Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to acknowledge the passing of Singapore's first Prime Minister and founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. Lee Kuan Yew was one of the great nation builders of the 21st century. He took Singapore from a port city with significant ethnic tensions, poor standards of living and little industry and turned it into an astonishingly affluent society. Singapore's people are now some of the most prosperous in the world, due in no small part to his leadership. In 2010, Henry Kissinger said of Lee Kuan Yew:

The mark of a great leader is to take his society from where it is to where it has never been.

Kissinger went on to say that 'there is no better strategic thinker in the world today' than Lee Kuan Yew. By all measures, we should say that that was true for the better part of his life.

Lee Kuan Yew oversaw his country's independence from British rule and merger with the Malaysian Federation, only to see the relationship between these countries fracture. Lee Kuan Yew envisioned a meritocratic society, and, fearing that ethnic tensions between the Chinese, Malay and Indian groups within his society would cause division and violence, he chose to make English Singapore's main language—to ensure equality between the ethnicities but also so that Singapore would be able to tap into business and structure the Singaporean economy to provide international services.

Under his leadership, Singapore moved from a Third World country devoid of natural resources to one of the world's wealthiest nations. The scale of its rise is unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Within the first 20 years of his prime ministership, Singapore's gross national income increased by 1,500 per cent. Lee also realised that Singapore could only have, at best, moderate success without opening up to the world through trade and investment. Singapore is now the world's 14th largest exporter and 15th largest importer. Singapore's gross GDP per capita has increased from under $500 in 1959 to $46,000 in 2014. Singapore is one of the safest and least corrupt places to do business, and it is the major banking and trade centre of the region.

All of Singapore's achievements are intrinsically linked to Lee Kuan Yew and his leadership. However, Lee's influence has been felt well beyond his country's boundaries. As Australians, we appreciate Lee Kuan Yew's achievements because Singapore's strategic interests are so similar to our own. As a smaller nation, with an interest in a stable, rules based international order with liberal cross-border trade and investment arrangements, we see his achievements and greatly admire them.

In this regard, Lee's role as a principal architect of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a particularly astonishing achievement. ASEAN was formed in 1967, at the height of Cold War tensions in the region and in the shadows of two earlier failed attempt to establish a similar regional body. ASEAN fostered economic cooperation and integration between its members, lowering trade and investment barriers in the region. It also gave South-East Asia a collective voice that ensured that the strategic interests of the region were more clearly heard by the world's great powers. While Australia is not a member of ASEAN, we have benefited greatly from these achievements. Similarly, Lee Kuan Yew played a crucial role in helping the Five Power Defence Arrangements between Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and the UK endure and evolve through a dramatically changing strategic environment and play a major role in contributing to the stability of South-East Asia that we enjoy today.

Lee Kuan Yew was a pragmatist and took little interest in political ideology. Explaining his guiding ideals, Lee said:

I always tried to be correct, not politically correct.

Australians have benefited directly from this direct approach. Thanks to Lee Kuan Yew, the Australian-Singapore relationship is not only strong; it is substantial. Generations of Australian policymakers have benefited from the wake-up call he gave our nation when he joltingly warned us that our nation was in danger of being 'the poor white trash of Asia'. The major economic reforms delivered by the Hawke-Keating government in the wake of this warning have delivered decades of prosperity for our nation. Lee Kuan Yew's passing has left a gigantic hole in Singaporean society, and we stand with them in celebrating his life today. He has been a uniquely influential figure—a titan in Singapore, in our region and in our world.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When we reflect on the passing of Lee Kuan Yew, the modern father of Singapore, we cannot help but reflect on Singapore itself. There can be no doubt that modern Singapore is Lee Kuan Yew's legacy, and in that legacy there is much to admire. Singapore currently has a population of just 4.2 million people and limited natural resources and is situated on just 710 square kilometres—roughly one-third the size of the Australian Capital Territory, or less than 10 per cent of greater Melbourne. Singapore is located at the tip of the Malay Peninsula and on the natural sea routes that serve trade between South-East Asia, China, India and Australia. Indeed, since its earliest history, trade has been Singapore's raison d'etre.

Under Lee Kuan Yew's direction, as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990, Singapore was transformed from a Third World economy to a wealthy and economically competitive nation. With the establishment of a free trade staging post in 1819 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles from the East India Company, entrepot trade flourished. Immigrants flocked to Singapore, with the population growing from just 150 people in 1819 to over 80,000 people in 1860.

