Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

She still loves you! Nevertheless, it was always an open-door house, and I think you made comment on that, Mr Speaker. In fact, that was in the days before electorate offices. There would not be too many members in this House who do not appreciate the electorate office, but in those days, effectively, the house was the electorate office. We always had people coming to the door, particularly on weekends when parliament was not sitting. It instilled in me very early on in the piece the importance of community service, public service and representing the community. Mum and Dad were always there, helping people in trouble.

It was also a house of great energy. There was always something happening there. Obviously, through the sixties and seventies, with Labor striving to come to office federally, there were many meetings there with Dr Evatt, Arthur Calwell and of course Gough Whitlam and many of those other people who went on to that historic victory in 1972 and to form that great government in 1972. But in many ways our family home represented the beliefs of Frank Crean. He did believe in helping others, especially those in need; he also believed in the benefits of hard work—and his upbringing shaped those values.

He was born in Hamilton in 1916—and I thank the member for Wannon, who saw me this morning; Dad and I had a very nice visit a couple of years ago when we went back to Hamilton to try and relive a bit of his childhood. He grew up in the Depression, and that instilled in him a great commitment to social justice and to the importance of a cohesive community. While he excelled as a student—he was in fact dux of Hamilton High School—he had to come to Melbourne to complete matriculation and he went to Melbourne High School, where my two brothers and I went. He then topped the state in accounting, and that earned him an entry into the University of Melbourne, which was the only university in Victoria in those days. After going through that struggle, he always lamented the lack of resources in Hamilton. There were hardly any books at the school and there was no public library. In fact, when he first went into state parliament, this caused him to petition very strongly early on in the piece for two important developments: (1) the establishment of free public libraries in municipalities and (2) the establishment of the Council of Adult Education—of which he was the first chairman, a position he actually held until he became Treasurer in 1972.

His childhood was also affected by another event, which was that he contracted rheumatic fever at the age of 12. This confined him to bed for about 12 months. His neighbour was the local ALP secretary and organiser for the AWU, a person who was himself well read and who kept bringing Dad books. So that gap in resources that he found at school, interestingly enough, he found next door through adversity. The local branch secretary also taught him the significance of struggle and activism, the circumstances of strike and lockout activity. In many senses, when I reflect on it, this is the sort of pastoral care we in the Labor Party in particular should be administering. I think most of the time when we have secretaries turn up these days it is with a ballot paper or a how-to-vote card in their hand!

That was a very important development in Dad’s career and his lifelong commitment to the Labor cause. In 1929, at the tender age of 13, he was taken to a public meeting led by James Scullin, an election that subsequently became successful for Labor. He also had a very strong Presbyterian upbringing and this instilled in him a strong work ethic—a Protestant work ethic, I guess—but also a strong sense of moral values. It is also the place, when he came to Melbourne, that he met my mother, Mary Findlay, and they have been married for 62 years. She, of course, is a wonderful mum.

He was a champion of democracy and of empowering people. He understood that governments could make a difference and he genuinely believed that politics was a noble cause. He embarked on a political career in parliament that spanned 32 years—six in the Victorian state parliament and 26 here. The great pity for him is that the vast bulk of those 32 years were spent in opposition. But he was instrumental with Gough Whitlam and a team of greatly talented people, eager politicians, in laying the basis for the ’72 victory. I remember getting involved in the campaigns of ’69’s swing to Labor. I remember the ‘It’s time’ victory in 1972. I was at university at the time. My political activism came through the Vietnam antiwar movements, but the engagement with Labor at the coalface in fighting those campaigns was terribly important.

When Labor won office in ’72 my father had the privilege of bringing down Labor’s first budget in 23 years. It reflected the vision and commitment and excitement of change that took Gough Whitlam and his team to power. That was a victory that inspired so many of my generation to themselves become active. Subsequent to that first budget came the global oil shock of 1973, and that brought with it huge inflationary pressures. It required the government to adjust, and Dad was at the forefront of urging restraint where it was needed. I think that is a well-documented set of circumstances. Those warnings were not heeded, and in the end the Treasurer is only as strong as the Prime Minister allows him to be, but he did bring down a second budget and was then dismissed from the Treasury position. He took the portfolio that I am currently proud to occupy. He opposed the loans affair and he always argued that had he not been changed that event would not have proceeded.

Whilst he left parliament in 1977, he did not stop his activism or his zeal for community involvement and commitment. He chaired the Migrant Resource Centre in Prahran, one of his stamping grounds. Originally, that was a seat he held in state parliament. He was appointed by Ian McPhee, the then minister, and I know the Father of the House, the member for Berowra, also had great dealings with him when he became the minister for that position. I think Dad was chair of the Migrant Resource Centre for something like 26 or 27 years. He was a stayer.

His involvement with the Migrant Resource Centre demonstrated again not just the commitment of community but the way in which community had changed. It had become much more multicultural. He understood that there were important needs for migrants. He wanted to go out there and assist and he greatly assisted them. His retirement also enabled him to spend time with all of the six grandchildren. Each of them not only loved him but also saw him as their mentor because he took the effort to teach them the values and the beliefs that he held so strongly. He remained active in so many ways up until a few years ago when his health began to deteriorate.

Frank Crean served this House with distinction and the nation with humility and courage. So I join the House in the condolence motion, but on behalf of the Crean family I want to place on the record our appreciation for the wonderful expressions of sympathy that have been made by so many. It is a great comfort to us.

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