Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

So much has already been said of the late, great Doug Anthony. The Anthony family has given so much to Australia. Through politics they have entrenched themselves into the fabric of the nation and, particularly, rural Australia. My home state of Queensland particularly owes Doug a great debt.

Doug was married to Margot. His father, Hubert Lawrence—Larry—was a Country Party minister in the Fadden and Menzies governments. His son Larry continued the tradition of public service as an elected National Party member for Richmond, in New South Wales, from 1996 to 2004, and Larry's contribution to the party continues right to this day in his role as president of the party.

Doug was a formidable ally for people outside the capital cities, and there's no doubt regional Australia would be worse off without his fierce advocacy on their behalf. He was instrumental in securing closer trade ties with New Zealand, the Middle East, Japan and China. But what I want to touch on is the extraordinary impact that he had through just one decision for my home state of Queensland. Tourism guru Sir Frank Moore was spearheading a charge to have Queensland bid to host the 1988 World Expo. World Expos had to that date been very onerous financially on the host countries; they had not always been financially successful. Sometimes the land around them was left in very poor condition and undeveloped. But Queensland, riding on the back of 30 years of successful management and administration by the National Party government, were confident they'd turn the state from an agrarian economy into a powerhouse in mining, industrial development, cheap electricity, cheap land and cheap water. It had developed extraordinary tourism assets. In the early 1980s we knew we were ready to host a world-leading exposition.

However, regional is in the eye of the beholder, and the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, believed that Sydney or Melbourne should host such an event. But both Sydney and Melbourne didn't believe that they would be able to successfully hold such an event, and they didn't want the financial and other burdens. So the Prime Minister refused Queensland's request to go to Paris to lodge a request to bid to hold this event. Unfortunately for the Prime Minister he had had an accident on his farm and hurt his back, and Doug Anthony, sworn in as the Acting Prime Minister, was in the top job. Sir Frank Moore, ever the opportunist, having heard the news on the radio that morning, quickly rang the Premier of Queensland, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and said to him that he must immediately ring the Acting Prime Minister and put to him the idea that Brisbane should be the host of this exposition. Sir Joh did exactly that. Doug Anthony, acting with the decisive and future-looking vision that we have heard so much of this afternoon, immediately granted the request, and Brisbane won the bid to host the expo, which went down to be one of the most successful expos ever held and was one of the very few to turn a profit.

I worked at that expo, and I'm proud to say that it was a turning point for Queensland. We were like a very sleepy country town that closed at lunchtime on Saturdays. There was no outdoor eating. We didn't have the international quality hotels and events that we now have so many of. We had international acts that were hosted by Riverstage, and there are many extraordinary stories of good times at the expo. It changed the future of Brisbane and Queensland. It turned Brisbane into a confident city capable of hosting international events and capable of developing further along the lines it already had. The bustling dining, entertainment and recreation precinct of South Brisbane is a jewel in Brisbane's crown and will forever be the legacy of Doug Anthony's brave and timely decision to back Queensland and back regional Australia.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.