The relative peace of British rule of Singapore was shattered during World War II when Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, just 70 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The strategic and psychological impact on the loss of Singapore for the Allies, and not least for Australia, was profound. However, the invasion was, of course, most keenly felt by the Singaporeans. The Japanese occupation of 3½ years was a period of great suffering for the people of Singapore. Ethnic diversity had largely prospered peacefully under the British. However, under Japanese occupation Japanese culture and language were strictly imposed and food shortages were common.

Born in 1923, this period of Singapore's history would no doubt have had a formative effect upon Lee Kuan Yew's character and his aspirations for the tiny island nation. Following the surrender of the Japanese, Singapore became a crown colony. However, by 1959, the growth of nationalism led to self-government and Lee Kuan Yew became its first Prime Minister.

1960s Singapore faced many challenges including political and economic uncertainty, with a gross national product per capita of less than $US320. A true political pragmatist, Lee Kuan Yew said:

We knew that if we were just like our neighbours, we would die. Because we've got nothing to offer against what they have to offer. So we had to produce something which is different and better than what they have. It's incorrupt. It's efficient. It's meritocratic. It works.

We are pragmatists ... Does it work? Let's try it and if it does work, fine, let's continue it. If it doesn't work, toss it out, try another one. We are not enamoured with any ideology.

Lee Kuan Yew drove Singapore's political stability and economic prosperity. Lee and his People's Action Party established various economic agencies to spearhead economic development. From 1960 to 1974, the manufacturing sector grew from 11 per cent of GDP to 24 per cent. Unemployment fell from around 10 per cent in 1965 to 3.5 per cent in 1978. Today, Singapore is an economic powerhouse with a strong service and high-tech manufacturing sector and is one of the most developed trade and finance economies in Asia. In fact, Singaporeans have the third highest per capita GDP in the world, 50 per cent higher than Switzerland and almost double that of Australia.

From our nation's perspective, Singapore is Australia's largest trade and investment partner in ASEAN and our fifth largest trading partner overall. Singapore is currently the third highest investor in Australian residential and commercial real estate, with investments of over $4 billion over the last financial year. In 2003 the Howard government delivered the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement, further cementing the economic ties between our two countries. While our political cultures share marked differences, it must be noted that the Singapore of Lee Kuan Yew had no tolerance for economic corruption and set itself on a path of modernity in order to benefit its citizenry. Lee Kuan Yew held high aspirations for Singapore and his leadership covered all aspects of government and business activity.

It is all the more poignant that Lee Kuan Yew's passing coincides with the 50th anniversary of Singapore as an independent nation later this year. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Australia-Singapore bilateral relationship. Singapore remains a significant strategic and economic partner for Australia. As one of our most important trading partners, we share longstanding links in politics, defence and education, and strong people-to-people ties.

Widely reported to be the world's longest serving Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew made close relationships with many of our Prime Ministers and worked to strengthen our bilateral relationships. Indeed, upon his 90th birthday the Australian high commissioner in Singapore presented Lee with an album of signed historical photographs with him greeting every Australian Prime Minister from Gough Whitlam to Kevin Rudd. It did not stop him from providing full and frank feedback to Australian Prime Ministers, with his comments in the 1980s that Australia was at risk of becoming 'the poor white trash of Asia'. Those comments hit us hard.

Lee Kuan Yew is survived by three children, including Lee Hsien Loong, the current Prime Minister of Singapore, whom I had the great honour of meeting many years ago when Singapore hosted the IMF World Bank Meetings in 2006. Sadly, I did not get a chance to meet the father of Singapore—Minister Mentor, as he was then known—but instead saw firsthand the dynamic nation he helped create and shape.

He is also survived by his seven grandchildren, to whom we send our sincere condolences.

At his passing, we marvel at his legacy, the transformation of modern Singapore, and wish its citizenry continued peace and prosperity for the many decades to come.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Lee Kuan Yew was often and rightly described as 'the father of modern Singapore'. He led his nation to independence through its evolution into an economic powerhouse with a vision of a strong community of independent Asian nations. He served as Prime Minister from 1959, when Singapore gained full internal self-government from Britain, until he stepped down in 1990.

