Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to offer my sincere condolences to the family of Senator Jim Molan AO DSC, retired major general, along with many other people in this House today and many who have expressed their sincere condolences since his passing in January. While Jim's politics and mine didn't align all the time, we had a shared love of southern New South Wales and we had a deep desire to represent the views of those communities within southern New South Wales, and that was something that we always had in common.

He lived a life of service during a 40-year military career that included deployments to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, Germany, the United States and Iraq. Senator Molan received many awards and much recognition for his distinguished service to the Australian Army. Senator Molan was always forthright when talking about the capacity of our Australian defence forces, and I acknowledge his many books and articles in the years following his retirement from the armed services. But when he resigned from the Defence Force he continued to serve Australians by becoming not only a New South Wales senator but a volunteer firefighter.

Jim and I first met following the 2018 Tathra fires in my part of the world when I was the Mayor of the Bega Valley Shire Council. He was always open to receiving a phone call, a text message, always up for a chat. On many occasions, I utilised his open-door policy to make sure that he knew about some of the big issues impacting our community following on from that first big natural disaster after he became a New South Wales senator. On every occasion, Jim would speak to our community, relay their messages, their concerns, their queries, back to the government of the day, and always made sure that he followed up.

There were a couple of announcements that Jim came down to make post the 2018 Tathra bushfires in my part of the world. One was a mental health announcement. I remember Jim and I standing in the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre having a discussion about how the press conference would unravel. It was an interesting experience standing with Jim. I got to stand next to him on a number of occasions when I was the local mayor and he was our duty senator. One such occasion was when Deputy Prime Minister at the time, Michael McCormack, came down to do an airport announcement in Merimbula, and Jim came along. What we thought would be quite a simple announcement, well received by people, ended up turning into a major protest, where we had protesters coming at us from all angles, trying to rush the cameras. Given that the member for Riverina was the acting Prime Minister at the time, it got quite interesting because there were a number of AFP officers around on detail. Jim took that all in his stride because I think he had seen all of that many, many times before. But as the local mayor, I was quite taken aback. Afterwards Jim said, 'Oh, it's just another day.'

Jim was always up for a laugh. Even when I became the Labor candidate in the Eden-Monaro July 2020 by-election—and in our part of the world it's pretty cold around then—Jim and his beautiful wife, Anne, went to one of the local takeaway shops and got about 40 potato cakes—yes, they are potato cakes not potato scallops—and made sure everyone on prepoll got a bit of warmth. They are the type of people who want to give a bit of warmth to people.

Most importantly, we know that Jim was a loving husband, a proud father and an even prouder grandfather. The love that he had for his family was something that always shone through. I want to express my sincere condolences again to Anne, to their four children—Sarah, Erin, Felicity, Michael—and their five grandchildren. I know he'll be sorely missed, has a big place in your heart and will forever be in your memories. On behalf of my constituents in Eden-Monaro and southern New South Wales, thank you for your service to us too, Jim.

Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge and thank the previous speaker, the member for Eden-Monaro, for her heartfelt contribution to this condolence motion. Thank you, and I sincerely mean that. On behalf of the state of Tasmania and the electorate of Braddon, I rise today on this very significant condolence motion. It's moved us all deeply. As we reflect on previous speakers and previous sessions in this condolence motion on the passing of a great Australian, the list of accolades, the list of service contributions that that person, Jim Molan—Major General Molan—has made to this country is incredible. In fact, I have a speech that contains some such accolades but I'm going to put that aside today. I want to speak directly about what Jim meant to me and to the rest of the soldiers who served under him, what he did for the Australian Army, and the type of man that he was as a military man and as a colleague in this place.

Jim was commissioned in the Australian Army about the same time—in fact, the year after—I was born. By the time I enlisted as a young 18-year-old and went to Enoggera Barracks, he was the commanding officer of the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. Another good mate of mine, a bloke called Graham Dwyer, was the regimental sergeant major. Together, as a command team, Jim Molan and 'Dolly' Dwyer wrote the doctrine on what it means to be a leader, what it means to lead an operational unit into battle, and how to prepare that operational force and maintain morale. And there was none better. There was none more grounded there was none more sincere and there was none more mission focused than Jim Molan. I remember as a young digger being a dixie basher—that is, the colloquial term we had for doing the washing up out the back. Jim was the type of bloke where, at a formal dinner, he would be out the back of the mess asking how we got on with the formal dinner. He didn't have to do that; most of those officers probably wouldn't. But he took the time and considered there were young diggers out back working for those people who were sitting down at the silver service, and that is the type of bloke Jim Molan was. I have never forgotten that and I will never will.

