Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to acknowledge the passing of Sir John Carrick AC, KCMG, an eminent Australian politician, public servant, veteran and leader. Sadly, this comes just weeks after I rose in the chamber to acknowledge the passing of his wife, Lady Angela Carrick AO. Sir John and Lady Angela Carrick were residents of Bradfield for many years, in Bent Street, Lindfield. Sir John was a member of the Killara branch of the Liberal Party for decades. Sir John Carrick was a Liberal senator for New South Wales for many years. He served variously as the Minister for Education, Minister for National Development and Energy, and Leader of the Government in the Senate. He is one of the most distinguished figures in Australian politics over the last 80 years, who was instrumental in working with Sir Robert Menzies to transform the Liberal Party from a fledgling political movement in New South Wales in the 1940s, to the major party it is today. He served for 23 years as the general secretary of the New South Wales Liberal Party and advised countless leaders, including John Howard, Sir Robert Menzies and Malcolm Fraser.

It is worth reflecting on Sir John's remarkable history of service. He served with distinction in the Australian Army in World War II. Enlisting as a lieutenant in the Sydney University Regiment in 1939, he deployed to West Timor in December 1941 with the Australia Army's Sparrow Force. They fought bravely against overwhelming odds before being taken prisoner, and Sir John was a prisoner of war of the Japanese at Changi prison and spent time on the infamous Thai-Burma railway and at Hellfire Pass. Whilst interred as a prisoner of war, Sir John acquired a considerable command of the Japanese language, which assisted in the communication with his captors.

Sir John earned the respect of his fellow prisoners of war through the way that he supported them, and he described his period in captivity subsequently as a 'great and enduring learning experience'. That speaks volumes of his nature as a human being to be so generous and reflective in his observations on what was undoubtedly a traumatising and appalling experience.

After returning to Australia, Sir John worked as a research officer for the New South Wales Liberal Party from 1946. Two years later, having greatly impressed senior figures in the party, he was appointed General Secretary of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party, and for the next 23 years he built what is arguably the most effective political organisation in the history of politics in New South Wales. He established the template for political engagement and community advocacy within the Liberal Party, and it's worth reflecting on the scale of mass community engagement with political parties at that time. His work was instrumental in the scale of engagement which the Liberal Party was able to have throughout the community. He worked tirelessly, travelling all across the state and throughout communities across New South Wales, encouraging participation and campaigning on the foundational values of the Liberal Party. For people who have been involved in the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party for many years such as the member for North Sydney, who spoke previously, and such as I and, of course, many other members and senators in this place, it is instructive to observe how much the institutions and the practices and the values of the modern Liberal Party very much reflect the work that Sir John did in those early days as the party was growing and building momentum.

Elected as a senator for New South Wales in 1971, Sir John served in the parliament with the same efficiency, professionalism and commitment to the community that he demonstrated as General Secretary of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party for 23 years. Of course, he rose to high ministerial office, serving as Minister for Education, Minister for National Development and Energy and Leader of the Government in the Senate. Although he held a number of portfolios, perhaps it is his time as education minister which speaks most to his passions and the contribution that he sought to make to our nation. It was certainly a policy area for which he had great enthusiasm.

One of Sir John Carrick's characteristics is that he did not seek personal fame or reputation. He served the community and the Liberal Party selflessly and he worked to advance the views that he felt resonated throughout the Australian community at a time when, as a nation, we were very much engaged in a process of nation building, recovering from the traumatic experience of World War II and throwing open the national arms to people from around the world as our population grew, as our confidence grew and as the scale of our nation grew. Sir John was absolutely critical to that process.

He was, in every way, deserving of the title, which is often accorded to his generation, in our country and others—the greatest generation—those who sacrificed so much in World War II and went on to build their nations. His is a life story of experience in extraordinary hardship and privation, including some quite challenging times as a child and teenager during the Depression. He devoted himself to the task of shaping our nation and, particularly, shaping our political life.

As a young man, he fought for Australia's freedom and for our values as a soldier. As a party official and parliamentarian, he spent decades fighting for freedom and fighting for Australian values, and he did so with enormous effectiveness. There is no person who better encapsulates the values for which the Liberal Party stands. He stood for aspiration, he stood for community involvement, and he stood for fairness and equality of opportunity. He believed deeply in the inherent value of individual freedom and the centrality of free enterprise to a successful and fair society.

It is, therefore, with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of Sir John Carrick AC KCMG and the loss of one of Australia's most distinguished leaders and faithful servants. On behalf of the people of Bradfield, I particularly express our collective sadness at the deaths of Sir John and of Lady Angela Carrick within such a short space of time. They are survived by their daughters, Diane, Jane and Fiona and their extended family, and I express my condolences to the extended family.

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