Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the House for providing this opportunity. As they know, my father passed away on Tuesday afternoon. It was peaceful, and his family was by his side. Can I also thank the House and all the members from both sides for the wonderful words of comfort and sympathy that they have extended to me and my family both in written and spoken form. It is terribly reassuring, as hard as the circumstances remain.

Frank Crean was an extraordinary man. He was a wonderful and loving husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a loyal friend to many and he was a selfless servant of the nation. In many ways, he was what many people would like all politicians to be: decent, humble, a person of great integrity and someone who was always available to help others who needed assistance or to take the initiative and guide those who he felt needed direction.

His political cause and belief touched all three of his sons: my younger brother, David, served with great distinction in the Tasmanian parliament; I of course followed my father into federal parliament; and my older brother, Stephen, was active in the Public Service here in Canberra and in the union movement before his life was cut short in 1985—but he was super smart, he was really liked and he could have come into this place, too, I believe.

We all grew up in the family home in Middle Park—one that you, Mr Speaker, have referred to coming around to at some ungodly hour; my mother still talks about it—

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

Order!

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She still loves you! Nevertheless, it was always an open-door house, and I think you made comment on that, Mr Speaker. In fact, that was in the days before electorate offices. There would not be too many members in this House who do not appreciate the electorate office, but in those days, effectively, the house was the electorate office. We always had people coming to the door, particularly on weekends when parliament was not sitting. It instilled in me very early on in the piece the importance of community service, public service and representing the community. Mum and Dad were always there, helping people in trouble.

It was also a house of great energy. There was always something happening there. Obviously, through the sixties and seventies, with Labor striving to come to office federally, there were many meetings there with Dr Evatt, Arthur Calwell and of course Gough Whitlam and many of those other people who went on to that historic victory in 1972 and to form that great government in 1972. But in many ways our family home represented the beliefs of Frank Crean. He did believe in helping others, especially those in need; he also believed in the benefits of hard work—and his upbringing shaped those values.

He was born in Hamilton in 1916—and I thank the member for Wannon, who saw me this morning; Dad and I had a very nice visit a couple of years ago when we went back to Hamilton to try and relive a bit of his childhood. He grew up in the Depression, and that instilled in him a great commitment to social justice and to the importance of a cohesive community. While he excelled as a student—he was in fact dux of Hamilton High School—he had to come to Melbourne to complete matriculation and he went to Melbourne High School, where my two brothers and I went. He then topped the state in accounting, and that earned him an entry into the University of Melbourne, which was the only university in Victoria in those days. After going through that struggle, he always lamented the lack of resources in Hamilton. There were hardly any books at the school and there was no public library. In fact, when he first went into state parliament, this caused him to petition very strongly early on in the piece for two important developments: (1) the establishment of free public libraries in municipalities and (2) the establishment of the Council of Adult Education—of which he was the first chairman, a position he actually held until he became Treasurer in 1972.

His childhood was also affected by another event, which was that he contracted rheumatic fever at the age of 12. This confined him to bed for about 12 months. His neighbour was the local ALP secretary and organiser for the AWU, a person who was himself well read and who kept bringing Dad books. So that gap in resources that he found at school, interestingly enough, he found next door through adversity. The local branch secretary also taught him the significance of struggle and activism, the circumstances of strike and lockout activity. In many senses, when I reflect on it, this is the sort of pastoral care we in the Labor Party in particular should be administering. I think most of the time when we have secretaries turn up these days it is with a ballot paper or a how-to-vote card in their hand!

That was a very important development in Dad’s career and his lifelong commitment to the Labor cause. In 1929, at the tender age of 13, he was taken to a public meeting led by James Scullin, an election that subsequently became successful for Labor. He also had a very strong Presbyterian upbringing and this instilled in him a strong work ethic—a Protestant work ethic, I guess—but also a strong sense of moral values. It is also the place, when he came to Melbourne, that he met my mother, Mary Findlay, and they have been married for 62 years. She, of course, is a wonderful mum.

He was a champion of democracy and of empowering people. He understood that governments could make a difference and he genuinely believed that politics was a noble cause. He embarked on a political career in parliament that spanned 32 years—six in the Victorian state parliament and 26 here. The great pity for him is that the vast bulk of those 32 years were spent in opposition. But he was instrumental with Gough Whitlam and a team of greatly talented people, eager politicians, in laying the basis for the ’72 victory. I remember getting involved in the campaigns of ’69’s swing to Labor. I remember the ‘It’s time’ victory in 1972. I was at university at the time. My political activism came through the Vietnam antiwar movements, but the engagement with Labor at the coalface in fighting those campaigns was terribly important.

