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

by leave—The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development has given more than two decades of service to the Australian parliament and to the community that he represents. He has served under three prime ministers. In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal for service as Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. They are all fine achievements, but perhaps the most recent achievement that has moved us all, and was mentioned earlier, was the leadership he gave in the search for MH370. The sober and dignified way that he undertook this responsibility has been, I know, a great comfort to the families of the people involved and to the public that watched the events with such concern and such interest. He has a record that he can be rightly proud of.

People outside this place might be a little surprised as they might imagine that the Labor Party and the National Party are always at loggerheads because, of course, there are policy differences between us. What would surprise them, I think, is how often, instead of being at loggerheads, we actually agree. There is still a fine strain of agrarian socialism running through the National Party, an impulse that says it is important to look after people in the bush, to look after their health care, their education and the services that they receive. Our Deputy Prime Minister has been as the forefront of making that case, of defending the people in the bush that he feels so much a part of.

There is another thing that people outside this place would be surprised about, too. It is the soft spot that many of us in the Labor Party—and I am guilty of this myself—have for our friends in the National Party. I am not sure if it is because so many of us have farming in our family backgrounds or if it is because we agree on so many of the services that we want to see for people living in rural and remote communities but it is expressed very often.

Most particularly I want to say a thank you to the Deputy Prime Minister for the generosity that he has shown to me such as in welcoming me, for example, to the farewell of Paul Neville, the former National whip. We had a great time that night. That is not the only time I have had a great time with my friends in the National Party, but the rest of that is secret.

There is something that comes with being from the bush and that is a strong spirit of self-reliance and also the determination to lend a helping hand when it is required. You have personally, Deputy Prime Minister, shown that again and again. There is something else, I think, that comes from coming from the bush and that is a determination to have a good time at every opportunity when you get together with your friends and colleagues. You have not only shown that but also welcomed many of us into that.

I am sure your wife and your family are listening today and I am sure they have mixed feelings too, having supported you and been so involved in your political mission over so many years. I am sure it is as much Lyn's success as your success, and you would see it that way, no doubt. We are not just farewelling you. In a way we are farewelling Lyn too. I am sure that she will be happy to have you at home a little bit more. Our personal wishes for you are that you enjoy these years of retirement. I am sure that it will not be retirement from politics more generally, but retirement from our parliament. We hope that you enjoy your time with your family and that we will see you around, no doubt.

I want to also make some comments, of course, on the retirement of Minister Robb. It was much more of a surprise to us as we have not had quite the amount of speculation as the Deputy Prime Minister's retirement. You are, many people would say and we would say, at the peak of your powers in the federal parliament. The 12 years has really gone by very quickly. I have been here longer than you and it seems to me that the time that you have been in the parliament has really flown by in a flash.

There is no doubt that your achievements as trade minister have been driven by and underpinned by an enormous amount of hard work. It is hard work that has taken you away from your family and away from your friends for many nights. I can understand the personal toll that that has taken on you and on your family. I thank you for the commitment that you have shown in pursuing Australia's interests.

We have had our arguments across the chamber about some of the areas in the agreements. Of course, today is not the day to talk about that. What there is no doubt of is the effort, the skill and the ambition that you have shown for our country, and we thank you for that. Trade agreements can take a very long time to come to fruition and you inherited a number of trade agreements when you took on the portfolio. I thank you also for the generosity that you have shown in acknowledging the work of your predecessors on these agreements. Not everyone does that in this place. You have been extremely generous in acknowledging that we are all part of a continuum. We pass the baton to one another. I thank you for the generosity that you have shown.

I want to say also to the minister that the candid and brave way that you have discussed your issues with depression have really been groundbreaking for the million or so Australians that suffer from depression each year. The bravery that you have shown and the example you have set—taking on complex, difficult work—while admitting that you have struggled with depression and continue to manage it, I know, is a constant battle for anyone who has experienced depression. There is the constant need to look forward and make sure that you are looking after yourself and looking after the condition that you have.

