John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pursuant to order, the Senate will now move to valedictory statements. Senator Boyce, my apologies. Senator Hogg did ramble on; I tried to keep him quiet, but—!

Sue Boyce (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was thinking perhaps I could simply say 'ditto' to 80 per cent, at least, of that and sit down—but I am not going to. I want to thank all the members of the then Queensland Liberal Party who gave me the extraordinary opportunity and the great honour of being a Queensland Senator for the past seven years. I regret that many of those people are no longer involved in party politics, but I want to sincerely acknowledge those who were there at the beginning and who are with me again tonight at the end. Thank you.

I would also like to acknowledge the members of my new party, the LNP. It is a matter of record that I was opposed to the merger of the Nationals and the Liberals in Queensland in 2008, but our stunning victory in the Queensland state election of 2012, after spending most of the previous 23 years in opposition, as well as our contribution to the Abbott government victory last year, demonstrates that I was wrong.

In the past few months I have been asked numerous times if, as a moderate and a feminist, I am concerned about our party's perceived move to the right. Yes, I am concerned—but I am also hopeful. I am hopeful that debates about important issues such as same-sex marriage and responses to climate change will continue to be conducted robustly, but respectfully, within our party. I also expect that pragmatism will ultimately triumph. Australians will continue to elect governments of the centre right—and, hopefully less often, of the centre left—so any general move too far to the right would make us unelectable.

Recently I came across a letter from the former Howard government minister and Senator John Herron AO, congratulating me on being preselected to the 2004 Senate ticket. He ends the letter by saying:

I wish you well in your political career. It is worth pursuing and the only advice I can give you is that you should enjoy every moment of it. It will be exhilarating, frustrating and exhausting but well worthwhile.

He was absolutely right.

I still remember the sense of honour and grave responsibility I felt when I learnt that I was being sworn in as Australia's 515th senator ever; that is over the past 106 years. I still feel that sense of responsibility and honour. I am an accidental politician. When I stood in 2004 and was preselected to the 'unwinnable' fourth spot on the Senate ticket, I was president of the Liberal Women's Council. I perceived my role as a flag-bearer for women of the Queensland Liberal Party. I thought I was mentoring other, younger women to have the opportunity to be Queensland Liberal senators in the medium-term future—certainly not before 2010 or 2013. But when then Senator Santo Santoro resigned suddenly, I was put in the position of putting up or shutting up—and I decided to put up. I won a long preselection from nine other candidates, all male. I want to acknowledge my Queensland senatorial colleagues and running mates over two elections, Senators Ian Macdonald, George Brandis and Brett Mason, for the huge amount of support and advice they gave me during that campaign.

I am only the fourth woman senator from Queensland on our side of politics, ever, but the company is august. It includes the late Dame Annabelle Rankin, Mrs Kathy Martin Sullivan AM and Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen.

Backbench senators have an enormous amount of freedom as to where they concentrate their policy energies. It is possible to develop expertise and credibility, to influence policy and to support and promote recognition on almost any issue on the national agenda—and I have absolutely revelled in that freedom. Over the last past seven years I have used my maiden speech as though it were a set of key performance indicators to guide and to assess my work as a senator. In that first speech I raised issues about small and family businesses and red tape, about the changing face of Australian manufacturing, about private enterprise, about outdated attitudes to people with a disability, about the need for more women in politics and about modernising our parliamentary practices—I just have to say ditto pretty much to everything you said on that topic, Mr President.

With the advent of the Abbott government we are now beginning to see the development of a grown-up Australia: a country where the government provides a functional, operating environment for families and for businesses, with a support net for individuals who may need it, and then gets out of the way so people can develop and build their lives as they see fit.

So I move on to my self-assessed KPI scores. On family and small business, I am awarding a score of eight out of 10. As Deputy Chair of the Corporations and Financial Services Committee I instigated an inquiry into family business in Australia, its needs and the impediments to its growth and succession planning. Family business is a massive and critical sector of our economy, but the lack of focus on the sector by Treasury and other government departments was frightening. Now we have, for the first time, a Minister for Small Business as part of cabinet, the development of a Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, the inclusion of family business on the ministerial advisory council and a government that will promptly pay bills under $200,000 to small businesses by credit or debit card.

On red tape reduction, I gave a score of five out of 10. The government has already held the first of two annual repeal days in parliament and put through an omnibus bill designed to repeal almost 10,000 pieces of legislation and regulations. Unfortunately, that has only so far passed through the House of Representatives. The objective is to save Australian business, including not-for-profits, $1 billion a year. I would have given a higher score than the five out of 10 if that bill had gone through the Senate by now.

On disability, I scored six out of 10. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a fantastic start. It was unthinkable even seven years ago. But there is more—much, much more—to do. It needs to be happening in inclusive education, in improving the appalling employment statistics for people with a disability and in innovative housing for people with a disability. We have moved a long way from seeing people with a disability as objects of charity to now just seeing them as another subset of the community. We have a bit further to go before the economic benefits of a sensibly resourced NDIS are properly appreciated. The Productivity Commission estimated that the NDIS, by enabling many people with a disability and their paid and unpaid carers to join the workforce, would add one per cent to GDP. In my first speech to the Senate in 2007, I said in relation to disability that any time we send 'special' people to 'special' places to do 'special' things we make vulnerable people more vulnerable. Not everyone has understood that message yet, in my view. Through my involvement with disability I have also become involved with many other marginalised groups, and I have spoken about some of those in this chamber and tried to support them outside this chamber. I am thinking particularly of two that I will mention today: the Tamil and Hazara communities in Queensland who desperately need our support and help.

Women in politics—now, that is where I scored one out of 10. There is only, as we know, one woman in the Abbott government: the wonderful Minister Julie Bishop. There are only four LNP women in the House of Representatives, and two of them are over here today—thank you for being here. Once I leave on 30 June there will be no LNP women in the Senate. So I figure I have failed. But so, I think, has our party at both the state and the federal level. It is obvious that if we want more women in cabinet we need more women in parliament. The current 22 per cent figure is just not good enough. Improving this pathetic figure must be the job of every party member and every party employee.

On modernising parliament, Mr President, I awarded a score of three out of 10—and you said so much more eloquently some of the things that I was intending to say. There has been a small increase since I have been here in the use of videoconferencing and the like. But, in my experience, the technology that we use here is not as reliable as that used by business 20 years ago. There have been changes to some of the arcane practices of the Senate, but sitting hours still seem to be predicated on MPs having a support person—read 'spouse'—to do washing and shopping and the like and on having very, very flexible child care. Not all of us have that. On the plus side, we do not have—and I hope, Mr President, that you and your successors will agree with this—and hopefully we never will have, PowerPoint presentations in the chamber!

Much of my satisfaction in the Senate has come from the work of the Community Affairs Committee, which I now chair. The committee oversights the departments of health, social services and human services—an enormous chunk of government spending. I would especially like to acknowledge my fellow committee members Senator Claire Moore and Senator Rachel Siewert, who were there before I arrived and will be there after I leave. I would also like to acknowledge former senator Gary Humphries, a former chair of the committee, who is in the gallery today, and the late Senator Judith Adams, whose background as a rural midwife made her an indefatigable fighter for the health needs of rural Australia.

Inquiries I have instigated or supported through the Community Affairs Committee have fed into improvements or new policy on palliative care, disability in general and the NDIS and special disability trusts in particular, mental health and suicide, the coerced sterilisation of people with a disability and of young intersex people, the treatment of people with dementia, paid parental leave, hearing health, the supply of health professionals and medical services into rural Australia, and PATS, the patient assisted travel schemes—a great favourite of Judith Adams. The committee has been told that our inquiry into the sterilisation of young intersex people in fact is a world first and is being used globally as a model.

