George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, on behalf of all honourable senators, it is a great privilege and pleasure to congratulate you on your election as the 25th President of the Australian Senate. Yours has already been a conspicuous parliamentary career. Elected at the 2007 election, you, Mr President, established your reputation at an early stage as an active and competent participant in the Senate's committee system, including a period of time as Chair of the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee. When the coalition was in opposition, you were appointed to the shadow ministry and, upon the election of the Abbott government in 2013, you took your place on the front bench. You served initially as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training. You served as Assistant Cabinet Secretary, as Minister for Vocational Education and Skills and, most recently, as Special Minister of State. You've also been the Deputy Manager of Government Business in the Senate. But Mr President, as you say, with your election to the high office of President of the Senate, you put any loyalty to the executive government behind you, because you are now a servant of the Senate itself. I mean no disrespect to any other senator when I say: I cannot think of a better person to fulfil this role.

Mr President, we have known each other for many years and I am proud to be able to number you among my friends, and one thing I know of you, from the many, many conversations we have had over the years, is that you are a profound believer in the importance of institutions—in their integrity; in their stability; in their role in Australian democracy. You will bring that commitment to the importance of institutions to the role of President. You are, of course, somebody who identifies, as do I, as a classical liberal and as somebody who embraces that philosophy as well. You are somebody who understands the importance that, in this, the pre-eminent parliamentary chamber of the land, the Australian Senate, free and thorough debate on the legislation and the important issues before the Australian people should be conducted in an intellectually honest and open way.

We all know you to be a person of integrity. We all know you to be a person with a natural and quiet authority. Those of us who know you well know you're a great stickler for the rules. Your knowledge of the Senate standing orders and procedure of this chamber is legendary. You will bring all of those qualities to a fine period of service as President of the Senate.

It should be noted on this occasion that we have just sworn in the youngest ever senator in the history of the Commonwealth of Australia, Senator Steele-John, and that you, Mr President, will be the youngest person ever to become President of the Senate, at the age of 44. May I say, at least on behalf of government senators, that because you have so many years ahead of you we trust that you will continue to be President for many years, if not decades to come. It is also of note, Mr President, that you are the first Victorian senator to hold the office of President of the Senate since the late senator Sir Magnus Cormack, of whom we've read more often than we expected in recent weeks and months.

You were a student of politics before you became a senator. You graduated from the University of Melbourne with first-class honours in arts. Those who know you are surprised that you don't have a law degree, because you know more about constitutional law than most lawyers do. You certainly know more about American political history and American constitutional law than almost anybody I have ever met. You, before your time as a senator, worked at the Institute of Public Affairs. You worked as a senior adviser to the Victorian Leader of the Opposition; as a speech writer for Senator the Hon. Nick Minchin; in the office of the former Premier of Victoria, the Hon. Jeff Kennett; and on the staff of the former Treasurer, the Hon. Peter Costello. Indeed, the occasion should not pass unremarked that proteges of Peter Costello's, namely you and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tony Smith, now preside over both chambers of the Australian parliament. It is particularly significant that you should be a protege of Peter Costello's in your current office, given his deep and abiding affection and respect for the Senate. Mr President, as I say, we look forward to you presiding over this chamber with the dignity, the authority, the fairness and the integrity which are your hallmarks.

It's also appropriate on this occasion for me to note the fact that because of the circumstances of his departure there will not be the usual occasion for valedictory speeches about the former President of the Senate the Hon. Stephen Parry. We all know the circumstances which led Senator Parry to conclude that he ought to resign. They were not without political controversy, but they do not reflect upon Senator Parry personally. What I should say, and I am gladdened by and appreciative of the remarks of Senator Whish-Wilson and Senator Di Natale in their earlier contributions, is that Senator Parry was a very fine President of the Senate. He was acknowledged on all sides of the chamber for his even-handedness and his authority. The fact that Senator Parry is no longer with us is a cause of regret to the many of us who were his friends, and I wish to take the occasion to thank Stephen Parry for the great service that he did to this institution and for the dignity with which he presided over the chamber in his period of service as President.

But the Parry presidency is behind us. We look forward with eagerness to the rejuvenation represented by the presidency of yourself, Mr President. I have to get out of the habit of calling you Senator Ryan and refer to you only by your more dignified title as you sit in the chair. On behalf of government senators and, I'm sure, on behalf of all in the chamber, we congratulate you and we wish you well.

Honourable senators: Hear, hear!