You have inspired countless people to know that, even if they are struggling with depression, they should not rule themselves out from a full, rich life, a contribution to their community, and relationships successfully maintained. So I want to really thank you for that as well. You say that you will continue to work in the area of raising awareness about depression. That is a marvellous contribution to continue to make to our community, and I thank you for that. I wish you, Maureen and your family all the very best. I suspect that Minister Robb will not be staying home quite as much. My guess would be that he is planning on some other steps in his career. If that is true, I wish you all the very best with the next steps you take in your career as well.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—There is a certain poignancy about today as we say farewell from this place to two very fine parliamentarians. We will be very sad to see them go, but it does give us an opportunity to reflect on the careers and the characters of Warren Truss and Andrew Robb. It has been my privilege to know Warren Truss, the Deputy Prime Minister, for a number of years now and an even greater privilege to consider him a friend. Warren has dedicated his life to the service of others—officially as early as 1973, when he became president of the Australian Council of Rural Youth. In 1976 he was elected to the Kingaroy Shire Council. He was mayor for seven years and then contested the seat of Wide Bay in 1990.

There are few people in Australian political history who have achieved the stellar parliamentary career heights of Deputy Prime Minister. Added to that, Warren's ministerial responsibilities and policy achievements are numerous. Personally, I particularly want to make mention of his role relating to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370—his management of that disappearance and the recovery efforts that were underway. It is one of the great airline mysteries of our time. He was magnificent and is highly regarded around the world for his efforts.

However, this only tells part of the story. Warren Truss is a person of great integrity, decency and honour. He is admired for his wise advice and his contributions to policy debates. Time and time again he would reveal to us the formidable depth of his intellect, his thoughtfulness and his life experience. He has been a rock in the coalition—reliable, a steadying influence for all of us.

It is not as well known—although colleagues here are certainly aware of it—that Warren has a razor-sharp wit, and his observations, which are invariably so droll, can often have us in fits of laughter. I have sat next to the Deputy Prime Minister in question time for a number of years now and he has had me in hysterics—but not noticeably, of course—on a number of occasions because of the dry observations he would make from time to time which would capture the essence of the absurdity of the situation. There is a great levity about Warren, and I do appreciate his wonderful sense of humour. I also note that Warren is a man of few words on Twitter. I have checked. He posts, on average, one tweet every seven days. That is consistent and reliable, but he is not overdoing it!

I recall travelling to Wide Bay on my first visit some years ago, and I was warmly hosted by Warren and his lovely wife, Lyn. It was clear to me how deeply regarded he is by so many of his local constituents. He has the great ability to make people feel welcome, appreciated and at ease. It is a humbling quality that accompanies his enthusiasm and genuine interest in his community and the members of his community.

I cannot speak more highly of the Deputy Prime Minister as a very fine Australian. His local government service before joining the federal parliament and his parliamentary positions exemplify his commitment to serving his electorate, his party and his country. Warren's leadership, especially over the last 2½ years as Deputy Prime Minister, has proven to be a critical part of this government's strength. I wish Warren and Lyn all the very best. You both have our enduring respect.

I am also sad but pleased to say a few words about a good friend and colleague in Andrew Robb. We worked together as ministers in the education and training portfolios in the Howard government. And now, as the two ministers responsible for foreign affairs and trade and investment, in our interconnected portfolios, we have shared the last 2½ years navigating the often turbulent waters of diplomacy and an embrace of what we call economic diplomacy at the heart of our foreign affairs and trade and investment policies. So, while Andrew would be rallying our region to break down protectionist barriers and selling Australia as the place to do business, I would be focusing on some of the geo-strategic issues—easing tensions in the region and supporting peace and stability—as precursors to the prosperity that Andrew was seeking to advance. We worked together as a team. As I would call for restraint in some of the tensions in the region, Andrew would call for our regional friends to recognise the interdependence of our respective economies and the opportunities that economic cooperation can offer us all.

Andrew has advanced the government's agenda in the most outstanding way, utilising our international assets to promote Australia's economic prosperity. And he has done it in the most sophisticated way in engaging with other countries. Andrew is one of the most effective trade ministers in the world today and one of the most effective in our political history. He has been a tireless advocate for Australian businesses abroad. He has enhanced our reputation as a place for investment here at home. He came to this role with a very serious trade agenda. We now thank him for concluding four of the most economically significant free trade agreements for the benefit of the Australian economy and the Australian people and for the foreseeable future.

