Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Reconciliation and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I had the opportunity to meet and get to know the late Don Chipp prior to the time of my entering the parliament. Even though it was an intermittent relationship, it was one that I valued. Upon coming into the parliament as the member for Kingsford Smith, I was again fortunate enough to be able to have occasional phone conversations with Don as he reflected on the state of politics in the world, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to do that. We mark the passing of an outstanding Australian political character as we speak to the condolence motion moved in the parliament to recognise Don Chipp’s life and his life’s work, expressing our condolences to his family: his wife, Idun, and to his two daughters by her and also his two sons and two daughters from his first marriage.

I am sure all members would agree that Don Chipp’s parliamentary career was a distinguished and long one. He was elected to the House of Representatives, to the seat of Higinbotham, in Victoria, at a by-election in 1960 and was re-elected in 1961, 1963 and 1966. There was then redistribution, with the seat of Higinbotham becoming the seat of Hotham, and he was again re-elected in 1968, 1969, 1972, 1974 and 1975. He very clearly had the capacity to reach out to his constituents and be elected. He resigned in 1977 from the House of Representatives and was elected to the Senate in 1977 and 1983 and resigned in 1986, after having performed what I think was an outstanding and extraordinary feat in forming from start-up a third party on the Australian political landscape, the Australian Democrats, which he led and retained a close involvement with and provided much commentary for up until the time of his death.

Don Chipp struck me as being—amongst many other things but most notably—a very compassionate person. He was someone whose politics evolved to the Left from the Right as he matured over time. He retained a great interest in the political process. He was concerned at the direction of Liberal politics and he was concerned at the prospects of the party that he founded, the Democrats.

Some commentators have remarked that the passing of Don Chipp is the passing of liberalism in Australian politics. I do not know whether that is the case or not. It is probably too soon to say, but it is fair to note the significant contribution he made, particularly in his period of time as a Liberal government minister, in freeing up the bounds of censorship in Australia and in the way he communicated the policies and the views that he believed in strongly to the public at large. I think there was a residual public affection for Chipp’s craggy face and for his heartfelt views whenever they were expressed.

It is a mark of the contribution that Donald Leslie Chipp made to this country that he was awarded an Order of Australia, that he was afforded a state funeral upon his passing and that there were many eminent and distinguished people from public life who attended it. I think it is also a mark of the man that he ultimately knew no favours in expressing his views. He spoke strongly for and against members of this political party, as he did for and against members of the party of which he was once a member. He strongly endorsed the prime ministership of Bob Hawke and the treasurership of Paul Keating, and he was equally strong in his views about other significant political figures of his day. Chipp wanted to be remembered as a good old honest bastard and as someone who gave it his best shot. I think that he most definitely did that, and he will be remembered well in this House and at large for his great contribution.

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