Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with deep regret that I also inform the Senate of the death on 10 March this year of Gordon Douglas McIntosh, a senator for Western Australia from 1974 to 1987.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate records its deep sorrow at the death on 10 March 2019 of Mr Gordon McIntosh, a former senator for Western Australia, and places on record its gratitude for his distinguished services to the parliament and extends its profound sympathies to its family in their bereavement.

A dedicated parliamentarian who supported an unapologetic commitment to humanitarian principles, former Senator Gordon McIntosh's passing sees the nation lose a fiery advocate for human rights in our region. Like so many who helped to build our great nation, Gordon's story was that of an immigrant. He was born in Glasgow on 29 March 1925 to a shipbuilder and swimming pool attendant—Gordon McIntosh, after whom he was named, and Dorothy Robson. Growing up in Scotland, Gordon's formative years exposed him to the realities of working class life and, from a young age, he came to know what it meant to truly put one's body on the line for their job.

Having attended both Drumoyne Primary School and Govan High School, at the young age of 15 he began to work in earnest, first as an apprentice fitter and turner in the bustling shipyards of Glasgow. Never one to shy away from hard work, much of his adolescence was spent working long hours at physically laborious jobs. Away from the shipyards, he spent time in a Glasgow lamp-making factory and a metal foundry while also serving as a mechanic in the Royal Air Force from 1946 to 1948 following the conclusion of the Second World War. These varied roles left him with an impressive array of skills and life experience. By the time he had reached just 25 years of age, he had filled the shoes of a mechanic, fitter and turner, and maintenance engineer. Gordon's life would soon change dramatically. He married Elizabeth Graham, known as Betty, on 31 March 1950. In that same year, the young couple made the decision of so many others in their generation—to cross the globe and migrate to Australia via the free ex-servicemen's passage. In time, the pair would have two sons, Gordon and Craig.

Settling with his family in Perth, Gordon quickly took up work as a dye maker at the Perth Mint, where he would become a fixture over 22 years of work. Notably, after Singapore's declaration of independence in 1968, he played a significant role in helping it establish its own mint in what was a clear precursor of his later interest in Australia's role in the Asian region. The help that he provided to Singapore was clearly well received. I note that at the time of his passing, some decades later, condolences came in from some of those who had worked alongside Gordon at the Singapore Mint.

Gordon was a member of the Amalgamated Engineering Union in Scotland. He served as a union representative in Western Australia from the 1950s through to 1972. He was also a key figure in the Como-Mill Point and Collier-Manning branches of the Labor Party and served a hefty 26 years on its state executive. Knowing what the state executives of political parties are like, many would joke that you get less for life. Nonetheless, he was preselected from that service for the third position on the Western Australia Labor Senate ticket in May 1972 and at the double dissolution election of 1974 he was elected to the Australian Senate.

Still sporting an unmistakable Scottish accent, which one commentator touted as being more Billy Connolly than Commonwealth upper house—Gordon reminds us of somebody else who's here today—Gordon threw himself into the task of representing his adopted home at the highest levels. Delivering his first speech in this place on 10 July 1974, he made clear that representing his state and its interests would be a firm priority. His passion for Western Australia was obvious. He would routinely laud its scale, beauty and economic potential and it was always top of mind for him to ensure all Western Australians enjoyed the same fair treatment as those on the east coast.

Over the course of his senatorial career, Gordon held a number of roles, including those of Deputy Opposition Whip from 1976 to 1980, Deputy Government Whip from 1983 to 1987 and Temporary Chair of committees from 1980 to 1983. Gordon also chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence from 1983 to 1987, serving on the committee for the majority of his parliamentary career. It was here that he pursued the international issues for which he was most well known. At times his interest in foreign affairs took him far beyond the walls of this place, including a period as an Australian parliamentary adviser at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several months in late 1983.

Gordon was a fierce advocate for the things he believed in and was never afraid to challenge the status quo. By disposition, he was a man of internationalist principles. That sentiment came to the fore in his ferocious criticism of French nuclear testing in the pacific. Not content with relegating his criticism to set speeches, in April of 1982 he was, in fact, present on a protest ship when it was detained by the French Navy after entering an exclusion zone. Unperturbed, it was only a few weeks later he was at the forefront of protests against an American nuclear-powered vessel when he was visiting Brisbane, a position that caused no small degree of consternation within the ranks of his party's executive at the time. However, Gordon was most prominently known for his staunch support for the self-determination of the East Timorese people. This was an issue that consumed much of his energy and passion in the parliament and one which he was willing to take a stand and make a stand even against his own party. That passion did not dim with his departure from parliamentary life. In June 1987, he continued to follow and to contribute on the topic in the years after his retirement. Such was the length and profile of his commentary that, after decades of advocacy, he was formally invested into the Order of Timor-Leste in December 2014.

