Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

It is with happiness for George and a tinge of sadness for those of us who are his friends that we farewell Senator George Brandis from the Senate today. George is a friend, a colleague, a leader and reformer, an advocate and statesman, a wise counsel, mentor and confidante—and also, very importantly, as Senator Cormann reflected upon, a leading contributor to liberal thinking and liberal ideology. Indeed, for more than 40 years of George's 60 years of happy and fruitful life, thus far, he has distinguished himself for speaking up and speaking with greater depth, clarity, knowledge and perspective of liberalism and what it means in the Australian context than barely anybody else I can think of.

George is a student of Gladstone and Deacon and of Menzies and Isaiah Berlin, all of whom he referenced variously in his works and speeches, including his first speech. I suspect that George has somewhat enjoyed the renaissance that Deacon has recently enjoyed, thanks to the works of the likes of Judith Brent—a body of work that, perhaps, George himself may add to later in his career. This dates all the way back, as Senator Cormann acknowledged, to the publication of Liberals face the future: essays on Australian liberalism in 1984, which George co-authored with Tom Harley, who is in the gallery today, and Don Markwell, who I note has returned to the advisers box to my left. In co-authoring that, they outlined a defining version of liberalism that I know George continued with throughout his career, both pre parliament and during his time in parliament and, I've got no doubt, in his post parliamentary life.

They rightly defined liberalism's most fundamental concern as being with the dignity and fulfilment of the individual, and that from this flows other objectives—individual freedom, parliamentary democracy, free enterprise growth, decentralisation of political power, low taxation, equality of opportunity, and a safety net of social security.

Importantly, they also defined liberalism not as a laissez-faire philosophy but as an active one in which individuals acting rationally and with cooperative goodwill can consciously shape the future of their societies so as to avoid the errors of the past and correct the injustices of the present. They went so far as to say that, just as the liberal's position will be relatively conservative where the status quo largely embodies liberal value, so may his beliefs dictate radical change where that is necessary to displace the status quo that is illiberal.

Those thoughts in 1984 were followed by Australian Liberalism, The Continuing Vision, which Senator Brandis co-edited in 1986, and other contributions, which eventually, after some trials and tribulations of preselection processes, led to a first speech delivered in this chamber in the year 2000. At that time, George rightly defined liberalism in a generous way. He noted that it is only in a society based upon equality of opportunity that the fruits of liberty can be enjoyed by all. As was noted at the commencement of his valedictory speech tonight, the theme of consistency that was tagged by others—and indeed in some ways dogged George for part of his time as Attorney-General—is best epitomised by the statement given in his first speech:

For as long as I sit in this place I will defend the absolute right of all citizens to the free expression of their opinions—no matter how unfashionable, ignorant or offensive those opinions may seem to others.

I suspect George may wish that he'd given that less quote-worthy version of that sentiment during an answer in question time one day.

It was with that, though, that also Senator Brandis outlined a very important perspective that political power is a dangerous elixir for some. And he brought that knowledge and perspective to the role of Attorney-General. As the protector of the rule of law, the first law officer of the land, and, indeed, in his work on national security and foreign intelligence reforms, bringing that understanding of liberal values meant that George was the right person at the right place at the right time to be able to reconcile the best instincts and understanding of John Stuart Mill's thesis that the only purpose for which power ought be rightly exercised over individuals is to prevent harm to others. I know, from having witnessed it in the party room, the cabinet, the parliament, in private and in public, that George was always mindful of the need, when undertaking law reform and particularly in the challenging area of national security law reform, to keep those principles in perspective.

I noted in doing some research for this speech that back in that 1984 work there was also an interesting statement that Liberals should stress policies of liberal reformism, for example in law reform. The advice was given—in what were then to be the early years of a long wilderness stage of opposition for the party—that the Liberal Party had too often missed those opportunities for marginal change to the status quo for which liberal values cried out, and which offered the prospect of greater popular support; for example, among the young. In reading that, I couldn't help but reflect upon the many conversations that we had about the marriage equality reform that so marked the end of George's time as Attorney-General. Those conversations were conducted again over many years with wise counsel and advice as to how best to see prospects of that debate proceed. I know how determined Senator Brandis was to ensure that it succeeded under his watch, under this government. It is to his lasting credit that that change did occur. In that debate and in those speeches, which many have denoted tonight, Senator Brandis rightly acknowledged that the passage of the same-sex marriage bill demolished the last significant bastion of legal discrimination against people on the grounds of their sexuality. After centuries of prejudice, discrimination, rejection and ridicule, it is both an expiation of past wrongs and a final act of acceptance and embrace.

It was also an act of great liberal law reform, the likes of which, indeed in your very earliest writings, you had called for the Liberal Party to play a leading role in delivering.

In general, of course, I think of George for many things: his unrivalled vocabulary, the occasions upon which I would walk into his office and feel much better about the untidiness of my office, and the camaraderie of his office. We heard him pay tribute to his staff tonight. Any of us who turned up to the Kingo on a Thursday night would see that it wasn't just George turning up for drinks with his colleagues, but, indeed, it was George celebrating the hard work of his team and congratulating and working with them regularly to celebrate their efforts and hard work.

I also know what a proud, but reserved, father Senator Brandis is. Of his son, Simon, who has followed him into the law, and his daughter, Phoebe, in medicine, he would speak quietly but with the enormous pride of a dad. I recall most recently standing in the corridor between the cabinet room and the Prime Minister's office when George told me with great pride and excitement that Phoebe was to receive the university medal for her work.

We will miss you, but we know that we will have great opportunity to stay in touch in a different way in your new role. I look forward to your contribution as high commissioner but I also look forward to what will come after, where I predict and am confident you will return to the roots of delving into liberalism, liberal thinking and its place in Australian society, in particular.

I look back on those words that you wrote in 1984 with Tom and Don and know that they continue very strongly in a number of ways. For those of us who continue in this place, a greater burden falls upon our shoulders, with your departure, to live up to some of those writings. I'll close with this quote from those works: 'This generation of Liberals must not only be vigilant to protect and preserve those liberal values that are already entrenched but also be no less resolute than our forebears in seeking to extend those values to new spheres. We should at the present time in the Liberal Party's development be concerned to insist that liberalism is very much a mix of individualistic and egalitarian rights.'

Thank you, George, for all you've contributed. Thank you for your friendship, and every success in the future.