Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death, on 14 May 2011, of Mr Andrew Murray Thomas, a senator for Western Australia from 1975 to 1983. I call the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its deep regret at the death, on 14 May 2011, of Mr Andrew Murray Thomas, former senator for Western Australia from 1975 to 1983, places on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

I did not know former senator Andrew Murray Thomas, but when I read the available information about him, a picture emerges of a hardworking, happy and caring family man who worked very hard to represent my own state of Western Australia at the federal level, as well as pursuing achievable objectives for his state at the regional and local level. Perhaps the measure of the man is best illustrated by his first Senate speech on 25 February 1976. Then, he stressed:

It seems obvious to me that if I try to apply myself to all of the matters that come before the Senate I will be of little value to anyone.

I think we all concur that we cannot possibly keep up with everything that comes before the Senate. He then drew attention to the importance to the future of Western Aust­ralia of Commonwealth-state relations, the state's agricultural potential and its very important export rural production, and these formed the framework for his future political contributions.

Former senator Thomas was born on 14 March 1936, in Blyth, South Australia. He was educated at the one-teacher Stanley Flat school and then attended the Clare High School for three years, leaving in 1951. He subsequently followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps to become a farmer and stud sheep breeder. At 18, he was the youngest official judge for the South Australian Stud Merino Sheep Breeders Association. He married wife Jenny in 1958 in Adelaide and within four years they moved to Western Australia, having pur­chased a property in the Northampton district just north of Geraldton. It is amazing how many South Australians have moved to WA and then entered the Senate. There are a number of them, and he was obviously one of the first. Senator Bishop was one and Senator Cook was another, and there is member Julie Bishop, so it sounds as if former senator Andrew Thomas set a bit of a trend and saw the wisdom of moving to Western Australia. Someone coined the phrase that he was a joiner. He joined the executive of the Stud Merino Breeders Association of Western Australia and yet became president of the rival Australian Merino Society. He was on the advisory board of the Muresk Agricultural College, was a member of the national advisory council of the CSIRO and was elected to the board of the Westralian Farmers Limited, now known as Wesfarmers. At the local level he was active in the P&C Association, the local historical society, sporting clubs and the Freemasons, but his politics developed more pragmatically. I quote him: 'I joined the Pastoralists and Graziers Association only because their representative approached me and the farmers union didn't. I joined the Liberal Party because they had a branch in Northampton and the Country Party didn't.'

By 1974, he had become vice-president of the Western Australian division of the Liberal Party. In 1975, he was elected as senator for Western Australia after an unsuccessful bid a year earlier. He was re-elected in 1977 and served until 1983. He spoke with authority on aspects of primary industry, north-west development and government services to remote areas. He promoted the order-of-irrigation scheme, citing its suitability for the production of sugar cane. He also promoted the development of the Pilbara region with the commencement of the Woodside gas project on the Burrup Peninsula.

He was an industrious member of Senate committees, serving as chair on the Standing Committee on Natural Resources. Many of the committee reports touched on environmental issues such as solar energy, plant variety rights, water resources, rural research, alternatives to petrol based fuels and the aluminium industry. His committee's report on the aluminium industry contro­versially recommended a resource rent tax. His term of appointment as Deputy Government Whip in 1981 was not without tension. He threatened to cross the floor to vote with the Labor opposition on sunset amendments to the proposed two-airline agreement, but it seems that his decision to resign as deputy whip was the result of his decision to oppose the retrospectivity clauses of legislation which the Fraser government introduced in 1982 to outlaw the bottom-of-the-harbour tax schemes, which of course was a huge issue in Western Australia.

It is also clear that his association with the resource rent tax added to the pressures that he was experiencing not just in Canberra but also within the Liberal ranks in Western Australia. He was relegated to fifth position on the Senate ticket and was not re-elected after the double dissolution of parliament and the subsequent election of March 1983. He never sought a political appointment again and eventually went into business as a cabinet-maker rather than continuing his work as a stud sheep breeder. During this time of reflection, he produced his autobiography, entitled Her Five Husbands. It tells how his wife had five husbands in one man. He was in turn a farmer, a stud merino breeder, a senator, a cabinet-maker and, finally, an author.

Let me finish by quoting former Senator Fred Chaney's valedictory words, which surely position Andrew Thomas as a Western Australian senator: 'I draw attention to the great length of time that Senator Thomas spent travelling in the remoter parts of Western Australia during each parlia­mentary recess. It was a unique contribution. Wherever I went during the last election campaign, I received expressions of apprecia­tion for Andrew Thomas's representation of those people.'