In closing, and in reflecting once more on the life of a deeply driven Australian public servant, I believe that the recent words of the government of Timor-Leste captured the sentiment well. They said:

Gordon McIntosh will not be forgotten in Timor-Leste and will be forever remembered with great affection, admiration and respect. In this sadness moment, we mourn his death, but we celebrate his contribution.

The people of Timor-Leste, the people of Australia and, no doubt, those in his country of birth all recognise the contribution that Gordon made. It is to Gordon's family, friends and all those touched by his remarkable life and his generosity of spirit that, on behalf of the government, I offer our sincerest condolences.

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

I rise on behalf of the opposition to express our condolences following the passing of Gordon Douglas McIntosh, former Labor senator, at the age of 93. At the outset, I convey the opposition's most sincere sympathy to his family and friends. Gordon McIntosh was a Scottish metalworker who made his way to the Australian Senate. Migrating to Australia, like so many others in the postwar period, he was an office bearer in his union before being elected to represent his state of Western Australia in the nation's parliament. There he became a fierce advocate for human rights, particularly for the people of East Timor.

Gordon McIntosh was born in Scotland, beginning his working life in the Glasgow shipyards. He was a fitter and turner and later a maintenance engineer. He also served in the Royal Air Force as a technician from 1945 to 1948. Gordon McIntosh was proud of his Scottish heritage. Like another current Labor senator, this was not easily disguised, as his accent became immediately apparent as soon as he opened his mouth. He was also a proud Western Australian, emigrating in 1950 with his new wife, Elizabeth. He became a die maker at the Perth Mint, where he was employed for 22 years.

Always a member of a union, both in Scotland and Australia, he became an officer in the branch of the Amalgamated Engineering Union in his home state from the early 1950s. This culminated in service as state president from 1968 to 1972. The union joined with others to become the Amalgamated Metal Workers' Union, and he was the state vice-president of this body from 1972 until 1974.

Concurrently with his union involvement, Mr McIntosh joined the Australian Labor Party. He quickly rose to prominence, taking a seat on the state executive in 1952 and holding office continuously until 1978. At the time, he worked hard to energise its branches, and, in 1972, he was preselected for the Senate. Gordon McIntosh was first elected as a Labor senator for Western Australia in 1974. The prevalence of simultaneous dissolution elections at this time meant that he faced the people more than the average senator, winning re-election three times before his retirement prior to the 1987 poll.

Mr McIntosh was immediately concerned to emphasise that he represented the whole of his vast home state. In his first speech, he drew to the attention of the Senate the disparity in service delivery between metropolitan Perth and regional areas. In particular, he cited disadvantage in the fields of education, cultural activities, social activities and community amenities. He saw a role for national government to ensure that the whole of a state like Western Australia was treated as an equal party with the rest of the nation, including through bearing in mind the specific challenges of remoteness and vastness.

During his tenure in the Senate, he served the federal parliamentary Labor Party as deputy whip in the Senate in the opposition and in government from 1976 to 1980 and 1983 to 1987. Unsurprisingly, for a lifelong unionist, issues of industrial relations were prominent in his contributions in the Senate, especially in response to the Fraser government's policies in this area. However, as a demonstration that those of his generation were broad in outlook, the most continuous theme of his time as a senator was on the wider world.

Mr McIntosh had an abiding interest in foreign affairs and human rights. He served on the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence for the entirety of his Senate career, something that was quite unusual for a senator who served for over a decade. He was also the chair of this committee from 1983 until 1987. In addition, he was a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence from 1974 to 1975 and again from 1980 to 1983.

He was able to travel overseas on parliamentary delegations on multiple occasions. These delegations took him to East Asia and South-East Asia, in particular to Indonesia and East Timor, as well as to Vanuatu, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Poland. For three months in 1983, he was the parliamentary adviser to the Australian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Mr McIntosh campaigned on matters including nuclear testing in the Pacific, aid to Vietnam, refugees from Irian Jaya in Papua New Guinea and human rights in Chile under the Pinochet regime.

If there is one international cause for which Mr McIntosh is most associated, it's East Timor. He was described in 1983 as:

… an implacable Labor campaigner for East Timor self-determination.

Following his first visit to East Timor in 1975, he never tired in his advocacy for the cause or in holding successive Australian governments to account for their actions. A review of the Hansard record demonstrates how frequently he asked questions and made speeches on the rights of the East Timorese, the Indonesian occupation and the role of the Australian government.

