Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its deep regret at the death on 3 November 2006 of The Honourable Sir Allen Fairhall KBE, former Federal Minister and Member for Paterson, New South Wales, and that the Senate places on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Allen Fairhall was born on 24 November 1909 at Morpeth, near Maitland, in the lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales. He was the third son of Charles and Maud Fairhall. Allen was educated at the East Maitland Boys High School and later at the Newcastle Technical College. He served an apprenticeship as an electrical fitter at the Walsh Island Dockyard, Newcastle, becoming a qualified tradesman in the field. While at school Allen became interested in radio, and he began broadcasting music on Sunday mornings from his family home, using a gramophone and borrowed records. In 1931, when he was only 22, he founded the commercial broadcasting station 2KO Newcastle, operating with a 13-metre timber mast in his backyard. Radio 2KO grew to be one of Australia’s leading provincial radio stations. In 1942, he became President of the Australian Federation of Commercial Broadcasting Stations.

From 1941 to 1944, Allen Fairhall was an alderman of Newcastle City Council, and served the city as a wartime warden in the Civil Emergency Services. During World War II, Allen was also coopted by the Ministry of Munitions to become supervising engineer of the Radio and Signals Supply Section in New South Wales. He was responsible for the production of wireless, signals and radar equipment for the armed services.

In 1947, he sold his broadcasting interests and took up dairy farming at Trevallyn, on the Paterson River. Sir Allen entered federal parliament as the member for Paterson in 1949, and he held that seat for the Liberal Party until his retirement on 12 November 1969. Sir Allen Fairhall was one of the famous ‘forty-niners’, that special group of parliamentarians who were elected in the 1949 poll that ushered in more than 20 years of Liberal and National party government.

Early in his parliamentary career, Allen attended the 10th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York in 1954 as a member of the Australian delegation, and was the first backbench member of the federal parliament to be included in the Australian mission.

Sir Allen was appointed Minister for the Interior and Minister for Works in 1956 by Prime Minister Menzies and was Chairman of the Parliamentary Public Works Committee between 1958 and 1961. He was appointed as the Minister for Supply in December 1961, and was reappointed to that portfolio within the cabinet after the election in 1963. He was a senior member of the cabinet from that time on. When the Holt government was formed in January 1966, Allen Fairhall was appointed Minister for Defence, a position he held until his retirement.

Throughout his career he spoke of the evils of socialism, saying that ‘socialism denies the opportunity to a fellow to succeed on his merits’. Many people saw Allen Fairhall as a possible candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party, and therefore the prime ministership, after Harold Holt’s death in 1967, but he declined to be nominated. Causing a stir at the time was an advertisement published in the Australian newspaper in July 1968 by a group describing themselves as ‘Businessmen for a Democratic Government’ which called for people to write to their local Liberal MP, calling for Allen Fairhall to be Prime Minister.

In 1966 he was chosen by the Institution of Production Engineers to receive the James N Kirby Medal for his role in the development of defence production industries. After 20 years in parliament, including 11 years as a minister, Sir Allen retired in 1969. Media commentators were very complimentary about the contribution of this talented frontbencher to political life. Upon the announcement of his retirement, the Daily Telegraph stated:

Mr Fairhall’s retirement will be a great loss not only to Parliament, but to the whole of Australia.

He has shown qualities of drive and commonsense. He represents all that is best in politics and he leaves his office with the knowledge that he has his country’s thanks and respect.

In 1970, Allen Fairhall’s years of public service were recognised by his appointment as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In later life he returned to private enterprise, as well as writing several books. Sir Allen died just shy of his 97th birthday—a wonderful achievement.

On behalf of the government, I offer my condolences to his wife, Lady Monica Fairhall, his son, Allen, and his extended family, and wish them all the very best.