Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—There is a certain poignancy about today as we say farewell from this place to two very fine parliamentarians. We will be very sad to see them go, but it does give us an opportunity to reflect on the careers and the characters of Warren Truss and Andrew Robb. It has been my privilege to know Warren Truss, the Deputy Prime Minister, for a number of years now and an even greater privilege to consider him a friend. Warren has dedicated his life to the service of others—officially as early as 1973, when he became president of the Australian Council of Rural Youth. In 1976 he was elected to the Kingaroy Shire Council. He was mayor for seven years and then contested the seat of Wide Bay in 1990.

There are few people in Australian political history who have achieved the stellar parliamentary career heights of Deputy Prime Minister. Added to that, Warren's ministerial responsibilities and policy achievements are numerous. Personally, I particularly want to make mention of his role relating to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370—his management of that disappearance and the recovery efforts that were underway. It is one of the great airline mysteries of our time. He was magnificent and is highly regarded around the world for his efforts.

However, this only tells part of the story. Warren Truss is a person of great integrity, decency and honour. He is admired for his wise advice and his contributions to policy debates. Time and time again he would reveal to us the formidable depth of his intellect, his thoughtfulness and his life experience. He has been a rock in the coalition—reliable, a steadying influence for all of us.

It is not as well known—although colleagues here are certainly aware of it—that Warren has a razor-sharp wit, and his observations, which are invariably so droll, can often have us in fits of laughter. I have sat next to the Deputy Prime Minister in question time for a number of years now and he has had me in hysterics—but not noticeably, of course—on a number of occasions because of the dry observations he would make from time to time which would capture the essence of the absurdity of the situation. There is a great levity about Warren, and I do appreciate his wonderful sense of humour. I also note that Warren is a man of few words on Twitter. I have checked. He posts, on average, one tweet every seven days. That is consistent and reliable, but he is not overdoing it!

I recall travelling to Wide Bay on my first visit some years ago, and I was warmly hosted by Warren and his lovely wife, Lyn. It was clear to me how deeply regarded he is by so many of his local constituents. He has the great ability to make people feel welcome, appreciated and at ease. It is a humbling quality that accompanies his enthusiasm and genuine interest in his community and the members of his community.

I cannot speak more highly of the Deputy Prime Minister as a very fine Australian. His local government service before joining the federal parliament and his parliamentary positions exemplify his commitment to serving his electorate, his party and his country. Warren's leadership, especially over the last 2½ years as Deputy Prime Minister, has proven to be a critical part of this government's strength. I wish Warren and Lyn all the very best. You both have our enduring respect.

I am also sad but pleased to say a few words about a good friend and colleague in Andrew Robb. We worked together as ministers in the education and training portfolios in the Howard government. And now, as the two ministers responsible for foreign affairs and trade and investment, in our interconnected portfolios, we have shared the last 2½ years navigating the often turbulent waters of diplomacy and an embrace of what we call economic diplomacy at the heart of our foreign affairs and trade and investment policies. So, while Andrew would be rallying our region to break down protectionist barriers and selling Australia as the place to do business, I would be focusing on some of the geo-strategic issues—easing tensions in the region and supporting peace and stability—as precursors to the prosperity that Andrew was seeking to advance. We worked together as a team. As I would call for restraint in some of the tensions in the region, Andrew would call for our regional friends to recognise the interdependence of our respective economies and the opportunities that economic cooperation can offer us all.

Andrew has advanced the government's agenda in the most outstanding way, utilising our international assets to promote Australia's economic prosperity. And he has done it in the most sophisticated way in engaging with other countries. Andrew is one of the most effective trade ministers in the world today and one of the most effective in our political history. He has been a tireless advocate for Australian businesses abroad. He has enhanced our reputation as a place for investment here at home. He came to this role with a very serious trade agenda. We now thank him for concluding four of the most economically significant free trade agreements for the benefit of the Australian economy and the Australian people and for the foreseeable future.

I think the enormity of what he has achieved is reflected in the statistics. The three North Asia free trade agreements cover nearly 70 per cent of Asia's total GDP and represent a total customer base of 1½ billion people and are already the destination for more than half of Australia's exports to the world. The 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries represent around 40 per cent of the global economy and a quarter of world trade. Australia's export of goods and services to these countries was worth over $109 billion last year, a third of Australia's total exports. So this is a huge legacy that Andrew Robb has bequeathed.

He was fierce in his determination to achieve these three free trade agreements. I am sure he is aware that his US counterpart, US trade representative Mike Froman, would confide from time to time that he was one of the toughest negotiators he had ever come across. I was always so proud to receive those, what I saw as, compliments on Andrew's behalf.

After decades of service to the Liberal Party, Andrew is known for his wisdom, his poise and his dedication to the causes that he holds dear. He has had personal struggles, which he has overcome with such dignity. I pay respect to both Andrew and Maureen for the service that they have provided to this country. Indeed, on a personal note I want to say how proud I am of both Warren and Andrew for leaving parliament on their own terms at the height of their political careers. Warren and Lyn and Andrew and Maureen, we salute you.

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