Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion relating to the death of former deputy prime minister and member of the House of Representatives the Hon. Timothy Andrew 'Tim' Fischer, AC.

Leave granted.

I thank the Senate, and I would also like to welcome Tim's family with us in the chamber today. I move:

That the Senate records its deep sorrow at the death, on 22 August 2019, of the Honourable Timothy (Tim) Fischer AC, former Leader of the National Party, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in the House of Representatives and Ambassador, places on record its gratitude of his long service to the Parliament and the nation, and extends its profound sympathies to his family in their bereavement.

A giant of this parliament, a giant of the National Party, Vietnam War veteran, Leader of the National Party, Deputy Prime Minister, ambassador to the Holy See, husband of Judy, father to Harrison and Dominic: there are so many ways to remember the late, great Tim Fischer. But, above all, we remember Tim as a humble man who always wanted to help people; a man whose passion for regional Australia, contributions to gun reform, service in the Vietnam War, and love of trains and Akubra hats made him one of the most loved politicians of his generation.

As a politician, Tim's life mirrored that of a train journey: there were many stops along the way. His often hectic schedule of visits to branch meetings and functions earned him the affectionate nickname 'Two-Minute Tim'. He would often arrive, speak for a couple of minutes, chat to the people present, or colleagues, and then depart for the next stop on his busy schedule. But he never forgot a name and was always listening to the community. He understood the value of people in his life. He listened, gave his attention and always remembered. It was his way with people that made him universally popular.

When Tim announced on 30 June 1999 that he was quitting as Deputy Prime Minister to spend more time with his two young sons, sustained applause broke out in the House of Representatives at the conclusion of his farewell. The standing ovation extended for more than a minute and included even those who thought poorly of his rise to the top of the Nationals nine years earlier. He had won them all over. Tim was a titan of rural Australia, a true man of the people, who saw opportunities and seized them, and our country is a beneficiary of his work.

Tim was born to Barbara and Ralph in Lockhart, New South Wales, on 3 May 1946. The third of four children, he grew up on the family property and attended Boree Creek Public School before becoming a boarder at Melbourne's Xavier College. He battled intense homesickness during his time at Xavier College. His heart was in the country. It was where he belonged. After spending summers at home in Lockhart, he would take the long train journey back to Melbourne. This gave Tim some solace. From a young age he loved trains and remained enthusiastic about them until his recent passing. His move from the country to the city was the first of many.

In 1966 Tim was conscripted into the Australian Army as part of national service. He trained at Scheyville and served as a second lieutenant in 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Tim served in the Vietnam War, fulfilling the role of transport officer as well as platoon commander. In 1968, during the Battle of Coral-Balmoral, he was wounded by rocket fire. An explosion tore out a piece of his shoulder, and his life was saved by a flak jacket when shrapnel also hit him in the chest. What our country owes to that flak jacket! He finished in the Army in 1969, but his time in uniform was only the beginning of his service to our country.

Tim returned to the Riverina and took up farming at Boree Creek. He became active in the Country Party, as the Nationals were then known. In 1971, at the record young age of 24, Tim entered the political arena through the New South Wales parliament. He was the first Vietnam War veteran to be elected to any Australian parliament.

After 13 years in state politics, Tim contested and won the seat of Farrer at the 1984 federal election. His victory was significant and unprecedented—a feat not repeated since. In winning the seat of Farrer, Tim became the first and only National Party member for the electorate, which has otherwise been held by Liberals since its creation in 1949. Tim held the seat until his retirement in 2001. Tim quickly gained popularity in his party and the parliament. Within a year of entering the parliament he was on the opposition frontbench, and he only continued to rise. In 1985, he became the shadow minister for veterans' affairs and gave a voice to those who, like himself, had fought in armed conflict. Tim served in parliament and in Vietnam, which speaks volumes about the person he was.

