House of Representatives
25 November 1980

32nd Parliament · 1st Session

  1. House of Representatives
  2. 32nd Parliament
  3. 1980

page 1

PROCLAMATION

The House met at 11 a.m., pursuant to the proclamation of His Excellency the Governor-General.

The Clerk read the proclamation.

page 1

OPENING OF THE PARLIAMENT

The Usher of the Black Rod, being announced, was admitted, and delivered the message that the Deputy of the Governor-General for the Opening of the Parliament requested the attendance of honourable members in the Senate chamber forthwith.

Honourable members attended accordingly, and having returned

The Deputy authorised by the GovernorGeneral to administer the oath or affirmation entered the chamber.

The Clerk read the commission authorising the Right Honourable Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick, G.C.M.G., Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, to administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance to the Queen required by the Constitution to be taken or made by members of the House of Representatives.

page 1

MEMBERS SWORN

The Clerk laid on the table returns to 1 25 writs for the election of members of the House of Representatives held on 18 October 1980.

The following honourable members made and subscribed the oath or affirmation of allegiance:

Adermann, Albert Evan, Fisher, Queensland Anthony, John Douglas, Richmond, New

South Wales

Armitage, John Lindsay, Chifley, New South

Wales

Baume, Michael Ehrenfried, Macarthur, New

South Wales

Beazley, Kim Christian, Swan, Western

Australia

Birney, Reginald John, Phillip, New South Wales

Blewett, Neal, Bonython, South Australia Bourchier, John William, Bendigo, Victoria Bowen, Lionel Frost, Kingsford-Smith, New

South Wales

Bradfield, James Mark, Barton, New South

Wales

Braithwaite, Raymond Allen, Dawson, Queensland

Brown, John Joseph, Parramatta, New South Wales

Brown, Neil Anthony, Diamond Valley, Victoria

Brown, Robert James, Hunter, New South Wales

Bungey, Melville Harold, Canning, Western Australia

Burr, Maxwell Arthur, Wilmot, Tasmania

Cadman, Alan Glyndwr, Mitchell, New South Wales

Cameron, Donald Milner, Fadden, Queensland

Cameron, Ewen Colin, Indi, Victoria

Cameron, Ian Milne Dixon, Maranoa, Queensland

Campbell, Graeme, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

Carlton, James Joseph, Mackellar, New South Wales

Cass, Moses Henry, Maribyrnong, Victoria

Chapman, Hedley Grant Pearson, Kingston, South Australia

Charles, David Ernest, Isaacs, Victoria Child, Joan, Henty, Victoria

Cohen, Barry, Robertson, New South Wales

Connolly, David Miles, Bradfield, New South Wales

Cowan, David Bruce, Lyne, New South Wales

Cross, Manfred Douglas, Brisbane, Queensland

Cunningham, Barry Thomas, McMillan, Victoria

Darling, Elaine Elizabeth, Lilley, Queensland

Dawkins, John Sydney, Fremantle, Western Australia

Dean, Arthur Gordon, Herbert, Queensland

Dobie, James Donald Mathieson, Cook, New South Wales

Drummond, Peter Hertford, Forrest, Western Australia

Duffy, Michael John, Holt, Victoria

Edwards, Harold Raymond, Berowra, New South Wales

Ellicott, Robert James, Wentworth, New South Wales

Everingham, Douglas Nixon, Capricornia, Queensland

Falconer, Peter David, Casey, Victoria

Fife, Wallace Clyde, Farrer, New South Wales

Fisher, Peter Stanley, Mallee, Victoria

Fraser, John Malcolm, Wannon, Victoria

Free, Ross Vincent, Macquarie, New South

Wales

Fry, Kenneth Lionel, Fraser, Australian Capital Territory

Garland, Ransley Victor, Curtin, Western Australia

Giles, Geoffrey O’Halloran, Wakefield, South Australia

Goodluck, Bruce John, Franklin, Tasmania

Groom, Raymond John, Braddon, Tasmania

Harris, Graham McDonald, Chisholm, Victoria

Hawke, Robert James Lee, Wills, Victoria

Hayden, William George, Oxley, Queensland

Hicks, Noel Jeffrey, Riverina, New South Wales

Hodges, John Charles, Petrie, Queensland

Hodgman, Michael, Denison, Tasmania

Holding, Allan Clyde, Melbourne Ports, Victoria

Howard, John Winston, Bennelong, New South Wales

Howe, Brian Leslie, Batman, Victoria

Humphreys, Benjamin Charles, Griffith, Queensland

Hunt, Ralph James Dunnet, Gwydir, New South Wales

Hurford, Christopher John, Adelaide, South Australia

Hyde, John Martin, Moore, Western Australia

Innes, Urquhart Edward, Melbourne, Victoria

Jacobi, Ralph, Hawker, South Australia

Jarman, Alan William, Deakin, Victoria

Jenkins, Henry Alfred, Scullin, Victoria

Johnson, Leslie Royston, Hughes, New South Wales

Jones, Barry Owen, Lalor, Victoria

Jones, Charles Keith, Newcastle, New South Wales

Jull, David Francis, Bowman, Queensland

Katter, Robert Cummin, Kennedy, Queensland

Keating, Paul John, Blaxland, New South Wales

Kelly, Roslyn Joan, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Kent, Lewis, Hotham, Victoria

Kerin, John Charles, Werriwa, New South Wales

Killen, Denis James, Moreton, Queensland

Klugman, Richard Emanuel, Prospect, New South Wales

Lloyd, Bruce, Murray, Victoria

Lusher, Stephen Augustus, Hume, New South

Wales

Lynch, Phillip Reginald, Flinders, Victoria

MacKellar, Michael John Randal, Warringah, New South Wales

MacKenzie, Alexander John, Calare, New South Wales

McLean, Ross Malcolm, Perth, Western Australia

McLeay, John Elden, Boothby, South Australia

McLeay, Leo Boyce, Grayndler, New South Wales

McMahon, James Leslie, Sydney, New South Wales

McMahon, Sir William, Lowe, New South Wales

McVeigh, Daniel Thomas, Darling Downs,

Queensland

Macphee, Ian Malcolm, Balaclava, Victoria

Mildren, John Barry, Ballarat, Victoria

Millar, Percival Clarence, Wide Bay, Queensland

Milton, Peter, La Trobe, Victoria

Moore, John Colinton, Ryan, Queensland

Morris, Peter Frederick, Shortland, New South

Wales

Morrison, William Lawrence, St George, New South Wales

Mountford, John Graham, Banks, New South Wales

Newman, Kevin Eugene, Bass, Tasmania

Nixon, Peter James, Gippsland, Victoria

O’Keefe, Frank Lionel, Paterson, New South Wales

Peacock, Andrew Sharp, Kooyong, Victoria

Porter, James Robert, Barker, South Australia

Robinson, Eric Laidlaw, McPherson, Queensland

Robinson, Ian Louis, Cowper, New South Wales

Ruddock, Philip Maxwell, Dundas, New South Wales

Sainsbury, Murray Evan, Eden-Monaro, New South Wales

Scholes, Gordon Glen Denton, Corio, Victoria

Scott, John Lyden, Hindmarsh, South Australia

Shack, Peter Donald, Tangney, Western Australia

Shipton, Roger Francis, Higgins, Victoria

Sinclair, Ian McCahon, New England, New South Wales

Snedden, Sir Billy Mackie, Bruce, Victoria

Spender, John Michael, North Sydney, New South Wales

Street, Anthony Austin, Corangamite, Victoria

Tambling, Grant Ernest John, Northern Territory

Theophanous, Andrew Charles, Burke, Victoria

Thomson, David Scott, Leichhardt, Queensland

Tuckey, Charles Wilson, O’Connor, Western Australia

Uren, Thomas, Reid, New South Wales

Viner, Robert Ian, Stirling, Western Australia

Wallis, Laurie George, Grey, South Australia

West, Stewart John, Cunningham, New South Wales

Willis, Ralph, Gellibrand, Victoria

Wilson, Ian Bonython Cameron, Sturt, South Australia

Young, Michael Jerome, Port Adelaide, South Australia

page 3

MR SPEAKER

Election

The Clerk:

– Honourable members, the next business of the House is the election of a member as Speaker.

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

– I propose to the House for its Speaker in the Thirty-second Parliament the right honourable member for Bruce, Sir Billy Mackie Snedden.

Mr Young:

– It is all right for you. You will not be here.

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

– I am not so sure that the honourable member for Port Adelaide is here now. I move:

Mr MacKenzie:

– I second the nomination.

Sir Billy Snedden:

– I accept the nomination.

The Clerk:

– Is there any further proposal?

Mr SCHOLES:
Corio

– I propose the honourable member for Scullin, Dr Harry Jenkins, as Speaker of the House of Representatives, and move:

That the honourable member for Scullin do take the chair of this House as Speaker.

