Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Hansard source

As Minister for the Environment, I express my deep respect and my gratitude for the legacy of the late Robert James Lee Hawke. He cared for Australians, he cared for the environment we all share and his passion for both would be felt across continents.

In protecting environmental landmarks, Bob Hawke made his own political and social landmarks: the Franklin Dam, the protection of World Heritage areas from our northern tropics to Central Australia and his outstanding international role in the protection of Antarctica for future generations. This was remarkable leadership that has stood the test of time, and these are decisions that members of this House continue to recognise and respect. Bob Hawke wasn't the first politician to care for the environment, but he was the first to bring it to the very centre of our national discussion. For the many divergent views that we may at times have now on how best to protect our environment and our place within it, there is no dispute about its priority within the political and social debate, and that is in many ways Bob Hawke's legacy.

Under his leadership, Australia added to or extended the boundaries of six properties on the World Heritage List, including the Daintree wet tropics in Queensland, Uluru national park, the rainforests of Gondwana and Western Australia's Shark Bay. Of course, nobody could fail to mention the protection of the Franklin River and the Tasmanian Wilderness Heritage area. This was a defining moment in Australia, one that would engage the whole community in a national debate and one that would lead to a fundamental change in our national approach to protecting the environment.

The debate about the Franklin was about more than the traditional Left versus Right political ground game. It captured something bigger, something outside ourselves. It raised our consciousness of the natural world and demanded that we listen. As a young person whose family could see the good from both sides of politics, I certainly was part of the crowd singing 'Let the Franklin Flow' as loudly as anyone when Goanna belted out their 1983 signature anthem at Canberra's live music venues. I was far from alone, and so many other Australians can today trace their first active support for the environment back to this moment and this cause. It would lead to the passing of the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983 under the Hawke government and to a High Court ruling which would confirm the Commonwealth's right to protect our World Heritage areas and make laws to protect the environment. Environmental debates continue today as we strive to balance our modern way of living with the protection of our natural surroundings, but the parameters of those debates have changed forever. The concept of damming the Franklin today would be unthinkable for all sides of politics, and that, again, is a measure of Bob Hawke's legacy.

Later this week the World Heritage Committee will meet in Azerbaijan to consider a historic listing of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape of south-western Victoria. It will, we hope, be the first time an Australian site is awarded World Heritage listing for its Indigenous cultural value, recognising 6,000 years of management by the Gunditjamara people. Six traditional owners will be in Azerbaijan for the UNESCO meeting, and Bob Hawke would have been the first to give them a cheer.

Bob Hawke was a larrikin Australian whose laugh would stand out in any public bar and whose voice would echo powerfully on the world stage. It was Mr Hawke's capacity to influence world leaders that would see a permanent ban on mining in Antarctica. This was no easy fight, but his work with French Prime Minister Michel Rocard in the late 1980s to lobby the Antarctic Treaty nations would lead to the signing of the Madrid protocol on environmental protection, the protocol which safeguards Antarctica to this day. His contribution continues to be recognised by the Australian Antarctic Division with the prestigious RJL Hawke postdoctoral fellowship for Antarctic environmental science, awarded every two years.

Having been a farmer and a member of my local Landcare organisation, I would pay tribute to another of his environmental legacies, the national Landcare movement. This involves everyday Australians and landholders working with government to protect our biodiversity and natural resources. It is a vibrant and important part of so many rural communities, one that encourages sustainable agriculture, and it remains a cornerstone of our environmental policy. When Bob Hawke was just shy of his 88th birthday, he lent his face and name to a brand of beer. His royalties were donated to Landcare Australia to protect our natural resources, so members and senators may bear that in mind later today—in moderation, of course!

I am honoured to stand before this House and recognise the important environmental legacy of Australia's 23rd Prime Minister, the Hon. Robert James Lee Hawke AC, and I extend my sincere condolences to his wife, Blanche, his children and his grandchildren. I add my thoughts and prayers to all who mourn him today.

See this speech in context