Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

In joining to support the Prime Minister’s motion, there is no doubt that Kim Beazley Sr was one of the most significant political figures of the 20th century—significant not only because of his contribution to public life and that of his party but also for the family he produced, which in no small way is a measure of the man.

Born in 1917 in Western Australia to Alfred and Mary, he was one of nine children. Mary’s very strong Christian faith was passed on to her son, who carried it through his parliamentary career. He came from the poorest of working-class families. He went to school without shoes. In fact, he recounted the time when the Duke and Duchess of York visited his school where he and others without shoes were consigned to the back of the flag waving. But Kim Beazley Sr did not miss out on the love of learning and he would later say, ‘If you can read and write, your future is in your own hands.’

He won a scholarship to Perth Modern School and topped the state in English and history. He went on to gain a BA and train as a teacher before he came to parliament after the death of John Curtin, of course, in 1945. In 1946, he married Betty Judge, who was an athlete, the 880 yards champion, and a fellow graduate from the Perth Modern School. They had three children, as we all well know: Kim; David, who the Prime Minister again reminded us was sadly lost in 2006 on what one can only imagine must have been the most difficult day for Kim Beazley Sr in his public and his private life; and their daughter, Merilyn. His son Kim Jr, of course, followed in the footsteps of Kim Sr and gave exemplary service to the parliament and, indeed, to his party and Australia. The Beazley’s second son, David, of course, as we know, was lost in 2006.

When he came to Canberra, Kim Beazley Sr became known as ‘the student prince’ for his eloquence and erudition. A somewhat serious fellow—which I suspect in part he passed on to his son Kim Jr—he went on to become one of the most accomplished speakers and debaters in the parliament. His deep Christian conviction led Kim Beazley Sr to be concerned with improving the lives of the poor. It also led to his involvement in Moral Rearmament, a group committed to preserving high ethical standards in public life, which was indeed reflected in everything that Kim Beazley Sr did. In fact, some people say that his dedication to his values cost him his leadership of the Australian Labor Party. But it certainly made him an outstanding person and an outstanding parliamentarian. It seems that, as a member of the right of the Labor Party at a time when the left was ascendant, he often found himself on the wrong side of the argument. His stance as an anti-communist once even raised accusations that he had informed Menzies of his concerns that the communists were taking over the Labor Party.

But it was not until the election of the Whitlam government, as we just heard from the Prime Minister, that Mr Beazley had the opportunity to implement policy. Although he had great knowledge of foreign affairs, Whitlam appointed Kim Beazley education minister, where he made an enormous impact. His notable achievements include the introduction of free university education and the creation of a schools commission, which introduced needs based funding for schools. He was also deeply committed to improving the lives of Indigenous people and supporting Papua New Guinea in its transition to independence. His work with Indigenous communities continued long after his parliamentary career ended—indeed, the measure of his commitment.

He said a couple of things that are worth remembering—one of which I will not remind those opposite of, but he said of schooling: we might have been barefooted but we could recite Wordsworth. In 1953 Kim Beazley’s declaration that he would strive to live his life with honesty led to much bewilderment in some political quarters. One political columnist wrote at the time that no-one with even a slight working knowledge of politics could fail to delight in the confusion that could result from even one of our politicians resolving to be absolutely honest.

With that I leave the House to reflect on an extraordinary life and an extraordinary contribution to his party and to Australia.

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