John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

There are some awfully rude people around here! We actually won, but, in fact, we were quite frightened because we were so close to the Queensland border that there were far more of them in the pub than there were of us. It is called the 'two-storeys hotel' and it has a lean on it. It is totally illegal, but it has a lean on it—and we had a lean on us by the time we got out of there.

You do see some incredible things. There is a place called Glen Davis, north of Lithgow. You would not believe it. Back during the war, they started mining shale oil for fuel and they put this pipeline through the most inhospitable country you will ever see anywhere you go. They gave it away not that long after the war, but there are things that exist in our country that we never know till we actually come across them.

I have four daughters and three stepdaughters and a swag of grandchildren—I am not going to start naming all of them because I will forget one and then I really will be in trouble! When I was preselected for the seat of Parkes, the preselection was held in Dubbo. I was later accused of intimidation because all seven of the girls were there, their husbands were there and their kids were there. A lot of them had little kids then; they are big kids now. I was accused of intimidation for it, but I do thank them. Obviously they were good at intimidation, because I won the preselection. When you are in this place, it means that you are a very bad grandfather. I think the one thing none of us ever really admit to ourselves in the way that we should is that, when you are in public life, particularly in this place, whether you like it or not you put your family second. If they actually accept that, it is a pretty big thing for them to do. I must thank my ex-wife, Gai, who was really good. When I entered parliament, she supported me totally and I do still thank her for that very much.

There is so much you learn. There are so many friends you make. There are so many people you may never become friends with, but, by God, they teach you a lot. I thank the constituents of Parkes and Calare for teaching me so much and for giving me some incredible memories. I would be very upset if one of them ever said, 'He wouldn't see me because I was not a Nat,' or, 'He wouldn't take any notice of what I needed.' That would really upset me because I do not think I ever thought in my life, when somebody came into my office, 'What's your political persuasion?' I do not really care when somebody needs me.

I cannot see where Lisa is, but she was good enough during the cricket this year to marry me. She does not realise what she has taken on! I guess she should.

I guess what is so wonderful about it is that I got a lot of experience—political experience, that is—when I got her, because she had looked after two senators, one of whom is up there, for something like 13 years before she actually decided it was time to take me in hand. It has been wonderful—and it will be wonderful when I get out of here with her!

To get a little more serious, I will just quickly—and no, I am not going to keep you here much longer—say a few things. I have always considered that we owe our first responsibility to the country as a whole and, when it comes to security and those sorts of things, of course that is extremely true. When you talk about country and regional Australia, do not ever forget that we live and exist, most of us, because we trade things, whether it is iron ore, coal, agricultural products, forest products—whatever it is. That is what defines us: the fact that we are traders. Look on the bright side of that: it is bringing foreign money in, and that is what we need to do. And the more we can sell our things overseas, the less we can be dictated to by the Coles and Woolworths of the world. We may need them, but they need us, too. So, as far as I am concerned, trade is not just the heart and soul of what we do; it gives us independence.

I would like to say a couple of other things. I hope that those of you who are here for the next five, 10 or 20 years do not ever forget that, while China, Japan and the US are great, close to home we have Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, with an enormous number of people. We forget Indonesia at our peril. There is a lot of them. They are very close. And, as far as Australia is concerned, we need to be one heck of a lot closer to them.

Some people are quick to say that we are too close to America. I think events of the last decade have made them realise: you need to remember who your friends are. I think it will be to our peril if we ever forget how close we are to America and how much we have in common with them. We may choose our leaders a little differently, but that is what it is.

I just want to finish by saying this. I think that we are not here to tell people how to live their lives. We are here to help them live the life they want to live. We are not here to make people recipients of programs and of social services. We are here to help people help themselves.

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