Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the condolence motion to honour the life of Warwick Parer, a person I got to know in the political field here in Canberra. I knew of his reputation prior to my coming to Canberra, in 1990. He had already arrived here in 1985, as a senator.

I got to know Warwick when he became a minister after John Howard won the 1996 election. He was the minister for resources and energy and I was the minister for veterans' affairs in that first Howard ministry. There were times when we would sit down together. I well recall that Warwick's father lost his life in 1942. Warwick was born in Papua New Guinea. There was the connection to his background, his birthright of having been born in Papua New Guinea and losing his father. In fact, his uncle, Damien Parer, was a very well-known wartime correspondent and photographer with some photographs that will stand the test of time as they captured moments in history.

I return to Warwick. As Minister for Resources and Energy, certainly well before what we might call the mining boom that we have seen recently, he brought to the portfolio experience in the coal industry. The great Bowen Basin in Queensland was one that he had a great deal to do with, in terms of some of the companies that invested there. He had first-hand knowledge of the industry and what would be good for the industry in terms of legislative areas that were a barrier to the export of coal. Thinking back to some of the barriers and some of the regulations that were imposed on the energy sector—in this case, the coal industry—you would think that it could not have happened and would not have been the case, but, in fact, it was. Warwick brought very particular knowledge to that portfolio of Energy and Resources. At that time, the Bowen Basin was well and truly in my constituency of Maranoa, so I could call on Warwick to share his knowledge and understanding of what would be a good way forward in some of the new tenements that were being developed, and he would know the pitfalls. He would always tell it to you straight. There was no nonsense about Warwick. He was honest to the core. His judgement was always unquestionable and I always respected his opinion.

The other time that I really got to know him was when he was President of the Queensland Liberal Party in 2006 to 2008. At the time, I was President of the Queensland National Party. The situation was that the National Party had more seats in Queensland than the Liberal Party held in the state parliament. Year after year, there were agreements and disagreements between the two conservative parties. I said to Warwick, 'We've got to try to end this,' because we were trying to sort out who could run in a particular seat and whether there were more potential Liberal Party voters than National Party voters in areas. It was one of those ridiculous discussions, because at the end of the day we were talking about the same goal: winning government.

I will never forget being in the seat of Bowman and talking about who might run in the state seat in the Bay area. It had previously been held by the National Party but had been lost. It was won by Peter Beattie of the Labor Party, and a number of seats in the south-east corner were held by the Labor Party—more than should have been, but that is because the two parties were always fighting each other. Warwick and I acknowledged that the business community had come to us and said, 'While you two fight each other, we are not going to back you. When you get the house in order, we are prepared to consider supporting you and being an advocate for common sense and also for the conservative cause in Queensland.' Having Warwick there was pivotal in establishing the LNP in Queensland. I have no doubt about that.

We need to understand that political parties have long history. Members, senators and the general membership also have very long history. Sometimes they want to look further back than forward, but Warwick always wanted to look forward, as did I. We started the long process of bringing the two parties together, and we got them together. We had a stumble, but eventually it led to the formation of the LNP. The record stands itself today, both at a state level and here in Canberra.

So I say that, without Warwick Parer at that time, I really would have to question whether we would ever have got together in Queensland and whether we would have seen the numbers of conservative-held seats contributed from Queensland to this federal parliament or, indeed, Premier Campbell Newman's massive win in the last election at the state level. Without Warwick Parer, perhaps none of what has transpired since would have happened. We might still have been arguing amongst ourselves and deciding who should run in which seats. I think my two colleagues to my right here, the member for Brisbane and the member for Ryan, can attest to the difficulties that were there. When you are in politics it can be difficult, but I hope part of my nature and part of Warwick's experience is knowing how to nuance the two parties so we came together.

Once Warwick left this place—and he did leave on his own terms, and that is something that everyone tries to do—it did not end his commitment to community or his service to the nation. He served on a number of organisations, including, in 2012, being appointed chairman of the board of the Stanwell Corporation, an energy company to which I know he would have brought great knowledge and expertise and which plays a fundamental part in electricity generation in Queensland. He was chair of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Foundation from 2010, so he was retired from public life but he still wanted to give something in a public sense. He did that right up to the day he sadly passed away.

I say also to his wife, Kathi, and his seven children: Kathi, I know the great support that you gave Warwick throughout his life. On occasion we would meet—my own wife, Joan, and I and Warwick—and we would enjoy each other's company as wonderful friends, not necessarily political friends, although we were political friends, but it was all about the friendship that was always there. The hand of friendship was always extended from Warwick for people to come and see his family, as the member for Moncrieff said, down at their Budds Beach holiday home. So I say to Kathi: thank you to your family for what you did to support Warwick and, of course, your children as they grew up. Thank you for giving Warwick to this parliament and for the contribution that he has made in public life. I say to you, Kathi, on behalf of my wife, Joan, that we are sincerely saddened by the passing of Warwick. To your children I say: we want you to accept our condolences and our deepest sympathy. Warwick, may you rest in peace.

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