Mr Kerin:

– I second the nomination.

Dr Jenkins:

– I accept the nomination.

The time for further proposals having expired -

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

- Mr Clerk, it is a very great honour and privilege to nominate the right honourable member for Bruce (Sir Billy Snedden) as Speaker of this House. We have been friends for very many years and I trust will continue to be friends for very many more years. On my count, this year he joins three other members of this House who have served the Parliament for 25 years. They are the right honourable member for Wannon (Mr Malcolm Fraser), the present Prime Minister; the right honourable member for Lowe (Sir William McMahon), a former Prime Minister and, dare I say it, a computer beater; and the Minister for Defence (Mr Killen), the honourable member for Moreton, who sometimes chooses to call himself the member for Mortein. The right honourable gentleman whom I have nominated has served this place for a very long period and has served it well. He was appointed Attorney-General in 1 964 and served in that office for two years. It was during that term that I met him, although he will not remember the occasion.

Opposition members interjecting -

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

– There is nothing like unconscious humour, even in this place. As Attorney-General, the right honourable gentleman had the job of selling the trade practices legislation.

Mr Barry Jones:
LALOR, VICTORIA · ALP

– What did he get for it?

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

– He did very well. He went round Australia. I think he was underpaid, as are all Ministers still. He called on businesses and business associations. That is how I met him first. He had the job of selling the trade practices legislation. I did not really agree with any of it, and subsequently I had the chance to say so in this place; but, as all honourable members will know, that does not necessarily make much difference. He steered it through very well, and, as honourable members know, it is now law. That was in 1964, the first time we met. In 1966 he became Minister for Immigration. That was the year in which I came to this place - a vintage year, if I may say so, for those who have survived. I had quite a bit to do with him then because I became chairman of the Government members immigration committee. During the last year for which he held that portfolio some 180,000 migrants came to this country, mostly from Britain and Europe. 1 would like again to see the day when the same number will come to this country.

Mr Barry Jones:
LALOR, VICTORIA · ALP

– You are not doing anything to help. You are going the other way.

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

– I have done my share. I have produced three - more than the honourable member has. Subsequently Sir Billy Snedden was appointed Leader of the House on two separate occasions - a position he occupied for five years. He was appointed Minister for Labour and National Service in 1 969. That was, I would think, probably the most difficult portfolio that he held. It presented the twin problems of dealing with industrial relations and dealing with national service during the time of the Vietnam war. In his last two years as a member of the then Government he was Treasurer. In 1972 he went into opposition, as unfortunately we all did. He knows what it is like to be in opposition. Some of us on this side still remember also. We hope that it does not happen again. The right honourable gentleman was Leader of the Opposition for most of the period during which the coalition parties were in opposition. I think every one of my colleagues will agree with me when I say that, very much on his own, he rejuvenated and helped back into business not only the Parliamentary Liberal Party in opposition but also the Liberal Party organisation.

Opposition members interjecting -

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

– He will find it very easy to keep this House amused. Honourable members opposite will have the opportunity to support their candidate. I have nominated, and am supporting, our candidate. I have it on good authority that some honourable members on the other side of the House agree with our views on the person I am nominating.

The Clerk:

– The honourable member’s time has expired.

Mr John McLeay:
BOOTHBY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA · LP

– As I understand it, Mr Clerk, your powers of discipline are not strong.

The Clerk:

– The honourable member’s time has expired.

Mr SCHOLES:
Corio

– It is my privilege to nominate the honourable member for Scullin (Dr Jenkins) for the position of Speaker. That position is not one which is relevant to how well an honourable member has performed in government or how well an honourable member will serve the interests of a government; it is one which is relevant to how well an honourable member will perform the duties of representing and speaking on behalf of the Parliament - specifically, the House of Representatives. It is not my intention to comment on the other candidate but merely to support the candidature of the honourable member I have nominated.

The honourable member for Scullin has had wide experience in parliamentary matters. Because of his fairness and objectivity, I believe he has the respect of every member of this chamber. He has served in the position of Chairman of Committees and for a significant period he was the Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Parliamentary Committee System. He has served this country at a variety of representative functions and has served this Parliament as its representative. Notably, he has participated in parliamentary seminars and other parliamentary functions associated with the work this Parliament does to assist the smaller parliaments both inside and outside our region. He is a person who I believe could - and will, if supported by this chamber - give service as Speaker which would be acceptable and which would do honour to the position of Speaker and to the chamber. There are two candidates and therefore the House must choose between them. I propose that the interests of the House and the interests of parliament in this country would be done a service if the House determined to choose the honourable member for Scullin as its Speaker in this Parliament.

Mr MacKENZIE:
Calare

– It is an honour and a privilege for me to second the nomination by the honourable member for Boothby (Mr John McLeay) of the right honourable member for Bruce (Sir Billy Snedden) to occupy the Speaker’s chair in this chamber. I do so following in the footsteps of Mr Sam Calder who, honourable members will recall, seconded the nomination at the beginning of the previous Parliament. I think all honourable members would agree that his name is remembered very fondly in this chamber. New members of this House may not be aware that this is one of the few opportunities in this Parliament for honourable members to speak without fear of being told that they are out of order, or being stood down, warned or named. I will resist the temptation to prove the untested and probably fearsome powers of the Clerk.

To second the nomination is indeed a pleasure because, as we would all agree, Sir Billy’s record over the last five years has been quite outstanding. He has been remarkably successful in maintaining order and decorum in this chamber without constraining the rights of members. Honourable members may be interested to know that in the last five years there were only five occasions on which the Speaker suspended a member of this chamber.

Mr Cohen:

– All from this side.

Mr MacKENZIE:

– The fact that they have all come from one side of the chamber is the fault not of the Speaker but of honourable members from that side. He has maintained the decorum and dignity of this place. I believe that we should congratulate Sir Billy. We should, indeed, ensure his election to this high office.

I also mention that Sir Billy Snedden has introduced or proposed some reforms for the Parliament which I think are of significance. We have seen a great improvement in the parliamentary committees. We know that Sir Billy has proposed that the Westminster convention regarding the independence of the Speaker be adopted in this place. I welcome also his suggestions that portions of the proceedings of Parliament be televised. I think that too often the public at large is not fully aware of the activities undertaken by its elected members and leaders in the Parliament. I believe that if direct television broadcasts of the proceedings of this place were provided members of the public would be in much better position to make an informed assessment of how their elected representatives perform and they would get a much better indication of how the Parliament operates.

Mr Clerk, no greater accolade can be paid to a Speaker than that paid to Sir Billy by the Speaker of the mother of parliaments, the House of Commons, the Right Honourable George Thomas, who said only recently: ‘Sir Billy is a giant amongst Commonwealth Speakers’. It is my pleasure to second the motion.

Mr KERIN:
Werriwa

– I am very pleased to support the motion of my colleague the honourable member for Corio (Mr Scholes) that the honourable member for Scullin (Dr Jenkins) be Speaker. The electorate of Scullin is named after a distinguished Australian and it is represented by a distinguished Australian. I think the qualities needed for a Speaker are those of dignity, impartiality, consistency and control. Dr Harry Jenkins has exhibited those qualities in the times he has acted as Deputy Chairman of Committees, particularly when he was Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees in 1 975.

Dr Jenkins was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 1961 and was elected to this Parliament in 1969. Before he entered parliament he had a distinguished academic and professional career. In the parliaments of Victoria and the Commonwealth he has been a distinguished parliamentarian. He has had wide committee service. He was Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Parliamentary Committee System. He was the first chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Conservation. As a Deputy Chairman of Committees he has been associated with the legislation committees that were introduced during the last Parliament. He has exhibited fairness, consistency and impartiality every time he has been in the chair. As I said, he always exerts control; he has the respect of all members of this House. I can think of no better person to recommend to the honourable members assembled than Dr Harry Jenkins, the honourable member for Scullin.

The Clerk:

– In accordance with the Standing Order, the bells will be rung and a ballot taken.

The bells having been rung and a ballot having been taken -

The Clerk:

– The result of the ballot is: Dr Jenkins, 51 votes; Sir Billy Snedden, 73 votes. Sir Billy Snedden is declared elected.

Mr SPEAKER (Rt Hon Sir Billy Snedden:
BRUCE, VICTORIA

– I thank the House for the great honour it does me. I hope I will serve the House as well as the House expects of me.

