Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

It is very sad to say goodbye to so many mates. I think valedictories are a great opportunity for Australia and certainly for us to remind ourselves of the extent of our work in this place and the backgrounds that we come from. I think it is absolutely fantastic that so many people from so many different backgrounds have contributed in so many different ways. I think it is a bit of a reminder about the nature of our work—that it is not always in this place. People in their valedictories have talked about their travels and their work on committees, which is a very useful reminder to us of the contribution that people make in this place.

Senator Nettle came to this place pretty much at the same time I did. As a Territorian, I came a little bit earlier. When she first came here, Bob Brown was sitting at the front and—I say this with great respect to Senator Brown—he held everybody to ransom in one way or another. He was able always to ensure that we were very focused on the issues he had in front of him, and when the second Greens voice arrived we were absolutely terrified that this might somehow lead to a collapse of everything we knew. But that was not the case. Kerry amazed us all in being able, seemingly within a couple of weeks, to stand on her feet. In committees she was able to articulate very complicated issues of law and articulate the Greens’ view on a whole range of issues. I thought it was so very impressive. Of course, she went from strength to strength. Wherever you were in the Senate, if there was a committee or a piece of legislation around, Kerry was there, well in front of most of those who were part of the 2001 intake. She has made an absolutely fantastic contribution to this place. I have spent some time on committee work with Kerry. Whilst from the outside you might assume that because we are on different sides of the political divide we would not have anything in common, I certainly enjoyed Kerry’s company. I acknowledge the absolutely fantastic contribution she has made to this place and I am sure she will go on to make other contributions in other paths.

It is, I suppose, quite unique that we stand in his place and acknowledge a contribution that an entire party has made. The winds of politics have it that the Australian Democrats will be leaving this place at this time. I have been assured, certainly by some of the valedictories from the Democrats, that that is not to say they will not return in the future. The Democrats have made a very significant contribution to Australian politics, particularly in that they have brought to it some choice and diversity. I do not think anyone would doubt that one reason we are such a great and rich nation is the diversity and richness of our communities and our people. If we have a parliament that is reflective of that then it is genuinely a representative parliament. I do know that the Democrats have brought that to this place.

The Democrats have been recognised and acknowledged for their great catchcry ‘keep the bastards honest’. It resonated well before I came to this place, but that could be a catchcry associated with any of their activities in this place. The fact that they have been the longest-serving minority party in this place means we will all struggle with an explanation—although I know a lot of pundits will have the exact answer—as to why a political party of such strength and importance has gone. Since I have been here they have played a pivotal role, not necessarily as the balance of power on all issues but certainly as a considerable influence on the way legislation has gone and on the way committee hearings have gone. Their contribution, particularly in the policy areas of environment, equal opportunity, education and government honesty and transparency, will never be forgotten. I know that they leave a genuine and long-lasting legacy in those areas.

They have often led by example. Certainly by having women as leaders of their party they have walked the talk in that area. They have always levered their vote to great effect and, certainly in my experience, they have been fairly honest in doing that. Of course, sometimes doing the right thing is very costly in this place. The Democrats may not have recognised quite how well they were doing the right thing. But hindsight is always very handy, and certainly I think we will all look back and thank the Democrats because the taxation system in Australia today is better for the GST.

One of the reasons the Democrats have been so successful is not so much because of the party but because of the sum of the parts. Any of you who have spent much time in this place would know that the Democrats are in fact a gaggle of individuals rather than a collective party. They have certainly behaved like that and their philosophy is like that. I think the strength of the Democrats has been the sum of the parts.

So much has been said about Natasha Stott Despoja and the particular role that she has brought to this place. One thing that has not been mentioned significantly is that Natasha has become such a wonderful role model for young women across Australia. I can remember coming in when I first arrived in parliament and bringing my sons and daughter here, expecting them to be very enamoured of the important people here. They met John Howard, and I thought that would be very exciting and that they would want to quiz me on that. But my daughter was not particularly enamoured of Mr Howard. In fact, she wanted to know all about Natasha and what she was wearing. When I went home in the break, Sarah was always badgering me about those things. My eldest son was also very inquiring. He said, ‘Jeez, that Natasha is pretty hot, Dad.’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s a reasonable observation.’ I think he felt she was a bit out of place—that someone so young and so vibrant was a bit out of place in the Senate. That is probably a reasonable commentary on how many Australians see this place, and it is great to see that we had a representative of a demographic that is not often represented in parliament. I think that has been a particularly important role for her.

