries Minister he was responsible for a range of policies that still benefit the agriculture sector today, not in the least livestock exports … Mr Crean was a proud Australian and he was once again representing Australia's interests on the world stage at the time of his passing.

Mr Crean was elected Chairman of ALEC in October 2014 and was re-elected in 2016 and 2018—stepping down in February 2020.

At the time of his initial election as ALEC Chair, Mr Crean said he felt he had an obligation to help the industry following the Gillard Government's 2011 Live Cattle Ban. However, he not only wanted to help it get back on its feet, but to help continue … its growth path. He also wanted to see the industry continue its continuous improvement in animal welfare, something he oversaw and delivered with great enthusiasm.

He took a keen interest in the individuals involved in the industry, encouraged their success and leadership. He was a wonderful people person and genuinely cared for the individuals he associated with.

Mr Crean was a well-respected advocate not only in politics, but across a range of sectors including the arts, regional development, and agriculture—all of which he was a passionate advocate for. It is a true mark of the man that tributes are flowing from across the political spectrum and from diverse sectors. This speaks to Simon's integrity, intellect and standing as a public figure.

Despite all his incredible work and achievements, Mr Crean constantly spoke of the importance of family, and it was clear that this is what he cared about most and what he was proudest of. It is his family that are the focus of our thoughts today, as while Australia has lost an incredible leader, they have lost a loving husband and father.

Thank you to ALEC for recognising Mr Crean's amazing contribution and may the encouragement and advocacy he displayed for our amazing livestock industry live on for many years.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with my fellow senators in honouring the life of the Hon. Simon Findlay Crean. I convey my deep condolences to his wife, Carole; daughters, Emma and Sarah; brother, David; and his extended family; Simon's many friends; and his incredible Labor family, including many in the chamber. I acknowledge the many fine contributions made in this condolence motion, including from Senator Wong. I don't intend to repeat a lot of the detail of Simon's life and his incredible contribution to this nation, other than to make a few a remarks.

Simon Crean's legacy is one of service to the union movement, to parliament, to the people of Hotham for 23 years, to a range of business and industry organisations post politics and, of course, to our nation. Much has been said about the many ways in which Simon Crean enriched this great country. As I say, his contribution was incredibly significant.

Ten days ago I was honoured to join hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand, at the state funeral of Simon Crean at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne. It was a celebration of a true giant of the Labor movement and particularly a true giant in Victoria. In the weeks since Simon's shocked passing, he was remembered as many things—brave, a peacemaker, a widely respected Labor statesman, someone of great integrity and decency. However, as his great friend Bill Kelty reiterated in that wonderful eulogy—and it was an incredible eulogy—Simon was also very tough, and Bill Kelty particularly wanted people to know that Simon was tough, because, of course, on the surface Simon was a true gentleman. He made many friends across politics and he had a wonderful way with people. He was very kind, but, as Bill Kelty said, he was also very, very tough.

Simon's life was cut tragically short. Of course, he was doing what he loved to do, and that was to represent this nation in one of the many loves of his life: international trade.

Simon was born in Melbourne in 1949 to parents Frank and Mary Crean, and it was inevitable with a father such as Frank Crean that Simon would follow in his father's very large footsteps. After studying law and economics at Monash University, it wasn't long before Simon moved into the union movement. During his time in parliament, Simon held several very key portfolios, including one close to my heart, the education portfolio, before he was elected as the deputy and eventually the leader of the federal Australian Labor Party. He served with great distinction in a variety of portfolios, as cabinet minister and, of course, as the opposition leader.

I had a bit to do with Simon when he chaired Deakin University's Carbon Nexus. He made a really significant contribution after leaving politics. Our paths never crossed in the parliament as he resigned prior to the 2013 election. He became deeply embedded in a number of different organisations—Carbon Nexus, the Australia-Korea Business Council and the European Australian Business Council, where he continued to advocate for Australia's trade interests on the global stage. I know Simon worked very, very hard on behalf of many Australian Korean organisations, including Hanwha Defense Australia, and he would have been overjoyed with the news that Hanwha won the tender for Land 400 phase 3. He worked very, very hard with so many companies here in Australia to advance the interests of our two countries.

We didn't always see eye to eye. I was an ardent Geelong Cats fan, and I think I might have encouraged him to swap teams at one point, because he spent quite a bit of time in Geelong in his role as chair of Carbon Nexus, but he was very much a dedicated, one-eyed supporter of the North Melbourne Football Club.

I saw Simon just before last Christmas, in a restaurant in Melbourne. He was at an adjoining table with a group of colleagues and friends, and we just sort of waved and had a quick hello. He was absolutely full of life. He was cheery. He was energetic. He was dynamic. He was commanding the presence of all around him. I don't think it mattered where he was in his life; he commanded a great presence from all around him.

It was wonderful at his funeral to learn about his love of travel, his love of learning about every part of this world, but of course his love of travel with his beloved wife, Carole. Again, I convey my deep condolences to Carole and his children and his family. Vale, Simon Crean. Thank you for your service. May you rest in peace.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

There have been some amazing contributions today, and I'd like to associate myself with all of those comments. 'Intelligent', 'reformer', 'decent', 'hopeful', 'professional', 'caring', 'generous' and 'humble'—these are the words that every single person, not only in this chamber but those who met and worked with Simon Crean, knew he lived by, and he will be remembered for all of those qualities. He was everything to everyone, a bigger-than-life character that will live on in the history books. But, most importantly, Simon was an incredibly kind and very supportive person to those that he was close to and those that he cared about. It was these qualities that drove him to serve others across Australia in countless forms and duties.