Mr Speaker having seated himself in the chair-

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– Mr Speaker, I would like to offer congratulations on your re-election as Speaker. Through your years as Speaker of this House you have maintained the high standards of the office and you have done much to introduce initiatives. You have enhanced the office since you have been in that position, sir. I am quite sure that all honourable members will make a resolution for themselves that in the forthcoming Parliament they will assist you to maintain the dignity and the courtesy of the Parliament. I hope that, with the resolution all honourable members will make for themselves, some of us at least will assist you in that endeavour a little more than we might have in the past Parliament. I think those of us who sit under your care and guardianship need to understand that it is we who sometimes make it difficult for you.

It is the interaction of Speaker and members of parliament that will decide what reputation this institution has in the general public outside. It is very important, I believe and the Government believes, that the general reputation of parliament as an institution for debate and exchange of ideas be improved and enhanced. I hope that through this Parliament we can collectively make a greater contribution to that objective than we might have in the past. Mr Speaker, I think you can be deservedly and justifiably proud of the reputation that you have earned for yourself as Speaker. I know that you carry the good wishes of all members of the Parliament through the coming term.

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Opposition, I offer my congratulations. You have taken out the hat trick - third time in a row. You commence this third parliamentary term with the cordial good wishes of the Opposition. The Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) was large enough to confess that there were members on his side of the House who could have been more helpful to you in the past. I congratulate him on making that confession. Let me assure you too, Mr Speaker, that we on our side of the House will do whatever we can to make your life easier - certainly more interesting - and to help you perform your duties on behalf of the members of the Parliament. Your election today, of course, was quite convincing. I must acknowledge also that the majority has been substantially reduced as against the last two occasions. I note that that also happened in your electorate.

Mr Speaker, you will celebrate a quarter of a century of service to this Parliament and to this nation this coming December. On that we all congratulate you. Quickly, as a gloss, 1 will run through some of your achievements. You have been a law student - you achieved that not according to the easy path - legal practitioner, conveyancer, parliamentarian, Attorney-General, Minister for Immigration, Minister for Labour, Treasurer, Leader of the House of Representatives, Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition once removed, Speaker and industrial advocate, knight of the realm - and this is, of course, in ascending order - bon vivant, international traveller and family man. It is a long and varied career. Many would wish to achieve it; few have the opportunity of doing so. Congratulations. I repeat that by this December you will have achieved a quarter of a century of public service.

Of course it is your duty to clothe the office you occupy with dignity, and to add to its authority and the authority and prestige of the Parliament. In spite of the odd difference which has erupted between us from time to time - I confess that in case it has not been noted- we recognise your diligent efforts to achieve those things. Of course we will assist wherever we can. You have striven hard. It is not always an easy role to fulfil, certainly to the satisfaction of all members of the Parliament. But as I have acknowledged on previous occasions in this Parliament, when some rather harsh things have been said by commentators about some of the more passionate behaviour in this institution, it is a very important exercise nonetheless because it is a sort of safety valve. It allows pressure to be released within our system in a fairly healthy way. I suggest that it is far better than throwing bricks or bombs. Overall, the democratic institution functions in a fairly healthy manner in Australia.

I gather from some of your observations that you have sought to emulate the proceedings and standards of the House of Commons. 1 hope 1 understand you correctly. If so, I would like to make the observation, and I do this with good will, that in your efforts to tidy up procedures in this institution - I acknowledge that there is room for tidying up from time to time - perhaps there has been a bit too much tightening up. If I may give a commercial for that non-commercial broadcasting organisation, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, I have noted from its program AM that the broadcast of proceedings, and more specifically Question Time, in the House of Commons seems to show more latitude in the presentation of a question by a member of the Opposition; that is, the injection of some descriptive background in presenting the question. I believe that is essential because as things stand now there is a very uneven set of conditions applying at Question Time in that if, with the authority that rests with you, the question being put is stringently regulated according to Standing Orders - as you have properly pointed out, you follow the Standing Orders, you do not make them; it is up to the House to change them - and a Minister can enter upon a rather rambling and sometimes, would you believe it, not terribly relevant discourse in a somewhat provocative way that leads to tensions in the Parliament. I think they could be avoided with just a little more latitude. I do not want to make it sound easy. I repeat that it can be difficult at times. For all our differences, you have displayed a great deal of dignity in the way in which you have sought to conduct the affairs of the House. There will be differences between us. I remind you of a point I mentioned earlier: The expression of differences is an important safety valve within the institution. You commence your third term with the good will of the Opposition.

Mr ANTHONY:
Minister for Trade and Resources · Richmond · NCP/NP

– Mr Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues of the National Country Party and as a colleague of yours and a friend of long standing I would like to congratulate you on being reelected to the high position of Speaker of this Parliament. For five years you have held that position and through that period you have brought great distinction to the office of Speaker and you have brought great credit to yourself. You have handled the task with commanding authority and with very great dignity. At all times you have been fair, unbiased and impartial. Indeed, a few of us would think that at times you have probably been too fair and too impartial. Your having been elected for the third time shows the very great respect and high regard that your colleagues have for you and the way in which you have handled this position. I can give you an assurance that my colleagues will continue to co-operate with you and support you in your difficult task. Acknowledging the position of Speaker and respecting it are probably paramount in the successful working of this Parliament.

Dr JENKINS:
Scullin

- Mr Speaker, may I convey my personal congratulations to you on your re-election to the office of Speaker. I know you look forward with pleasure to the Parliament which is now commencing. I know also that we share a common respect for the role of Speaker in the Parliament, something which, I am sure, at times is not understood by all honourable members. We respect it, not because of the trappings but because the office, properly conducted, does allow members on both sides of Parliament to discuss in a proper and easy way the business that is before them. I do not think it is realised how much tolerance and good common sense is needed in the chair to ensure that result. You, sir, are supported by a Chairman of Committees and Deputy Speaker and deputy chairmen of committees. I sometimes wonder whether we should not give the Speaker a discretion, when he needs relief in the chair, to appoint any member of the House to the chair for that temporary period. Then, perhaps, that member would experience the importance of the position in allowing discussion.

Mr Speaker, in congratulating you I also point out that I regret that in some ways the Australian Parliament has become so bogged down in this adversary principle as far as the presiding officers are concerned. In politics, the adversary principle is not a bad thing but one of the problems when we apply it to parliamentary presiding officers is that it seems to cut off some of those improvements that could occur in parliamentary procedures if the Speaker had greater discretions with regard to matters of relevance and questions and a whole host of things. While you have been Speaker, sir, we have seen a number of improvements in the parliamentary committee system. That system is showing an all too slow evolution but I believe some interesting things have happened. I congratulate you, Mr Speaker. I wish you well in your office as Speaker in the term of this Parliament.

Mr GILES:
Wakefield

- Mr Speaker, may I very briefly join with other members and offer my congratulations to you, as indeed I did on another occasion. I suppose that in some ways the Thirtyfirst Parliament was not an easy parliament for you. There was a very lopsided balance of numbers in the House and I am quite sure that any Speaker in the position would have allowed as much licence as reasonably possible to members of the Opposition. I think that is right and proper. Now that the imbalance has been partially restored in a parliamentary sense, much though I regret it in the party sense, I am sure that this will be a very different House and indubitably a more vital House than the previous one.

Mr Speaker, your record of wisdom, tolerance and patience has not been exceeded in my experience in this House over some years and I congratulate you very much on it. I think it has been apparent to all members of this House over past years that those qualities have been discernible in their application, to the great benefit of the working of this chamber. On occasion- and this is particularly so prior to elections- those of us who have a love of the institution of Parliament have seen it used as a whipping horse for party political purposes. I do not think there is any solution to this. I guess it will always happen. Nevertheless, I hope that over the ensuing period members will remember, as their tempers tend to rise, that they are only passing actors on the scene of parliament and that the institution will remain. I hope that on those occasions members of this Parliament will help you, Mr Speaker, and will remember that we have within the Standing Orders of this House freedoms which in many ways are incomparable. I hope, sir, that members of the Opposition will do as I am sure members on this side of this House will do; that is, make your job much easier over the next three years.

Mr SPEAKER:

– I would like to say a few words to the House. Firstly, I thank all members for their kind words to me and for the friendship which I have received. I thank especially the honourable member for Scullin (Dr Jenkins) with whom I have formed a very close personal affinity, as he knows. Of course, I thank my friend the honourable member for Boothby, Jack McLeay. His family and mine have become close friends. It was a pleasure for me to have him propose me for the occupancy of this chair. I also thank the honourable member for Calare (Mr MacKenzie) who I know was a close friend of the person who seconded my nomination on the last occasion, that is, Sam Calder who is now no longer in the House. I thank the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) for the words he used. I appreciate them.

Mr Charles Jones:
NEWCASTLE, VICTORIA · ALP

– Don’t turn your back on him.

