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

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its sorrow at the death, on 18 July 2020, of Colin Victor James Mason, former senator for New South Wales, places on record its appreciation for his service to the parliament and the nation, and tenders its sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Colin Mason lived a long and remarkable life. He was a respected journalist, author, politician and family man. Colin was the ABC's first foreign correspondent to Asia and one of the first Australian Democrats elected to the Australian Senate. His life was full of accomplishments, stretching from New Zealand to Australia and South-East Asia through the halls of Parliament House and into this chamber.

Colin was born in Auckland on 28 October 1926. He studied journalism at the University of New Zealand, Victoria College, in Wellington. Upon graduating, he started his career as a journalist, where he would meet his future wife, Nancy Williamson. In 1950, like many New Zealanders who cross the Tasman each year, Colin and Nancy made the journey to Australia and settled in Brisbane. Colin worked for TheSydney Morning Herald before joining the ABC as a writer, television journalist and documentary producer. In 1956, he became the ABC's first foreign correspondent in Asia, establishing an office in Singapore and pioneering ABC radio in the region. His time in South-East Asia coincided with a period of enormous change and increasing turmoil. There was civil unrest and many countries had forced the withdrawal of European colonial rule, with communism slowly gaining a foothold in parts of Asia. Colin spoke of his time in South-East Asia as fascinating, demanding and, at times, slightly dangerous but always interesting and, because of the amount of change, always newsworthy. He was considered a significant commentator and recognised expert on Asian history and he was an early advocate for Australia's engagement in our region.

Colin published a number of novels and extensive materials on the South-East Asia region, including Hostage in 1973, which went on to sell 200,000 copies worldwide, a major accomplishment. After 14 years with the ABC, Colin moved his family to the Blue Mountains to spend more time with them and focus on his writing. However, he took a keen interest in politics and in the early 1970s he joined the Australia Party, running as a Senate candidate in the 1975 election. While he was unsuccessful in 1975, he would get another opportunity a couple of years later. Politics can be like that. In 1977, Colin ran again, this time as a Senate candidate for the newly formed Australian Democrats. As one of the founding members of the Australian Democrats and vice-president of the party, Colin was successful in securing a seat in the Australian Senate and, on 1 July 1978, Colin entered this chamber as one of the first senators to represent the Australian Democrats, alongside former Liberal senator Don Chipp. By 1981, the number of Democrats rose to five and, by 1985, it rose again to seven, giving them the balance of power in the Senate.

During his time in the Senate, Colin was very vocal on a number of issues, including the importance of participatory democracy, environmental issues and foreign affairs. He was a strong advocate for bilateral relations between Australia and China, promoting peace and prosperity even after retiring from politics. He took part in the first Australian parliamentary delegation to the People's Republic of China in 1985 and, upon his return, noted that China was full of great trade opportunities for Australia.

After leaving parliament in 1987, Colin returned to his passion for writing. He published a number of fictional and non-fictional books, taking inspiration from his experiences in South-East Asia and his time in the Australian parliament. His love of writing was something he passed on to his sons, who have also published a number of books. Colin was a family man. He greatly enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren, taking family vacations, exploring the bushland around his Blue Mountains property and sailing around Pittwater. Colin was also an avid bodysurfer and even in his nineties could still be spotted riding waves around the Northern Beaches area.

Colin died aged 93 on Saturday, 18 July, after battling ill health. His wife, Nancy, passed in 2001 and he leaves three children, Mark, Rosemary and Matthew, as well as five grandchildren. On behalf of the Australian government, and the Australian Senate, I extend to Colin's loved ones our sincerest condolences. May he rest in peace.