In 1983, he tabled a report for the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence into human rights abuses and the conditions of the people of East Timor. This report was highly contentious for the way in which it:

… declared the Indonesian invasion and occupation to be 'an illegal act', described gross violations of human rights and called for an internationally recognised act of self-determination.

Mr McIntosh's campaigning for the rights of the East Timorese during his Senate career and after he retired was recognised in 2004 when he was invested with the Order of Timor-Leste. At the time he was described as:

… the conscience of the Federal Parliament on the matter of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and the repression of the Timorese people.

On the occasion of Mr McIntosh's retirement from the Senate, the then Labor leader in the Senate, John Button, described what he called his characteristic good humour. In doing so he cited Mr McIntosh's suggestion to Labor minister and former Attorney-General Gareth Evans that Senator Evans would be an ideal candidate to fill the vacancy on the High Court. Mr McIntosh continued, 'After all, you're not going anywhere in politics,' and the rest is history. The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Fred Chaney, farewelled his fellow West Australian from the chamber by lamenting the loss of a political representative whose background and experience was that of a skilled tradesman.

Gordon McIntosh was a man of commitment and principles. He committed his life to the Labor movement, to his union and to the Australian Labor Party. His commitment was rewarded by the people of Western Australia with a place in the Senate. He was also committed to principles, in particular to equality, fairness and human rights at home and abroad. Whether it be on the factory floor or the international stage, Gordon McIntosh was a ceaseless advocate for the rights of others. His death is a loss for our movement. Again, I express the opposition's condolences to his family and friends.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to make a few remarks about Senator Gordon Douglas McIntosh, and in doing so I pay my respects and send my condolences and love to his family and friends. As many have observed today, Senator McIntosh, or Gordon McIntosh, as I knew him, was a principled man. In the mid-eighties, I joined the Labor Party as a very young and naive person, and one of the first members I met at that time was Gordon McIntosh. What I knew about Gordon was he was fierce and he was passionate. I have to say when I met him on committees I was a little afraid of him because he was always a fierce advocate.

Senator Farrell has outlined some of the passions of Gordon Douglas McIntosh, and those values align with mine. He was a fierce advocate for nuclear disarmament, and at that time in the eighties it was a very big issue. It was a big issue confronting Australia and the world. It was a time when we had many visits from American nuclear-powered ships. It was one of the things that I protested about, and it was one of the shared values that I had with Gordon.

He was also a committed unionist. He was a member of the Amalgamated Metal Workers' Union. Not only was he a proud member of the Labor Party but he was a very proud metal worker. You knew that about Gordon, and, as others have said, he had a very strong Scottish accent. He and I would often be on various committees together, and, even though our values aligned and he was a member of the left, as I am, he was someone to be feared and he was someone to be respected.

We also shared Scottish heritage. My grandmother was Scottish, and I'm sure that was one of the things that Gordon tolerated about me as a young, naive person who would ask all sorts of questions that had probably been asked of Gordon a million times before. He was a member of the Manning branch, and that branch still exists today. On East Timor, he was a very strong advocate at a time when Labor's position was probably not as good as it should have been.

So I remember Gordon. I thank him for those early lessons that he afforded me and for the generosity that he allowed those of us who were new to the party. He accepted us with open arms, although I'm sure he often wondered where we came from and why we asked so many silly questions. But he was a man of principle. He was a great mentor. He was someone that you looked up to at a committee meeting or a party meeting because you always knew that Gordon had the line that you wished to aspire to.

So I offer my deep condolences on the passing of Gordon. Let there be many more Gordons who join the Labor Party and represent us with such great honour.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise, too, to make a contribution and pass on my condolences to the family of Gordon McIntosh, who was a well-known activist around Perth. But I actually rise to speak on behalf of some people in Timor-Leste. In particular, Mr Francisco da Carvalho has asked me, through a friend, to reflect on his support and on condolences passed on from him and his family, who remember former Senator McIntosh as a very important part of their resistance in Timor-Leste. So, with the indulgence of the Senate, I'm going to read what he has written and passed on to me through a very good friend of mine who is currently working in Timor-Leste. What he says is:

Gordon McIntosh was a hero of Timor-Leste. He was seen by Timorese as a highly-principled and tenacious supporter of East Timorese self-determination and independence since 1975. His passing has saddened many in Timor-Leste—as he gave many a glimmer of hope in tragic and tough times.