Mr SPEAKER:

– The honourable member will remain silent. I remind the House that the reforms which have occurred over the last five years, which have not so far been terribly great but which are a major advance, could not have occurred without the support of the majority in the Parliament and its leader, the Prime Minister. I thank also my colleague and friend the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Anthony) with whom I had the honour to serve for many years, as I did with the Prime Minister and other members on the front bench whom I see now. I am very greatly pleased that the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hayden) has spoken in the way in which he has. I share many of the thoughts that he has expressed. I would also like him to know that I feel towards him a very considerable sense of friendship. 1 appreciate very much what he has said.

I believe the Standing Orders are in need of considerable revision. I hope that the Standing Orders Committee will apply itself to this task. I will press the Leader of the House (Mr Sinclair) and the Manager of Opposition Business to apply themselves to that matter. I believe it is important to try to mitigate, if it is not possible to eliminate, the use of quorums and divisions as a tactic of ambush by one party against the other party.

Mr Innes:

– What about the gag?

Mr SPEAKER:

– The tactic is used on both sides. It is that tactic which produces bad tempers. It produces, from action, reaction. It is when the House is stimulated into anger by the use of those tactics that the public, hearing the broadcast of the proceedings, wonders whether we in the national Parliament are conducting ourselves as we ought. The two devices to which I referred were divisions and quorums. I heard an interjection - not suprisingly from the honourable member for Melbourne (Mr Innes) - ‘What about the gag?’. Of course, I covered the use of the term ‘gag’ when I referred to divisions.

It is a curiosity indeed that the people of Australia can hear a Minister in the House of Commons deliver an answer or hear a question asked and yet they cannot hear a question and answer in the national Parliament. For instance, on the morning program AM one frequently hears a question by a member of the Commons and the answer by a Minister. Under the provisions of the Parliamentary Proceedings Broadcasting Act that cannot be done here. I think we ought to examine the practice in this Parliament to see whether we can emulate it.

I hope that in this Parliament we will find debate as strong as we would wish and that that debate can be pursued with strength, vigour, passion and complete conviction, without its carrying innuendoes against any other member of the House. Within this Parliament I have always believed that it is the function of the member to speak the truth and to demand the truth. I hope that that will be done fearlessly in the future, as it has been in the past.

I wish to see the adoption of the Westminster convention of continuity of the Speaker. By that convention the Speaker withdraws totally from membership of any party. He is not opposed in his electorate. His going back into the chair after an election is not contested. This is no great privilege for the Speaker because he must undertake in return that in no circumstances will he belong to a party, that in no circumstances will he engage in any public controversy, that when he leaves the chair he will resign from the Parliament and that outside the Parliament he will accept no appointment which it is within the power of government to make or to influence. Such a man or woman who forwent the prospects of the future in that way would undoubtedly attract from all members of the House total confidence in his or her impartiality, fairness and willingness to act at all times on behalf of all members of the Parliament. When that convention is adopted, as I believe it will be- I hope sooner rather than later - I do not wish to be considered for the position because I cannot both advocate a change and appear to be the beneficiary of it. But while we have our present system 1 wish to assure all honourable members that it will be my intention, and I hope my achievement, to be impartial, to maintain my independence and to act and speak at all times on behalf of all members. I thank the House.

page 9

PRESENTATION TO GOVERNOR-GENERAL

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– I have ascertained that it will be His Excellency the Governor-General’s pleasure to receive the Speaker in the Library of the Parliament this day at 2.40 p.m.

Mr SPEAKER:

– Prior to my presentation to His Excellency this afternoon, the bells will ring for three minutes so that honourable members may attend in the chamber and accompany the Speaker to the Library, when they may, if they so wish, be introduced to His Excellency.

Sitting suspended from 12.43 to 2.39 p.m.

The House proceeded to the Library, and, being reassembled -

Mr SPEAKER:

– I have to report that, accompanied by honourable members, this day I proceeded to the Library of the Parliament and presented myself to His Excellency the GovernorGeneral as the choice of the House as its Speaker, and that His Excellency was kind enough to congratulate me.

page 9

COMMISSION TO ADMINISTER OATH

Mr SPEAKER:

– His Excellency also presented to me his commission authorising me to administer to members the oath or affirmation of allegiance. I now lay the commission on the table.

page 9

MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL

The Usher of the Black Rod, being announced, was admitted, and delivered a message that His Excellency the Governor-General desired the attendance of honourable members in the Senate chamber forthwith.

Mr Speaker and honourable members attended accordingly and, having returned -

page 9

MINISTERIAL ARRANGEMENTS

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– Mr Speaker, I have the honour to inform the House that the Ministry was sworn in on 3 November 1980. 1 ask leave of the House to incorporate the full details in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The document read as follows-

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:

– The Ministry list I have incorporated indentifies the Cabinet as well as the arrangements for representation in the other chamber. The Leader of the House is Mr Sinclair, the Government Whip is the honourable member for Bendigo, Mr Bourchier, and the Deputy Whip is the honourable member for Petrie, Mr Hodges.

page 10

LEADERSHIP OF THE OPPOSITION

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– I desire to inform the House that the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party has elected me as its leader, the honourable member for Kingsford-Smith (Mr Lionel Bowen) as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the honourable member for Hughes (Mr Les Johnson) as Opposition Whip and the honourable member for Griffith (Mr Humphreys) as Deputy Opposition Whip.

page 10

LEADERSHIP OF THE NATIONAL COUNTRY PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Mr ANTHONY:
Leader of the National Country Party of Australia · Richmond · NCP/NP

– I wish to inform the House that the National Country Party of Australia has elected me its leader, the right honourable member for New England (Mr Sinclair) its Deputy Leader and the honourable member for Mallee (Mr Fisher) its Whip.

page 10

ACTS INTERPRETATION AMENDMENT BILL (No. 2) 1980

Bill presented by Mr Malcolm Fraser, and read a first time.

page 10

GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S SPEECH

Mr SPEAKER:

– I have to report that the House this day attended His Excellency the Governor-General in the Senate chamber when His Excellency was pleased to make a Speech to both Houses of the Parliament. The Speech will be included in Hansard for record purposes.

The Speech read as follows -

Senators and Members of the House of Representatives:

This 32nd Parliament assembles following a general election in which the people of Australia have again returned my Government with a substantial majority.

My Government regards this manifestation of the people’s choice as a mandate to maintain the basic thrust of the policies which have been followed over the past five years.

These policies are designed to work for the well-being of all Australians and to develop a society which maximises the rewards of individual effort and initiative, and which also respects the right of individuals to shape their own lives.

The Government’s program is set out comprehensively in the policy speech which the

Prime Minister delivered to the nation on 30 September of this year and in the supplementary statements which accompanied that speech. My Government is committed to the whole of that program and will work with determination to implement it as fully and rapidly as possible. 1 emphasise this because in this speech I shall focus on some of the key elements of that program rather than merely recite the whole of it in bald form. The fact that I do so should not be interpreted as meaning that areas not mentioned by me are in any way downgraded or discarded by my Government. A selection is made in order to keep the speech within reasonable limits, but the program stands in its entirety.

Unemployment and Youth

The first element of that program to which I wish to draw particular attention is the provision it contains for overcoming unemployment in general and particularly for stimulating the employment of youth. This is placed first because of the great importance my Government attaches to it.

In recent years, and for a number of reasons, the question of jobs for young people has emerged as a crucial one, not only in Australia but in virtually all Western countries. It is not only an economic problem but a social one. Indeed, for the young people involved and their families it is a major psychological and human problem.

My Government believes that the long-term solution to it undoubtedly lies in the creation of new jobs by restoring healthy economic growth, and in this respect Australia is much better placed than many other industrial countries. Over the next few years, resources and manufacturing development projects will certainly create tens of thousands of new jobs.

But the matter cannot be left there, has not been left there, and will not be left there.

During the last five years over half a million Australians have received specific help through my Government’s manpower and training programs. Nearly another quarter million will receive assistance during this year.

My Government has a clear and firm commitment to youth, exemplified by its announcement of new initiatives, including the introduction of a new allowance to encourage young unemployed persons to take advantage of training opportunities, the expansion of its work experience programs and the provision of improved counselling services.

All of these initiatives will be in place by February next year.

During 1 98 1 my Government will take action to place increased emphasis on employment and training schemes.

A framework is being established within which the Government’s training programs will provide a wide range of incentives and allowances to increase the supply of skills required for economic development, and to assist the unemployed, particularly the young and disadvantaged, to obtain employment.

The Economy

I turn now to the economic policies of my Government. These policies are determined by and given coherence by an economic strategy which is designed to restore economic stability and improve growth within a medium term framework. Sudden large changes in economic policies will continue to be avoided.

This strategy has already resulted in an encouraging pick-up in activity and employment and a marked strengthening in business investment. There is, however, a continued need for the firm application of consistent policies to reduce inflation and to allow our national resources to be employed in areas where the highest economic return can be obtained.

