Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Hansard source

It is a great honour to speak on the condolence motion for Malcolm Fraser—a former prime minister, a humanitarian and a person who was engaged in the absolute central issues of the last half century in Australia, but also a constituent of the electorate of Flinders—somebody I knew and would regard as a friend—and a great family man. I have had the honour and the pleasure of knowing Tamie and Malcolm Fraser. Also, curiously, his granddaughter Storm is the teacher for my five-year-old son. Malcolm's engagement with the electorate of Flinders and the people of Flinders not just as a former Prime Minister of this country but also as a constituent, as a resident and as the senior of a truly great family is very deep.

Against that background, let me begin by acknowledging his life and his family—Tamie Fraser; his four children, including Phoebe, whom I have met along the way; and his grandchildren, including Storm—and acknowledging their loss. Of course, his network of friends was dramatically wider, as somebody in such a prominent and unique role in Australia's life gathers and accumulates quite a network of friends over the course of 84 years. My father also knew Malcolm Fraser very well. They were at school together—I think they were a couple of years apart—and they had a longstanding relationship. Indeed, through the work of the constitutional conventions in the 1970s, they worked together on constructive issues in relation to multicultural affairs and in relation to making the Federation a more effective unit.

There are three things which most distinguished Malcolm Fraser: his courage, his conviction and his compassion. His courage was undoubted. At a time of immense instability and uncertainty in Australia in the 1970s he stepped forward, and there can be no doubt as to the degree of controversy and the strength of feelings that were present in the nation. The night after the Australia Day riot of 2012—where then Prime Minister Gillard was swept away by the Australian Federal Police and lost her shoe in the process and this was a major public issue—I happened to be at a very small dinner with Malcolm and Tamie Fraser and a few other people. Mr Fraser remarked that it had not really been that large a fracas or incident and was perhaps surprised at the way in which the threat had been perceived to the then Prime Minister. This was no reflection on the Prime Minister but more to the fact that, in his view, the media and some security forces had perhaps overreacted—not that I necessarily share that view. Tamie Fraser replied, 'That wasn't a riot. In our day, we saw real riots and they really wanted to kill Malcom.' There was that sense of good humour about the past but also that recognition that, whatever tensions we feel in domestic Australian politics today, they do tend to pale against the enormity of events and the extraordinary pressures of 1975 and the years that followed.

Without trying to re-litigate history, I think the best way to understand that history is to return to the judgement of the people at the time. In 1975, following the events of the dismissal, the Australian people gave Malcolm Fraser and the coalition government the largest majority, the greatest victory and the most significant win of any federal election since Federation. Only two and a bit years later, in 1977, there was a second election victory which was the second largest since Federation. So, whilst historians may debate, the people of Australia decided in their way, at the ballot box, not just once but twice. And, of course, Malcolm Fraser went on to win a third election in 1980.

But it is more than just that; it is the measure of what you do with your time. In particular, given my current role—and the member for Wentworth, a former environment minister, is at the table—I want to acknowledge Malcolm Fraser's environmental achievements. He established the Kakadu National Park, he banned drilling on the Great Barrier Reef, he proclaimed the Great Barrier Reef as a marine park, he oversaw the inscription of the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage List and he ended the practice of whaling in Australia with the enactment of the Whale Protection Act.

Only this week I met with the cetacean working group, which is a group of NGO leaders who are involved in whale and dolphin protection. They asked specifically if I could acknowledge their thanks for Mr Fraser's work in helping to end the practice of whaling in Australia. Project Jonah and so many other groups regard this as a wonderful Australian environmental achievement which bespoke a great deal of humanity.

Beyond the courage and the achievements in the environment was the conviction. His conviction in human rights was clear and undoubted. He championed the Aboriginal land rights movement. He enacted the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. He established the Human Rights Commission and established the Australian Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council. He reversed the position in relation to Vietnamese refugees inherited from previous governments. He oversaw the enactment of Australia's first Freedom of Information Act. And, internationally, there was no doubt he played a fundamental role in arguing the case against apartheid. In particular, through the Gleneagles Agreement, he helped to end racial discrimination in sport.

Then there was his compassion. After retiring from politics in 1983 he served for 15 years as chair of CARE Australia. In that role, he oversaw its place in the world, and this included a five year stint as President of CARE International. This was simply about assisting those who were the least fortunate, the worst off and in the most need. He did not have to do that; it was something which he chose, which he sought, to which he committed himself and through which he delivered real and lasting human and humanitarian outcomes for those that were assisted by CARE Australia and CARE International.

And then against all of that I want to acknowledge the time that I had spent with him as a Liberal member for a seat in which there was a former Prime Minister of my own party, the third longest serving Liberal Prime Minister, the fourth longest serving Australian Prime Minister. I felt it was a duty, a responsibility and an honour to work with him. From time to time I sought his advice on different matters. We may not have always agreed, but I always respected the integrity of his views, and he was always immensely gracious with me. I appreciated that. I remember visiting his house, seeing him in Melbourne, seeing him in the office and at events, and his focus was crystal clear. It was always crystal clear.

And so I want to say to Tamie: I thank you for Malcolm's guidance to me personally and his service to the nation. I acknowledge the immense loss that as a family, Tamie, you, your children and your grandchildren have. He served our country at the highest level. He left an indelible mark. He was one of the giants of Australian politics. Vale Malcolm Fraser.

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