It was in those days that that tone was set in my development. Those little things that I talk about have a big impact on soldiers, and Jim knew that. Jim understood that intimately. Jim was probably the most selfless commander that I have ever met. In the military, we are required, by service convention, by military law, to take a pace back and salute our officers, and most of the time we do that. We do that because we have to. But in Jim's case, it wouldn't matter what he had on his shoulders; he was a leader in every true sense of the word. You would follow him to the end of the earth and you would give your life in an instant, not because of the rank that he wore, not because of the position that he bore, but because of the man he was and the respect he gave you as a unit. Now that to me embodies the life of Jim Molan.

Jim continued to serve for more than 40 years. As I developed into a warrant officer and I had my own command, I met up again with Jim in East Timor, where he was in a pivotal role in the negotiations between the Indonesian army and the East Timorese government. Again, I got to serve with one of the role models I had met so many years before. I used to go to him for advice. When it all got too much, Jim was the sort of bloke you could go to and he would invariably make you a cup of tea. You would lay it all out and you would be flustered and emotional, and Jim, in his calm way, in his polite and mannered way, in his sensible way, could see the forest completely from the view that he had. Maybe it was that passion he had for flying helicopters—who knows?—but he had an aerial view of your problem. Instead of delivering the answer down your throat, he would fish around in your soul so that you could produce your own answer. That is the sign of a true leader, somebody who was selfless enough to let you find your own way forward. Again, I appreciate that side of Jim Molan, as do many colleagues from the Army.

I went to the funeral at the Royal Military College Duntroon at the soldiers chapel. To me, that was a sad day. It was a military funeral in every true sense of the word. From my perspective as a long-time soldier, it had a particular significance. I met up with a number of old colleagues and we talked about similar stories that I have talked about this morning. I was okay. The family walked in, I looked them in the eye and saw their grief and that was difficult. I listened to the anecdotes and the eulogies and the magnificent stories that were told of Jim Molan. At the end, the formal part of the ceremony took place. Those six bearers, those six sergeant majors who were selected specifically to carry Jim Molan from the church, stood up—the looks on their faces. They looked at each other. They stood, three each side of the coffin draped in the Australian National Flag and they folded it. It was that point that rested on my shoulders, that cut my heart. I looked at that flag and—I want the whole family at home to know this story, this fact, about how I felt—when they folded that flag those bearers folded the first fold underneath and the flag was kept uppermost, meaning that the greater union of the Australian National Flag was maintained at all times. The integrity of the flag, the integrity that represented the country, that represented the power and defence of this country, remained uppermost at all times. It was folded neatly, and then it was passed through each of those sergeant majors, each of those senior soldiers, to the senior bearer, the RSM ceremonial to the Chief of the Army, and it was then presented to Anne Molan—the look on her face as she took that—that's something that she will always have.

I want that whole family, that Molan family, to know that for me that flag that you received that day is all the more stronger because of Jim Molan. And the stars that are on that flag shine brighter because of Jim Molan. And that flag is what drove him every day of his life. It was the preservation and the strength of the flag. So, to Anne, to Sarah, to Erin, to Felicity and Michael and those beautiful grandkids, I hope one day you tell those kids this story, and I hope you get that flag out. I want to tell them, from me, that that flag means more to me now because of Jim Molan than ever before and you should be very proud because he is one of the most unique leaders that this country has ever seen or ever will, maybe. Leaders like Jim don't come along every day; they are gifted to us.

I often think of the times leading up to Jim's passing. People didn't realise how sick he was. That was done on purpose. That was him shielding people, protecting people, defending people from his pain. It's just a measure of the bloke, I think. So, from me, I'm going to miss him. Those diggers that served underneath him will miss him and will remember him. He stays in us. I took more from Jim Molan than he ever took from me, and I consider it a gift that I have had the pleasure of that service with him, that friendship with him, and he will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Family, I've never known a greater leader. I'm sure you have never known a greater father, husband and grandfather. But know that it was all done for the right reasons, know that he was the most selfless person on the earth and know that he loved you very much. So, at the going down of the sun and in the morning, I want remember Jim Molan. I love you, mate, and I'm going to miss you.

Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to pay tribute to Senator Major-General Jim Molan, AO, DSC, following his passing last month. I would also like to thank the member for Braddon for his very touching tribute that he just made of the senator.