I think the enormity of what he has achieved is reflected in the statistics. The three North Asia free trade agreements cover nearly 70 per cent of Asia's total GDP and represent a total customer base of 1½ billion people and are already the destination for more than half of Australia's exports to the world. The 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries represent around 40 per cent of the global economy and a quarter of world trade. Australia's export of goods and services to these countries was worth over $109 billion last year, a third of Australia's total exports. So this is a huge legacy that Andrew Robb has bequeathed.

He was fierce in his determination to achieve these three free trade agreements. I am sure he is aware that his US counterpart, US trade representative Mike Froman, would confide from time to time that he was one of the toughest negotiators he had ever come across. I was always so proud to receive those, what I saw as, compliments on Andrew's behalf.

After decades of service to the Liberal Party, Andrew is known for his wisdom, his poise and his dedication to the causes that he holds dear. He has had personal struggles, which he has overcome with such dignity. I pay respect to both Andrew and Maureen for the service that they have provided to this country. Indeed, on a personal note I want to say how proud I am of both Warren and Andrew for leaving parliament on their own terms at the height of their political careers. Warren and Lyn and Andrew and Maureen, we salute you.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—It is an honour and a thrill to rise to acknowledge two great Australians who have announced that they are leaving this parliament at the next election. There are few members of parliament who leave at their peak, in their prime and at a time of their own choosing. It is very much to the credit of the Deputy Prime Minister, the member for Wide Bay, and the Minister for Trade and Investment, the member for Goldstein, that they are doing just that.

Warren Truss was a remarkably effective minister in the Howard government. He has been a peerless Leader of the National Party for almost a decade and he was an absolutely outstanding Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Thanks to the member for Wide Bay, the Deputy Prime Minister and infrastructure minister, Sydney's second airport is finally under way. Thanks to him Sydney's WestConnex is finally happening. Thanks to him the Bruce Highway is undergoing the biggest upgrade in its history, the north-south road corridor in Adelaide is finally being upgraded to expressway standard and Perth's road system is also being transformed. But for the obstinacy of the Victorian government, thanks to the Deputy Prime Minister and infrastructure minister Melbourne would be getting the East West Link too.

These are remarkable achievements. This is a historic legacy. This is someone who has quite literally transformed the face of our country. His legacy is a decade of coalition harmony and the steady growth of the National Party under his leadership. I often used to talk about grown-up, adult government and the instant I used that phrase I would look to Warren Truss to ensure that it was in fact provided. The foreign minister talked about the Deputy Prime Minister's dry and droll wit. I can remember, after listening to one of his colleagues in leadership, Warren said, 'That sounds a bit like a Treasury wet dream,' and then he said, 'No, Treasury only has dry dreams.'

As has been remarked, Warren, the member for Wide Bay, has been an undemonstrative, understated member of the government. He has also been an absolutely decent and honourable member of this place and member of a government. We need more people like that—we really do—and Warren's life and times prove that we can get them.

Andrew Robb, as we have heard, has been a successful and effective servant of the Liberal Party. He was a great frontbencher in opposition and, as the Prime Minister has observed, he is the best trade minister Australia has ever had. No ifs, no buts—the record is there to demonstrate that he is the best trade minister Australia has ever had.

After the 2013 election I gave him 12 months to finalise free trade agreements that had been languishing for the best part of the decade with Korea, with Japan and with China. I said, 'Don't let the best be the enemy of the good.' Almost to the day he finalised those free trade agreements, and our country is immeasurably the better for that work. He has set us up for decades to come.

As has been mentioned, this is a sad occasion and a happy occasion. We are sad that our friends and colleagues will not be with us beyond the next election but we are happy that we had them for so long and we are happy that our country has been the beneficiary of the most productive years of their lives. We are sad, but of course Lyn and Maureen, rightly, are happy to be able to have their spouses with them much more in the years to come.

In this parliament we are very good at saying the right thing. We are not always nearly so good at doing the right thing, but both the member for Wide Bay and the member for Goldstein have done the right thing in every way. Our country is better for their public life. I join with my other senior colleagues in saying to both of them: 'Well done, good and faithful servants.'