Party solidarity is an interesting beast. I really do not have much time for those MPs on all sides who support the party—read 'leader's'—line no matter what in the hope of a promotion. I have the utmost respect for those who thoughtfully put their own views in the party room and shut up outside the party room. I have been one of those on most occasions. I have occasionally been one of those who speaks and acts outside the party room when I cannot in good conscience support it. I have crossed the floor only three times, although it does seem like more. I crossed once on the CPRS emissions trading scheme along with former Senator—and someone I regard as a mentor—Judith Troeth and crossed the floor twice on marriage equality bills. I was not prepared for how I felt when it came to actually physically crossing the floor. It is lonely; and, no matter how strong your conviction in the correctness of your stance, there is a small part of you that feels disloyal to your colleagues, to your party and to the fragile fabric that unites us.

One thing that I learnt very early in my parliamentary career is that Hansard does not record sarcasm. It is still something I have to remind myself about a lot; so, just for the record: every time it appears from my comments that I really did think that a Labor government proposal was fantastic or wonderful, I was being sarcastic!

I also learnt very early that the media—and I am a former journalist—do not acknowledge sarcasm when it suits them. Very early in my career here I was asked at the doors what I would do with a pay rise that MPs were to receive. I did not even know we were getting a pay rise nor its quantum, and I responded that I would use the increase 'to buy pearls to cast before the deserving poor.' This was actually meant to be translated as, 'Bugger off, it's none of your business,' but it was not, and I spent a lot of time explaining, apologising and copping my own share of sarcastic comments as a result.

The topics of some Senate inquiries can seem very arcane, and an inquiry in 2010 revisiting the Torres Strait Treaty between PNG and Australia may seem like one of those, but I have always had an affinity with the Torres Strait since hearing stories as a child of my great-grandfather Alfred Morey, who owned pearling luggers based out of Thursday Island before World War II. Most Australians—even most Queenslanders—seem to forget that Cape York may be the top of the mainland but it is definitely not the northernmost part of Australia. Boigu, our northernmost island, is another 140 kays or so north and it is less than six kilometres from PNG.

I have tried to visit the Torres Strait most years that I have been a senator and I will certainly be returning as a civilian, but that 2010 Torres Strait Treaty inquiry came up again just a few weeks ago in Port Hedland of all places during another inquiry by the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia. Our guide from the Port Hedland Harbour Authority commented that he had met me during the Torres Strait inquiry when he worked for Customs. 'As a matter of fact,' he said, 'That's how I met my wife. I was looking after the visit for Customs, and she'd been hired by the Torres Strait Regional Authority to look after their side of it. We had to spend a lot of time together, and it just went on from there.' I was just thinking, 'What a lovely story,' when Senator Ian Macdonald chimed in, 'Most productive thing I've ever heard come out of a Senate inquiry.' I think he was joking!

Thank you to those who have worked for me over the past seven years, especially my current staff, who are all here tonight: Mark Yore, Cathy Martin, Jacqui Donegan, Simone Stark, Harrison Smith, Martine Whitton, Mikayla Martin and Peter von Einem. I'd like to single out two particular people from my staff: Cathy Martin and Mark Yore. I have just offered Cathy her third job working with me—firstly at the Down Syndrome Association of Queensland, currently as my PA and in the future as my part-time PA whilst she expands her own business. Cathy keeps me sane. She does an extraordinary job of making me appear to be organised and offering intelligent wisdom when I really need it.

And then, of course, for those from Queensland we have Mark Yore, who has been on my staff since 2007—electoral statistician extraordinaire, feedback king and a ferocious and intelligent campaigner. I joked that Mark and the Queensland Electoral Commissioner, Ms Anne Bright, probably had each other's home phone numbers—to subsequently discover that that actually was not a joke. They do have each other's home phone numbers!

Apart from my staff, I would also like to thank all the many, many other people who have kept me functioning in the past seven years. Mr President, you gave us a comprehensive list of those. From Dr Rosemary Laing and her staff to Mr Jiri Martinek in Brisbane and his staff through to Peter and Ian and the Comcar drivers: thank you very much.

Bizarrely, one of the things I may be remembered for in this place is bringing my handbag into the chamber. I have it with me now. I must admit it never occurred to me not to bring my handbag into this chamber; and, trained observer that I am, I did not notice that I was the only person who did until someone pointed it out to me. I had reasoned that I wanted to have my phone, my pager, some cash, a pen, my reading glasses and, for five of the seven years that I was here, my cigarettes and lighter with me.

Given that I did not wear suits with many pockets—are we getting some sort of an echo of some of the issues that perhaps need modernising around here?—I thought a handbag was an excellent receptacle for said items, and I still do. But it was so unusual. The reports of my first crossing of the floor, in support of the CPRS, included the fact that Senator Boyce was 'carrying her handbag' as she crossed the floor—an absolutely fascinating addition to the sum total of human knowledge, I would have thought.

The mention of my smoking brings me to a matter that I have thought long and hard about including. When I have been asked why I did not stand for a second term, I have responded in terms of my age: 'I'll be 69 in another six years and I want to spend time with my family.' Both are absolutely true. But my decision not to renominate in November 2012 was greatly influenced by being diagnosed, in July 2012, with emphysema. It is absolutely true that I want to spend more time with my family, but I want to do it now whilst I am still an active and relatively fit mother and grandmother and not wait till I am 'granny with the oxygen cyclinder'.

And for those here, who, out of a sense of caring, have nagged me ceaselessly and futilely about smoking: you are absolutely right. I know all the dangers and the stupidity of smoking. I recently fell off the non-smoking wagon after 11 months, but I will jump back on it just as soon as I get away from the stress of all that nagging!

I am retiring from the Senate but not retiring. I am returning to my role as chair of our family manufacturing company in Brisbane, Everhard Industries. I have also accepted Minister Kevin Andrews' invitation to remain involved in the working group overseeing the implementation of policies and programs to support people affected by forced adoptions.

I will be working on access to justice issues for people with a cognitive impairment, both perpetrators and victims; on the oft-ignored issue of the extraordinary level of violence experienced by women with a disability; and on further raising the profile of family business, including agribusiness, and strengthening their voice, our voice, my voice to policymakers.

Women's representation in politics and women's financial literacy continue to be very important to me and I am planning some practical measures—I hope—to assist with both.

I am intending to continue the three annual postsecondary scholarships that I have developed—one for an Aboriginal woman, one for a Torres Strait Islander woman and one for a woman with a disability.

But, most importantly, I will be spending time with my family, my children Bede, Gina and Joanna and their families, who really do know just how exhausting and frustrating I have sometimes found my political career but also how exhilarating and satisfying I have found it. Thank you very much to Bede and Joanna, who are with us tonight. My middle child, Gina, is extremely round at the moment and not really up to flying.

Bede and Gina have both married and had children whilst I have been a senator. So I am the proud grandmother of three extraordinarily beautiful and clever little girls Chloe and Claudia Rowe and Piper Boyce, with another equally beautiful and clever grandchild expected in August. We will have to compare dates later, Mr President!

Recently, Joanna said to me, 'I can't wait till you retire, Mum, and we can do fun things.' It has been a frustrating, exhausting, exhilarating, satisfying seven years. But I also cannot wait, Jo, until we can do fun things. Thank you.

Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is hard to believe that it is 18 years since I entered the Senate. The time has passed so quickly because the journey has been so interesting. While I had been a member of the Liberal Party since my days at UWA, where I was president of the university Liberal Club and supported Liberal Party philosophies and policies in general, my immediate motivation for seeking endorsement as a senator was to give the people and industries of the north-west a voice in the federal parliament.

During the time I have been in Canberra my judgement has always been, as it was then and still is, that the importance of the north-west to the Australian economy is enormous. In 1986 in my maiden speech I said that the Pilbara mining industry contributed some 10 per cent of Australia's export income in merchandise exports. That percentage has grown enormously, with record tonnages of iron ore being exported to China, not to mention great volumes of LNG, salt and other products being exported to other destinations, meaning the Pilbara now accounts for a much greater percentage of Australia's export mining income—in fact, something like 36 per cent of it. There is in fact no other manufacturing complex in Australia to equal the Pilbara but, like much of northern Australia, there is a need for improved development to achieve its full potential, including, I believe, secondary processing.