Jim was a fierce advocate for the defence and veteran community of our nation. We are grateful for his commitment to our country and his loyal service over many, many decades. Senator Molan will be remembered for his 40 years of service to this country in the Australian Army. Retiring in 2008 as a major general, his distinguished service saw him deployed in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, Germany, the United States and Iraq. As we all know, following his retirement from our Australian Defence Force, his service to our nation did not cease.

Prior to joining our parliament, he also worked as a volunteer bush firefighter. As somebody who comes from a community that is very vulnerable to bushfire, as we see around the nation, I don't want to skip over this very important continuation of service to our country, because Jim's was a life of service. He took those skills that he had learned in our Defence Force, and, even in his private time, as an aviator and as someone committed to his local community, he gave up his time to make efforts to defend the lives and property of his fellow Australians in his community. That effort is undertaken every day by so many Australians both professionally and on a volunteer basis. In a week where we saw yet another plane crash of people that were looking after our community due to fire—fortunately those two aviators survived that horrific crash—it's important that that contribution and service of Senator Molan is remembered as well.

Following all of that, as many of us here, of course, are very familiar, the senator served in our nation's parliament. Jim is acknowledged for his passionate contributions to the national security debate in our political life. I have admired his advocacy regarding our defence and national security and his championing of issues affecting those who serve or have served in our Defence Force. Indeed, it's likely that he disagreed with the approaches of his own government just as much as, if not more than, he did ours. It's that steadfast commitment to what he saw as right, whether we agreed with him or not and whether others agreed or not, that absolutely can be seen as what we want to see in our parliamentary representatives as people standing up for they believe to be true. Jim undoubtedly did that every day that he served in our parliament.

He understood the challenges that face our veterans. He is an excellent example of what can be achieved by veterans—the contribution that they can make at a local or national level following their transition from military service. Our parliament is a richer place for the veterans who serve in it, who have stood up to defend the democratic beliefs that we all share. Jim was a true servant of our nation. As the National President of the RSL, Greg Melick, said:

Jim Molan had an enormous sense of duty and was a great servant of his country … He was a great friend to the veteran community and was much admired by those who knew him and those whom he had assisted.

I think those comments sum up the sentiments of many. Indeed, they sum up the sentiments of people from my own church community who stopped me after mass only the other weekend to talk to me of their service in the Defence Force with Jim Molan and the high regard they had for him as a leader, as someone who sought not only to defend our nation but to look after the troops in his command as well. Jim's influence, no doubt, will be felt for many years to come.

I send my deepest condolences to Jim's family—to Anne, his four children and his delightful grandchildren, who did bring a smile to our faces at his funeral the other week—and to Jim's friends and colleagues. Indeed, I can only hope that people would say such nice things about me as a dad as his children said about him at his funeral. I thank Jim and his family for their service to our nation. Good soldiering. Rest in peace.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the condolence motion for Senator Jim Molan, as others have in this place. I would thank each of the speakers who've come before me for their comments, particularly the member for Eden-Monaro and the member for Braddon, who, I think, gave us a perspective that very few of us in this place would have, one that highlighted the qualities of Jim Molan probably better than most, of someone so close to him during his time in defence.

I want to start by not only offering my deepest condolences to the family—Jim's wife, Anne; their children, Sarah, Erin, Felicity and Michael; and the grandchildren—but, equally, thanking them for supporting Jim with everything that he did in his time in defence, in the community and in the parliament. It was a total life of service, but, as members in this place know, to be able to contribute to the community in such a way we need loved ones around us to support us in what we do. Well, Jim was able to contribute to his nation, with the support of his family, as well as everything else he did. I really want to acknowledge and thank his family for supporting him in everything that he did throughout his life. I'm sure Jim himself knew that so much of what he is able to achieve was done with the support and encouragement of such a close and loving family, and I thank them very much for that.

I'll miss Jim as a colleague and I know all of my colleagues feel the same way because, in his wonderful way, he had an influence on us all. We all know about his strong leadership. Leadership comes in so many different ways, and Jim showed it even in this place to all of us in the quiet way that he encouraged us, in the way that he listened to his colleagues, in the way that he encouraged us, as we heard from the member for Braddon. He encouraged us in the same way that he encouraged his troops. When you raised an issue with him, he encouraged you, he offered a few thoughts, but then he encouraged you to talk about what you thought about that particular issue.