'To understand Singapore, and why it is what it is, you've got to start off with the fact that it's not supposed to exist and cannot exist,' he said in a 2007 interview. He continued:

To begin with, we don't have the ingredients of a nation, the elementary factors: a homogeneous population, common language, common culture and common destiny. So, history is a long time. I've done my bit.

In facing the challenge of Singapore's ethnically diverse citizens, Mr Lee wisely did not aim for homogeneity. Singapore's constitution recognises four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.

Mr Lee understood that Singapore, without significant land or natural resources, needed to pursue an economic model different to its neighbours. He placed a priority on education and on investment in Singapore's people. His achievements in helping to build great education and healthcare systems are recognised around the world. Ninety-four per cent of Singaporeans go on to postsecondary education. Singapore raised living standards and extended social mobility at a remarkable rate. Singapore is also one of the least corrupt countries in the world, consistently ranking near the top of the international tables.

Under Mr Lee's leadership, Singapore was transformed from a small British colonial outpost to an affluent global city. Singapore is now Australia's fifth largest trading partner and a leader in our region. Mr Lee's emphasis on multilateral institutions, such as ASEAN, played a key role in the development of the diplomatic and economic dynamics that continue to shape our region today.

Despite the considerable authority he exercised, he also made sure through Singapore's strong institutions of governance that he was not indispensable to Singapore's progress. He was committed to his country until his death, advising his successors long after he retired from official roles.

As well as being one of the 20th century's most dominant statesmen, Lee Kuan Yew was a devoted husband to his wife of 63 years, Kwa Geok Choo. I have always liked the story he tells in his memoirs that he first really took notice of her when she soundly beat him into second place in economics and English exams when they were both students. And I was very moved to read that, in the last years of her life, Mr Lee applied his characteristic systemic approach to creating and maintaining a spreadsheet of all the books he read to her so that he would neither miss her favourites nor bore her with repetition.

He finished his memoirs by reminding readers of the basic principles underpinning Singapore's success:

… social cohesion through sharing the benefits of progress, equal opportunities for all, and meritocracy, with the best man or woman for the job, especially as leaders in government.

Our thoughts are with Mr Lee's family and friends and the people of Singapore.

Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to join fellow members in paying tribute to Lee Kuan Yew and to speak on the condolence motion moved by the Prime Minister yesterday. As the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition pointed out, Lee Kuan Yew was one out of a box. For a nation the size of Singapore, as previous speakers have said, a very small nation in a very unstable area, at the time of independence there was no reason to expect it would survive as a nation, let alone thrive in the way it has.

The economic figures tell the success story, as the Prime Minister said yesterday. In 1965, Singapore's gross domestic product per head was about a third of Australia's, and today it is almost double Australia's. It has been a stunning success as a society and as an economic powerhouse in the region. As speakers have pointed out, through his leadership, Lee Kuan Yew set Singapore on an individual path. He did so by maintaining a British based common-law legal system and ran an utterly clean and corruption-free administration. He was also very flexible in his approach to Singapore's future economic development. We look at Singapore today as the world's fifth busiest port, the world's fourth largest financial centre and one of the best places to do business and to start a company.

Australia's ties with Singapore have always been strong, and they have grown stronger over the years. This is epitomised by the member for Moore, born in Singapore and now sitting in this parliament. Lee Kuan Yew was a towering figure and, as all significant leaders are, he was, as an editorial pointed out today, a product of his time. And his time was the experience of British colonialism, Japanese occupation, postwar Cambridge and the London School of Economics. As I said, he was flexible. He had, as we are reminded in an editorial today, the flexibility of mind to abandon his early socialism when free-market capitalism seemed to offer a better future for Singapore.

His biography is a very telling book. It tells the story of Singapore's success. It tells of the great historical decisions that were made in those early days. It is not a universally held view—and I know my friend and colleague the member for Kooyong, who follows foreign affairs very closely, will understand why I make this point with respect to the Vietnam War, a very controversial war—but Lee Kuan Yew made the point in his autobiography that the US and Australian involvement in that war, while controversial and difficult, bought Singapore time and breathing space. He also made it to countless world leaders in the decades ahead. When you think of the fragility of Singapore at its formation, that decade or so of breathing space where so much of the development occurred was a point that Lee Kuan Yew felt free to make at every opportunity because, as we have heard, in so many ways he was prepared to call things as he saw them and to do so in a very straightforward and blunt fashion.

