Tony Windsor (New England, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, for those words. Peter had respect for both of you and I am very pleased to have heard you both speak. This is a very sad time of course for a lot of people in here—from all sides of parliament, not just from the crossbenches. As the Leader of the Opposition said, in my view Peter was the conscience of the parliament. On occasion I disagreed with him, as did the member for Kennedy and as did many in this place, but he did reflect a logical view of many, many issues. If we refer back to some of the issues that Peter Andren stood for and voiced his opinion on in this place over his 11 years of service to the parliament and to the people of Calare, we will see in hindsight that on quite a lot of those issues he was right. Whether it was the war in Iraq or whether it was the asylum seekers, they were significant issues on which Peter took a stance. Sometimes Independents are accused of being populist—that they can drift here and there and pick up a popular issue and appeal to their electorate. On issues of that significance, Peter took a very real stance of principle and intellectual argument.

On the issue of Telstra, the sale of public infrastructure, there is no doubt in my mind—and others would disagree with this and they have the right to disagree—that Peter’s agitation during the period of the first tranche sale led to the formation of Telstra Countrywide, which is still in place today and which some people would argue has led to some of the innovations that have occurred for country users of telecommunications. Obviously much more needs to be done.

Peter Andren led the charge on the Snowy Hydro turnaround. The former Prime Minister and others in this room were good enough to recognise that that policy initiative was not a good one for Australia and that Australians did not want it. Peter was able to lead that campaign to a successful outcome when all the parties in New South Wales, Victoria and this place had voted to sell Snowy Hydro. Peter Andren, a voice amongst few, was able to speak for the people. I think it says something about our political system and something about the former Prime Minister that from time to time we are able to accept from the people a view that may be different to the one that is politically expedient in our chambers in terms of partisan politics. But it was Peter Andren who first raised that issue and Peter Andren who led the charge to make the change possible. If we reflect in 100 years time on the Snowy Hydro and many other infrastructure schemes that have been developed across Australia—hopefully in that period of time; hopefully in the next three years—we should remember people like Peter Andren, who have made a great effort.

Peter was an advocate for Aboriginal rights, and it is a great tragedy that he is not here today. His partner, Valerie, is, and she knows the genuine feeling that Peter had for Aboriginal people. I think all of us are aware of the speeches that he gave in this place defending the rights of Aboriginal Australians. There was a turning point today in terms of the welcome to country ceremony, and I congratulate again both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition on their conduct today. I thought it was tremendous—and I think Peter Andren would have thought the same—that we were having an opening of a parliament that recognises the first Australians of all those generations ago. Peter’s last speech was about the intervention in the Northern Territory. He felt very strongly about that. He did not believe that many of the things being contemplated in that legislation were in fact correct, and there may be some revisiting of some of those issues. But his spirit was in this parliament this morning and it will be in this parliament tomorrow morning when an apology is made to the first Australians. He would have been very proud to be part of that contribution.

As the Prime Minister said, it is a tragedy that he did not survive to test his wit in the Senate, because he may well have captured the imagination of people as a true representative of all Australians and actually pulled it off. Prior to his illness, Peter was scheduled to come to our home and talk to people who were interested in what he was trying to do in the Senate—that is, to make the Senate a house of responsibility. He was to be a guest speaker at a garden party at our home. Many people were coming, and then we were notified that Peter was not well and would not be able to attend. It was a great shock to us then and it was a great shock to all of us that Peter lasted such a short time.

Peter was a stickler for parliamentary reform, and I think there are some issues outstanding that should be addressed by the parliament. If any of the new members of parliament wish to reflect on those ideas, they are in Hansard. Many of them make a great deal of logic not only in terms of the operation of this place and the way our electoral system works but also in terms of how people in the community reflect upon the conduct of parliamentarians. There is no doubt, prior to my time here, that Peter Andren’s agitation led to the travel entitlements et cetera of members of parliament having to be tabled from time to time in the parliament so that the general public would be aware of those particular issues.

Peter Andren was a great man; he was a great representative. He did genuinely believe that people who came through the door deserved to be represented in this place to the ministers, to the bureaucracy and, from time to time, in the press to use the press to advantage. His early years in the press held him in good stead in this place. But the television media or other media were not the first stop for Peter. He always tried to adjudicate and to correct the circumstances of people’s complaints prior to going direct to the press. I am sure that many of the former ministers would agree with that.

I would like to mention by name a few people who are in the gallery today, because Peter did not just become elected and do everything on his own. He did it with the help of his constituents, the people in his electorate of Calare. His partner, Valerie, who has already been mentioned, is with us today. His sister, Trish, is here. His former chief of staff and adviser, Tim Payne, and his family are here. Also here are Chris Gregory, Helen McHugh and Gavin Priestley—all good friends of Peter.

I am sure Peter would also want me to recognise the people that assisted him to be a good representative. They are not only the family and friends who supported him but also his staff: Helen Bergen, Dianne Abbott, Eileen Webb, Brian Hustwayte, Peter Stark and Tim Mahony. I was with Tim Mahony yesterday at the airport in Sydney and again in Canberra; unfortunately he is unable to be here today. All the staff loved Peter. They worked very, very hard for him and they are obviously very sad at his passing and that they cannot be here today.

I would like to read a small passage from Peter’s first speech in this place. Those who attended his funeral would have got the feeling that he had great respect for his parents and the way in which they brought him up. He also had great feeling for his children, Josh and Greg, who are unable to be here today. At Peter’s funeral, they were a tribute to their father. The way they spoke and the way they presented themselves and represented their family at Peter’s funeral were an absolute tribute to their father. I would like to conclude with the final paragraph of Peter’s maiden speech, back on 9 May 1996:

To my father and mother, both deceased, thanks for the strength and guidance that brought me here to this place. May my colleagues in the 38th Parliament of Australia embrace the feeling my parents had for this country and represent all Australians: those with skills and those without, those with means and those without. Unless we provide for all, with real opportunities and not just handouts, then the profits, the growth and dividends we create are a fraud, a mirage.

Peter Andren was a great Australian and his loss is a great loss. It is a great loss to his family, obviously. It is a great loss to the people of Calare, who he dearly loved. It is a great loss to country representation in relation to issues, and it is a great loss to this parliament. I thank Peter for being my friend and I am sure the member for Kennedy and many others in this place will recall Peter with great fondness. It is a tragedy that he has left us, but his memory will live on as his having been a true Independent of the people and a true representative of people in this place.

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