That strong leadership is his legacy not only for his family and for us in this place but, as a member from Braddon said, for everyone who served with him and for him and through that loyalty that you've seen developed through such an honourable and decent human being who served his country with great honour. He is one of those people in Defence that, when I've been elsewhere in the world—and there is an enormous respect globally for our Australian Defence Force members—Jim would be at the top of that tree of respect. He is the reason why we are so well respected globally, as are members of our defence forces.

He was a true patriot and a great Australian. That's how I hope he's remembered, not just for his 40-year career in the Army and reaching the rank of major general. He took on some very challenging roles and brought the communities that he served with him along the way by being part of that community and supporting the community in what it wanted to achieve as well as helping that community. We saw that in Papua New Guinea, in East Timor, in Indonesia, in Malaysia and in Germany. He served in the US and in Iraq, as we know. Those smaller communities would certainly have benefited from Jim's wisdom and his willingness to listen and work with the local community and with our defence forces while they were there.

His Distinguished Service Cross was certainly well deserved. He had an extensive career in Defence that others have talked about and then he came into the Senate in 2017. Earlier than that, in 2013, one of the challenges we faced in this House was with the illegal maritime arrivals. Jim's role was as the envoy for stopping the boats. He was the very architect who helped to break the people smugglers' model and save the lives of a large number of people from overseas because they weren't arriving on leaky boats and being left stranded. Jim was a key part of saving those lives as well, and that's something that I would not want people to overlook. He actually helped to break the smugglers' business model, but more importantly he helped save people's lives. We have heard today about his role as a firefighter locally, another form of service for Jim. He was also a senator when he came into this place.

I found Jim to be a wonderful colleague and, equally, the friend that you could count on and the friend that would maintain a confidence. You could have conversations with Jim about a range of matters. He was someone I rang whenever I wanted his advice on military, national security and defence matters because, like so many others, I trusted him. I trusted his advice; I respected and trusted the advice that Jim gave me, especially on national security. We had many lively discussions, especially when I had a good read of his most recent book, Danger OnOur Doorstep. I have a feeling that this particular work—in part, as he said, fiction and then focused on the facts—is being used in a broader sense by some of our Western allies and referenced for a range of other purposes in a broader global security sense. I have no doubt about that, given the contents of that book. We had several discussions over what he'd written and the conclusions he'd reached and his analysis that was contained throughout that book.

Well, as has been said, none of us were really ever in any doubt as to what Jim thought or believed in, because he was a patriot and he had strong views. But, equally, when you had a discussion with Jim, Jim didn't talk down to you. In spite of his broader knowledge and experience than you had in that field, your views were respected, valued. He listened and he was thoughtful about what you had to offer, and he thought before he gave you a response. He was just a great bloke. I just found him a great bloke and a great colleague, and someone who, as I say, was a really respected and trusted source of information and advice.

Then, when he was fighting cancer, I think what we all saw, particularly on our side, who were with him throughout that process and saw the struggle, was that courage and passion he brought to his role, in his family, in his community, in the Army was the same as what he brought to his fight against cancer: positive, facing forward, keeping up a really strong presence, not giving in, and doing his best to fight it. I'm sure, when you saw him on television or you saw him interviewed, even when he was from home, Jim wanted you to see him still fighting the fight, whether it was about issues—the cancer was another fight that basically he didn't make much of. He was fighting other fights for the good of this nation, and that's what he did right until the last. And I'm sure that's an enduring memory for us all.

Jim was a truly great Australian, a great patriot. He provided incredible service to Australia that is an example for us all. Jim's earnt the right to rest in peace, but he's left an incredible legacy for this nation and one that we should all work in this place to not forget and to seek to emulate.

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

I rise to speak on the condolence motion for Senator Jim Molan AO, DSC. I knew Jim only a little, as a fellow member of the Coalition Policy Committee on Defence and Veterans Affairs. Since coming to this place following the May election, my days and nights have been peppered with group chats messages from Senator Molan, sharing his wisdom, his observations, his snippets of guidance and good humour for all of us. It has been a much quieter place without him.

But I have the benefit of having part of the mighty Molan family in my electorate of Flinders. Helen Gleeson, Jim's eldest sibling, his big sister, is an avid, dedicated, forceful presence in the Mornington Peninsula, a great volunteer, both a servant and leader of my local Liberal Party branch, the mighty Sorrento/Portsea branch. Helen holds her own in that space but has always been very proud of, and keen to mention, her little brother Jim. So, for my addition to this condolence motion today, I asked Helen to share her words, and it is now those words which I will share with you in this chamber:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to say a little about Jim.

I am the eldest, Jim number four.

