Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the Opposition to express our condolences following the passing of the Hon. Andrew Sharp Peacock AC, and I convey, at the outset, our sympathy to his family and friends and particularly acknowledge my counterpart, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who I know has had a long association with him since her earliest days working in politics.

Andrew Peacock combined substance and style, and he advanced liberal causes throughout a three-decade career as a parliamentarian and later as a diplomat. He was present during important moments in our history and in world history, from our engagement in Vietnam and the independence of Papua New Guinea to leading the Liberal Party to two elections and, of course, as Australia's Ambassador to the United States. That he never became prime minister is, for some, a great shame, but he accomplished a great deal in his career, both inside and outside the parliament, and, on our side, he will always have respect for the stature he gave classical liberal values and for the force with which he advocated them internally and publicly. He put liberalism at the centre of the Liberal Party, even when that meant having difficult battles with those leading the growing movement toward hardline conservativism. I hope that reflections on his passing inspire those of more classically liberal persuasions to find their voice and renew his legacy.

Andrew Peacock's early life quickly turned to politics. He went to the University of Melbourne, where he completed a Bachelor of Laws degree, but, of course, the pull was always towards a different vocation. His political interests saw him unsuccessfully contest a House seat in 1961, and he became the youngest ever president of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party in 1965.

Just a year later, still well before he was 30 years of age, he succeeded in obtaining a seat in parliament following the retirement of Robert Menzies, and so the parliamentary career of the 'Colt from Kooyong' was born, and the colt, indeed, bolted from the gate. He would attain ministerial office before the decade was out, serving as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister and Minister for the Army under Prime Minister Gorton and then under Billy McMahon, who added Minister Assisting the Treasurer.

There were obviously undoubted challenges serving as army minister as the Vietnam War grew in unpopularity. These were probably compounded by serving alongside Malcolm Fraser as defence minister, with debate between them a portent of how the relationship between the two would continue to play out.

In 1972, Prime Minister McMahon made Mr Peacock minister for territories, which included Papua New Guinea, and for his efforts in supporting Papua New Guinea he would later be appointed a Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu.

When Mr Fraser became Prime Minister in 1975, he appointed Andrew Peacock as his Minister for Foreign Affairs, and, as my colleague Senator Birmingham has said, it is probably for this position that he is perhaps best remembered. His capacity to move in international circles with a great deal of ease, building alliances and friendships, served him and our nation well. He was a trusted voice for the nation on the world stage. He understood that among the roles of the foreign minister is to explain both the world to Australia and Australia to the world. His liberal values guided his approach, and he sought results based on these principles.

In his role in supporting a newly independent Papua New Guinea, he continued a strong friendship with Sir Michael Somare, whose passing we also recently marked in this place. Other key foreign policy challenges he confronted in our region included the developing relationship with China, the fallout from the war in Vietnam, the Indonesian incorporation of East Timor and the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

On Cambodia, Australia's recognition of Pol Pot's regime in what was then known as so-called Democratic Kampuchea was a source of division within the Fraser government and of particular disagreement between Mr Fraser and his foreign minister. Mr Peacock was strongly opposed to recognition, a matter he argued in cabinet and in the House of Representatives, as well as with the Prime Minister directly. His arguments with Fraser became especially heated when evidence came to light of the torture and death of two Australians, David Scott and Ron Dean, at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Mr Peacock's principled stand against a regime that committed atrocities on an abominable scale was a statement not only about the monstrous nature of the violations taking place, something he had warned about previously but also about the fundamental duties of a national government towards its people. He stated, 'Our primary duty was to our own bloody citizen,' words still relevant today.

Mr Peacock found himself on the outer following his public disagreement with Mr Fraser, and his opposition to recognition of Pol Pot's regime was a matter he highlighted when changing from foreign affairs to the industrial relations portfolio following the 1980 election and when he later resigned from the ministry in 1981. He unsuccessfully challenged for the leadership but would return to cabinet in 1982 for a brief period as Minister for Industry and Commerce.

The election of the Hawke Labor government in 1983 and the return of Labor governments at the next four federal polls in an unbroken period of government that would last until 1996 saw Andrew Peacock spend the remainder of his parliamentary career in opposition. It also paved the way for the battle between two adversaries in the same party: Mr Peacock and John Howard. This tussle between wet and dry, between two individuals committed to different visions for the Liberal Party and for the nation became a defining alternative political narrative for nearly a decade and involved a constant tug of war over who was leader. Mr Peacock led the Liberals to losses in 1984 and 1990. During the latter campaign, his capacity to be Prime Minister came under significant attack, but it is worth noting that during that election the coalition received, to his credit, more than 50 per cent of the vote, and he accepted that result with the spirit in which our democracy should be conducted.

Andrew Peacock resigned from parliament in September 1994, and he was appointed to serve as Australia's ambassador to the United States. He found himself as our representative to one of our key allies as the Clinton administration grappled with changing dynamics in geopolitics following the end of the Cold War, including the 1998 Kosovo War. In 1997, he was recognised for service to the parliament, to politics and for the formulation and implementation of defence and foreign policy when he was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia.

Andrew Peacock had a precocious political life and a prodigious career. He was widely commended for his performance in key posts, including minister and ambassador. Whilst the ultimate political expectation many held for him of the prime ministership was not fulfilled, he nonetheless had a distinguished period of service to our nation. But he described his greatest defeat as the loss in the 1974 Melbourne Cup by a horse he part owned, saying:

She came second and she was favourite, but she got caught in the shadows of the post. That was a shattering blow.

Unfortunately, this might have been something of an analogy for his own career—although it says something that he thought that was his greatest defeat.

John Howard reflected following his passing, 'Australia lost a man who brought flare and style as well as high intelligence to his years in public office.' Andrew Peacock set new standards in Australian politics. I close by again expressing, on behalf of the Labor Party, our condolences and deepest sympathy following his passing to his family, friends and party.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.