A primary objective of my Government will be to continue the fight against inflation. Inflation results in fewer jobs and lower living standards for everybody. Firm anti-inflationary fiscal and monetary policies are therefore essential to any lasting solution to the problems of unemployment, the achieving of higher growth and the more rapid raising of living standards, on a sustainable basis.

My Government believes that there is no realistic alternative to such policies, and that alternative policies, including those which are inappropriately described as stimulatory, would set back the economic recovery now under way and create renewed uncertainty.

My Government will give particular attention to encouraging the growth of the private sector and to increasing the freedom of choice of taxpayers in spending their own incomes. It will be an important policy objective to continue to restrain public expenditure so as to provide scope for reducing the burden of taxation.

Improved private sector growth will require further improvements in business profitability, which still provides insufficient incentive to increased investment in many industries. My Government’s policies will, therefore, seek to contain wage increases in the short term, in the interests of expanding aggregate employment and income over the medium term.

Private sector growth is dependent on secure supplies of energy. My Government will continue to pursue this objective by allowing the price of liquid fuels in particular to reflect so far as possible the operation of market forces. This policy is encouraging the development of a diversified energy base, which will minimise Australia’s reliance on imported liquid fuels, and is helping to conserve scarce Australian energy resources for future generations.

My Government’s economic policies have considerably improved Australia’s international competitiveness and enhanced export opportunities for Australian industries. A sustained lift in exports and a higher level of capital inflow will increase Australia’s capacity to import and to undergo the structural changes which allow economic growth to build upon itself as resources move to areas of higher profitability. My Government will encourage this process within an economic environment in which industry can invest for the future with confidence.

In the context of the economy, my Government wishes to make a simple but vital philosophical point. Discussion of the economy and of economic policy has become so abstract, so specialised, so dominated by statistics and rarefied concepts that the connection between it and the lives of ordinary people is in danger of being obscured if not lost sight of altogether. It is essential that it be understood that economics and people are linked, that economic policy must serve human objectives and that the discussion be conducted in such a way that it becomes clear that what are being talked about are the jobs, incomes, assets and prospects of men and women. My Government will make a serious effort to give a lead in this respect, recognising that continuing public understanding and support are vital to the success of its policies, not least in the contribution they can make to the urgent task of improving industrial relations in this country.

Caring for People

In what I have said about unemployment, youth and the economy, I have stressed my Government’s concern with the human dimensions of the issues involved. It believes that the only legitimate yardstick for assessing any policy is not conformity to an ideology, not the strengthening of the state, but the effectiveness of that policy in enhancing the lives of people. This is the fundamental concern of my Government.

This concern expresses itself in a diverse range of measures to which my Government is committed:

It is evident in the commitment of my Government to a range of social security and welfare measures which will strengthen the family and through it the basic social fabric of this country. My Government has already introduced a number of measures designed to assist families. It will be looking closely at its policies with the objective of further enhancing the position of Australian families.

It is evident in programs to subsidise accommodation for aged persons, to assist homeless persons, to assist low or moderate income earners in house purchasing, and in the strong commitment made by my Government to welfare housing.

It is evident in the programs developed in the context of the International Year of Disabled Persons 1981 to assist the education of severely handicapped children and to increase employment opportunities for the disabled.

It is evident in the commitment to improve aboriginal health standards.

It is evident in the area of ethnic affairs, in the commitment to provide services both to help migrants adjust to life in Australia and to help them to maintain in Australia the cultural heritages of the countries from which they came.

It is evident in the commitment to encourage excellence in a number of fields - for example, to provide greater support and improved facilities for research, to encourage the arts and to provide greater opportunity for young Australian athletes.

This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive. My Government sets it out to establish that it cares deeply about the quality of life lived in Australia and that it is determined to give practical expression to that care. In doing so, my Government’s objective will be not to increase long-term dependence on the Government, but, consistent with its liberal philosophy, to provide the means whereby people can become more independent and freer to choose the lives they want to live.

The Public Service

I have mentioned the liberal philosophy of my Government. My Government wishes it to be clearly understood that it is in terms of that philosophy that it approaches the questions of growth in Government expenditure, in the public sector, and in the size of the Public Service. Its concern to maintain strict control over that growth is not based on any animus against the Public Service. It does not subscribe to the crude and usually uninformed hostility towards that Service which sometimes receives popular expression. It recognises and appreciates the contribution which the Public Service as a whole makes to the life of this country.

But my Government does believe profoundly that it is vitally important that the power and functions of the State should be limited and contained. It does believe that the State is likely to be in many ways an inefficient and wasteful provider and that many services can be better supplied in other ways. And it does believe that the expansion of private enterprise is the best means to achieve the well-being and health of a society.

For these reasons, my Government recently announced the establishment of a Committee of Senior Ministers to review the functions of all Commonwealth Departments and associated agencies. The review will recommend to the Government which functions might be reduced, eliminated or altered so as to achieve a more efficient and economical administration. The review will also examine areas where Commonwealth activities overlap with those of the States or unnecessarily intrude into areas of activity capable of being performed efficiently by the private sector.

The review is part of a continuing process of restraint on the public sector which has been maintained since my Government came to office. In that period the number of Commonwealth employees in areas subject to staff ceilings has been reduced by over 10,000. This has been achieved without weakening those areas of the administration where there are special needs. In fact, the numbers employed by the Department of Social Security have actually increased by 3,000 in the last five years, and the staff of the Commonwealth Employment Service has grown by about 1 ,000 in the same period.

My Government will continue to ensure that Commonwealth activities are concentrated in areas of greatest need and that the adequacy of those services, appropriately provided by the Commonwealth, is maintained.

Foreign Affairs and Defence

The last area of policy to which I shall refer is that of Foreign Affairs and Defence.

The past year has seen a significant heightening of international tension and uncertainty. While we must hope that it turns out to be mistaken, it must be recognised that the consensus of informed opinion, at present, is that the period encompassed by the life of this Parliament is likely to be a troubled and tense one in international affairs.

The foreign policy priorities of my Government are clear. It is very conscious of the need for a strong and united Western stance towards the Soviet Union and to this end it will work to maintain its already strong ties with its traditional allies, and in particular with the United States. It should be clearly understood that it will do so out of an appreciation of Australia’s needs and interests and for no other reason.

Beyond this my Government will concentrate its efforts heavily within the region, broadly defined, and on the Commonwealth of Nations. Through the instrumentality of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting, my Government has succeeded in linking these two areas of interest in a new and advantageous way - and of linking both in turn with our interest in Third World matters.

Australia has been chosen as host of the 1981 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. This will be the largest and most important international conference ever to have been held in this country. It will take place at a time when discussions of north/south issues will be receiving a new impetus and it should be able to make a valuable contribution to the discussion of those issues.

In the present state of international tension, my Government is mindful that its first responsibility is the nation’s security and it has taken appropriate steps to enhance Australia’s defence preparedness. The 1980-81 Budget provides for a real increase in defence spending of about 7 per cent. Further substantial real increases in resources are planned in the years to 1984-85 by which time defence expenditure is expected to have risen to about 3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.

My Government believes that it is imperative that Australia should move to improve its defence self-reliance and should play its part in strengthening the international forces working for stability at the global and regional levels.

Conclusion

I have outlined important parts of my Government’s program and policies for the next three years. In doing so I have made some passing references to the beliefs which provide the underlying rationale of these policies and give them coherence.

My Government believes that this - an explanation to the Australian people of the ideas, principles and values in terms of which the Government of the day shapes its policies - is something which has been somewhat neglected in Australia and that this neglect has diminished the quality of political life of the country. It believes that this should be remedied. During the life of this Parliament, therefore, my Government will be making a serious and sustained effort to explain to the Australian people the philosophy on which it bases its approach to governing - a philosophy which it sees as liberal in its principles, flexible and undogmatic in its application of those principles to the realities of Australian life and conservative in its distrust of abrupt and sweeping changes as a means of achieving desired ends.

Mr President, Members of the Senate

Mr Speaker, Members of the House of Representatives

I now leave you in the faith that Divine Providence will guide your deliberations and further the welfare of the Australian people.

page 14

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

Motion (by Mr Malcolm Fraser) agreed to:

That a committee consisting of Mr Spender, Mr Hicks and myself be appointed to prepare an Address-in-Reply to the Speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor-General to both Houses of the Parliament and that the Committee do report at the next sitting.

Sitting suspended from 3.40 to 5 p.m.

page 14

ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN OF COMMITEES

Mr LUSHER:
Hume

– I move:

Mr Dobie:

– I have pleasure in seconding that motion.

Mr LES JOHNSON:
Hughes

– I move:

Mr Les McMahon:
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES · ALP

– I am honoured to second the motion.

Mr SPEAKER:

– Does the honourable member for Wide Bay accept the nomination?