We six are spread over seventeen years—god bless my mum—so we each have various memories but the fact that we gathered from various parts of Australia for his funeral, as did our children, his nieces and nephews, tells you something of the love in the family.

While it has been wonderful, and somewhat overwhelming to hear the accolades expressed for Jim, to me he was, and will always remain, my little brother.

I always referred to him as 'little bro' and he to me as 'big sis'—somewhat given ironic his six ft four and my barely five ft two!

Jim was number four of our six and at ten years younger than me, he has gone far too soon.

Jim was a wanderer.

Aged about two he escaped his cot and was eventually found on the Ivanhoe station having negotiated several major intersections and only failing to board the train because 'the policeman wouldn't let me'. In these circumstances we should not have been surprised at his choice of career.

With three 'big' and very outspoken sisters, he learned early to be tolerant and to stand up for what he believed in.

He grew up in a household where a variety of points of view were encouraged and discussions could be loud and forceful. A highly charged political environment from the early days. But one full of love and laughter.

We were never allowed to take ourselves too seriously.

It will be some time before my hand stops reaching for the phone to send a text when something political earns my ire.

And I will miss those 7 am phone calls responding to such texts. We both have odd sleep patterns.

What a delight it was to welcome Anne into our family.

Another strong woman who was happily absorbed into our midst.

Jim would not have been or achieved what he did without her. She was his other half.

I have a precious photo of a handsome young man setting forth for Duntroon. My son, Phil, Jim's nephew, remembers visits to his grandmother's home where this photo had pride of place.

My mother had great pride in the achievements of all her children—and rightly so as she sacrificed to ensure our education, however, how we all laughed each time she began a sentence with, 'My son, the General …'.

Rest in peace, little bro.

I thank Helen for these fine words. And my thanks also go the Helen's husband, Tom, as well as her brother Maurice and his partner, Heidi, for joining us at the Portsea pub in the presence of the member for Dickson and Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, a few weeks ago, shortly before Jim's funeral so that together they could all share memories and tales of the great man, before the formality of events here in Canberra.

I feel that in Flinders we are lucky to have a little bit of Jim in our midst. My deepest sympathies also go to Jim's immediate family: Anne, of course, of whom Helen wrote so beautifully, but also his children—his daughters, Sarah, Erin and Felicity; his son, Michael; and his five grandchildren. May he rest in peace.

Henry Pike (Bowman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a privilege to rise this afternoon to honour the life of Jim Molan AO, DSC. He will be remembered as a patriot who served our country with distinction as a soldier, a senator, a volunteer firefighter, an author and a policy problem solver. His was a life of dedicated service: service to his country, service to his family and service to his friends. To me, as a first-term MP, he was incredibly generous with his time and advice, and I'll certainly miss his guidance and wisdom.

Jim, of course, served in many roles in the Australian Army, the most significant of which was his tenure as chief of operations for the coalition forces in Iraq. When you consider the number of personnel and the complexity of that mission, this is probably the most senior and consequential position held by an Australian general since the Second World War. His service was instrumental in repelling insurgents and ensuring the security of Iraq's transport and infrastructure. He played no small part in the success of that engagement, and I'm certain that, when the passage of time allows for a full historical analysis of what occurred in that conflict, Jim Molan's contribution will be highly commended. He was, of course, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and from the United States government he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

A few short years after Jim's retirement from the Army, I invited him to speak at a dinner that I was organising, following a rugby game between the Young Liberals and the Young Nationals in Bungendore, just down the road here, near to where Jim was living at the time on the outskirts of Canberra. Jim provided a completely unvarnished assessment of the war in Iraq, what was required to win and where the strategic landscape was sitting. All attendees were struck by the clarity and the accuracy of his analysis. As time progressed, nearly all the factors that he flagged that night came to pass. All the potential obstacles were struck, and his proposed solutions were all eventually adopted.

He was a man who saw much further than others did. He was not just a strategic visionary but also someone with a capacity to identify the path forward towards victory. Of course, his capacity for service and his sharp, strategic mind continued to be engaged by the Australian government long after his retirement from the Army. He played an instrumental role in Operation Sovereign Borders. He was appointed as a special advisor to the defence minister and provided advice on the 2016 Defence white paper. And, of course, his contribution to the Senate over recent years was a fitting avenue for his skills and his years of experience. His passion for national security issues, his passion for veterans and his passion for regional Australians will stand in my mind as the enduring legacy of his amazing public service.