I am sure that, on behalf of all senators, I convey our sincerest condolences to Andrew Thomas's widow, Jenny; his three children, Kim, Christopher and Elizabeth; and their 10 grandchildren. He obviously lived a full and productive life, and the Senate pays due tribute to that life.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A man of strong conviction, former Senator Andrew Thomas was universally respected. When he left this place he was described as 'well regarded by everyone here' by the Liberals, 'a very good friend and colleague' by Labor and 'a happy character, a hard worker and a young man whose knowledge of the husbandry of the soil and stock was probably second to none' by the Nationals. We in the coalition mourn his passing.

Elected to this place in 1975 as a senator for Western Australia, he served as a strong advocate for rural and regional Australia and as a very effective deputy whip—a tradition continued by Senator Judith Adams. Although not in the Senate for long, he rose to prominence when he resigned as Deputy Government Whip to exercise the inalienable right of Liberal senators to cross the floor on a piece of legislation with which he did not agree. Prior to entering the parliament he was a respected and successful merino breeder in Western Australia. He was on the executive of the Stud Merino Breeders Association of Western Australia and also served as the inaugural president of the Australian Merino Society. He also served on the advisory board of the Muresk Agricultural College, the national advisory council of the CSIRO and the board of Wesfarmers. Former Senator Thomas and his wife took an active part in their local community, taking an active role on the Parents and Citizens Association and the local historical, agricultural and sporting societies.

The commitment to his local community allowed him to be regarded as a strong and effective local member—a great tribute for a senator. He broke the mould and, instead of having his electorate office in the same complex where all other Western Australians at the time had their electorate offices, established one in Geraldton to be closer to the people. In his first speech in this place he made the observation that many Western Australians rely on rural production for a large part of their income. He went on to say that a diminishing number of Australians are affected by the prosperity of farmers—a fact that is, unfortunately, true to this day.

His focus in this place was on the local interests of the north-western Kimberley regions of Western Australia, regularly asking questions in question time addressing the provision of government services to remote areas. That was when there was a greater freedom for backbenchers to ask questions without notice. I understand the President would call you and a whole host of senators would jump simultaneously. It was up to the President to choose. Clearly Senator Thomas received the call on num­erous occasions. After leaving this place he moved to Mandurah, where he went into business as a contract cabinet maker. I do not know if that was a development of what the Leader of the Government said in his speech: that he was known as a joiner because he joined a lot of organisations. He then became a cabinet maker. I wonder if that was an extension of his interest in joinery.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please stop!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will stop there. He was involved in the issues of the day, expressing concern over the two-airline agreement, tariffs costing Australian competitiveness and productivity, doubting the appropriateness of retrospective tax legislation. He was passionate about federalism. He expressed concern about marketing boards for the rural sector. What he said about marketing boards in his first speech is very interesting:

Producers must be in a position to respond immediately to changes in market requirements, and this can be difficult if a guaranteed price disguises changes in world demand.

Very prophetic words when you have a look at what happened to our wool industry, in particular, after his departure. He went on to say:

I am an advocate of free marketing of rural products, but I accept that in some industries some controls are needed. However, I have found that generally farmers who in theory support private enterprise are imposing on themselves unbelievable controls and restrictions.

These too were very prophetic words. He also championed income equalisation deposits for farmers.

Going through some old newspaper clippings I could not help but notice his role as Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on National Resources. In an article on 7 March 1981, when he was chairman of the committee, he shared the committee's view of the then Secretary to the Treasury, one Mr John Stone, who later became a senator. Mr Stone, in his testimony before the committee, was highly critical of and dissociated himself from reports dealing with the Treasury's submission to the committee. Indeed, it was seen as a contempt of the committee and the parliament. Interestingly enough the journalist, 30 years ago, was Paul Kelly, who now enjoys a very high reputation in the press gallery here in Canberra.

In 2000, former Senator Thomas published an autobiography in which he revealed himself as a conscientious and fair-minded backbencher more at home with the opportunities for constructive analysis of policy provided by Senate committees than with the sometimes cutthroat factional politics of the party, a feature which saw him relegated to the fifth position in a double dissolution ticket, having been displaced. I note that on that occasion it was Senator Noel Crichton-Browne who got the third position, after two cabinet members.

Former Senator Andrew Thomas will be remembered as a well-regarded and respected gentleman who had the courage of his convictions, had the courage to stand up for his local community and had the courage to vehemently fight to make life better for rural and regional Western Australians. To his wife, Jenny, his three children and 10 grandchildren the coalition place on record our appreciation of his public service and our sympathy to the family in their bereavement.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.