Gordon McIntosh challenged successive Australian Government support for the Indonesian military invasion and occupation. He was best known as Chair of the 1982-83 Senate Inquiry about East Timor, his counterpoint to former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam at the United Nations in 1982 and his membership of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Indonesia and East Timor in 1983.

In 1983 he went to Timor, as part of the first Australian parliamentary delegation to visit the then territory under occupation of Indonesia. After the trip, the Senator wrote a report denouncing the delegation's comments, describing the attempts of some to present Timor as no longer a significant political problem. His petition to the United Nations Decolonization Committee in 1982 was instrumental in keeping Timor on the list of territories with open decolonization processes, and his activities over many years made an important contribution to the Timorese cause.

In Timor Sen. McIntosh was affectionately known they used to call him "Ulun toos …" which directly translated means head strong—but it was his determination, stubbornness and 'discernment for not accepting the views of his Australian Parliament colleagues during his 1983 visit to the country—

which seems to have earned him this nickname

In 2014, he was awarded the Order of Timor-Leste … for his efforts in favour of Timor-Leste's independence.

Francisco da Carvalho is one of the founding fathers of the CVTL, the Red Cross Timor-Leste, and a veteran. He was a resistance leader during the invasion by Indonesia and met with Senator McIntosh in 1983. In 1981 Francisco was imprisoned on Atauro Island, just north of Dili. Francisco tells the story that Senator McIntosh came with a delegation from Australia to see for himself the conditions of political prisoners but had to be accompanied by the Indonesian military. Francisco and his fellow prisoners had a letter that they wanted to smuggle out to tell the world what was happening in East Timor. They didn't know what to do, as of course it was highly illegal and the Indonesian military were standing close by. Francisco finally took a deep breath, said a prayer and somehow shoved the letter into Gordon's hand. By luck, he was the right person to take the letter.

For nearly 10 years, Francisco was in prison on Atauro Island, in Indonesia and then in Dili. Once out of prison, he heard a lot about the work of then Senator McIntosh and about what he was doing for East Timor. Again, it gave him strength and hope throughout the following years. In 2016, former Senator McIntosh met with Francisco when in Dili, which was a joyful occasion. Gordon had given Francisco hope that somebody from the international community would listen to their plight—someone who understood the situation, who fought for East Timor. Francisco said that 'thank you' did not really describe what he wanted to say to Gordon and his family. He struggled with words and put his hand on his heart:

… it is much deeper than that. He supported us in such a terrible time; such a bad situation; and then he came back to see us.

Gordon McIntosh will not be forgotten in East Timor and will be forever remembered with great affection, admiration and respect. As the Timorese government said in their press release about former Senator McIntosh's passing:

In this moment of sadness, we mourn his death, but we celebrate his contribution.

I understand that Francisco also has photos that he would be very glad to pass on to Gordon's family. He was, as was so clearly articulated in Francisco's words, deeply loved and remembered, and I can pass on that as soon as they heard about his passing they sought to reach out to express their admiration and affection for all that he did for East Timor.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment and Water (Senate)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise humbly to associate myself with the remarks in the chamber this afternoon of other senators and pay my respects to the work of this marvellous man, Gordon McIntosh, in this place, in East Timor, on nuclear disarmament issues and as a proud member of the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union. I pass on my sincere condolences to his family and children. He was an important part of history in the Labor Party and in the union movement in Western Australia, being there at a time of union amalgamations, when the Australian Engineering Union amalgamated to become part of the new body, the Amalgamated Metal Workers' Union. Indeed, the branches that he was a member of were the very same branches that I was a member of. Although I was a generation just after Senator Sue Lines in becoming a member of the party, that legacy of activism is something that brought me to this place. Gordon McIntosh's work as a political activist combined trade unionism with industrial rights, with advocating for the industries that he supported, the industries that he was a part of. It combined with other passions, like human rights in Timor-Leste, anti French nuclear testing, nuclear disarmament, trade and the rights of working people, and it is truly a shining example to me and to many other people in the Labor Party and the labour movement of what our labour movement is about.

His vision was of a number of things. He said that union amalgamations were inevitable, and perhaps indeed they are, and he described a 35-hour working week was also inevitable—if only; I hope that is something we can wish for for the people of our nation. Indeed, I agree with his remarks where he once described the legislation proposed by the Fraser government that would have prevented the families of workers involved in strike action from receiving social service benefits as 'one foot on the ladder of fascism'. As senators in this place have highlighted, he was a man of deep values and deep principles that he stuck to until the end. I would very much like to associate myself with this condolence motion today.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask senators to join me in a moment of silence to signify assent to the motion.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.