Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In the very short time I have before the adjournment debate, I will at least start my tribute to the former Prime Minister of Australia, the Rt Hon. John Malcolm Fraser, who throughout his life, of course, was called Malcolm Fraser. Sometimes it seems to me that it is only in death that we can make a full assessment of a life. Until that time, the events of the day tend to draw our focus on a person: what they said last is what we concentrate on. In the case of Malcolm Fraser, we should look at his long and valuable contribution to Australian life.

It seems a great quirk of fate that, within six months, the two most prominent politicians of their time and the two greatest protagonists of the most turbulent passage in this young nation's democracy have both bid us farewell. The year 1975 saw, of course, one of the great schisms in Australian politics—the greatest, I think. It was my first time voting and I cannot tell you what a thrill it gave me to go along and not vote for the Labor Party, which I thought had created such an appalling mess in their fewer than three years in government, and vote for my Liberal candidate. In the great seat of Grey, even in that very convincing win, we were unable to unseat the sitting Labor member. It took some time after that before the seat of Grey returned a Liberal member, which it still has to this day. I must say how pleased and gratified I am by their current attitudes—

Debate interrupted.

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