As I said in my maiden speech, concern was being expressed at the time—this was back in 1996—even by Sir Charles Court, the father of the Pilbara, that Australia was becoming no more than a quarry for the steel mills of Asia. He had a great vision—he once told me off for saying it was a dream—that there should be a jumbo steel mill in the Pilbara. Various factors mitigated against that at the time, such as poor industrial relations, the cost of labour and the cost of power, but not so long ago I visited the port of Pohang in South Korea, where a U-shaped port is to be found. The ships from the Pilbara come into one side, where the iron ore is taken to a blast furnace at the bottom of the harbour and converted to steel, which is then put through a rolling mill on the other side of the harbour before being taken to ships and exported to the world. Why, I ask, couldn't that be done in the Pilbara?

At the last federal election, the strongly supported coalition policy promises for the north included a commitment to produce a coordinated plan for the development of the area north of the 26th parallel—or roughly an area one-third the size of Australia. Following the 2013 election a joint select committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate was established to produce a white paper for northern development. I was very pleased to be made a member of that select committee, along with my colleague Ian Macdonald, who is here tonight and has come to the meetings. We have had many hearings across the north of Australia.

In the 1980s the governments of WA under Sir Charles Court, Queensland under Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and the Northern Territory set up an organisation called the North Australia Development Council, or NADC, which held conferences annually in a different city in Queensland, WA and the Northern Territory. While there were many innovative plans presented for the development of the north to these conferences, regrettably, few were implemented. However, I believe that under the Abbott government there is a commitment to implement the development of the north, which will see the recommendations of the final white paper put into reality over 15 years as Tony Abbott has promised.

The committee is planning ways to improve infrastructure in northern Australia, with a particular focus on improving roads and communications both north-south and, more importantly, east-west. It is also focussing on promoting the concept of irrigated agriculture so that the north of Australia can become a food bowl for Asia, with a specific focus on the ASEAN group of countries to the south of China.

There is, I have to say, also a need for increased defence presence in the north to protect, particularly, the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts given the enormous level of investment in oil and gas along those coastlines. This is because of the closeness of Asia, where terrorist threats may arise, and the north-west coast, as I have said, has literally billions of dollars invested in ports and facilities for the iron ore and oil and gas industries. In the recent past an Asian fishing board came and tied up under an oil rig, which might well have been a very sad example of what we are talking about in terms of ease of access for terrorists had it contained explosives. But, of course, it did not. I am hopeful that the defence needs of the north will be given greater attention, and I am sure Ian Macdonald will continue to push that issue, as he does and many others to do with the north.

The Senate, as has been said, is a house of review—a function it carries out through its eight committees. During my time in the Senate, I have been chair of three of these committees; namely, the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Legislation Committee, the Senate Economics Committee, and more recently the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. The ECITA committeedealt with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the sale of Telstra, the cross-media ownership pact and many other pieces of legislation.

All of these committees were very busy during my tenure on them, with the Economics Committee producing some 98 reports during the first year I was the chair. This worked out at almost two reports a week. When I look back on it, it seems incredible that that level of work occurred. In fact, I think Doug Cameron was a member of that committee during that time. This was during the years of 2007 to 2010, when there was much discussion about climate change and the need for a carbon tax and an emissions trading scheme. Later, the same committee dealt with the ALP's mining tax proposal as well as the carbon tax, all of which took a lot of time and effort.

As has been said, in some ways, committees are the backbone of the work of the Senate. The secretaries of these committees and their staff carry an enormous workload, with the skills and knowledge they bring adding enormously to the roles we play. I particularly wish to pay thanks to the secretaries of the three committees I have chaired: Jacqui Dewar, Ian Holland, John Hawkins, Kathleen Dermody and David Sullivan. I must say, I really enjoyed the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, as I have a long interest in Australia's relationship with Asia—as well as a degree from Murdoch University in politics and international studies, which was largely focused on Asia. I have been offered a post at Murdoch post-Senate—so, naturally, I have to give them some mention.

Estimates are one of the burdens in the life of senators. When I came into the Senate in 1996, there was no specified adjournment time for estimates, which therefore meant that it went into the wee, small hours of the morning. In my first estimates, the hearings dragged on to 5 am and I fell asleep, gently snoring into the microphone. Alan Ramsey, who Laura Tingle would know quite closely, wrote this up in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald saying how preposterous such late sittings were—and, after that, estimates finished at the more civilised time of 11 pm.

As a member of several Asia related business organisations for a long time, I have been a strong supporter of developing stronger links between WA, Australia and the Asian countries directly to our north. The growing middle-class population in these countries provides a huge market for Australian businesses, and I think that, if we do not exploit the advantages that closeness gives us, others will. When I first came to Canberra, I was struck by the absence of such Asia awareness among my colleagues. Of course, this has now changed with the growth of our trade with Asia and with free trade agreements with Japan, China and Korea as well as strong trading relationships with countries such as Indonesia, which is predicted to be one of the boom economies of the coming decades. I think it is a very healthy thing that members of the federal parliament are showing an increased interest in Asia. After all, this is the region that we live in and it is the region we have to interact with.

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee recently conducted an 18-month inquiry into the potential benefits to Australia from developing closer ties with the 35 countries which compose the Indian Ocean Rim and which have a growing middle-class population from East Africa to India. I believe the potential economic and other benefits from developing closer ties across the Indian Ocean are enormous. That whole concept is somewhere where our relationship with Asia used to be about 20 years ago. As some may be aware, there is an Indian Ocean Rim Association, with headquarters in Mauritius. Australia will be the chair of this association for the coming two years. I am certain this will lead to great opportunities in the future, as I am convinced that, in time, the Indian Ocean Rim will provide an important addition and benefit to the Australian economy, especially through trade and service opportunities with India and East Africa as well as the Gulf States.

Having been a medical practitioner in Port Hedland for some 22 years, regional health services has been an important interest of mine. This includes improving health services to Indigenous people. I have greatly admired the commitment of the minerals industry to train young Aboriginals in apprenticeships and other job skills. I congratulate the Minerals Council of Australia for promoting this concept, as I believe the key to the door to the world for Aboriginal people lies in education and job skill training.

Before I went to the Pilbara, I had never had any contact with Aboriginal people, But, working in the Port Hedland hospital, I did inevitably interact with Aboriginal people and was invited to one of their quarterly bush meetings. This one was held on the banks of the Coongan River, near Marble Bar. There were about 1,000 Aborigines at the meeting, which was held in a glade under the trees. The head Aboriginal of the Pilbara, an imposing figure with a stetson over his long flowing white hair, was seated at a table in the centre with his advisers from Canberra and Perth on either side. There was no formal agenda. Anyone could speak, and it became apparent that the issues concerning these people were the needs for better housing, better health services, job skill education and having something done about, as they called it, the grog problem. There was not a mention of land rights, which was then what the political activists of the day told us was the burning issue. There is a message in that.

That bush meeting was in 1974 and, in many ways, the needs of remote Aboriginals in remote communities remain the same today. Australia must, in my view, commit itself to overcoming Aboriginal poverty and disadvantage so that our Indigenous people can be part of the mainstream Australian family. Jobs not welfare are the solution to the social and economic problems of Aboriginal people.

While in the Senate I have had the privilege of representing Australia at various international conferences, particularly in the Asian region, and in 2010 was attached to the Australian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly for three months, which was a very rewarding experience. My greatest political concern in recent years has been the trend towards centralisation in government, undermining the federalist concepts which are the basis of our Constitution. I support federalism because it provides for a balance and diffusion of power between the Commonwealth government and the state governments, which I believe is important in a country as large and diverse as Australia. I do not subscribe to the view that Canberra knows best and believe that, while there may be a need for some more uniformity across our country in some matters, such changes should be achieved by cooperative negotiation, not imposed by a federal government misusing its power over funding to compel the states to comply with Canberra's dictates.