In 1990, the boy from Boree Creek, as Tim was dubbed, was elected as the Nationals new leader after Charles Blunt lost his seat at the general election. As can often be the case in our profession, quite a number of political commentators had views in relation to Tim's elevation to Nationals leadership and in fact questioned the National Party's decision to install Tim as leader. Tim defied the sceptics, successfully managing his party and the coalition relationship to the benefit of each and the country. He provided stability for the coalition when the leadership of the parliamentary Liberal Party was passed from John Hewson to Alexander Downer to John Howard. In his personal life during this time, I'm advised that Tim was courting fellow National Party member Judy Brewer. He and Judy married in 1992 and had two sons, Harrison and Dominic.

In 1993, Tim became the shadow minister for trade. His politics on this subject were different to many of his National Party colleagues. Unlike many Nationals of his period, Tim was an internationalist, not a protectionist. He was comfortable with the economic and trade approach that was perhaps more known from within the Liberal Party. He understood the value of broadening Australia's footprint beyond our shores.

In 1996, Tim reached the peak of his political career, becoming Australia's Deputy Prime Minister when John Howard returned the Liberal and National Party coalition to government. He retained the trade portfolio for which he had responsibility in opposition and forged closer relationships between Australia and Asia. He made particularly close political friends and allies in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. Tim enthusiastically sought to place rural Australia on the world stage. He visited railway stations in cities from Pretoria to Tehran to, as he said, 'get a feel for the standard of living and quality of infrastructure in countries off the beaten track'.

Tim's most significant contribution in public life was on the domestic front. After the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, he stood shoulder to shoulder with John Howard in championing better gun laws for Australia, which made and continue to make Australia and Australians safer. This was a difficult issue for Tim, and he showed great political courage and strength. The reforms elicited a fierce backlash in the bush and inside the Nationals. The rural base said no, and rallies against gun control included effigies of Tim. But he didn't flinch. Tim took a strong moral stand on the issue, not a political one. To him it was about 'taking out of the suburbs of Australia the semi-automatic and automatic weapons that should not be in the suburbs of Australia'. Under the reforms, more than 700,000 firearms were surrendered to police and destroyed during a gun amnesty and buyback. More Australians are alive today as a result of these changes, and recent events elsewhere in the world underscore the importance of these reforms to this day. Tim also navigated the rise of the rival One Nation party, working with John Howard to ensure the survival of the Nationals and stabilise the Australian political landscape.

In 1999, Tim announced he was stepping down as Deputy Prime Minister and moving to the backbench. He was doing so to spend more time with his family. That was the type of man he was, always considering the needs of others. Tim left politics altogether in 2001, and rounded out his professional life as a tourism executive and with an ambassadorial appointment to the Vatican. From the backblocks of rural New South Wales to Vietnam, and from the halls of parliament to the home of the Catholic Church, Tim left an indelible mark. He fought for his country, in war and in politics, and we are forever indebted to him for his service. Tim also fought very publicly for his son Harrison, who was diagnosed with autism as a child. Tim shared Harrison's inspirational story with the nation, and was proud that Harrison has reached a level of independence and contentment in his life. Sadly, Tim could not win his own battle with leukaemia.

For his contribution to our country, Tim was, very appropriately, farewelled at a state funeral in Albury less than two weeks ago. Fittingly, he arrived on a train. With his end in sight, Tim had reached back to a happy childhood memory of the little 'Tin Hare' railmotor and arranged for his own funeral train. The railmotor carried his coffin for 100 kilometres to his service: one last ride for the avid rail enthusiast. The train driver, Kevin Schultz, said he had never seen anything like it. All the way, people stood along the track and in the paddocks and on the railway platforms of the little towns waving Akubras and Australian flags—thousands of people, all of them coming out for Tim. When the train finally pulled into the platform at Albury, another thousand or so Australians were there waiting to pay their respects. The farewell was reminiscent of his send-off in parliament in 1999. Tim was as popular with the public as he was with his parliamentary colleagues. To Judy and the boys, Harrison and Dominic, on behalf of the Australian government and the Australian Senate, and in tribute to a much-loved Australian, we in this place join in offering our sincerest condolences. May Tim rest in peace.

Honourable senators: Hear, hear!