His final book, Danger on our Doorstep, will stand as a warning for years to come about the ambitions and military build-up of the CCP. I recently bought many copies of this book as Christmas presents for some of the people who had assisted me throughout the year with my work, and Jim was kind enough, despite his failing health in those last weeks of his life, to write a thoughtful handwritten message to each recipient. This was such a part of who Jim was: always willing to go the extra mile; no task too much, to support a colleague. I know these books will be treasured for years to come. And I will certainly be doing what I can do to ensure that his message against national defence complacency is heeded by our government.

To his wife, Anne, his children and his grandchildren: we thank you for sharing Jim. Thank you for sharing him with your nation for so many decades. He was a great Australian, and he will be greatly missed. Jim Molan, rest in eternal peace.

Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Jim Molan loved Australia. He served and fought for Australia wholeheartedly. Jim began his service to Australia eight years before I was born. He entered Duntroon in 1968. He entered parliament half a century later, at an age when he could have been enjoying his military pension. Instead, he sought to serve again.

For many of us, when elected to the parliament, we seek to be worthy of making a contribution to it. Jim entered the Senate already worthy. Jim was, in every sense, a giant when he arrived. He'd been deployed in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Germany, the United States and, of course, Iraq. No Australian soldier served in a more senior role in the Iraq war. As the multinational chief of operations in Iraq, it's said that Jim had more personnel under his operational command than any Australian general since World War II. No parliamentarian in this building had the lived experience and deep working knowledge of complex military strategy that Jim Molan had.

When Jim entered the Senate, it had been almost 60 years since a person of two-star rank had served in this place. In the history of the Commonwealth, 11 major-generals and one air vice-marshal have entered the parliament, including eight who served in the Great War. One of those was the great Pompey Elliott, and I see some similarities between Jim Molan and Pompey Elliott. They both chose the Senate. They both had huge grassroots followings. They both saw politics as a way of arguing for their passions. For Pompey, it was the advancement and support of the men he'd served with. For Jim, it was Australia's defence and security preparedness. In many ways, Pompey looked back—understandable, given the trauma of the Great War—but Jim was always looking forward. Though a wholehearted supporter of our alliance with United States, Jim believed in Australian self-reliance and in an Australian Defence Force and security agencies that were properly funded, equipped and prepared.

Every part about Jim was brave. He was willing to put himself on the line. On one occasion in East Timor, Jim transported half a dozen nuns to the airport. They were pursued by a gunman on a motorbike. The gunman had a rifle. In a scene that almost sounds like a movie, Jim hit the brakes and the gunman slammed into the back of the vehicle. Jim got the nuns to the airport safely and then continued with further evacuations.

And Jim was brave here. On entering parliament—and, indeed, on his death—he faced disgraceful slurs. Keyboard warriors and populist politicians on the extreme green left chose the disgraceful path of blaming a soldier for the decisions and strategy of an elected government. The Australian soldier should never be dishonoured. Sadly, the toxicity of some meant that they tried but failed. But Jim Molan had their measure. As he said when he entered this place, if opponents don't speak against you, you're probably not standing up for enough.

To those who sought to skirmish his good name: you only brought dishonour on yourself. He wore the uniform that you didn't, and you have no right to attack his service.

Jim always spoke clearly. He wrote many columns. The headline was always the crux: 'Are we in this war to win it?' or 'Army needs to commit to victory', 'We can win the Afghan war but we are being led by donkeys', 'Disruption of Gulf fuel is a scenario we must prepare for', and 'End the pussyfooting in Afghan war'. 'Pussyfooting'—that's such a Molan word! He never took a step backwards.

My first association with Jim was through the Menzies Research Centre, where he was an active participant, both in uniform and in retirement, in the defence and security roundtables that the centre ran. He also agreed to contribute a really thoughtful and forward leaning chapter to the Menzies Research Centre book Don't Leave Us with the Bill: The Case Against an Australian Bill of Rights, where he demonstrated the possible unintended consequences of a bill of rights to Australians on active service. In his chapter, he prefaced an argument with some words that seemed to summarise the approach that Jim took to almost every defence and security issue. He wrote:

I fear that the unforeseen will occur, as it normally does …

Jim Molan always expected the unforeseen, and that required him to walk a lonely path. Despite his eminence, his status and his many other commitments, Jim made the effort to come to the launch of the book in almost every state capital. It demonstrated a strong commitment to the issue but, even more, his commitment to me as a friend.

I enjoyed working closely with Jim on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, where he brought his years of thinking about strategy and national security. He also brought a particular knowledge about defence technology to the table, and I want to say I think Jim was right about the need for a national security strategy for this country. I hope, as a memorial to Jim, that Australians pursue this issue, because he was ahead of his time in reminding us of the importance of having a national security strategy.

