Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate records its deep sorrow at the death on 10 March 2019 of Mr Gordon McIntosh, a former senator for Western Australia, and places on record its gratitude for his distinguished services to the parliament and extends its profound sympathies to its family in their bereavement.

A dedicated parliamentarian who supported an unapologetic commitment to humanitarian principles, former Senator Gordon McIntosh's passing sees the nation lose a fiery advocate for human rights in our region. Like so many who helped to build our great nation, Gordon's story was that of an immigrant. He was born in Glasgow on 29 March 1925 to a shipbuilder and swimming pool attendant—Gordon McIntosh, after whom he was named, and Dorothy Robson. Growing up in Scotland, Gordon's formative years exposed him to the realities of working class life and, from a young age, he came to know what it meant to truly put one's body on the line for their job.

Having attended both Drumoyne Primary School and Govan High School, at the young age of 15 he began to work in earnest, first as an apprentice fitter and turner in the bustling shipyards of Glasgow. Never one to shy away from hard work, much of his adolescence was spent working long hours at physically laborious jobs. Away from the shipyards, he spent time in a Glasgow lamp-making factory and a metal foundry while also serving as a mechanic in the Royal Air Force from 1946 to 1948 following the conclusion of the Second World War. These varied roles left him with an impressive array of skills and life experience. By the time he had reached just 25 years of age, he had filled the shoes of a mechanic, fitter and turner, and maintenance engineer. Gordon's life would soon change dramatically. He married Elizabeth Graham, known as Betty, on 31 March 1950. In that same year, the young couple made the decision of so many others in their generation—to cross the globe and migrate to Australia via the free ex-servicemen's passage. In time, the pair would have two sons, Gordon and Craig.

Settling with his family in Perth, Gordon quickly took up work as a dye maker at the Perth Mint, where he would become a fixture over 22 years of work. Notably, after Singapore's declaration of independence in 1968, he played a significant role in helping it establish its own mint in what was a clear precursor of his later interest in Australia's role in the Asian region. The help that he provided to Singapore was clearly well received. I note that at the time of his passing, some decades later, condolences came in from some of those who had worked alongside Gordon at the Singapore Mint.

Gordon was a member of the Amalgamated Engineering Union in Scotland. He served as a union representative in Western Australia from the 1950s through to 1972. He was also a key figure in the Como-Mill Point and Collier-Manning branches of the Labor Party and served a hefty 26 years on its state executive. Knowing what the state executives of political parties are like, many would joke that you get less for life. Nonetheless, he was preselected from that service for the third position on the Western Australia Labor Senate ticket in May 1972 and at the double dissolution election of 1974 he was elected to the Australian Senate.

Still sporting an unmistakable Scottish accent, which one commentator touted as being more Billy Connolly than Commonwealth upper house—Gordon reminds us of somebody else who's here today—Gordon threw himself into the task of representing his adopted home at the highest levels. Delivering his first speech in this place on 10 July 1974, he made clear that representing his state and its interests would be a firm priority. His passion for Western Australia was obvious. He would routinely laud its scale, beauty and economic potential and it was always top of mind for him to ensure all Western Australians enjoyed the same fair treatment as those on the east coast.

Over the course of his senatorial career, Gordon held a number of roles, including those of Deputy Opposition Whip from 1976 to 1980, Deputy Government Whip from 1983 to 1987 and Temporary Chair of committees from 1980 to 1983. Gordon also chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence from 1983 to 1987, serving on the committee for the majority of his parliamentary career. It was here that he pursued the international issues for which he was most well known. At times his interest in foreign affairs took him far beyond the walls of this place, including a period as an Australian parliamentary adviser at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several months in late 1983.

Gordon was a fierce advocate for the things he believed in and was never afraid to challenge the status quo. By disposition, he was a man of internationalist principles. That sentiment came to the fore in his ferocious criticism of French nuclear testing in the pacific. Not content with relegating his criticism to set speeches, in April of 1982 he was, in fact, present on a protest ship when it was detained by the French Navy after entering an exclusion zone. Unperturbed, it was only a few weeks later he was at the forefront of protests against an American nuclear-powered vessel when he was visiting Brisbane, a position that caused no small degree of consternation within the ranks of his party's executive at the time. However, Gordon was most prominently known for his staunch support for the self-determination of the East Timorese people. This was an issue that consumed much of his energy and passion in the parliament and one which he was willing to take a stand and make a stand even against his own party. That passion did not dim with his departure from parliamentary life. In June 1987, he continued to follow and to contribute on the topic in the years after his retirement. Such was the length and profile of his commentary that, after decades of advocacy, he was formally invested into the Order of Timor-Leste in December 2014.

In closing, and in reflecting once more on the life of a deeply driven Australian public servant, I believe that the recent words of the government of Timor-Leste captured the sentiment well. They said:

Gordon McIntosh will not be forgotten in Timor-Leste and will be forever remembered with great affection, admiration and respect. In this sadness moment, we mourn his death, but we celebrate his contribution.

The people of Timor-Leste, the people of Australia and, no doubt, those in his country of birth all recognise the contribution that Gordon made. It is to Gordon's family, friends and all those touched by his remarkable life and his generosity of spirit that, on behalf of the government, I offer our sincerest condolences.