Singaporeans are mourning the loss of their most significant leader, but they can look back over 50 years on the success that they have become. They can look ahead 50 years to all that they can achieve because of the foundation that Lee Kuan Yew laid.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With the passing of Lee Kuan Yew aged 91, the world has lost one of its most enduring leaders and Australia has lost a good friend. Lee Kuan Yew was Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990. He was the father of modern Singapore. He took an island state of 710 square kilometres, with a population of 5.4 million people, with no natural resources, no natural allies and a diverse ethnic population, and turned it into one of the most prosperous and dynamic countries in the world—and, in his words, 'Singapore went from third world to first'. To illustrate this point, as the Prime Minister told the House, in 1965 the GDP per head in Singapore was one-third of that in Australia. Today, the GDP per head in Singapore is twice that of Australia.

Today Singapore, under Lee Kuan Yew's son, Lee Hsien Loong, is one of Australia's closest partners. The two-way trade is $30 billion, and Singapore is the fourth-largest source of investment in our country. Three hundred thousand Singaporeans visit Australian shores each year, and an equivalent number of Australians visit Singapore each year as well. One hundred thousand Singaporeans have studied in our universities; and, together with Malaysia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Singapore partners with Australia in the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

It is also true that Australia, over the years, has had its disagreements with Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew, preferring that its government exercised less control—or, as The Australian recently described it, Lee Kuan Yew's 'stern but benevolent leadership'. We also did not quite appreciate at the time the description of Australia as potentially becoming 'the poor white trash of Asia'. But, in the end, Lee Kuan Yew's record of leadership clearly spoke for itself. With his guiding hand, Singapore has bloomed and provided an important road map for a number of other tiger economies in our region.

It is important today that we thank Lee Kuan Yew for his strong leadership. We honour his memory and we celebrate the important strategic partnership and friendship Australia enjoys with modern Singapore.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to join with my colleagues in paying tribute to Singapore's founding Prime Minister and father of independence Lee Kuan Yew.

He was a man who arguably built South-East Asia's most modern city and pioneered what were often considered far-reaching economic policies, and he is now renowned for cementing this physically small country's economy as the powerhouse it is today.

Although I never had the opportunity to meet Lee Kuan Yew, he was a man who I personally admired for his ability to make tough decisions on behalf of his people. He was a man of action who, as the Singaporeans say, ruled with an iron fist. He may have ruled with an iron fist, but the prosperity his people enjoyed throughout his reign as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990, and under his guidance as a senior minister until 2011, is largely unrivalled.

I know with being in Western Australia which is very close to Singapore many Singaporeans call Perth their second home. We often spend time in Singapore. I spent my honeymoon in Singapore and the company I worked for for many years had a manufacturing plant in Singapore and the island was considered to be one of the most crime-free places in South-East Asia. This was all done by Lee Kuan Yew's reign.

One of the things during his reign that have always stayed with me, with his ability to make decisions to assist the economy, was when he made the decision to reduce employer contributions to the country's compulsory savings scheme—which is similar to Australia's superannuation scheme—to counter economic downturns in the mid-1980s and in 1999, during the Asian financial crisis. During the 1980s the employer contribution was 25 per cent, but he saw that under that economy this was creating real distress for business, so he reduced it to 15 per cent. As a result of that decision, Singapore's international competitiveness soared and its people continued to prosper from a sustainable economy, with the country now having one of the world's highest per-capita incomes and its people enjoying first class infrastructure.

It is policy decisions such as this which will now shape the history books of Singapore and which largely speak for themselves in terms of economic strategy and policy but, interestingly, would be largely rebuked here in Australia. Despite this, Singapore is Australia's largest trade and investment partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and our fifth largest trading partner overall. Each of the two nations has benefited greatly from our strong economic partnership, which was largely founded in the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement and is a relationship our country will continue to build on now and in the future.

In 2011, I was part of the ASEAN delegation that went to Vietnam, Bangkok and Singapore. During that time, we met with many of the Singaporean officials and with the Singaporean finance corporation, which is like their development bank. It was an interesting conversation that we had. Some members of the Labor Party who were with us asked them about their financing of alternative energies or renewable energies, and their response was, 'We won't fund anything that's not sustainable,' so there was a clear message from the Singaporeans in regard to renewable energies.