We spent time in many places on committees and I can say that Natasha, like most of the Democrats, can be characterised as a very hard worker. We have had a lot of great times together and a lot of laughs. As a fisherman, I particularly remember in New Zealand being surprised when, in the middle of nowhere it seemed, she managed to produce a magnificent cake with a model fisherman on it. She is a very resourceful individual, and those who know Natasha know her as an absolutely delightful young Australian.

Do not be mistaken; Natasha is all business. In our time on committees, Natasha was a hard worker. A lot of people who are getting cross-examined by her think: ‘This is a lovely young lady. She is asking nice questions. She is so pleasant.’ But I have seen a few of them make the mistake of thinking that she may be not listening or is perhaps not paying attention, and they have paid the penalty. As a minister I do not think I got too many questions from Natasha, but I certainly did not look forward to them. One of the characteristics of anybody on the government front bench taking a question from Natasha is that there are no flippant responses or flippant remarks—because you would certainly be made to pay for them if you thought you could get away with them.

I been very lucky to have shared some time with her wonderful young family. There have been a number of nicknames, but I know that Conrad will answer to ‘Conan’ in later years. We have been really good mates for a long time. And I know the wonderful young Cordelia will be a very welcome addition to that family.

I want to talk about the contribution that Natasha has made to this place and about her legacy. While much of the legislation that she has supported did not get up at the time, we have always seen it as containing the seeds, the genesis, of significant changes in public opinion and in the opinion of this place. Many of the changes that we have seen have come in the areas that Natasha has championed. I think that we will see her legacy coming up continually in the future. She mentioned maternity leave. As we eventually pass legislation in this place that deals with that very problematic issue, I hope that we all reflect on the role that she played.

Andrew is a very interesting character, and I mean that in the very best way. When I came to this place one of my first committees was the legal and constitutional affairs committee, and I spend a lot of time with Andrew. This was right in the heat of the refugees and ‘children overboard’ times. They were very difficult times and being thrown into that process was a very difficult challenge for me. I could always rely on Andrew at least to help me when I asked: ‘What is actually happening now? Who is that bloke? What are we doing now?’ He was always kind enough to share his great experience in process with me, and I will be forever grateful.

Again, he is somebody who has a great deal of interest in a number of key areas. He focused on those areas that were his passions. Certainly in the area of refugees and human rights generally, he was always someone who had a great deal of knowledge. Whenever I had to negotiate issues about legislation, if Andrew said that that was what they were going to do, he was a man of his word. He was always very easy to deal with. He had the odd knack of coming up to me, though, and saying, ‘I’m not really sure where I’m going to go on this, Nigel, so I’ll be listening to what you say.’ That put me under a little bit of pressure. I had to think very carefully about how to ‘Andrew-ise’ or ‘Queensland-ise’ the speech and think about what particular interest he had. He was very serious. If you did not convince him, the Democrats would not be voting for it. He was very persuasive in that way.

Andrew is a very passionate individual. For a short period I certainly enjoyed some late nights with Andrew—one particularly fateful one, and I should take some responsibility for that, mate. But Andrew actually managed to make some changes with regard to that particular event. I wish I had been able to do the same. I am still a heavy drinker and I should be trying to get that in control.

I know that Andrew is somebody who is going to continue to make a great contribution to public life. I suspect he will still be involved in those areas that he is passionate about at the moment. Certainly the areas of human rights and Indigenous affairs are areas where we need people like him to continue to make that contribution in public life.

Lyn is another wonderful individual and a very different individual from the other Democrats. As I said, I think that is where they get their great strength from. We spent much time on committees together, and I have to say she is an absolutely delightful lady. It has been a real insight for me. She is somebody with very different views in politics. We spent some time on a uranium inquiry and we travelled throughout South Australia. Most of the time was spent cross-examining people who were saying, ‘It’s going to be all right; trust me.’ I have spent some time in the uranium industry and I know the industry fairly well, and I think we surprised each other by a whole suite of exchanges of views. There were some things that I had not been aware of. Lyn had looked very forensically into these issues in the past. As a consequence of those conversations, I knew better about what sorts of questions to ask and the sorts of issues that we really needed to tease out. Spending time with people who have a different point of view is a very valuable thing, and we should all learn a little from that.

Lyn has been characterised as an extremely hard worker. I remember Lyn chairing the mental health inquiry, a very significant inquiry of this parliament, which I think had a great impact on the government of the day. As a consequence of the tabling of that report there were some meetings through COAG, a whole suite of decisions were made and a decision was made fundamentally across Australia to put a great deal of money towards this challenge. It is never enough and it never seems to be spent in exactly the right way, but I think it was a fantastic start and that will be a fantastic legacy for both Lyn and the Democrats.

I think all the senators who are leaving today have made an absolutely great contribution to this place, to the wider community and to Australian life. I wish luck to them all and their families in their future endeavours.