Mr Millar:

– With pleasure I accept the nomination.

Mr SPEAKER:

– Does the honourable member for Chifley accept the nomination?

Mr Armitage:

– Mr Speaker, I accept the nomination.

Mr SPEAKER:

– The time allowed for nominations has expired. I call the honourable member for Hume.

Mr LUSHER:
Hume

- Mr Speaker, it is an honour for me to nominate the honourable member for Wide Bay, Mr Clarrie Millar, as the

Chairman of Committees in this Thirty-second Parliament. This is a position of great responsibility in the Parliament and Mr Millar has demon.trated over the last three years, that he has all the attributes necessary to carry out the duties of this high office. He brings dignity and impartiality to the Chair and maintains its authority without the threat of the exercise of the powers available to him. Mr Millar is a completely conscientious chairman, dedicated to the service of this House. His knowledge of the Standing Orders is prodigous and he has developed a style which balances authority with good humour and which has bought him the respect of all honourable members in this chamber.

When the National County Party submitted the nomination of Mr Millar to this House on 21 February 1978 it was natural that honourable members should have reserved their decisions on the capacity of one so inexperienced. With the passage of three years there is now no doubt about his capacity. In fact it is now difficult to imagine another member who could match Clarrie Millar’s performance in the chair. Speaking on his acceptance of this office three years ago, Mr Millar said that he had come to this Parliament to serve this House and the nation and by electing him to this high office the House gave him an opportunity to serve in a capacity given to few others.

Mr Speaker, the position of Chairman of Committees has a long and distinguished history. It was established by the House of Commons in an effort to resolve conflict between the King and the Parliament on money matters. In 1 853 the Chairman of Committees became the Deputy Speaker. In fact in 1 855 an Act was passed in the House of Commons conferring all of the powers of the Speaker on his deputy in the absence of the Speaker. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the job that has been done by Mr Millar in his capacity as Chairman of Committees and Acting Speaker over the last three years is without equal. I also have no doubt that he will continue in that position to distinguish himself and to bring honour to this House during the term of Parliament which is ahead of us.

Mr LES JOHNSON:
Hughes

– It is my pleasure to speak in support of the nomination of my colleague, Mr Armitage, the honourable member for Chifley. Mr Armitage is certainly no novice to parliamentary affairs, since he was first elected in 1961 and has been re-elected on six other occasions. In a very significant career in private life he has served on the administrative staff of the Reserve Bank of Australia and as a senior officer of the New South Wales Department of Decentralisation.

In 1965 he achieved political notoriety when he was elected Deputy General Secretary of the New South Wales Branch of the Australian Labor Party. He served in that capacity for four years. He has had other service as well that distinguishes him. For example, he was a member of the Citizen Military Forces and of the Second Australian Imperial Force for four years; he has travelled on important parliamentary missions to the Middle East, United Kingdom, China and Japan; he has had extensive committee experience which involves four years’ experience on the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and he has also served on the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and the Library Committee; and he has had other responsibilities of that kind. He is Chairman of Labor’s great and powerful Economic Committee.

In every sense he is a complete parliamentarian. He is a vigorous debater and is unrelenting in his pursuit of tax dodgers. It is often said of him that he is one man whom the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) would prefer to avoid in debate. Yet he has also been able to demonstrate his impartiality when he occupies the position of Deputy Chairman of Committees. He has, in fact, been a Deputy Chairman of Committees since 1970. He has held that position for more than 10 years. One can say that that is a double apprenticeship, a post-graduate degree in tact, tolerance, understanding and the art of chairmanship. He is obviously an extremely accomplished parliamentarian. He has chaired Estimates committees and legislation committees and despite the strength of his political conviction, he has always been impeccable in his impartiality when occupying the chair. I contend that he would dignify the office of Chairman of Committees and I believe his appointment would embellish the parliamentary institution. I have much pleasure in advocating a vote for John Armitage, the member for Chifley.

Mr DOBIE:
Cook

- Mr Speaker, simply and sincerely I stand to support the nomination of Percival Clarence Millar the member for Wide Bay, as Chairman of Committees of this House in the ensuing Parliament. The honourable member for Wide Bay does not need to have promises made about his performance in this House. Since 21 February 1978 he has, in fact, performed his duties as Chairman of Committees with a rare distinction. As one who was privileged in the last Parliament to serve as one of his deputies, I believe the House should be told not only of his capacity in the chair in this chamber, which should have been obvious to all, but also of his administrative ability and capacity in making certain that the chair was occupied appropriately at all times. I wonder whether the House is aware to what extent the administration of the chair is a formidable task. Clarrie Millar- I seek your indulgence in describing him so, Mr Speaker - is a man who came into Parliament with a real mission. He came in with distinction, as was evidenced by his contribution to the debate with regard to the Fraser Island dispute which reigned in this House when he first came here. Despite his vigorous party political attitude on this subject, when he occupied the chair as Chairman of Committees he executed his duties with a fairness and an impartiality which had the respect of us all.

Mr Speaker, the Parliamentary Handbook tells us the history of this man in parliament. I shall not go through that again, except to say that the House will be richer if Clarrie Millar can serve as Chairman of Committees in this place for the ensuing Thirty-second Parliament. It is with great pride and with a great deal of pleasure that I stand here to support him. It is a fact that this is one Lusher motion which I have no doubt about supporting.

Mr Les McMahon:
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES · ALP

– I am very honoured and proud to second the motion moved by the honourable member for Hughes (Mr Les Johnson) for the appointment of Mr John Armitage as Chairman of Committees. I have known John Armitage for more than 20 years. No one else in this Parliament surpasses his impartiality when presiding over parliamentary debates. John Armitage has a long history as a member of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales. He was first elected to this Parliament in 1961, was defeated in 1963 and was reelected in 1969. He is a reformer. I remember that he had discussions with you, Mr Speaker, on dress reforms for honourable members in this House. He tried to change the rules governing dress to allow members to wear safari suits instead of collars and ties. You, Mr Speaker, agreed. That was a breakthrough. In other words, he is a person who gives us change. If this afternoon every honourable member were able to have a conscience vote for the person who he thinks would do a good job I know that everyone would vote for the honourable member for Chifley. But we are caught up in the party machines on both sides. However, sometimes honourable members are allowed to register a conscience vote. It would be lovely if that happened today. We could share some of the jobs.

Mr Cohen:

– We would do it.

Mr Les McMahon:
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES · ALP

– Yes, we would do it if we were given permission. I know that John Armitage has the necessary capability and would like to be the Chairman of Committees. Without elaborating I support what the honourable member for Hughes stated. The record of John Armitage in this Parliament indicates that he would be fair and give every honourable member a fair go. One of his attributes is that he is a good Australian. I hope that honourable members will give John Armitage their vote for the position of Chairman of Committees. If honourable members’ consciences were their guide, I know they would give John Armitage their support.

Mr SPEAKER:

– In accordance with the Standing Orders the bells will be rung for two minutes and a ballot will be conducted.

The bells having been rung -

Mr SPEAKER:

– The ballot will now be conducted. Honourable members will write on the ballot paper one of two names, either the name Armitage or the name Millar.

The ballot having been concluded -

Mr SPEAKER:

– The result of the ballot is: Mr Millar 73 votes, Mr Armitage 49 votes. Mr Millar is therefore declared elected.

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– On behalf of my Government I offer the warmest congratulations on the very significant electoral win that Mr Millar has just achieved in being re-elected to the post of Chairman of Committees. Mr Speaker, this morning, comments were made about the role that you have played and will continue to play over the life of this Parliament in maintaining the dignity of the Parliament and in improving and enhancing its public image as an institution. But you, of course, need to be backed by a chairman and deputy chairmen of committees who, under your guidance, will make sure that the Parliament is appropriately guided and assisted in those times when you are absent from the chair.

The Chairman of Committees has a very significant role to play in the whole institution and I am quite sure that the honourable member has the good wishes of the whole Parliament in the duties that will be in front of him. He has demonstrated a very considerable capacity to carry out those responsibilities with all those attributes which are necessary for chairmen of this Parliament - dignity, impartiality and, occasionally, a degree of gentle firmness which has proved to be necessary. I offer him my warmest congratulations and those of the Government and best wishes for the years ahead.

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– On behalf of the Opposition I extend congratulations to the honourable member for Wide Bay (Mr Millar) on his election as Chairman of Committees. It is often a testing task and often the Parliament decides to test the incumbent of the office; I expect that things will not be different in the course of this three-year term. However, the office does call for skills, competence, firmness, good humour and a sense of what the Parliament is about and where it should be going. Overriding all that, of course, is a commitment to impartiality in the application of the appropriate standing orders of the Parliament. Those are things which, in the past, the honourable member has sought to achieve in the discharge of hiq office when he has been occupying the chairmanship of this Parliament. I look forward, as do all members of the Opposition, to his similarly contributing as best he can in that respect and seeking to improve the performance of the Parliament by the quality of what he contributes in the chair over the three years of this new parliamentary term. I repeat that the honourable member has the good wishes and congratulations of the Opposition.