While as senators we all come here with views consistent with our political philosophies, one organisation I have always taken inspiration from is the Institute of Public Affairs. I have a very high regard for the IPA, as it is known, and over the years have used their publications as the basis for speeches I have given. I can see Doug Cameron shaking his head. In fact, those comments were perhaps a little directed at you, Doughie. I acknowledge former Senator Rod Kemp, director of the IPA, and believe he is doing a very good job. He was going to be here tonight but rang me this afternoon and said he could not make it, unfortunately. No doubt I will see him the weekend after next in Melbourne.

While the Senate is a fairly serious place at times, at other times there are increments of humour. One such humorous event occurred after I had been in the Senate for a couple of months and a spill-over sitting was arranged for a Friday morning when a bill for the sale of Telstra was to be discussed. At that time votes were finely balanced and one vote would have made the difference to the outcome. I was not aware that the Senate would begin sitting at 9 am that Friday morning, not at the usual 9.30 am start on sitting days. I had a hire car and got rather lost in the roads around Parliament House, so I arrived late, after the sitting had begun. As I drove into the car park, one of the whip's staff ordered me to stop and stood in the middle of the road with his hands up. 'Get out of the car and run to the lift!' I was told. The lift was being held for me. This I did. When I reached the entrance to the Senate, the chamber door was gently closed in my face by the attendant concerned so that I could not vote. I sat in the alcove watching the Senate on television and, surprisingly, the government won the vote although I was absent.

The whip, then WA Senator John Panizza, appeared and told me he had got a pair for me at the last moment, so there was no need for me to have voted and then, like an angry headmaster, ordered me into his office to have a talk. Once inside the office, Senator Panizza said, 'We have to make this look good. You have to stay here for half an hour.' Then he asked me, 'What should we talk about?' I replied that whatever subject he wanted to talk about was fine with me. So he said, 'Well, I understand the Chicken World franchise in South Hedland is up for sale. Do you think I should buy it?' Not being an expert in such things I said I would prefer to leave it to him.

I must say the members of the federal parliament are a mixed group of people with varied backgrounds. In my experience, those who enter parliament and the profession of politics do so with a genuine commitment to making Australia a better place and, while there are many people I have greatly admired in the parliament and in politics, I would like to make mention of the following; firstly, John Howard, OM, AC, who had a very good instinctive feel for the opinions of the average Australian; secondly, the Hon. Peter Costello, AC, who did a brilliant job as Treasurer in eliminating the debt left by the Keating government. Costello also showed great vision in setting up the Future Fund and in understanding that the so-called 'greying of Australia' was a real phenomenon which would mean the demands of the increasingly large population over 65 would require Australia to improve funding for retirees and to provide many more services. I thought that showed great insight at the time. Today we have a situation where something like 25 per cent of our population is aged over 65 and, as in Japan and in other countries, it is steadily rising, so that indeed Peter Costello was quite correct in his assessment.

Another person I greatly admired was Senator the Hon. Robert Hill who, I thought, constantly demonstrated a very quick and insightful political mind in leading the Senate, as well as wry sense of humour. He also demonstrated the love of a good red, which is shared, I believe, by Senator Ian Macdonald, a fellow northerner, whose contributions on the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia and in general I greatly respect.

Another person I greatly admired and admire still is, of course, Senator the Hon. Ron Boswell, who has been one of the great characters of the Senate in my time here and always kept the interests of people living in regional Australia before the government and the Senate. Senator Boswell's office was next to mine and he often dropped in for a chat

I was the only Liberal invited to the Nationals' Christmas seafood barbecue in the courtyard outside our offices, and, while Boswell assured me that it was an indication of the high esteem in which I was held by the National Party, I rather suspected somehow it had something to do with using my fridge to preserve the seafood. Boz has always made a point of respectfully calling me 'Doctor', and telling me that if I would just join the National Party he would make me their health spokesman, and he often seemed quite puzzled as to why I didn't accept this offer. But of course the National Party vote in WA is not as large as it is in Queensland, and I was very comfortably housed in the Liberal Party. Boz would often also drop in for various medical prescriptions and tell anyone within hearing range that I was a price gouger, although I have to say on the record that he was never charged once, in 18 years. Ron is a lovely man, and I wish him well in the future, but he will have to get accustomed to actually paying his doctor.

Other people I have admired in the Senate were the late Senator Brian Harradine of Tasmania, who made sure that Tasmania benefited from him holding the balance of power, and amused me by his habit of not revealing which way he would vote on an issue until the last 20 seconds or 30 seconds of his speech, so the whips and everybody else waited in suspense to see which way Harradine would vote because that would determine the outcome.

Senator the Hon. Rod Kemp, who I have mentioned already, was another person who I greatly respected. Senator Kemp was proud to have never given straight answers to any questions in question time—

A government senator: Only on GST questions.

on the GST, in case he was caught out as John Hewson was in the birthday cake episode in Sydney. He rang me tonight, and he said that I should remind both Senator Wong and Senator Conroy that he showed them the pathway in the correct conduct of question time, and that was always to be vague.

Another person I greatly admired was the Hon. Alexander Downer, who I admired for his great knowledge of foreign affairs and commitment to his principles.

Senator Fred Chaney, who actually signed me up into the Liberal Party on Orientation Day at UWA when I was a freshman, is also a person who I have greatly admired over the years, and I was very pleased to see that he was made the Senior Australian of the Year 2014. Even as a student, Fred Chaney sought to improve the lot of Indigenous people and thought that the way to make Indigenous people and their problems important to politicians was to give them voting rights—a quite radical thought at that time. Through his efforts in the UWA Liberal Club in 1962, the Western Australian coalition government, after a series of seminars that were held at UWA, agreed to legislate to give Indigenous people in Western Australia the option to enrol to vote, some five years ahead of the 1967 federal referendum—a rather little-known snippet of history, I think, and a very interesting one.

Sir Charles Court was someone I greatly admired and respected when I was a student. Sir Charles would regularly speak to the university's Liberal Club lunchtime meetings about his vision for the Pilbara. He predicted that, within a decade, the Pilbara would have huge mines, some of the world's biggest railways, and huge new ports on the coast to export iron ore, all of which of course has come to pass. One of Sir Charles Court's favourite words was 'mighty', and I thought it applied most appropriately to him, because, without his mighty vision, the Pilbara and the north would not be what they are today.

I would like to record my appreciation to those people who were my colleagues in the Liberal Party in the north of Western Australia during the time I was involved in what was known as the Kalgoorlie North Division, particularly Greg Kneale, who was an outstanding president of the 'powerful Kalgoorlie North Division', as he liked to call it, having cobbled together a coalition of country divisions which had great influence, shall we say, at state conferences in Western Australia; Robin Vandenberg and Bob Brooks, then from the inland Pilbara; Peter Murray from Broome; Elsia Archer from Derby; Peter Kneebone, also from Derby; Jamie Savage from Halls Creek; and Keith Wright and Alma Pethwick from Kununurra, as well as Maxine Middap from Wyndham and also Gordon Thomson, who is the current president of the Durack division. In what is now called the Durack division, I thank all the members, in particular Jenny Bloom and Tony Proctor in Broome. In general terms, most of the people in that division are long-term north-westerners and in local government, and, accordingly, have a very practical perspective on north-west issues and a great belief in the future of the north, which has certainly been vindicated.

Having been a whip, I also want to express my appreciation of the work that the Clerk of the Senate, Rosemary Laing, and her staff do every day to make this house run smoothly as it does. So I thank you. And I echo the President's comments on the legendary Anne Lynch, who I will long remember rushing down the corridors; she used to always wear a black academic gown, and it would billow behind her like a set of wings or sails, and it was very memorable.

To my nephews Seth and Toby, who are in the audience tonight, thank you very much. And to my extended family in general: I thank you for your great support.

