Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

In 1951 Frank was elected as the federal member for Melbourne Ports. His federal parliamentary career spanned almost the entire 23 years of Labor’s period in opposition during the Menzies years. He joined the opposition benches just two years after Menzies had become Prime Minister and served under Chifley, Evatt, Calwell and Whitlam. He was a member of the executive of the federal parliamentary Labor Party from 1955 until his retirement in 1977. As one of the first Labor members with formal qualifications in economics, he became Labor’s spokesman on economic matters. Frank served as Treasurer, as Minister for Overseas Trade—the position now occupied with distinction by his son, Simon—and then as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. This was an extraordinary career.

It is less well known that Mr Crean held a special place in the extraordinary events of 11 November 1975. On that fateful day the parliament debated a censure motion. Frank Crean had arranged to speak on the motion after the lunch break at 2 pm. However, in the scramble following Sir John Kerr’s removal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s commission, Gough had instructed Frank to go ahead with the speech and not even to mention the dismissal in order to give Gough time to prepare his tactical plans for a no confidence motion. Being a good party man, Frank of course cooperated.

As a result you can go to the Hansard of 11 November 1975 and find an extraordinary speech in which he staunchly defends the supremacy of the House of Representatives and completely ignores the fact that Sir John Kerr had just dismissed Gough Whitlam, except for this remark. ‘What should happen, for argument’s sake,’ said Frank, ‘if someone else were to come here in a few minutes and say he was now the Prime Minister of this country?’ To which he answered himself, ‘He would be voted out immediately in this House.’

How prescient of Frank. Perhaps he had a tip-off! Indeed, this was precisely the plan that was executed a few minutes later. After Malcolm Fraser had announced to the House that he had been commissioned to form an interim government, the Labor majority passed a no-confidence motion in Mr Fraser. However, when the Speaker, Gordon Scholes, went to see the Governor-General to inform him that the House had passed a no-confidence motion in the new Prime Minister, the Governor-General refused to see him. With the issuing of the writs, the parliament was dissolved. A day like that makes the tactics committees on both sides of the House today look rather pedestrian.

Frank stayed in parliament for two more years before retiring in 1977, after 26 years in the parliament but just three years in government. Frank Crean was deeply admired, just as he was a deeply principled man. He served the parliament and the Australian Labor Party with great distinction. Even after representing the seat of Melbourne Ports for 26 years in parliament and with enough branch meetings to exhaust any mortal human being, he remained active in his local party branches. I understand he gave the current member for Melbourne Ports curry when due—which would be often, in my experience! That is all the more remarkable given the personal disappointments that Frank Crean experienced at different stages of his political career. Today’s generation, of course, knows the name Frank Crean in part because of the achievements of his son Simon, our parliamentary colleague, our friend and Minister for Trade. As well, of course, Simon’s brother David was formerly a Treasurer in the government of Tasmania.

On behalf of the government I offer condolences to his wife of 63 years, Mary, and their children Simon and David and their respective families. Tragically, their brother Stephen died in a skiing accident in 1985. With Frank Crean’s passing, we mourn the passing of a great Australian, a great parliamentarian and a great son of the Australian Labor movement.

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