In fairness, I have to admit that occasionally Jim and I disagreed over party matters. Jim was a change agent in our party. He believed in democracy, in grassroots power—so much so he took on the factions and sought change. Why, he was asked. It was because—and I quote—'As a soldier I have accompanied five separate nations down the road to democracy.' Democracy was his guiding light.

It says something of Jim that after being diagnosed with cancer he accelerated his efforts and completed Danger On Our Doorstep. Quoting Sun Tzu, he wrote:

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

Our country is better and, indeed, safer because of the service of Major General and then Senator Jim Molan. To Jim's wife Anne, his children, and his grandchildren I send my love and prayers. May the memory of this truly great Australian be a blessing.

Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's been a privilege hearing the wonderful condolences that are being made by Jim's friends from not just our party but across the aisle. He was someone who left a mark in so many ways.

Can I begin, first of all, by acknowledging his family. They are the ones who are hurting most of all—to Anne; their wonderful children, Sarah, Erin, Felicity and Michael; and also to the wonderful grandchildren. There are also extended family, some of whom are linked to my electorate. Jim has a brother who lives in my electorate, and one of my favourite volunteers is one of his cousins. I only recently found out that they were cousins. They are all hurting too and will miss him deeply.

It's a wonderful thing when we sit down and put pen to paper for our first speech. We get to think about who we are, what we stand for and what we hope to achieve in this place. It's been delightful reading Jim's first speech again. I read it in preparation for my own, and I've come back to it. Could I begin with his first sentence. He said this:

In those very first words, he was showing that he had no expectations to be there, because throughout his life he never had any expectations or entitlement to anything. He put his hand up to serve others in many different ways, and that included the Senate. He fought so hard to be there.

He was a fierce advocate for party democracy, and that wasn't born out of self-interest, because he was popular with the membership for good reason. It was because Jim knew an important thing: that if you believe in a value—and the Liberal Party believes in democracy—then you must practise it. Jim was from the old school where we practise what we preach, and if we don't practise it then there's a real question mark about whether we believe it. I think he left the New South Wales division in much better shape for having been a fierce advocate for party democracy. There were many other points of this speech that I'd like to just quickly highlight. He talked about his military service and said:

Although I retired from the Army nine years ago, my 40 years as a soldier taught me a lot that seems applicable to parliamentary and wider social life. First, leadership is everything. Whenever we wanted to achieve real effects, even in this technology dominated world, we still turned to the best person. As chief of operations in Iraq, I was at the centre of the most technically advanced headquarters in the history of war, yet we consistently turned to people as people when we wanted to get things done. Human leadership in this age of technology has never been more important, be it in the military or in society.

When we pick up a newspaper or look at our TV—and we had recently in the parliament the first AI generated speech—we must never forget that, despite all of the advances in technology, people are the heart of our democracy and our society. The second thing, he said, was:

… Australia brings its unique culture into its military. Blind obedience to orders or authority does not make good soldiers; nor does it make good citizens. We encourage our diggers to question every order for as long as possible because all of us are a lot smarter than any one of us. But, when the final decision is made by the boss, we expect support for that decision until the situation changes significantly. This ethos and duty, this understanding of loyalty and teamwork in a questioning environment, is something that I intend to personally carry into this house.

And he concluded with this:

I need to say that the only order I ever obeyed without question was 'Duck!'

That's such an important cultural feature of our military. You have a chain of command, and you obey orders on pain of 20 years in prison if it's on operations, but that doesn't mean you follow them blindly. We respect the autonomy and judgement of individuals, even within the military.

Jim then focused on ethics, and that was core of who he was. He said:

Whatever I find myself doing in this great institution, I will work for it to be ethical. Ethics is about consistently doing the right thing, about being secretly beholden to no-one, and, in a political and parliamentary sense, about working for the voters who elected us. In terms of the Liberal Party, it means representing the members of my party and voters rather than disguised narrow … interests.

He said he was 'of no faction', and it was the voters who would guide him. Many others have spoken about the line where he said, 'If opponents don't speak against you, you are probably not standing up for enough.' And he referred to some of the Google images that people might be aware of. Finally, he concluded with this. He had a quote from Napoleon: 'If you want to learn a nation's interests, go to the graves of its soldiers.' He continued:

Many Australian dead have been brought back to Australia, but many still lie close to where they fell. Australia's interests lie across the face of this earth. We are an international nation with worldwide interests. I've visited many battlefields and played cameo parts on some. What strikes me is the consistent performance of Australian soldiers, sailors and airmen over more than 100 years and around the world. Today's soldiers are as good as, if not better than, any we have sent overseas, and much of that is due to our Australian culture and the leadership, training and equipment that accompany them. To me, they represent everything that is good about Australia because they are Australian.

