Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House record its deep regret at the death on 2 December 2008 of the Hon. Frank Crean, former federal Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, and place on record its appreciation for his long public service and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

It is with sadness today that we note the passing of Mr Frank Crean, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, who until his death held the distinction of being the oldest former member of the House of Representatives.

Frank Crean’s story was, in many ways, the story of Australia itself in the 20th century. His life spanned the great and the good as well as the dark and grim days of what was an incredible century for our country. He was born in February 1916, a time when Anzacs were just being evacuated from Gallipoli and being sent to the killing fields of France. He was one of those tough Australians who lived through two world wars and a great depression. These great cataclysms could have torn the heart out of anybody else, but instead in the case of Frank Crean they only seemed to inspire him to work towards redressing the great social injustices and inequalities of those times. Like his hero Ben Chifley he never stopped pushing forward to reach that light on the hill which symbolises the fundamental Labor values for which he stood throughout his life.

Frank Crean was a genuine Labor legend and a man deeply committed to public service. He spent more than a quarter of a century in our federal parliament, from 1951 to 1977, and played a central role in Labor politics throughout this period. He helped build and rebuild the party in some of its darkest days. He brought a real depth of economic and financial knowledge to the successive roles that he performed in the parliament. He was one of the finest ministers of the Whitlam government.

Frank Crean was born, as I said before, on 28 February 1916 in Hamilton, Victoria, the son of a bicycle maker. He completed his leaving honours at Melbourne Boys High School in 1933, won a place at the University of Melbourne and earned degrees in arts and commerce, as well as a diploma in public administration, studying part-time while he worked at the tax department. He ran successfully for Albert Park in the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1945 and later for Prahran.

I am told that his preselection at Albert Park was an interesting affair. When he went for preselection at Albert Park he was confronted by the local Labor luminaries with some doubts about how a man such as Frank Crean with a decidedly Catholic-sounding name, Francis Daniel Crean, could possibly run for what was seen to be a Protestant enclave of Albert Park. Frank, of course, was a Presbyterian. It is one of the great ironies of Australian life that we all end up with funny names. I say that as a Kevin, anyway. But the Labor historians tell us that the local party strongman, Pat Kennelly, was dispatched with the mission of rebaptising the prospective Labor candidate for Albert Park. Ross McMullen, our historian, records Kennelly saying: ‘From now on you’re Frank Crean. You’ve got to cut out this Francis bloody Daniel business if you’re going to get yourself elected.’ And he did. From then on he was known as Frank Crean. It is a little insight into the sectarianism of an earlier age, and I think we in this parliament are all pleased that that sectarianism is no longer part of Australian national political life.

Honourable Members:

Hear, hear!

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1951 Frank was elected as the federal member for Melbourne Ports. His federal parliamentary career spanned almost the entire 23 years of Labor’s period in opposition during the Menzies years. He joined the opposition benches just two years after Menzies had become Prime Minister and served under Chifley, Evatt, Calwell and Whitlam. He was a member of the executive of the federal parliamentary Labor Party from 1955 until his retirement in 1977. As one of the first Labor members with formal qualifications in economics, he became Labor’s spokesman on economic matters. Frank served as Treasurer, as Minister for Overseas Trade—the position now occupied with distinction by his son, Simon—and then as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. This was an extraordinary career.

It is less well known that Mr Crean held a special place in the extraordinary events of 11 November 1975. On that fateful day the parliament debated a censure motion. Frank Crean had arranged to speak on the motion after the lunch break at 2 pm. However, in the scramble following Sir John Kerr’s removal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s commission, Gough had instructed Frank to go ahead with the speech and not even to mention the dismissal in order to give Gough time to prepare his tactical plans for a no confidence motion. Being a good party man, Frank of course cooperated.

As a result you can go to the Hansard of 11 November 1975 and find an extraordinary speech in which he staunchly defends the supremacy of the House of Representatives and completely ignores the fact that Sir John Kerr had just dismissed Gough Whitlam, except for this remark. ‘What should happen, for argument’s sake,’ said Frank, ‘if someone else were to come here in a few minutes and say he was now the Prime Minister of this country?’ To which he answered himself, ‘He would be voted out immediately in this House.’

How prescient of Frank. Perhaps he had a tip-off! Indeed, this was precisely the plan that was executed a few minutes later. After Malcolm Fraser had announced to the House that he had been commissioned to form an interim government, the Labor majority passed a no-confidence motion in Mr Fraser. However, when the Speaker, Gordon Scholes, went to see the Governor-General to inform him that the House had passed a no-confidence motion in the new Prime Minister, the Governor-General refused to see him. With the issuing of the writs, the parliament was dissolved. A day like that makes the tactics committees on both sides of the House today look rather pedestrian.

