Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Condolence motions are times of sadness, but they also allow us to bring back, to the extent we can, the positive memories of the person about whom we speak. So it is with Reg Withers, former minister and leader of the Senate. I did not know him well but, as a young staffer to Senator Sir John Carrick, I recall Reg Withers as one of the great characters of the Whitlam-Fraser years. To me he was larger than life. Indeed, for a newcomer to Old Parliament House, his presence was felt throughout the corridors of the Senate. Back then, in the much closer confines and limited space in which we operated, as Senate leader Senator Withers ruled with a strong hand. They were difficult days which saw the sacking of Gough Whitlam and the election of the Fraser government, and, while I am certain those opposite will disagree, his actions as leader of the Senate during those heady days were supported by the electorate a few short months later.

His take-no-prisoners attitude during his time as Senate leader earned him the nickname 'the Toecutter'—which his son Simon tells us Reg always found a little bit odd, but I am sure he enjoyed the name. However, as tough as his reputation was there was always a sense of humour. Reg Withers was one of a number of former servicemen from World War II who turned to politics and with that background brought a blunt realism to this parliament. Peter Shack's comments in The Australian a few days ago captured his essence. Just one piece of sage advice the elder statesman gave to the then new member for Tangney was: 'Don't trust anyone, not even me.' Another piece of wisdom this time for ministers: 'Too many people believe that in every situation something must be done. Not true. A good nothing is better than a bad something. Save us please from the nonsense that "we must appear to be doing something".' His son Simon said Reg was just interested in getting the sensible thing done.

Reg cut his teeth in politics in local council with a stint on the Bunbury municipal council before being called to fill a Senate vacancy following the death of Senator Sir Shane Paltridge. He was the son of a trade unionist turned ALP MP but, like his siblings, became a staunch Liberal—we can only imagine those Christmas gatherings.

While he will be best remembered as the leader of the Senate during the final days of the Whitlam government, he would want us to recall the fact that he was, first and foremost, a family man who devoted himself to the service of his country because of his family. Service to Australia ran deep in him as a senator but also as a member of the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. I believe his desire to serve his country in the best way he saw fit was pivotal to his ability to hold a fractious Senate team together while it was under great duress in 1975.

Upon leaving the Senate, Reg Withers continued his service to his community with a successful and visionary tenure as the Lord Mayor of Perth. His foresight to build underground rail services and more apartments in Perth has been credited as the impetus for Perth becoming a revitalised city. He was a delegate for the monarchists at the 1998 Constitutional Convention, continuing his extraordinary history of service to his fellow Australians.

Reg and his wife, Shirley, were married for 61 years. By any measure, that is a magnificent achievement. They had three children and four grandchildren, who will obviously miss their father and grandfather very much. I wish to pass on to Reg's family my heartfelt condolences for their loss. While he lived to 90, the loss of a loved one is never easy to reconcile. Reg Withers leaves us with a record of service but, importantly, with a raft of memories of a time when politics thrived on the strength of character and good humour of a generation of great Australians who served their country in war and in this parliament. Senator Reg Withers was and remains a great Australian.

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