To my staff over the years—some of whom are in the gallery—in particular—though these people are not necessarily in the gallery—Joy West, Michelle Phillips, Bob Wallace, Deanne Rosetta and Deanne Ford, and to my current staff, I extend my sincere thanks for their hard work and dedication. I thank Lara Swift, who joined my office last year, and Danny Pagoda, my research officer, who oversaw some 10 estimates for the two committees I chaired during his time with us, and I must say that his professionalism and attention to detail has been much appreciated. Finally, I thank Michelle Lewis, my PA for the last nine years, who has managed my diary, my office and, to an alarming extent, my life, and I thank her very much for all she has done.

During the time I have been in the Senate I have always sought to promote the interests of Western Australia in the Federation and I am very proud of having been able to ensure that WA has had a voice on issues of great importance to our state. While I chose not to recontest the last Senate preselection, nevertheless it is with some regret that I am leaving, because of course the federal parliament is the heart of Australian politics and an individual can make a difference in contributing ideas to the formulation of policy. I suppose one must ask am I satisfied with what I have done here, and I must say that, while it has always been enjoyable and interesting, and I do feel that I have been fulfilled in many ways, I would have liked to have perhaps had a little more direct influence on the way policy is developed.

The Senate, if I might say so, does play a vital role as a house of review in the democratic process in Australia, which is carried out largely through the Senate committee system. I believe that role should never be underestimated and I hope it will be continued and respected long into the future.

In conclusion, I consider it to have been a great honour and privilege to have represented Western Australia in the federal parliament and to have been one of the surprisingly small number of people in the Australian population who have had this great honour of serving in the Senate. I thank the West Australian Liberal Party for giving me this privilege.

Honourable senators: Hear, hear!

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

Mr Deputy President, today we are farewelling three senators who are actually leaving of their own volition. Not many of us get that luxury.

First to our President. He has served his party, his state and the Senate with absolute distinction. He is a person who is highly regarded on all sides of this chamber and in this building and he is especially regarded as a man of integrity. It is a mark of Mr President's style that his demeanour in the chair on the last day of the previous parliament was exactly the same as it was on the first day of the new parliament. He has treated all senators fairly. On those rare occasions when, especially in opposition, I was not always fully attuned to the methodology of his rulings, I nevertheless always knew and understood that his rulings, even if I disagreed with them, were never based on any malice or any partisanship but because he believed that that ruling was right. He had a great professional relationship and indeed friendship with former Presidents Calvert and Ferguson and, if I might say, with all colleagues. The President made a very notable contribution to the smooth running of the Senate and Parliament House more generally and especially in his involvement with the setting up of the Parliamentary Budget Office.

When Mr President was re-elected three or so years ago, I indicated to him on behalf of the coalition—and we were still in opposition at that stage—that he had had our support previously, he had it in the ballot on that day and he would continue to have it into the future. I am pleased to say that is one promise I have been able to live up to, with my colleagues. The reason Mr President has continued to enjoy that support is that he is a person of quality and fairness.

On a personal note, I appreciated his basic world view. But, for someone charged with keeping order and decorum in this place, I did find it passing strange that he should script a report, indeed a tome, entitled 'The F-word is not a dirty word in politics'. It was a report that he outlined in a supporting speech to the Senate on 10 May 2006; and, of course, the 'F-word' refers to the role of 'faith' in politics. I commend the report to colleagues, especially the conclusions that he drew. On behalf of the government, and personally, I wish the President, his wife and family all the very best for the future. In conclusion, I thought it was a big call for him to assert that he was making not a valedictory but, in fact, a final statement. I defy anybody to raise a point of order or refer anything for privilege over the next few days—because that might require him to break his promise that it was his final statement to the Senate!

Senator Sue Boyce was appointed to the Senate in April 2007 and elected that same year. Sue came to the Senate with a wealth of experience and a varied background, including as a journalist and as an advocate for vulnerable children and adults—built from personal experience—with a family business background and a party organisational background. She represented the people of Queensland, and issues nationally, in a very forthright manner. That has been a hallmark of her many contributions. Her strong voice for those who cannot always speak up for themselves has been very important, especially through the Standing Committee on Community Affairs. She has promised us that she will continue to be a strong advocate for family businesses—and they are a vital part not only of our economy but also of our society and have a very important role to play. Sue will continue to be a very strong advocate for people with disabilities. The experience and wealth of knowledge you have brought to the party room has been of great benefit to all of your colleagues.

Sue was formerly a journalist, but I have not heard that she will be going back to that profession. If she were to apply for a job with the ABC or Fairfax, I think she would get a reference from all of us on this side—and that would be the kiss of death for her! When Senator Boyce has on rare occasion found herself at variance with her colleagues, she has always spoken passionately and her advocacy has been powerful; but it has always been done in a very respectful manner to her colleagues, myself included, who have often found themselves on the other side of the debate. The way you presented yourself and your arguments on those occasions added to your advocacy and also gained you the deserved respect of your colleagues, even if we did not necessarily agree on the issues. I think Senator Boyce is a very hard marker. Her KPIs, and then the marks she allocated herself, were not the results that I think an objective observer would have given her. Your contribution has been outstanding in all fields, and even in some of those areas where you have quite rightly said we have not achieved as we should have—for example, female representation on our side of politics and in the ministry. You should not mark yourself down in relation to that. You have helped as a trailblazer in that area—regrettably, others have let the side down—and I am sure that you will continue to be a very strong advocate. As you leave this place, Senator Boyce, you can feel very satisfied with the considerable role you have played, with your colleagues and in this chamber, in a relatively short period of time. We wish you well in the future and look forward to ongoing interaction with you.

Senator Eggleston has been a valued colleague and I have known him for many years. He has been here some 18 years. He particularly endeared himself to me when, in his first speech, he happened to mention me when referring to a forebear of his who came from King Island, in my home state of Tasmania. I always knew there was something good about him: it was that Tasmanian Heritage—a maternal grandmother if I recall correctly. Senator Eggleston had a distinguished career before entering the Senate. He qualified as a medical practitioner and undertook further studies in obstetrics. He practised at Port Hedland and immersed himself in community life. He served as a councillor and a mayor, and then on the Pilbara Development Corporation. It was appropriate that you should be so passionate, in your first speech and in your last speech, about the Pilbara and the north of Western Australia. You did train in obstetrics, and I remember that, on one tour, you took me around and everyone said that you had delivered them as a baby. You said to me that that was not quite correct—but we have always accepted that it was the case!

Senator Eggleston was well known, well loved and highly regarded in the area that he served, especially in the northern part of Australia.

I will briefly turn to what I consider was a very important speech, delivered in this place on 14 May 2013. I know you ulcerated about giving this speech for quite some time, Senator Eggleston, but might I say, in your very understated yet highly powerful contribution, you will have been an inspiration to many. Senator Eggleston spoke about a condition that I will not even try to pronounce. But, with his medical training, Senator Eggleston was able to tell us about his cartilaginous condition, which causes short stature. Can I say, Eggie: you might have been short on stature, but you were not short on character, on integrity, on advocacy or on commitment.

In that speech, what you told us was that, no matter what the barriers were in your life, you simply got on with it. Even when you confronted that situation at the university and questioned whether or not you should tell your parents, you decided not to and just got on with life. Indeed, that speech that you gave on 14 May 2013 concluded with these words:

I thought I should record this story—

which was Senator Eggleston's experience—

because, as some people have said, it might provide some inspiration to somebody who feels that, because of some physical abnormality, they are being held back. I think the answer is just to keep on going, and you will succeed in the long run.

Senator Eggleston, your life is a testament to the fact of what can happen if you keep on going, and there is no doubt that, as you leave this place, people can and will say of you that your life has been a great success in the long run.

Your medical career, your local government career and your Senate career speak volumes and are a great inspiration for many more people with issues of short stature to make the sort of full contribution you have made to your community and to public life in this country. I am sure that that will be one of the stand-out speeches—and it should be one of the stand-out speeches—that has been delivered in this Senate. Senator Eggleston, on behalf of all of your colleagues, we wish you very well and look forward to your academic career. All the best.