Lee Kuan Yew remained an influential figure internally with the People's Action Party, which has ruled Singapore since its founding, and across the political spectrum until his death on Monday at age 91 from severe pneumonia. At this time, his son the current Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, declared a seven-day period of national mourning until 29 March, when Lee Kuan Yew's funeral will be held. My thoughts are with his family and the people of Singapore as they mourn this great loss, for he truly was Singapore's pioneer and will always be admired and respected. I am sure members would agree, no matter where they stand on Lee Kuan Yew's social or political policies, that he was a man who led his country to prosperity and created the great nation Singapore is today. I believe all members will also agree that we too have to finish our time in this place and be able to share the same sentiment that he stated in his last book, One Man's View of the World, which was published in 2013:

As for me, I have done what I had wanted to do, to the best of my ability.

I am satisfied.

With this in mind, I pay tribute to Singapore's pioneer, Lee Kuan Yew, and express my deepest condolences to his family. He will be mourned and he will be missed, but he will also be remembered in the hearts and minds of Singaporeans and people across the world for his service to his country and its people, a legacy that many hope for but few can claim. Rest in peace.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to associate myself with the remarks made by the Prime Minister in moving this condolence motion in parliament yesterday and those of my colleagues who have contributed to this debate. I wish to pay tribute to a great statesman in the late Lee Kuan Yew. Yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister and I drove to the Singaporean high commission in Yarralumla to personally express our condolences and to sign the official condolence book.

I was born in Singapore in 1975 and lived there for the first nine years of my life before emigrating to Australia with my parents in 1984. Lee Kuan Yew was the Prime Minister for the duration of my formative years in Singapore. He was a great visionary leader who shaped the development of modern Singapore. Growing up in the Singapore of the late 1970s and early 1980s, I witnessed firsthand some of the transformative reforms and economic development measures implemented by the government led by Lee Kuan Yew.

Back then, Singapore was still in the latter stages of recovery from the effects of the Second World War and 3½ years of Japanese occupation that left the country and the economy in ruins. I recall living in parts of Singapore with unsealed roads, a lack of basic infrastructure such as sewerage and drainage, and ramshackle housing.

Over the years these conditions were systematically improved, resulting in the high standard of living that Singaporeans now enjoy.

My early understanding of political events in Singapore was influenced by my grandparents. My maternal grandfather, Titus Bertrand Smith, often recounted historical events, such as when Singapore joined the Malaysian federation in 1963, only to break away two years later on 9 August 1965, highlighting Lee Kuan Yew's role in the process of creating independent statehood for Singapore.

I also recall my paternal grandmother, Sybil Irene Goodenough, bitterly protesting at the compulsory acquisition of her beloved home by Lee Kuan Yew's government to make way for public housing development. I still remember the address: No. 9B Lorong Jerneh. That was my earliest recollection of government intervention and part of my early political education. It could be said that my grandmother's sacrifice made way for the betterment of the nation.

So today, on behalf of the Australian community, I pay tribute to a remarkable leader who devoted six decades to public life, serving for 31 years as Prime Minister. He was a visionary who transformed an island nation with limited natural resources into a vibrant centre of commerce and trade through the turbulent postwar era. He oversaw the development of an acclaimed education system and advances in health care. He built an efficient public transport system via the MRT, mass rapid transit network, and implemented a universal superannuation scheme, the Central Provident Fund, to provide for citizens in their retirement. Today, Singapore is a modern metropolis, a strong economy, and a financial capital with more than 130 international banks represented.

By combining Western systems with Eastern philosophies—the British Westminster system of governance with Confucian values—a strong prosperous nation was built. Self-discipline, a strong work ethic, and strict adherence to law and order are hallmarks of contemporary Singaporean society. Singapore is a truly international nation, an active participant in the global arena with an engaging foreign policy, and strong strategic defence alliances with neighbouring nations such as Australia.

In his time, Lee Kuan Yew overcame significant challenges and managed to unite the diverse ethnic groups in Singapore—the Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians—to form a harmonious and cohesive society, which is best reflected in the National pledge: 'We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation'.

My sincere condolences go to the Lee family and the Singaporean people. May Lee Kuan Yew's lasting legacy result in stronger relations between Singapore and Australia into the future.

Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This has been an interesting week of condolences for me. It is interesting in that when we pass away we are survived by the legacies that we leave behind. Singapore's founder and master builder Lee Kuan Yew ran the island state of Singapore with a fierce pragmatism that made it matchless. In the wake of Lee's passing on Monday I want to remind the chamber that indeed the beat of Lee's drum will be heard for generations. Asia will forever feel the ripple effects of this significant leader in history, and one only has to visit Singapore to see not only the structure of its society but the way in which people interact with each other with dignity and respect.

Today I want to speak about this leader who broke the mould, a revolutionary who once defied fierce communism and believed in a strong work ethic. The world, and especially Australia, will remember Lee not only because his legacy will not just be left behind within the history pages but because he has strengthened the friendship between us and Asia. Many of our former Prime Ministers can thank Lee for his assistance, including the late Malcolm Fraser, who also has sadly passed away. Lee was a man of strong convictions, and his pragmatism was driven by expert consultations with world leaders, rightfully earning him the accolade of being a 'one-man intelligence agency'. Indeed, he truly distinguished his doctrine.

We will not forget him, because he was a spot-on leader. Lee was one of Asia's great architects, a remarkable statesman and a much-revered thinker on politics, society and state-building. With China accelerating its military modernisation, Russia continuing its slow-drip incursion into Ukraine, and an expanding section of the Middle East devolving into chaos, it has become fashionable again to argue that the West is in decline. One of the most vigorous dissenters from this pessimism was Lee. He believed our future to be a bright one.

I extend my sympathies to Lee Kuan Yew's family and to the nation of Singapore. Today we have farewelled a world-recognised leader, a figurehead for modern democracy in Asia, and a friend of Australia. May we remember the pursuit of a strong work ethic in our nation, and may it live on within all of us as it did in him.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion be agreed to. I call the member for North Sydney.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I apologise for being late.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And I apologise for not calling you the Treasurer.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Australians pass through Changi international airport, they most probably do not realise that what is around them is largely the creation of a single man. How a tiny place, a fraction of the geographic size of Tasmania and devoid of natural resources, including limited water, could become one of the world's most powerful and dynamic economies yet one of the world's most stable nations is, in itself something of a miracle. The man—the miracle worker—who made all this happen was unquestionably Lee Kuan Yew.

For the originator of the term and practice of 'Asian values', Lee Kuan Yew was a remarkably Western man—so much so that former British foreign secretary George Brown cheekily referred to him as 'the best bloody Englishman east of the Suez'. Studying at the London School of Economics, he became imbued with the spirit of anticolonialism and an increasing scepticism of the principle of the empire. After returning to Singapore in 1950, he became its first Prime Minister in 1959, a position he held unchallenged for the next 31 years. After that, he assumed the role of Minister Mentor right up until his final illness. With his son as his successor, he maintained a commanding influence over the destiny of his nation. From 1963 until 1965, he led his country as part of the Federation of Malaysia. Although a man with a reputation of being as tough as nails, he broke down and cried when announcing the dissolution of the federation. His toughness was legendary, and he had no qualms about describing himself as a knuckleduster street-brawling statesman.

The Singapore model has, in fact, become the template for much of the development of modern Asia as we know it. It is little wonder that Deng Xiaoping, in his transformation of China, found Singapore a model to follow. Lee was, of course, one of the founders of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, one of the pillars of stability underpinning the diplomatic architecture of this region and an important partner for Australia as a bridge to over half the world's population. Lee Kuan Yew created and articulated a vision for what Singapore could be like and then set about finding the best minds, adopting the best technologies and insisting on the right policies to get there.

I have always been a great admirer of Lee Kuan Yew—an admirer of his intellect, his values and his generosity. In 2012, I travelled to Singapore as the 37th Lee Kuan Yew exchange fellow to speak and meet with senior members of the Singaporean government. It was after that trip that I came to understand fully the impact of Lee Kuan Yew on modern Singapore. It is an honour given to very few around the world to be recognised universally as the creator of a modern state which is enormously prosperous, at the cutting edge of technology, the home of great international companies and, in large part, free and democratic. Lee Kuan Yew is one of the few that can rightly lay claim to that incredible recognition. I thank the House.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand it is the wish of honourable members to signify at this stage their respect and sympathy by rising in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

I thank the Federation Chamber.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 11:43