I first met Simon when I was a staffer, and he left a lasting impression on me for how kind and respectful he was to me as a staffer. And then later, when I joined this place and became a colleague, nothing changed. That was indicative of the sort of man that Simon Crean was. I wish to pay my respects to the life and the work of Simon Crean, and I offer my sincerest condolences to his wife, Carole, his daughters, Sarah and Emma, and, particularly, David, his brother, who I worked along with when he was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. I also want to extend my condolences to the entire Crean family.

To navigate life without Simon Crean will be difficult in the coming days, weeks and years ahead. But his legacy will live on. The Crean family's ability to speak and to be great orators was certainly passed on to his daughters. I know he was very much a family man. He was a trade unionist. He was a committed lawmaker, an advocate for regions, a friend of industry. He was a compassionate advocate for education and for the arts and, most importantly, a leader in every walk of life he trod. But, very importantly, he was a great friend to Tasmania. Unlike some ministers in former Labor governments, he didn't close his door and try and keep the Tasmanian caucus out of his office—because we're well known for hunting in a pack!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

You can't keep them out, no matter what you do!

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll take that interjection. We will never give up, and you won't keep us out, Senator Wong!

But Simon Crean had the most impressive career, and he never, ever let go of his moral compass to challenge his many positions to stand up for Australians, regardless of what shoes they were walking in. He did this all with the highest level of honour and respect for those he worked with and those he worked for.

One of my staff members heard Simon Crean speak at his high school. I think I was there in another capacity, working for a state leader. It was in his high school days. He recounted to me that the impression that Simon left on him was from the way that he spoke with such passion about what Labor governments can achieve and have achieved. On that day—and as was always the case—he was unashamedly a Labor man and a politician, asking the students gathered in the assembly area to, 'Go home and tell your parents to vote Labor.' I don't think any of us could imagine that happening today—that any school would let a politician come in and speak so candidly about an upcoming election and actually give students and staff a voting directive.

Simon Crean was remarkably gifted and confident in his own right. His resume was without flaw. A graduate of economics and law at the Monash University, Simon chose to pursue a career committed to standing up for the powerless. Simon transformed the lives of Australian workers as a union leader and later president of the ACTU and through his engagement with the landmark prices and incomes report. From the contribution that Bill Kelty gave at the state funeral, I don't think there's any doubt that that duo were unbeatable in their commitment. As my colleague Senator Ayres said, one thing about Bill Kelty is he is a fantastic orator. He never gives a short speech, but everything that he said on that day just resonated with everyone there. Today, I just want to thank Bill Kelty for his contribution in making sure that no-one forgot or will forget the contribution that Simon made during his time with the ACTU and with the storemen and packers.

We have all heard about the contribution that he made when he came to this place. He always was an advocate for working people and their rights and their interests. There was no greater advocate for superannuation or Medicare than Simon Crean. His talent came to fruition when Simon won preselection to the seat of Hotham in 1990, immediately becoming a frontbencher upon his election, and the rest is history. He covered science and technology, primary industry and energy, employment, education and training, trade, social inclusion, arts, regional development and local government. This was a man who was the Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He represented the seat of Hotham in the House of Representatives from 1990. As I said, he was elected until 2013. He was a cabinet minister in the Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments. Not many can claim such an incredible parliamentary record.

Simon Crean will rightly be remembered as a servant of the Labor movement, a champion of the Australian spirit and someone who through all of his years never lost sight of his belief in true fairness. I will personally remember Simon as a former secretary of the Storemen and Packers Union, as president of the ACTU and, most importantly as a gentleman. I attended Simon Crean's funeral in Melbourne two weeks ago and, from that, I reflected on him and the politics of the time. This was a man without malice in his heart. At his political peak, he would have the political fight but it would never turn nasty against his opponents. He was there to do a job, and it wasn't personal. It was professional. He was always a politician. He could even maintain a friendship with people of the opposite political leanings, as we have heard from those that have made contributions and the conversations we have had in this place in the corridors and outside. He was highly respected. His life has been celebrated. On behalf of myself and particularly my state—and we've had some rough times, with forestry and other issues challenging the Hawke government—I just want to acknowledge his great contribution. He always had a genuine interest in what was happening in Tasmania. He was always guided by principle and kindness, and he didn't let the harshness of politics sour his nature. Generosity was his best friend.

As mentioned today and at his funeral, when he voiced his opposition to sending Australian troops to the Iraq War he made it clear that his argument was not with the ADF and those who served our country but rather with the Howard government who made the decision. I agree that Simon Crean's position has been vindicated by history.

Simon Crean was a statesman. He was, in so many ways, before his time. He was always in front of prevailing views of the time, and I increasingly believe that he really did define what a leader should be. Simon, in my view, would have been an excellent Labor prime minister, but unfortunately Labor lost that opportunity.

I think it is fair to say that we're all mourning a great Australian who served his country and his community above all else; but we should also celebrate his life and learn from his teachings, his commitment and his achievements as a leader of people. Simon Crean believed in our country above all else. He believed in the greatness of our country, but he also believed that as a country we can always be better—which is, after all, the essence of the mission of our Labor movement.

Simon, as I said, was a family man. I want to say thank you to Carole, Sarah, Emma, David and the rest of the Crean family for sharing this man with us not only as Labor politicians but as members of the great Australian community. You know only too well how much a family sacrifices to have their partner represent them either in the House of Representatives or here in the Senate, so thank you. My heart goes out to you and the rest of his family. But thank you again for sharing Simon's charm, intelligence and vision for the Labor movement and the Labor community. Simon will be missed. Vale, Simon Crean.

Question agreed to, honourable members joining in a moment of silence.