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I am very pleased to be able to take the opportunity to pay tribute to Andrew Robb and Warren Truss on the day of their announcement that they will leave parliament at the next election. To Andrew Robb and to Maureen, I wish you all the best for your future and I, in particular, join with others in paying tribute to the courage that you showed with regard to the mental health issues which you confronted after such a long period of time. Importantly, the way that you dealt with them has made a practical difference to so many lives now and in the future. We need to have the courage to be able to talk about these issues, and your courage has helped others. I pay tribute to you.

I particularly want to say a little bit more about Warren Truss. Between us, in either capacity, we have shadowed each other for a very long time. One of the things that struck me about your contribution here that says so much about you as a person is the fact that you have had two chiefs of staff. That is remarkable. This is a place of revolving doors, where people come in for a short period of time, there is a lot of pressure on in these jobs and people leave. I do not know your first chief of staff, but I certainly know David Whitrow very well. He has been loyal; he clearly loves you as a mate as well as his employer. What that says to me is a lot about your character under pressure. As Deputy Prime Minister and infrastructure minister, the two positions that I held before the last election, I know the pressures that are on. You have had that loyalty from your staff, and I know from the department that your dealings with them as well are professional, courteous, gracious and in the interests of the nation.

We might disagree with each other. We have on many things. The fact that you have continued most of the Labor projects that we began has meant that it has been easier for you to agree with the agenda that we had in place. You were the minister who finally determined—we did a lot of the lead-up work, but it was your decision—the site of the second airport at Badgerys Creek. That is one decision you can be very proud of. This is a tough issue. You cannot have a region with a population of above two million which does not have access to aviation services. It is not about Kingsford Smith. It is about Western Sydney, it is about jobs and it is about our national economy. You can be proud of the work you have done there and on the roads package around the Western Sydney Airport. We do need to do something about the rail, but the roads package is a very good package and one that I am sure you had to push through the cabinet processes.

In general, I think you are a loss to the parliament because—even though I disagree with your perspective, I have always respected it in the discussions that we have had—you are old-school National Party. That is, you have that sense of the national interest and that there is a role for government in protecting that national interest. In your first speech back in 1990, which I read earlier today, you referred to that in terms of the trade issues and the importance of buying Australian goods and products, whether it be from the farm or Australian manufacturing. That is critical as well.

Whilst people see the disagreement at question time, what they often do not see is the agreement that is there. A lot of the issues in the portfolio that you have held more recently—along with other portfolios that you had earlier—and in our dealings, issues of transport security, are not ones best dealt with in public. Some of these things are best done between adults, looking after the national interest. I thank you for what you did while I was the Infrastructure and Transport Minister. We had some really difficult issues to deal with: the incident on the flight in the United States and the issues over Europe with regard to cargo transport. On all of those issues, I was completely confident that there would be no politics played.

I hope that I have certainly returned that responsibility and acted in the same manner that you did when it comes to these security issues, because at the end of the day that is a big responsibility that we have. Issues like road safety—so many issues—are just beyond partisan politics and should remain so. In those, whenever I have asked for a briefing, I have received one. I think I have made constructive contributions in your office as well, with no-one to see, about the way that some things should be handled. You did the same with me.

I wish you and Lyn all the very best. You will have a quieter life with much more time for each other. That will be a good thing for you and your family.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—Much has been said and will be written about Warren Truss and the member for Goldstein in days ahead, but I just wanted to cut through to some of the funny sides of Warren Truss. When I was first ejected from this parliament, Warren made his way across the chamber and said to me, 'Your predecessor never was thrown out of parliament.' It was true. But then one day, on 16 February 2012, Warren Truss was thrown out of parliament, perhaps a little bit unfairly, and I led a walkout of the National Party. Warren was horrified. But it showed the solidarity of the National Party and it showed the unity of the National Party, and that is something that Warren instilled in National Party members. There are 12 great leaders on the wall of the National Party room, and I am sure that Warren is right up there with the very best of those people. I am sure that the member for New England, his likely successor, will also make his mark as a great National Party leader.

Last year, at the New South Wales conference of the National Party, Warren and I were sitting at the top table. Warren was going through his notes for the speech that he was about to deliver about regional jobs, infrastructure, the importance of water and all those things that Warren is so across—nobody is better across his brief than Warren—and without even looking at me he said to me, 'Your wife, Catherine, obviously didn't make it to conference.' I said, 'No, in fact, she didn't,' and he said, 'I can tell, because if she had you certainly wouldn't be dressed like that.' I had a green and white striped shirt. I had a blue, navy and red polka dot tie. That is the sort of cut-through that Warren can have. When he has a go at you, there is absolutely no comeback. He has, as Julie Bishop noted, a very dry sense of humour.

