Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I must say that I think these valedictory nights in the Senate are among the most memorable that we have in the Senate, as we hear colleagues reflect upon their careers and hear other colleagues relate their experiences of the individuals who are leaving. I think it is one of those times when we are reminded of the great diversity of backgrounds and life experiences of our fellow senators, and it is also one of those nights when there is a great sense of collegiality in the Senate. We all belong to this institution and we share our experiences of it.

I would like to make a few remarks about some of my departing colleagues—beginning, as several other senators have, with Senator the Hon. Rod Kemp. I have sat next to Rod Kemp for 12 years in the Liberal Party party room, and I can personally attest to his capacity for quick and amusing comments about individuals and events and to his very strong commitment to the principles that we in the Liberal Party believe in. He is one of the most committed Liberals I have ever met in my life, and he certainly enjoys the combat that the parliamentary process offers in terms of putting forward his views and couching them in terms of Liberal Party principles. It has been said that Rod very much enjoyed the challenge of winning points in the chamber and in Senate estimates. In the chamber, the most memorable exchanges he had in the time I have been here were with the late Senator Peter Cook. Rod delighted in reminding him of what he described as Senator Cook’s most memorable statement, which was that the Labor Party was a high-taxing party. Rod continually put this before Senator Cook, and Senator Cook would, of course, always rise to the bait and a little bit of an exchange would occur.

The other situation where Rod enjoyed combat was in estimates, particularly with Senator Lundy. It was always somewhat amusing, from my point of view as the chair of the estimates committee concerned, to see them rise to the challenge and score points off each other. But underlying it all, they had a common interest in sport and I think that they achieved some policy objectives through that common interest. After his period as Assistant Treasurer, Rod did become the Minister for the Arts and Sport, and I think he is especially remembered for his contribution in the arts area for the support he gave the Australian film industry in the form of the package of measures contained in the 2006 budget. This is something of which I think he is justifiably proud, because that was a package which gave very significant support to the Australian film industry.

Another important area of interest to Rod was Indigenous art. While minister he proposed that the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts set up an inquiry into the Indigenous art industry. As things transpired, as that inquiry progressed he himself became a member of the committee and helped drive the committee’s inquiry into Indigenous art. He was also very helpful in drafting the recommendations of the committee, some of which were quite strong recommendations on funding for Indigenous art centres and for the ACCC to be involved in the policing of fraud in Indigenous art.

Rod, over the years you have been here you have made a very strong contribution to the affairs of the Senate. I must say that in the years before I became a senator I noticed you in question time and thought that you were somebody who was quite clearly a very effective member of the Senate and somebody who certainly articulated the Liberal Party policy and cause very well. It is said that Daniele, your wife, is your most important asset. I endorse that view. I must say that you deserve to be congratulated for choosing such a lovely lady to marry during the time that you were in Paris. I wish you both well in your retirement.

Secondly, I would like to speak about Kay Patterson. Everybody has remarked upon the fact that Kay has often set out to help people. When I first came to the Senate, she sat in front of me. I learned that she had been the Commissioner of Girl Guides in Victoria before she came to the Senate. I did not have any trouble believing that because before question time she would straighten my tie and rub down my lapels and make sure all my colleagues were similarly suitably in order for their appearance on television during question time.

Kay, in the early years that I was here, had a great interest in aged care. I believe that in fact she went to the United Nations in 1997 as an adviser on the International Year of Older Persons. Another great delight to me in relation to Kay was that in my early years here her great friend Eric Glasgow used to come with her to the formal dinner which the coalition senators hold in August every year. Eric Glasgow was an anatomist. At that stage he held a joint professorship, I believe, between the University of Hong Kong and Stanford University in California. When I was a medical student, he used to be a senior lecturer in anatomy at the University of Western Australia. He was a tutor in the university college in which I lived, and he was also a tutor to Mal Washer. Eric Glasgow was a very delightful Irishman and a man I greatly respected. It was very nice to find him here as a great friend of Kay’s.

Kay went on to become Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Foreign Affairs and served as the Minister for Health and Ageing. I have always thought she was a very genuine person with a very active and curious mind. I am sure that she will find much to do in her retirement and I wish her well in that period.

I have always had a friendly relationship with Sandy Macdonald since I came to the Senate. I think he and Ron Boswell thought that because I grew up in the country and came from the country I could be talked into joining the National Party so that the National Party would yet again have a senator from Western Australia.