John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House records its deep regret at the death on 3 November 2006 of the Honourable Sir Allen Fairhall KBE, former Federal Minister and Member for Paterson (NSW) and the death on 21 November 2006 of the Honourable Sir Harold William Young KCMG, former President of the Senate and Senator for South Australia, and that the House places on record its appreciation of their long and meritorious public service, and tenders its profound sympathy to their families in their bereavement.

I will talk first about the late Sir Allen Fairhall. On my calculation, he was the last surviving Liberal forty-niner. I think the only other surviving forty-niner is Clyde Cameron, the former member from South Australia and minister in the Whitlam government.

Allen Fairhall was born on 24 November 1909 at Morpeth, near Maitland, in the lower Hunter Valley in New South Wales. He was educated at the East Maitland Boys High School and later at the Newcastle Technical College. He served an apprenticeship as an electrical fitter at the Walsh Island Dockyard, Newcastle, becoming a qualified tradesman in that field.

While at school, Allen became interested in radio and began broadcasting music on Sunday mornings from his family home, using a gramophone and borrowed records. In 1931 he founded the commercial broadcasting station 2KO Newcastle, operating with a 13-metre timber mast in his backyard. Radio 2KO grew to be one of Australia’s leading provincial radio stations. In 1942, he became President of the Australian Federation of Commercial Broadcasting Stations.

From 1941 to 1944, Allen was an alderman on Newcastle City Council. During World War II, Allen was also co-opted by the Ministry of Munitions to become supervising engineer of the Radio and Signals Supply Section in New South Wales. In 1947 he sold his broadcasting interests and took up dairy farming at Trevallyn, on the Paterson River.

Allen entered federal parliament as the member for Paterson in 1949 and held that seat for the Liberal Party until his retirement on 12 November 1969. He was appointed as the Minister for the Interior and the Minister for Works in 1956 by Sir Robert Menzies. He was appointed as the Minister for Supply in December 1961 and was reappointed to that portfolio, with cabinet rank, after the elections of 1963. When the Holt government was formed in 1966, after the retirement of Menzies, Allen Fairhall was appointed Minister for Defence, a position he held until his retirement.

It is fair to say that, when Harold Holt drowned in December 1967, there were many people in the Liberal Party, particularly in New South Wales, who saw Allen Fairhall as a possible replacement leader. He rejected overtures at that time from quite a number of his colleagues in New South Wales and from senior people in the New South Wales division of the party, and made it very plain that he did not see himself as aspiring to a leadership position. It is believed that he did not enjoy the most harmonious relationship with John Gorton during the time that the latter was Prime Minister. He retired from parliament in 1969.

In 1966 he was chosen by the Institution of Production Engineers (Australian Division) to receive the James N Kirby Medal for his role in the development of defence production industries. He was knighted in 1970 in recognition of his service to the public, to broadcasting and to the parliament.

I knew Allen Fairhall—not, of course, as a fellow member of parliament, as he left this place some five years before I entered, but in the party organisation I did come across him on numerous occasions. He was a very plain-speaking, likeable man who was possessed of a very practical understanding of situations. He always offered a pragmatic view of life. He always thought the best of people with whom he came into contact. He was a very popular colleague amongst his fellow parliamentarians. On behalf of the government, I offer condolences to his wife, Lady Monica Fairhall, his son, Allen, and his extended family.

Can I also record my sadness at the death on 21 November of Sir Harold Young, whom I did serve with for a number of years and who is well known as a former senator from South Australia and also as President of the Senate at the time of the defeat of the Fraser government in 1983.

Before entering parliament, Harold was a farmer based at Gilberton in South Australia. He was a strong advocate for the farming industry and served as a member of the Australian Wool Industry Conference, the Federal Exporters Overseas Transport Committee and the South Australian State Wheat Research Committee. He retained, throughout his entire life and career, a very active interest in farming, and he brought an understanding of that industry to all of his parliamentary work and parliamentary contributions.

Sir Harold was regarded very warmly by those on both sides of politics as a very fair and competent President of the Senate. The late Don Chipp is recorded in Hansard as saying that Sir Harold Young had done an extremely fair and creditable job as President, under very difficult circumstances. It is worth noting that, in the whole time that he was President of the Senate, not once was any motion of dissent moved against any of his rulings.

Sir Harold served in a variety of positions in opposition after the defeat of the Fraser government and also before. He was knighted in 1983 for his service to the parliament, being made a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George. Our current President of the Senate, Senator Calvert, is absent today, attending Sir Harold’s funeral service as a representative of the Senate. On behalf of the government, I record my regard for Harold Young as a good friend and a good colleague, somebody who always took a very lively interest in the welfare of the government and the welfare of the Liberal Party in South Australia. I offer condolences to his wife, Lady Margaret Young; to his children, Sue, Scott, Andrea and Rob; and to his large extended family.

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