When Labor won office in ’72 my father had the privilege of bringing down Labor’s first budget in 23 years. It reflected the vision and commitment and excitement of change that took Gough Whitlam and his team to power. That was a victory that inspired so many of my generation to themselves become active. Subsequent to that first budget came the global oil shock of 1973, and that brought with it huge inflationary pressures. It required the government to adjust, and Dad was at the forefront of urging restraint where it was needed. I think that is a well-documented set of circumstances. Those warnings were not heeded, and in the end the Treasurer is only as strong as the Prime Minister allows him to be, but he did bring down a second budget and was then dismissed from the Treasury position. He took the portfolio that I am currently proud to occupy. He opposed the loans affair and he always argued that had he not been changed that event would not have proceeded.

Whilst he left parliament in 1977, he did not stop his activism or his zeal for community involvement and commitment. He chaired the Migrant Resource Centre in Prahran, one of his stamping grounds. Originally, that was a seat he held in state parliament. He was appointed by Ian McPhee, the then minister, and I know the Father of the House, the member for Berowra, also had great dealings with him when he became the minister for that position. I think Dad was chair of the Migrant Resource Centre for something like 26 or 27 years. He was a stayer.

His involvement with the Migrant Resource Centre demonstrated again not just the commitment of community but the way in which community had changed. It had become much more multicultural. He understood that there were important needs for migrants. He wanted to go out there and assist and he greatly assisted them. His retirement also enabled him to spend time with all of the six grandchildren. Each of them not only loved him but also saw him as their mentor because he took the effort to teach them the values and the beliefs that he held so strongly. He remained active in so many ways up until a few years ago when his health began to deteriorate.

Frank Crean served this House with distinction and the nation with humility and courage. So I join the House in the condolence motion, but on behalf of the Crean family I want to place on the record our appreciation for the wonderful expressions of sympathy that have been made by so many. It is a great comfort to us.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the House for giving me the opportunity to be associated with this condolence motion for Frank Crean. Simon Crean, the member for Hotham, knew his father well. I had the great privilege of serving with Frank Crean in this parliament, having entered this chamber in 1973. I saw him as minister and Deputy Prime Minister and had the great privilege of regarding him as a colleague, although I was very junior. Members may not be aware, but it is surprising how similar our family backgrounds have been. My late father, who served in the New South Wales parliament, had the privilege of serving in the Commonwealth Public Service from the period of the war until 1949. That is why I was born in Canberra. He held a master’s degree in economics. He was qualified as a public accountant. In other words, their qualifications were almost mimicked. And my father had the highest regard for yours. He spoke of him long before he achieved ministerial office and reminded me of the contribution that he was making and would be able to make, and so for that reason I particularly wanted to be associated with this motion.

I have had an opportunity to read some of the parliamentary debates and in particular one—as we did here today—where we wish each other well. I noted that at the time when the late Frank Crean left the parliament in 1977, Ian Macphee, who was spoken of earlier, said it was his privilege to know Frank Crean well before he came into this place. He said: ‘We served together on the Council of Adult Education in Victoria when he was chairman. He was chairman for 20 years.’ Vince Martin will not be known to many perhaps, except for the member for Banks, but he had this to say:

The thing I admire about Frank Crean is his humility. He is a true Christian. He is an elder of the Presbyterian Church and I am a practising Catholic. There was  no difference of opinion between us on true Christian principles. He played a leading part in an organisation about which very little is known outside this Parliament—the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship. He was a fine example to many people in this Parliament, with his attitude of true Christianity.

When I speak of his humility, I do not have to go back very long ago to find an example. Frank Crean had served in very high office. He was Deputy Prime Minister of this country. He was Treasurer, and in my view the best Treasurer we had between 1972 and 1975. He did not consider it a lowering of his prestige to serve as a member of the Public Accounts Committee of this Parliament when he was asked to do so.

He saw his role as a member of parliament as being something that was particularly important and with which he could be associated.

I promised to contain my remarks, but there is one story I hope the honourable member will not mind me telling. It says something of the true humility of Frank Crean that greatly affected me. My wife and I were dining in a restaurant here in Canberra. One of the minister’s nephews was waiting on us and he said, I believe jocularly, that his family probably would not believe that he had been waiting on the enemy. I thought it was jocular; he served us well. But after Christmas we had a note from him apologising for what he had said. He had spoken with his grandfather, who had told him that it was an inappropriate remark to make. I think it says something about the Frank Crean that I greatly admire. It says something about the way in which he brought up his family. It is the reason that I wanted to stand here today and to send my best wishes to the minister’s mother, Mary. My condolences to you, Minister, and your brother, all of your children, nephews and nieces and the great-grandchildren of Frank Crean. They are rightly proud of what he has been able to achieve for this country. Those of us who had the privilege of knowing him were greatly enriched.

Question agreed to, honourable members standing in their places.