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

I rise tonight to speak on behalf of the Labor opposition on the retirement of three very different senators who represent some of the diversity of political views and backgrounds that are represented here in this Senate.

I will start first with my colleague from Queensland, the President of the Senate. Like Senator Bishop, who we farewelled last night, he was elected to this place in 1996—not the best election result for Labor at that time, nor possibly the 11½ years that followed. Senator Hogg not only made the best of a period in opposition and contributed to the good functioning of the Senate but also secured the confidence of his colleagues to become Deputy President of the Senate and Chair of Committees from the first sitting of the Senate after the changeover in August 2002. He continued to serve in this role until after Labor won government in 2007. Then, in keeping with the practice of this chamber, after the changeover, he assumed the role of President. In doing so, Senator Hogg became the first President of the Senate from the Australian Labor Party since former senator Michael Beahan left the role in 1996.

I was elected to this place in 2001, so I have actually only known Senator Hogg to be either Deputy President or President. I would say that taking on leadership in politics in any form is significant but, to be the deputy or presiding officer of a chamber of parliament for nearly 12 years, is a very high honour indeed. Senator Hogg has promoted the norms of his office in his time as President, demonstrating decency and even-handedness in his conduct. As President since 2008, he has undertaken a role that requires rulings that must be recognised as fair, the exercise of office in an impartial manner, the exercise of patience—and I personally thank him for his patience on those rare occasions where I might have been overly energetic in question time—and the management and responsibilities of the role relating to both the Senate and to the parliament. Above all, of course, senators must be able to trust the President in his stewardship of the office. That Senator Hogg has met these standards is a reflection of his personal qualities as a humble man, generous in spirit.

There are many senators in this place, particularly those who have served as a temporary chair of committee, who have benefited from his guidance. I was reminded of one occasion during the term of the last government when there was a division in the chamber and some debate preceded the ringing of the bells. One of our colleagues, Senator McKenzie, was in the chair—and I make no criticism of her abilities in what was a difficult and confused situation—but she was heard on the radio as saying, 'Oh, Hoggie; thank goodness you're here!' when the President arrived in the chamber. I think we can all recall the times when we have benefited from the President's wisdom and experience. He sets a strong example to those who follow him as presiding officers of this chamber.

As Labor Senate leader, I pay tribute also to Senator Hogg's long service to our party and to the trade union movement over some four decades. He has been an advocate for his home state of Queensland and shares a particular affinity for its rural and regional areas. He made note of this in his statement, when he announced that he would not seek the endorsement of our party for a further term and highlighted his satisfaction at having been involved in a number of projects associated with Labor's initiatives in government to protect, in his words, 'jobs and the dignity and self-worth of those who faced unemployment during the global financial crisis.'

There is a great consistency between his final statement to the chamber and his first speech, which he quoted tonight, where he spoke of his solidarity with and compassion for those who have less and his deep commitment to upholding the dignity of working people. He has held one of the highest offices in this parliament. I thank him on behalf of the Labor senators, and I wish him, his wife, Sue, and his family well in his retirement from the office of President and from the Australian Senate.

I also recognise Senator Eggleston, who has spoken tonight. I learned a number of things—one learns a number of things listening to valedictories. I learned he was the only Liberal invited to the Nationals' seafood barbeque—as a result, primarily, of the use of his fridge. I also learned of the extent of his fealty to the IPA. He will forgive me for being less impressed by the latter. I acknowledge that Senator Eggleston came to this place after a career as a medical practitioner for a substantial period of time. I also observe that he arrived following the election of the Howard government and I am sure he is content that, as he leaves, his party is back in government again.

Senator Eggleston is a passionate Western Australian and is particularly knowledgeable and passionate about the northern part of his state. He demonstrated that again tonight in the speech that he gave, reflecting his strong connection with community and his role in local government in Port Hedland and the Pilbara. I wish Senator Eggleston well in his retirement and I trust that he might reconsider his fealty to the IPA—but perhaps not.

I also want to make some brief comments on the valedictory for Senator Sue Boyce of Queensland. Senator Boyce has been in this place for only one term, but her contribution has been noteworthy. Perhaps that was best demonstrated in the opening paragraphs of her speech night, when she acknowledged on the one hand that she was wrong about her previous position in relation to the bringing together of the two parties, and she also described herself as a moderate and a feminist. In an article today she was described as a gutsy and thoughtful senator, and I think that was apposite. She has brought a distinctive voice to the chamber, particularly on issues relating to the environment, marriage equality, the rights of women and, most particularly, the rights and experience of people with disability.

As she spoke of tonight, Senator Boyce and another senator for whom I had great regard, Senator Judith Troeth, made what was a brave decision to support the Labor government's carbon pollution reduction scheme legislation. As I was the minister for climate change at the time and negotiated that legislation with Mr Turnbull and Mr Macfarlane, I recall that acutely. I reflected in my speech at the time that we should leave this place being able to look Australians in the eye and to say, 'We acted and we took responsibility.' Senator Boyce certainly took responsibility and I acknowledge particularly that it is difficult to vote against your party at any time, even if your conviction is firm. I recall in great detail Senator Boyce joining with Senator Troeth and crossing the floor in this chamber and voting in support of the legislation. I acknowledge her for taking what was a courageous and principled position. My view is that if other senators in this place had the courage of Senator Boyce and Senator Troeth—and I refer not just to those in the Liberal and National parties but also those in the Australian Greens—Australia would have taken action on climate change much sooner and would now have an emissions trading scheme with a flexible price.

In June last year, Senator Boyce crossed the floor a second time to support the marriage equality legislation. Again it was a principled stand against the view of many in her party at a particularly sensitive time in an election year. On this occasion she was the only member of her party to take a different view. She said in her speech in this chamber, which followed my own:

Surely in 2013 we are past the homophobic, scared-of-difference, scared-of-diversity view that would be implied by any sort of attempt to put into the Constitution the idea that marriage is between a man and a woman only. My only hope is that the appalling record of referenda in Australia—their complete lack of success—means that that would go down. But it would not go down just because we are not very good at passing referenda; it would go down because in 2013 it is a disgusting and immoral idea to want to take that point.

…   …   …

I do not know what we can do, other than something like this, to try to persuade others that same-sex marriage is not going to be the end of the world for anybody, especially not for children or couples in Australia.

She went on to say:

A marriage is a special commitment. A marriage provides more security for those in it, including the children who would be in it. There is no reason not to allow same-sex marriage in Australia.

I also note the regard and deep respect with which Senator Boyce is held for her role in the community affairs committee and for her service on other committees during her time in this place. Through her committee work and other fora, Senator Boyce has distinguished herself by articulating arguments in favour of increased participation of women in politics—and she did so again tonight—and the rights of people with disability.

I close by making this observation. The political tradition with which Senator Boyce associates herself, that of Liberal moderates, is an extraordinarily important thing in Australian political history and in Australian political life. Australia's tolerant, diverse multicultural society would not be what it is today without the contribution of Liberal moderates. Equality of opportunity for women will not be achieved without the contribution of Liberal feminists, and respect for all relationships will not be achieved without the political support of those across the political divide. Senator Boyce deserves our thanks and respect for holding to her political principles even when it has not been fashionable within her own party. I wish her all the very best for the future.

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the time and the need for some of my colleagues to make a contribution, I seek leave to incorporate three valedictory speeches.

Leave granted.

The incorporated speeches read as follows—

SENATOR ALAN EGGLESTON

'Eggs' as you are affectionately known to all of us who have had the pleasure of working with you, it is difficult to know where to start in terms of the enormous contribution you have made in Parliament.

In your own words you sought election to give people in the North West of Western Australia a voice in Federal Parliament – and that you did and more – much more.

Senator Eggleston was elected for his first six-year term in 1996 and re-elected in the 2001 and 2007 elections. In all we have had the benefit of a wonderful human being in the Senate for 17 years.

