Zoe McKenzie (Flinders, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Simon Crean was a great warrior of the labour movement. He was also a titan of Australian business and the union movement itself. He was excellent company and he was a lot of fun. One of the first generation of parliamentarians to inhabit this building from 1990, Simon's impact lives long and is fondly remembered along its corridors and on all sides of the aisles. When he left it 23 years later, he left both this parliament and the Australian Labor Party, which he led from 2001 to 2003, in a manifestly better place. I observed Simon's leadership through my friendship with many of those who served him: Simon, Sam and Hernan. There is nothing harder than changing your own party's power-sharing matrix, and in this Simon was somewhere between crazy-brave and utterly fearless.

Simon took his relish for progress and progressivism into life after politics. A polymath in public policy, Simon remained active in education, trade, arts and culture, meat and livestock, regional development and, indeed, national disaster recovery. This is where I got to know Simon—through our mutual involvement in Australian trade, export and trade agreements, and in our shared love of Australian arts and culture. Of course, Simon and I usually disagreed on how to get to where we both believed Australia could go—Simon always more multicultural, me more bilateral or regional; Simon more about national arts policy, me more focused on the invitation to all Australians so that they knew they were welcome and wanted in the world of both elite and local arts and culture. But the banter, the disagreement, the challenge: that was half the fun. And, as I said to Carole Crean on Monday, Simon was always so much fun.

In the condolence speeches in the main chamber on Monday, the member for Hotham referred to Simon's industrious support of women in the Labor Party. Perhaps less well known is his support and encouragement of women in the other side too.

Before the 2019 election I put my hand up and failed, as so many I look up to in this building did before me. I picked myself up, put on my boots and got back on the horse. It was a few days after that defeat that I saw Simon. In Melbourne circles you always saw Simon somewhere. I was brave-faced at the time but as flat as a tack. Simon was the first to put the wind back in my sails—'You're a great Liberal warrior, Zoe. You'll be back.' I didn't believe him at the time.

My main interaction with Simon over the last decade was through the amazing family of business leaders who gather around the table of the European Australian Business Council, where he served as chair, following in the shoes of another great Australian politician Nick Greiner. Simon became Chair of the European Australian Business Council, or EABC, in 2019. It was a role he seemed to relish, driving greater trade and investment, sharing of know-how and research, as well as cultural collaboration. Indeed, this was a role that gave free reign to all of Simon's passions, and he executed it spectacularly well.

I attended some of the EABC missions with Simon and many of their local discussions on our European business, investment, trade and cultural links as a member of the EABC's Corporate Council before I came to this place. It was on the eve of the 2023 mission that Simon was lost to us. After years of frustrating disruption through COVID and on the precipice of signing a trade deal with the European Union, I can imagine Simon in his usual let-me-at-them, bounding-enthusiasm disposition.

His loss quite simply devastated his European business family. I'm grateful to Jason Collins, the CEO of the EABC, for allowing me to add some of their words into this condolence motion today. They said:

The EABC is devastated by the loss of our Chair Simon Crean who tragically passed on the eve of leading our Business Mission to Europe.

Australian business and industry leaders with us here in Berlin, and our wider community at home, shocked by the sudden loss of a great Australian who has always led with conviction, wisdom and warmth.

Our deepest condolences to Carole and the Crean family, and to the so many close friends and family who are profoundly saddened by Simon's passing.

The sense of family around the EABC should not be underestimated. Indeed, some of them were here in the parliament on Monday for the remarks by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and many attended the state funeral for Simon last week in Melbourne.

On the evening of 25 June the EABC team, led by Jason Collins and Jo Johns, wrote to its broader business community:

A brutal day is drawing to a close here in Berlin where it was with profound sadness that our Chair, Simon Crean, passed away during his morning walk, just an hour or so before we were to commence our 2023 EABC Business Mission to Europe.

For those of us already in Berlin we had a lovely evening last night with Simon and Carole, where with high spirits and sense of purpose we discussed all the meetings to come in Berlin, Brussels, Stockholm, Paris and London.

It's still a shock, but today our focus has been to provide all the support we possibly can to Carole, whilst at the same time she has urged us to 'get on with the job' as Simon would have expected us to do by continuing with the mission at this critical time in EU-Australia relations. We'll do so with a heavy heart, and with great sensitivity and remembrance of the enormous contribution Simon made as our Chair, as part of an extraordinary lifelong record of public service.

In every endeavour, Simon led with conviction, wisdom and warmth.

It fell to the EABC's deputy chairs Vicki Thomson, who leads the Group of Eight, and Jeff Connolly, who leads Thales Australia, to put on the boots and make a brave face. Vicki said about Simon:

Simon Crean was a remarkable Australian, respected and admired by all who knew him. His passing is absolutely devastating and will be felt deeply by people at home and around the world. He was a great leader in politics, business and in life, dedicated to making peoples' lives better, whether it be through the trade union movement, as a political leader serving in the Cabinets of four Labor Prime Ministers, as Chair of the EABC or Deputy Chancellor of Monash University. As EABC Chair, Simon has made an invaluable contribution to deepening and modernising ties between Europe and Australia to build a more sustainable and prosperous future for both regions. He had a deep and lasting commitment to community and the greater good. This is an extremely sad day for Australia. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family.

Jeff Connolly added:

The European Australian Business Council has had the honour of experiencing Simon Crean's remarkable leadership in pursuit of closer ties with the European Union and its Member States. Simon was a unique Australian whose deep understanding of international trade and intercultural sensitivities enabled him to bring differences of opinion to respectful and meaningful compromise. We mourn his loss but add our voice of gratitude for his profound contribution to a better Australia.

The mission and its delegates, as well as the Crean family, were helped by the extraordinary ambassador, Philip Green, and the embassy team in Berlin. We are so lucky to be served by such extraordinary teams in our missions overseas, especially in Europe.

There are times when this building stops. It stops to recognise and celebrate its great men and, let's hope, increasingly in the future its great women—men whose grace, good humour, determination and courage have made parliamentary service honourable, worthy and admired. Simon was one of those men, and moments like this reflection are precious. I thank the House for the opportunity to contribute to it.

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