We have seen that sense of humour in Warren, but we have also seen the attention to detail. He is absolutely meticulous with detail. No minister has been better across his brief than Warren. He has done a fine job of unifying the National Party. He has done a fine job of restoring our stocks, which were at an all-time low in 2007 when he reluctantly took over. He has built the party up. We have regained a number of seats. He has left the party in very good hands. I wish him and his beautiful wife, Lyn, all the very best for the future.

I also wish that for the member for Goldstein, another who is very across his portfolio. The trade deals that he has been able to broker for our nation will stand us in good stead, particularly regional Australia, and I certainly wish Andrew and Maureen all the very best for their futures. Our great nation is better for having both Warren and Andrew serve it.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I acknowledge both the statement from the Minister for Trade and Investment and his outstanding service to this parliament and elsewhere, but I will have a little more to say about him at a later date, when he is not so much the friendly combatant still sitting in the cabinet. I would like to begin my contribution by dealing with speculation that I was given the privilege of talking about the Deputy Prime Minister because on my side I understand best how members of the National Party think. I totally reject that! I totally deny that! Rather, I sought the opportunity to speak for a number of reasons—amongst them, four. The first is that I respect him. The second is that I like him. The third is that, as a rural member myself, we share a passion for rural and regional policy. The fourth is that I think I am in the minority now—I am one of those people that have been around here for a couple of decades, which means I have served for not all but for most of the time he has been here.

The party Warren Truss leads is just shy of 100 years old—I think that is correct—and any member of this place and, indeed, the broader community has to respect a party which has enjoyed such longevity. Therefore, by definition, we should respect anyone who has had the opportunity or, indeed, will have the opportunity to lead such a party. The next leader is yet to be tested, but we will see how that runs after about 8 pm tonight. In Warren Truss's case, it goes without saying that he has been respected across the political divide here not just because he has led a political party but because he has earned that respect across the dispatch box and across the parties more generally.

Warren Truss is a good man who has always tried his very best to put good public policy on equal ranking with, if not ahead of, good politics, and that is something that is increasingly important in this place. It is something that has caused him to build significant trust and respect across the chamber. I think it is a good time for the Deputy Prime Minister to move on. He has had a good innings. He leaves at a good age—still young enough to do fun things, I have no doubt—and I hope and trust he leaves with good health and, therefore, an opportunity to spend many good years with his wife, Lyn, and the rest of the family.

I believe very genuinely—and this is not designed to be a political point, and I hope people do not take it as such—that it is true that we live in a fast-changing world, indeed, a world of rapid change. As times change, politics will also change, both economically and socially. That is particularly true in rural and regional Australia, which in my view plays catch-up a little with our capital cities as they become more progressive. Expectations in rural and regional Australia are on the rise. They are expecting more from their politicians than transactional politics and the spin they too often hear, and that is a challenge not only for members of the National Party but for all of us who represent rural and regional seats. I am not saying for a moment that Warren Truss has not been capable of new and innovative thinking. He has. But this is certainly a challenging time when expectations are much higher and people are expecting a much higher standard of public debate. They want to see us working better together and thinking at a higher level, putting some of the transactional politics behind and developing good progressive policy and structural change—transformational politics rather than transactional politics.

Warren Truss did not lead the party of 'Black Jack' McEwen any more than the new leader will lead the party of Doug Anthony, Ian Sinclair, John Anderson or people of that era. The new leader will have to be a different leader. The new leader will have to be a more progressive leader. With respect to the Deputy Prime Minister, who led at a different time, the new leader will have to take a far more open and progressive approach to some of the big structural issues that confront rural and regional Australia. Again, the new leader will have to show some capacity to inspire people living in rural and regional Australia and show them that he or she understands that our society and our economy are changing and new responses are necessary.

So, in addition to wishing the Deputy Prime Minister well, I also wish well the person who will succeed him. He or she will have big challenges ahead of them—challenges which will be best met with new, higher level thinking and thinking that tackles the real structural changes we face in rural and regional Australia.