Frank stayed in parliament for two more years before retiring in 1977, after 26 years in the parliament but just three years in government. Frank Crean was deeply admired, just as he was a deeply principled man. He served the parliament and the Australian Labor Party with great distinction. Even after representing the seat of Melbourne Ports for 26 years in parliament and with enough branch meetings to exhaust any mortal human being, he remained active in his local party branches. I understand he gave the current member for Melbourne Ports curry when due—which would be often, in my experience! That is all the more remarkable given the personal disappointments that Frank Crean experienced at different stages of his political career. Today’s generation, of course, knows the name Frank Crean in part because of the achievements of his son Simon, our parliamentary colleague, our friend and Minister for Trade. As well, of course, Simon’s brother David was formerly a Treasurer in the government of Tasmania.

On behalf of the government I offer condolences to his wife of 63 years, Mary, and their children Simon and David and their respective families. Tragically, their brother Stephen died in a skiing accident in 1985. With Frank Crean’s passing, we mourn the passing of a great Australian, a great parliamentarian and a great son of the Australian Labor movement.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great sadness that I rise on behalf of the opposition to support this condolence motion. Mr Frank Crean was born on 28 February 1916 in Hamilton in Victoria. After a period in state politics, he was elected in 1951 to represent the people of Melbourne Ports, a seat he held for 26 years. He was one of the few members of the House in those days with formal qualifications in economics. He rose to become the first Labor Treasurer in 23 years, in the Whitlam government—a position he held from December 1972 until December 1974. Frank Crean was of course replaced as Treasurer by Jim Cairns—a decision that, with the benefit of hindsight, was probably not a very wise one.

From December 1974 until the end of the Whitlam government, Frank Crean was Minister for Overseas Trade, a portfolio his son Simon now holds. He served as Deputy Prime Minister for the last six months of the Whitlam government and retired at the 1977 election. As the Treasurer, Frank Crean faced difficult international and domestic conditions: rising inflation, slowing growth, growing unemployment and an international oil shock. Similarly, he faced internal party challenges. From early in the Whitlam government he warned against excessive spending and later remarked words that many other treasurers and finance ministers would feel some sympathy with:

I had 23 ministers who each reckoned he could spend as much as the total budget was.

In 1946 Frank Crean married Mary Findlay, to whom he was married for over 60 years. In many ways it is in Frank Crean’s family that we find his greatest legacy. His character is reflected in his sons who, despite our political differences, are recognised around this House as very decent and dedicated men. The Labor movement is very rightly proud of the record of public service of the Crean family and in particular our colleague Simon, to whom we extend our very deepest sympathy.

Frank Crean was a decent, loyal and faithful servant of his party. He was always motivated by the public interest and what he thought was good for Australia. He was not in politics for personal gain. He did not speak ill of others and he saw good in his opponents. I note in particular the comments last night of the member for Berowra, the only remaining member of this House who served with Frank Crean. The member for Berowra said:

He was an exemplar in the way in which he carried out his own role, but he encouraged people like me, even though I was of a different political persuasion.

Malcolm Fraser has described him as:

One of the most decent and honourable members of parliament I have ever known.

Frank Crean died yesterday on the 36th anniversary of the election of the Whitlam government and was the oldest surviving member of that federal parliament. This year we have farewelled some of the greats of the Labor movement, John Button and Clyde Cameron. Frank Crean ranks in that same company. He is remembered for his modesty, his humility and his dedication to public service. He was in every sense a gentleman. On behalf of the coalition I offer our sincere condolences to his wife, his sons and the entire Crean family.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hope that members will allow me to take the unusual step of adding to the remarks of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Frank Crean was a parliamentary colleague of my father. I have been a parliamentary colleague of his son Simon for 18 years. Some 38 years ago, I commenced studies at university with David Crean. We were students together for three years. The course was for six years. Fortunately, I did not distract him for long and he graduated as a doctor and carried out a career in medicine before politics. The one thing that struck me back in those days was that, as a mate of Dave, I was a great friend of the Crean family. I could perhaps self-identify as a ratbag mate, but Frank and Mrs Crean welcomed us to what was a very warm family home full of great love. Those are the memories that I have of Frank. As has been mentioned, he was basically a decent bloke, a great Australian and a fine family man. I join with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in extending my deepest sympathies and condolences to Mrs Crean, David and Simon, their families and loved ones, and to the family of Stephen. As a mark of respect, I invite honourable members to rise in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

I thank the House.

Debate (on motion by Mr Albanese) adjourned.