He concluded with, 'I dedicate my efforts in this house to them.' And he said, 'Thank you.'

Jim—his duty is done, and it's fitting that his final words in his first speech were that he was willing to serve others and honour their memory. So we say to Jim: 'Thank you for your service. We will miss you.'

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is an honour, as we just heard from the member for Menzies, to rise to speak on this condolence motion to remember a great Australian: Senator Jim Molan AO DSC, a senator, a soldier, a colleague, a friend, a great Australian and a patriot. I'd like to start by extending my deepest condolences to Jim's beloved wife, Anne; to his four children, Sarah, Erin, Felicity and Mick; and his grandkids—all of whom I know he loved dearly. I'd also like to acknowledge his staff, who worked tirelessly to support Jim and the people of New South Wales in challenging circumstances.

Jim was a big man with a big heart. He loved his family dearly, and he loved his country dearly. His contribution to this nation as a senator and a soldier over many years is well known. We've heard many wonderful tributes over recent weeks, including just a moment ago. To me, Jim was always a man you could trust. He was as good as his word. He was genuine, up-front, honest—one of our nation's absolute finest. He was a person I was proud to call a friend, and a colleague who dedicated his life to making our nation a better place. He was a true servant leader. We talk a lot about servant leadership, but this man personified it. His long career in defence saw him deployed in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, Germany, the US and Iraq. He was an accomplished infantryman and helicopter pilot. Four decades in, he retired from service at the rank of Major General. His service was honoured when he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his role in Indonesia and East Timor, and he received the Distinguished Service Cross, as well, for distinguished command and leadership in Iraq.

Retirement wasn't for Jim. He didn't put his feet up and head off on holidays. He continued to advocate strongly on issues that were important to him. He was a passionate believer in the things that he thought were important to the success of this nation, and nothing was going to stop him. Ironically enough for a military man, he was not a man who took orders well, and he would admit that himself. He liked to get out there and advocate for the things that he really believed in. One of the things he did after his so-called retirement was to become a special envoy for Operation Sovereign Borders, which was an extraordinary initiative that delivered extraordinary outcomes, which this country has benefited from in the years that have followed. I know he was proud of the policy in that area, and so he should have been.

I had particular engagement and work with Jim in two areas. The first of those was when I was Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security. Jim and I would talk about the importance cybersecurity for the security of this nation, and, as Minister for Energy, we'd talk about the importance of energy security for this nation. One of the things that consistently came out of our conversations was the absolute criticality of integrating across all of these areas—cybersecurity, energy security, defence and border security. We discussed the need to recognise that all of these areas interact, and out of that came his focus on developing a national security strategy. He was absolutely right on this; there is no question in my mind that Jim nailed this. He became passionate, as he always did in his advocacy, about making sure he could keep Australians safe in every domain. I think that focus on a national security strategy was right and well articulated, and in his final book he laid it out very clearly.

The second area where Jim and I worked closely was in the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party. This is not always an easy place to drive reform; it has its challenges, but Jim and I were both passionate about the need to democratise the party—the need to give power to the grassroots, the need to make sure that the members had genuine influence in the future of the party and that there was a reason for people to join up, to return to being a mass movement, to come into the party en masse in the belief in the things that we care about as Liberals. Jim was a firebrand on these issues, and we worked and spoke together on many occasions. Whether it was at the North Sydney Leagues Club, the Crookwell showgrounds or many locations through Eden-Monaro, which was a part of the world that he lived in and absolutely loved, Jim and I worked again and again as a team to convince people across the New South Wales Liberal Party that this was the path to go on. The outcome at Rosehill several years ago, where the party voted in favour of democratisation, would never have happened without the hard work of Jim Molan. There have been backward steps and forward steps since that time, but that was a pivotal moment in the future of the Liberal Party in New South Wales, and Jim Molan was absolutely central to it. His passion, energy and drive, alongside others who believed in it like he did, made all of that possible.

Jim made an enormous contribution across so many areas throughout his wonderful life. I was privileged to be at his funeral only a couple of weeks ago, and it was a tough farewell. Jim, I miss you, mate.

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