Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its sorrow at the death, on 1 June 2024, of the Hon. Gary Roy Nairn AO, former Special Minister of State and former member for Eden-Monaro, places on record its gratitude for his service to the parliament and the nation, and tenders its sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

I'd like to talk about the career of the Hon. Gary Nairn. He grew up in Sydney. He attended Sydney Boys High School before going on to study surveying at the University of New South Wales. It's a profession that he excelled at, eventually starting his own business and taking on senior roles in the Association of Consulting Surveyors Australia and the Spatial Industries Business Association.

Spatial science and mapping would be a lifelong passion of his, and he would use his position in the federal parliament to bring awareness to what he saw as an underappreciated field. He would be the first to say that, without surveying, no major infrastructure project would go ahead. Mr Nairn's career took him to Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and as far as Switzerland and Alaska.

It was in the Northern Territory that he began to engage in politics, rising quickly through the ranks. Mr Nairn became President of the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party in 1990, after joining the party in 1987. Mr Nairn would go on to represent the federal seat of Eden-Monaro in 1996, remaining as the member for Eden-Monaro for more than a decade.

His time in parliament saw him rise to become Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2004, with responsibility for water reform, and he was promoted to the frontbench in 2006 as Special Minister of State. It was as Special Minister of State that he launched the Australian government's e-Government strategy. He recognised that the demand for specialist, skilled labour in the tech sector would only grow, and set about actively promoting and encouraging more schoolchildren, women and graduates into tech. The Australian Public Service was particularly exposed, and, in response, Mr Nairn launched the Women in IT Executive Mentoring program. The program matches senior executive mentors with female public servants across the government, developing leaders in senior data and digital roles. Since its launch, more than 400 women have participated in the Women in IT Executive Mentoring program. That's a remarkable legacy.

Even after his political career, Mr Nairn continued to promote his passions and dedicate his time to community causes. He became involved in the Monaro Early Intervention Service, a not-for-profit helping young people with disabilities, and the Mulloon Institute, a not-for-profit promoting sustainable agriculture and environmental regeneration.

In 2015, Mr Nairn was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to spatial sciences, the New South Wales and Northern Territory communities, federal parliament and disability support services. He would go on to become a national chair of the Duke of Edinburgh's awards of Australia, growing its profile by making it increasingly accessible to young Australians, and was appointed as a board member of the Biodiversity Conservation Trust of New South Wales.

I didn't have the pleasure of knowing Mr Nairn, but I wish that I had. He is rightly admired as a dedicated community advocate and a passionate individual. I extend my condolences to those parliamentarians that knew him and, of course, his many friends.

I also want to extend my most sincere condolences to his wife, Rose, his children, Ben and Deborah, and his grandchildren. The loss of a loved one is heartbreaking and I trust his family and friends will think of the happy memories and reflect on his great legacy for a long time to come.