I think we should reflect with gratitude that someone of Senator Eggleston's background chose to pursue public life.

Senator Eggleston studied medicine at University of Western Australia and spent four years working in the UK hospital system and 18 months as a GP in Perth and then followed a long held wish to spend time in the north of WA.

He then joined the North West Medical Service of the WA Health Department and was based at the Port Hedland Regional Hospital for 18 months.

This work involved flying clinics with the Royal Flying Doctor Service to the Pilbara mining towns and escorting patients to metropolitan hospitals as well as working the in the Port Hedland Regional Hospital.

It was always open to Senator Eggleston to continue pursuing a career in medicine exclusively after 22 years as a doctor and to further this career as a private citizen – an honourable pursuit as he engendered much admiration and respect in the communities he worked in.

And I know Senator Eggleston will not mind me saying that in the north Indigenous people affectionately referred to him as "The Little Doctor".

But Senator Eggleston sought to challenge himself in the political sphere, initially as mayor of Port Hedland, before being elected to the Senate.

He also managed to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Studies as an external student to broaden his knowledge of Australian and Asian politics.

This is a man who has continued to want to scale new horizons and not restrict himself to one field of endeavour.

My abiding affection for Senator Eggleston arises from our shared experience of having lived among Indigenous people.

Senator Eggleston came into contact with the Aboriginal community when he went to the Pilbara in 1974 when he used to see patients at the Port Hedland Hospital outpatient department while he worked there.

It is a great sign of the respect with which he was held when in 1975 he was invited to an Aboriginal bush meeting on the banks of the Coongan River near Marble Bar.

These quarterly meetings involved Indigenous people coming from all over the Pilbara – including from the Western Desert and as far west as Onslow and the area around it.

In other words, while Senator Eggleston may have been too modest to admit, he was held in such high regard that he was welcomed into the inner sanctum of the business of the Aboriginal community.

The symbolism of this gesture cannot be underestimated.

But I would like here to highlight my personal admiration for Senator Eggleston and the meaningful contribution to an issue central to this Government's focus - Constitutional Recognition of our First Australians.

In a speech in respect of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Bill Senator Eggleston stated:

I think it is now very appropriate that we do recognise that the Indigenous people were here first and that that fact is acknowledged in our Constitution…This Bill is not a token gesture. It is an important building block of unity and of recognition of the long history of Aboriginal people in Australia and will carry a message of all of our community, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, migrants from all over the world as well as those Australians whose history goes back 40,000 years, that we are moving forward as one people in one country.

This speech so eloquently sums up the Government's view on the importance of Constitutional Recognition of our First Australians and I thank you Senator for giving this issue prominence in public debate.

Senator Eggleston's compassion was evident in a wide range of areas. Mental health was another matter close to his heart.

He also has been a strong supporter of developing a future for Northern Australia, believing that it could become a food bowl to double Australia's food output; increase tourism; and build an energy and export industry. In this regard we also share many views.

Senator Eggleston has also poured much energy into his Committee work involving a diverse range of issues, including Defence, Foreign Affairs, migration, finance and public administration, to name a few.

I have to say that I was saddened to read that in his early career in Federal politics he thought his medical condition might have been an issue in Canberra. I was sad because to all of us you are a giant of a human being and you walk tall.

As you leave this place I hope you know that many lives have been changed because of who you are, and particularly the most vulnerable.

You have every reason to be proud.

I wish you all the very best and you will always have friends here from all sides of politics.

You will always be a part of this big and often dysfunctional, but admiring family.

SENATOR SUE BOYCE

I rise to farewell from the Senate, Senator the Hon Sue Boyce, and to pay homage to a career that has reflected integrity and sense of purpose. We would all in this place agree that Senator Boyce has come into politics to make a difference and to stand up for what she believes.

It is true that we all here because fundamentally, whatever side of politics, we all want to make society a better place for us and future generations – even if we don't always agree about how we might do so. And we can also be forgiven if at times we question whether it is all worth it. It would be all too easy to succumb to the lure of the path of least resistance and pursue a quiet life.

But Senator Boyce certainly did not come into Parliament to have a quiet life. Nor did she ever lose her passion and sense of purpose. And most admirably she has always remained true to herself. It must be tremendously rewarding to leave knowing that she followed what she always thought was the right thing to do.

Senator Boyce was elected by the Queensland Parliament on 19 April 2007 to fill a casual Senate vacancy; the first Queensland Liberal female Senator in 60 years.

She was later elected in her own right at the Federal election on 24 November 2007. And while Senator Boyce may have come into Parliament to fill a casual vacancy, her contribution to public life has been anything but casual at any time.

The Senate was fortunate to have had the benefit of her varied and rich past work experience which includes Company director, former journalist and public relations practitioner with international experience. Her work in her family's manufacturing business has assisted her relate well to the issues faced by Australian manufacturers and especially family businesses.

But like me, many will remember Sue Boyce's parliamentary career for her tireless work as an advocate for the rights of people with a disability, having been a past president of the Down Syndrome Association of Queensland.

She has also taken on other important health sector issues and has been a strong advocate for women's voices to be heard in Parliament.

Senator Boyce has been well placed to advocate on behalf of Down Syndrome as she herself, as well as being a successful professional and business woman, has raised her daughter, Joanna, who has Down Syndrome - one of three children Senator Boyce has raised.

Senator Boyce's compassion and empathy for people with all levels of ability is well-known in this place - but it is a true test of her character that she was able to achieve so much for others, when it would have been easy for her to focus on her own sphere.

And even if some disagree with her views, many have admired her strong stance on marriage equality. It would have been an agonising and lonely decision to make to break away from her colleagues and to do what she thought was the only thing she could do.

It is only a party such as the Liberal Party that would accommodate a broad range of views because Senator Boyce always sees herself as a true Liberal, first and foremost.

But I also want to acknowledge the foresight Senator Boyce reflected in a speech she gave to the Senate on 20 June 2007 on Indigenous Issues. In that speech Senator Boyce commented on the Wild-Anderson reports that looked into Indigenous disadvantage and the need to rethink unconditional welfare.

Senator Boyce expressed her dismay in terms of the findings regarding lack of meaningful work, substance abuse and life expectancy. But she was also concerned that reports would come and go and nothing would happen.

As she stated in her speech in June 2007, "As everyone present would know, none of this is new, unfortunately.In fact, there has been a long-standing tradition of state government reports – very good reports…As governments, we talk wisely about them, and then nothing; nothing really changes".

How prophetic her words turned out to be in the past 6 years of the Rudd/Gillard governments in terms of Closing the Gap targets; on many indicators life for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly those living in remote Australia, has not improved.

Senator Boyce will be very much missed. She has made a tremendous contribution in her work on Committees; always with an eye to ensuring that real results ensue.

She has taken up the difficult causes and has bravely pursued these regardless of the personal consequences she may have had to bear.

I wish you Senator Boyce, on the part of the National Party, all the very best in your future endeavours as it has been a pleasure to work with someone of your calibre and passion.

SENATOR JOHN HOGG

I rise to farewell Senator John Hogg who has served in this place with dignity and fairness.

And yes you have had the patience of a Saint to deal with us all.

As you stated in your Maiden speech to Federal Parliament in September 1996:

"Democracy is founded on the principle of mutual respect and on the expectation of reciprocal dignity.This building and this chamber are designed and built to enhance the dignity of parliament and to express respect for the institutions and processes of our democracy".

And you have indeed have treated this place with respect.

Queensland is today losing a tremendous Senator, even if he is leaving of his own accord. The labour movement will also lose a thoughtful and decent son.

Your constituents will also miss the passion and engagement with which you have undertaken your responsibilities.

He has been proud to open over 229 Building the Education Revolution projects worth over $367million in his State and projects under the Labor Government's Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program worth over $31million over 10 Regional Councils.

The records indicate that he has spoken in numerous debates in this place – well above average amongst Senators.

