Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I join the Prime Minister in his fine words honouring the life of former senator James Joseph Webster. Born in 1925 on Flinders Island, Jim moved with his farming family to the outskirts of Melbourne as a child. As a student, he ran the family farm while his older brothers served in the war, but he was prepared to serve himself, joining the Air Training Corps. He worked as a clerk in a log mill and as a tally man on Melbourne's wharves before joining his grandfather's timber, hardware and plumbing business.

He filled a vacancy in the Senate in '64 and was re-elected through the sixties and seventies and served until 1980. In his first speech, Jim spoke about the values he shared with his party: those of free enterprise and minimal government intervention. He stated:

I pray that we shall retain in this country a system whereby freedom of the individual is paramount.

Under Prime Minister Fraser, he served as the Minister for Science and the Environment. He championed Australia's research in the Antarctic, the banning of whaling in our waters, the work of the CSIRO and our film and television industries. He was Deputy Leader and then Leader of the Country Party in the Senate. He also held the positions of Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman of Committees. As the Prime Minister pointed out, after leaving office he became Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand, before, most importantly, returning to where he started, farming the land. On behalf of the Liberal Party, I offer my heartfelt condolences to Jim's colleagues, community, friends and family, especially his four children, Simon, James, Andrew and Tim.

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