Mr ANTHONY:
Minister for Trade and Resources · Richmond · NCP/NP

– I would like to say how very pleased I am to see the honourable member for Wide Bay (Mr Millar) re-elected to the position of Chairman of Committees. On behalf of his party colleagues I would like to congratulate him. Traditionally, when there is a coalition government the position of Chairman of Committees goes to a member of the National Country Party; therefore, we look with a great deal of pride on the person who is elected to this position. During the past three years the honourable member for Wide Bay has proved his worth as Chairman of Committees. He has shown a great deal of capacity and skill. We wish him well in the continuing position that he holds.

Mr ARMITAGE:
Chifley

– I would like to congratulate the honourable member for Wide Bay, Clarrie Millar, on his election as Chairman of Committees. 1 have worked with him for the last three years as a deputy chairman of committees and I can say that undoubtedly he is a person who is very easy to work with and one who has effectively organised the job. When he was first elected Chairman of Committees three years ago I think we all wondered how he would perform. He was new in the job and he had not had any experience in it. Without a doubt he brought to the position a great deal of capacity. He fitted into it very quickly and became a very effective

Chairman of Committees with great capacity. I give him my most sincere congratulations.

He might be interested to know that the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party yesterday elected the honourable member for Newcastle (Mr Charles Jones), the honourable member for Scullin (Dr Jenkins) and me to the panel of Deputy Chairmen of Committees from this side of the House. I am quite sure that this will be of some assistance to him. We will be able to tutor some of the rather raw Deputy Chairmen of Committees from the Government side of the House. Nevertheless, I congratulate the honourable member most sincerely on his election.

Mr MILLAR:
Wide Bay

– I thank the House for the confidence that it has shown in me. In a few brief words I simply give a firm undertaking to the House that I shall, as in the past, endeavour to discharge my duties without fear or favour so that the prospects of honourable members fulfilling their legitimate roles might be enhanced. I earnestly invite the co-operation of honourable members in that mutually beneficial proposition.

Mr SPEAKER:

– I briefly congratulate the honourable member for Wide Bay (Mr Millar) on his election as Chairman of Committees and especially as my Deputy. I thank him for his past service. I am sure that it will be as good in the future.

Mr Les Johnson:

– Mr Speaker, may I have your indulgence to raise a point. The vote for the election of the Chairman of Committees was interesting in that although three Opposition members were absent the Opposition candidate received 49 votes. We obviously won a Government supporter. I would like to thank him.

Mr SPEAKER:

– I will not grant the indulgence. The honourable gentleman will resume his seat.

page 17

PETITIONS

The Clerk:

– Petitions have been lodged for presentation as follows and copies will be referred to the appropriate Ministers:

Travelling Post Office Service

To the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That we protest most strongly against the Australian Postal Commission’s decision to phase out the Travelling Post Office (TPO) in NSW.

The TPO service has given the country people of NSW a reliable and efficient service for many years. To replace this service with a road system would be a backward step which we believe would result in long delays in mail going to and from country centres.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that the Government will look favourably on our petition to retain the TPO service in NSW.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Carlton, Mr Fife, Mr Free, Mr Lusher, Mr Mackenzie, Mr Morris, Mr O’Keefe, Mr Ian Robinson, Mr Sinclair and Mr West.

Petitions received.

Preston Institute of Technology

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth that:

Whereas a fully accredited degree course in chiropractic has been established at Preston Institute of Technology, and

Whereas three hundred students who pay their own fees are in all five years of the programme, and

Whereas students and the profession can no longer carry the financial burden amounting to over $1,000,000 per year, and

Whereas a debt of $240,000 is being incurred in 1980, and

Whereas if funding is not approved by August the course will be closed and students’ careers placed in grave jeopardy,

Your petitioners most humbly pray that the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled should ensure that funding of the Preston Institute of Technology Chiropractic Programme by the Tertiary Education Commission be no longer delayed.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Baume, Mr Drummond, Mr Garland, Mr Hunt, Mr Jacobi and Mr Macphee.

Petitions received.

Abortion

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. The undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully petition:

That the government will act to prohibit the use of all public moneys for the killing of unborn children. That the said use of government moneys is an unacceptable government endorsement of a great national tragedy - the deaths annually of at least 80,000 unborn children.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr N. A. Brown, Mr Malcolm Fraser and Mr MacKellar.

Petitions received.

Abortion

To the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in the Parliament assembled. The humble petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia, respectfully showeth:

That we support your efforts to strengthen our family and community life.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your honourable House will:

  1. Cease paying out taxpayers money for unlawful abortion procedures.
  2. Eliminate subsidies for abortion referral centres.
  3. Ensure that Australia’s Human Rights Charter will include rights for unborn Australians primarily the right to life.
  4. Introduce further benefits for pregnant women to assist them in continuing with their pregnancy.

  5. Obtain each year from each of the State Attorneys General:

    1. written details as to the reasons for which procedures were carried out under item 6469 of the Medical Benefits Schedule; 6. (b) Declaration that no procedures in respect of which a claim is made within the Health Insurance Act are unlawful abortions. And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray, by Mr Carlton, Dr Klugman and Mr O’Keefe. Petitions received.

Hilton Hotel Bomb Disaster

To the Right Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That they want the victims of the Hilton bomb disaster to receive a fair and just compensation. They remind the Prime Minister and his Government that they found the sum of $190,000 to compensate the Hilton Arcade shopkeepers for their loss of business and we the undersigned regard the loss of life and permanent injury even more important than the loss of business. The police involved were guarding the Prime Minister’s life and one of them lost his life, because the Prime Minister and the other international heads of state were inside the hotel. Three other police were seriously and permanently injured as a result of the bombing. The undersigned petitioners call upon the Prime Minister and his Government to compensate these unfortunate victims.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray,

Petitions received. by Mr Fife, Mr Hawke and Mr MacKellar. Petitions received.

Great Barrier Reef: Oil Exploration

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of citizens of the Commonwealth submits:

That off shore oil exploration within the Great Barrier Reef Region constitutes a serious threat to the richest and most varied living system on earth.

Your petitions request that your honourable House will:

  1. . Declare the whole Great Barrier Reef Region a Marine Park under the Federal Government’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1 975.
  2. Prohibit oil exploration within the Great Barrier Reef Region (as defined by the 1975 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act).
  3. Retain full Federal Government control over the whole Great Barrier Reef Region.
  4. Provide the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority with staff and resources sufficient for effective management of the Region.
  5. Develop and implement an environmentally and socially sound energy policy which would make it unnecessary to drill for oil in the reef region.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray,

Petitions received. by Mr Hyde, Mr Barry Jones and Mr Thomson. Petitions received.

National Women’s Advisory Council

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled: The petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That the National Women’s Advisory Council has not been democratically elected by the women of Australia; That the National Women’s Advisory Council is not representative of the women of Australia;

That the National Women’s Advisory Council is a discriminatory and sexist imposition on Australian women as Australian men do not have a National Men’s Advisory Council imposed on them.

Your petitioners therefore pray:

That the National Women’s Advisory Council be abolished to ensure that Australian women have equal opportunity with Australian men of having issues of concern to them considered, debated and voted on by their Parliamentary representative without intervention and interference by an unrepresentative ‘Advisory Council’.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Anthony and Mr Tambling.

Petitions received.

Pensions

To the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled the petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That there is an urgent need to ensure that the living standard of pensioners will not decline, as indeed, the present level of cash benefits in real terms requires upward adjustment beyond indexation related to the movement of the Consumer Price Index, by this and other means your petitioners urge that action be taken to:

  1. . Adjust all pensions and benefits quarterly to the Consumer Price Index, including the ‘fixed’ 70s rate.
  2. Raise all pensions and benefits to at least 30 per cent of the Average Weekly Earnings.

  3. Taxation relief for pensioners and others on low incomes by:

    1. The present static threshold of $75 per week for taxation purposes be increased to $ 1 00 per week.
    2. A substantial reduction in indirect taxation on consumer goods.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Dr Edwards and Mr Morris.

Petitions received.

Medical Records: Invasion of Privacy

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled the petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That we are gravely concerned by the invasion of privacy caused by Government agents seizing patients’ medical records:

Your petitioners most humbly pray that the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled, should-

Legislate to protect the private and confidential nature of medical records from scrutiny except on the express and informed consent of the patient or an order from a presiding judge.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray, by Mr Hodges and Mr Moore.