The Senate will miss you and I wish you and your spouse and family all the very best.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to associate myself with the remarks of my leader, Senator Abetz, in relation to Senator Hogg, Senator Eggleston and Senator Boyce. I will keep my remarks as short as I can.

May I speak particularly about my two Liberal colleagues, Senator Eggleston and Senator Boyce. Mr Deputy President, I cannot tell you how proud I am tonight—and I am sure that this is a pride that you share—to have been a member of a party room that contains two Australians as fine as Alan Eggleston and Sue Boyce.

If I may turn to Senator Eggleston first. We saw in his valedictory speech tonight the quality that has always, in my mind, defined him. That is, he is a perfect gentleman. It is sometimes said that in politics you can be liked or you can be respected but you cannot be both. But Senator Eggleston defies that saying because Senator Eggleston is universally liked and universally respected by every member of this chamber.

I had not met many Western Australians when I came to the Senate, but I discovered that Western Australians are not long in telling you that their state is the economic powerhouse of the nation, and they are not long in telling you that not all wisdom resides in Canberra. In that sense, Senator Eggleston is absolutely cut from the mother lode of Western Australian senators. Eggy, you have been a good friend. You have been a great Western Australian senator. You have and are a great Australian. It has been such a privilege to know you and to serve with you.

Senator Boyce I have known for somewhat longer. I was one of those who very strongly supported Sue Boyce's preselection in 2007. She has been a very good friend. Because time is very brief I just want to dwell on one episode in Senator Boyce's parliamentary career, because in a sense it is the episode that reveals her real character. That was the debate that others have mentioned tonight about the ETS. As we all know, the then opposition, the Liberal Party, was deeply and bitterly divided over that issue in the closing months of 2009. I remember in particular the meeting of the LNP State Council in Caloundra in November of that year, when the issue was coming to a crescendo. The feeling of the LNP members was, almost to a person, opposed to the policy of the then opposition frontbench led by Mr Turnbull. It was a tense weekend, and the anger in the room at the way in which the then opposition was dealing with the issue was palpable.

The easiest thing in the world for a senator to have done would have been to play to the crowd on that issue. A week or so later, when the issue did reach a climax on the floor of this chamber—after the dramatic party meeting at which famously Mr Abbott was elected in place of Mr Turnbull as the leader, and the party's policy was changed—the bills were put to a vote. Notwithstanding her knowledge of the strength of feeling of those who held her political fate in their hands, Senator Boyce actually crossed the floor, as we have heard before, to vote for the pre-existing policy, the policy that was so unpopular among the rank and file. She did that for one reason: she conscientiously and profoundly believed it to be right for Australia. For Senator Boyce to cross the floor on that famous day, in those circumstances, was the most significant act of political courage that I have seen in my time in the Senate. I never expect to see an act of greater political courage.

Sue, you have been a marvellous colleague. You have been courageous, you have been loyal and you have been good fun, as we have seen during your valedictory remarks tonight. It has been a pleasure to know you. It has been a pleasure to come to know your family, particularly Jo, who is so popular and beloved among the members of the LNP back home. I am sorry you are leaving. You, like Senator Eggleston, have left upon this place an imperishable record of honourable, good and decent behaviour for which we will always cherish you both.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To President Hogg and Senator Sue Boyce, thank you for a wonderful contribution. Forgive me if I spend the very few moments that I have tonight talking about my good friend the boy from Busselton Alan Eggleston. I am very proud to call him my friend. He has served Western Australia and particularly the north-west of my state in so many ways and so very well. I might start with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and I might also add as a GP and obstetrician in the Pilbara, as Mayor of Port Hedland, as President of the Kalgoorlie North Division of my Liberal Party in Western Australia—where he travelled as a volunteer month in, month out some 2,000 kilometres to attend meetings—and as a senator for the past 18 years. What a fabulous contribution.

He and I fought together in the 1987 campaign. I was a candidate for the federal seat of Kalgoorlie and he was a Senate candidate. We had the tall and short of every political argument across the north-west. I of course provided the brawn; he provided the intellect and, may I say, the heart.

Alan, your contribution to the Senate over the past 18 years has been thoughtful, insightful and outstanding, particularly on the communications committee, on the environment committee and in getting SBS into regional Western Australia. That is something not many people know and understand. In recent times, in the last several years as chairman of the foreign affairs, defence and trade committee you have done a wonderful job. I thank you for your strong advocacy for Western Australia and particularly for the north-west. There will never be a better advocate for the north-west of Western Australia in the Australian parliament. I thank you for your friendship, your intelligence and for being the kind of decent work colleague who we are all going to miss from this chamber. Your fellow senators, members and all of the staff that have known you over the years share with me an enormous admiration. I congratulate you on a stellar career and I wish you all the very best in your retirement.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to associate myself with the very fine words of all of those who have spoken previously about my friends Alan Eggleston and Sue Boyce. It is a happy occasion today, with several parties going on which we are holding our toastees from. But for me it is a very sad day. You do not come to this parliament looking for friends. With only a few exceptions, I never find any. But today I farewell two people who I can genuinely say have been real friends. Both are terribly genuine people with a commitment that you would not find in too many others.

I have been here more than anyone else with Senator Eggleston—'Eggy', as I call him. We go back a very long while. I have always had an enormous admiration for a guy who, without complaint, has gone through life and achieved so much. I still cannot believe that, as a well-known Liberal, he ever got to be Mayor of Port Hedland but he did it. He went through medical school to become an enormously successful and compassionate medical practitioner. He had a couple of attempts at getting here to this place that we often laugh about. Here he has done everything that he wanted to do, everything that his constituents expected of him. With perhaps more reason not to be happy than many of us, Alan has done everything in such a magnificent way. I have the most enormous amount of respect for Alan. Time does not allow me to say all of the things I would like to say but, Alan, well done and we will keep in touch.

Sue Boyce has been a very good friend of mine. Leslie and I have almost become part of Sue and Joe's family. Sue and I share a lot of things. We argue a lot about most things, I might say, but we are good friends. Her interest in the north and in many parts of regional Australia is something I very much share. She is a wonderful person. Her career in public life, I know, will continue. She will continue to make a great contribution to our society. I wish her and Joe all the very best into the future.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I associate myself indeed with all the wise words and wonderful things said about my dear friend and colleague Senator Eggleston.

Tonight I want to make some remarks about Sue Boyce. As Sue was the 515th senator in this place, I was the 516th. We, on 8 May 2007, stood just there on the chamber floor and took the affirmation of office together. We have been great friends every day since. We have shared many a view together in this place. I will deeply miss Sue from this place. I know that her contribution to public life though will not be gone.

I have particularly enjoyed working with Sue on a number of issues. I am very proud to have co-authored with Sue a report on marriage equality. It was a report that outlined why we should have a conscience vote on this side of the chamber and a report that I hope will hold true in the long term. I know that Sue's work will go on, as she said today. Her voice may be gone from this chamber but her influence and, I am sure, her voice will continue to be heard in this building for long to come.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I associate myself with the comments to the President and to my colleague Senator Sue Boyce. It is about Senator Alan Eggleston that I would like to use my minute and seven seconds. Alan and David Johnston conveyed me into this place in early 2009. The point I would like to make strongly is that Alan may be a man of small stature but he will cast an enormous shadow. He did over the Pilbara as a medical doctor and he has over this place. I stand very closely associated with his value that has been expressed in Western Australia.

People do not understand that Alan was badly discriminated against in medical school in Perth. But there is a silver lining on every cloud and that took him to England where he completed his medical degree. At the same time he developed a wonderful network for young doctors who actually came to Port Hedland. I think that tradition continues to this day.

Very briefly, we got off a plane from Barrow Island on one occasion and got on the bus. One person on the bus—a fly-in fly-out worker—made a disparaging comment about Alan. Three other people shut him up with the words 'He probably delivered you when he was an obstetrician.' I join with my colleagues in congratulating all three of them on a fine career.