Petitions received.

National Health Insurance Scheme

To the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth.

That through deliberate action of the dismantling of Medibank, the overwhelming majority of citizens have been extremely disadvantaged and denied economic ability to secure preventative medical care. The ever rising charges for medical services coupled with government’s appeasement of the private medical health scheme hierarchy have added unwarranted burdens on the people’s resources.

We therefore demand, as a basic human right, the introduction of a universal, non-contributory, national health insurance scheme, to ensure access by all citizens to adequate health care.

Your petitioners most humbly pray that the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled will take immediate steps to bring about the wishes expressed in our petition; so that our Citizens may live their lives in dignity.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. byDr Blewett.

Petition received.

Taxation: Child Care Expenses

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of Parliament assembled in the House of Representatives. The humble petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeththat:

Taxpayers who incur child-care expenses in order to earn income should be able to have those expenses exempt from income taxation in the same way as other taxpayers can deduct business expenses from their assessable income.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Falconer.

Petition received.

Plant Breeders’ Rights

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled.

We, the undersigned citizens of the Commonwealth, do humbly pray that the Commonwealth Government:

  1. . Note that legislation establishing plant breeders’ rights in other countries has had serious adverse effects, namely:

    1. Virtual monopoly control of seed production has passed into the hands of a few large international corporations seeking to profit from the exclusive rights over plant genetic materials created by such legislation.
    2. The varieties of seeds available have been restricted mainly to hybrids which will not reproduce truly and will not grow without the aid of artificial fertilisers and pesticides, thus maximising corporate profits without regard for the interests of growers and consumers.
    3. The genetic diversity of crops has been eroded, rendering them vulnerable to disease and other environmental threats.
  2. Recognise that maintenance of the genetic diversity of plant varieties is crucial to the continued well-being of the Australian nation, and take all necessary steps to preserve and promote such genetic diversity as a public resource and to prevent exclusive control over plant genetic materials from falling into private hands.
  3. Defend the vital interests of Australian farmers and gardeners, independent Australian seed companies and their employees, and consumers of Australian farm and garden produce, by rejecting any proposal to legislate for the establishment of plant breeders’ rights in Australia.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Malcolm Fraser.

Petition received.

Refugees

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That a grave threat to the life of refugees from the various States of Indo-China arises from the policies of the Government of Vietnam.

That, as a result of these policies; many thousands of refugees are fleeing their homes and risking starvation and drowning. Because of the failure of the rich nations of the world to provide more than token assistance, the resources of the nations of first refuge, especially Malaysia and Thailand, are being stretched beyond reasonable limits.

As a wealthy nation within the region most affected, Australia is able to play a major part in the rescue as well as resettlement of these refugees.

It should be possible for Australia to: establish and maintain on the Australian mainland basic transit camps for the housing and processing of 200,000 refugees each year. mobilise the Defence Force to search for,rescue and transport to Australia those refugees who have been able to leave the Indo-China States. accept the offer of those church groups which propose to resettle some thousands of refugees in Australia.

The adoption of such a humane policy would have a marked effect on Australia’s standing within the region.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Hurford.

Petition received.

Taxation: Donations to Animal Welfare Organisations

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble Petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That animal welfare organisations play a vital role in the community in caring for animals and lessening the burden on governments and government authorities charged with the task of dealing with neglected or unwanted animals.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that donations made to animal welfare charities be allowed as tax deductions to remove the unjust tax anomaly which discriminates against charitable animal welfare organisations.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Les Johnson. Petition received.

Labelling of Cosmetics

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That continued use of animal ingredients in cosmetic products, and the inhumane use of animals in scientific research for cosmetic products is abhorrent and barbaric.

That the Industries Assistance Commission, because of the Commission’s term of reference, seems unable to impose any regulation or recommend any regulation which might restrict the activities of Cosmetic Companies which produce cosmetics in which animal ingredients have been used, or for which animals were subjected to research.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that the House of Representatives will:

Legislate to require comprehensive labelling of perfumes, cosmetics and toilet preparations to indicate:

  1. whether a product contains any animal derivative. If so, the ingredient and source should be indicated.
  2. whether the research and development of that product or any of its ingredients involved experimentation on animals.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Les Johnson.

Petition received.

National Women’s Advisory Council

To the Honourable the Speaker and the Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The petition of the undersigned respectfully showeth:

That the National Women’s Advisory Council is not respresentative of the women of Australia.

Your petitioners therefore, humbly pray that the federal House of Representatives will:

Effect changes to the present system of appointments to the National Women’s Advisory Council to allow more democratic selection of members and a wider representation of Australian women and their opinions on that council. by Mr Katter.

Petition received.

Road Funding

To the Right Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble petition of the undersigned concerned citizens respectfully showeth:

That local authorities throughout Australia are appalled at the recently announced Commonwealth Government allocation of a mere $628 million for roads in 1 980-8 1 . There is extreme disappointment at both the level of total Commonwealth funding for all road categories and at the specific allocation for the local roads category.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray:

  1. That road funding arrangements for 1980-81 to 1982-83 reach at least a total of $2,200m over the triennium.
  2. That the Commonwealth maintain an active financial interest in the funding of all categories of roads.
  3. That the Commonwealth ensure that a proportion of the funds flows through the States earmarked for Local Government purposes.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Katter.

Petition received.

Taxation

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble petition of undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

That the existence of a system of double taxation of personal incomes whereby both the Australian Government and State Governments had the power to vary personal income taxes would mean that taxpayers who worked in more than one State in any year would -

  1. be faced with complicated variations in his or her personal income taxes between States; and
  2. find that real after-tax wages for the same job would vary from State to State even when gross wages were advertised as being the same; and
  3. require citizens to maintain records of income earned in each State.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that a system of double income tax on personal incomes be not introduced.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Morris.

Petition received.

Trans-Australia Airlines

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble petition of undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully showeth:

Many Australians depend almost exclusively upon Trans-Australia Airlines for the provision of essential air services.

The Federal Liberal Party policy objective of selling Trans-Australia Airlines within 5 years is contrary to the national interest.

Sale of Trans-Australia Airlines wouldinevitably result in -

  1. the creation of a private monopoly of major airline services in Australia;

    1. higher domestic air fares.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that the House of Representatives will reject outright any proposal to sell Trans-Australia Airlines. by Mr Morris.

Petition received.

Employment

To the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia, respectfully showeth that:

While an average of over 450,000 Australians are now suffering unemployment at any one time, over one million people have been unemployed for one or more weeks during the last year and of these, 62 per cent of women unemployed and 41 per cent of men unemployed received no unemployment benefits; and further that

While the poverty line for a family (one income, one child) is $11 7.90 per week and the average weekly earnings are $243 per week, the income for these one million unemployed Australians is on average $62 per week for women and $110 per week for men.

We the undersigned citizens therefore declare: that unemployment with its attendant consequences of massive poverty is the major domestic, political and human question facing the national Government at this time, that the central issue for the 1 980 Federal elections must be the economy and the creation of jobs so that all Australians who choose may work.

We call for the right to work guaranteed as a fundamental human right the restoration of full employment the maintenance of real wages and the creation of acceptable social conditions the maintenance and expansion of the public sector.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Ian Robinson.

Petition received.

Synthetic Dress Fabrics

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble petition of the undersigned electors of the Division of Mallee respectfully showeth that:

  1. 1 ) As dressmakers who either sew for enjoyment, for an exclusive outfit or because ready-made garments do not fit our figures, we believe that lightweight woven synthetic fabrics should be made available to dress fabric retailers in Australia on the same terms as those destined for Registered Clothing factories.
  2. The Government’s recent decision discriminates against the home dressmaker by placing her at a cost disadvantage resulting in the loss of jobs in the retail fabric field in our district.

Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray that steps be taken to permit lightweight woven synthetic fabrics to be made available to dress fabric retailers in Australia on the same terms as those destined for Registered Clothing factories.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Fisher.

Petition received.

Education

To the Honourable, the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament assembled. The petition of certain citizens of New South Wales respectfully showeth that the Federal Government did not make increased funding available for government school programs such as:

  1. General recurrent
  2. Migrant education
  3. Special education
  4. Special education
  5. Capital gra, s
  6. Multicultural education
  7. Disadvantaged country areas
  8. Children in institutions
  9. Services and Development
  10. Education centres
  11. 1 . Special projects but increased the money available to the non-government school sector by 5.9 per cent.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your honourable House will restore and increase substantially, in real terms, the allocation of funds for government school programs. by Mr Morris.

Petition received.

Australian National Railways: Paringa Line

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled: The humble petition of the undersigned electors of the Division of Barker respectfully showeth that:

We oppose the Australian National Railways decision to close the Paringa line since it completely disregards the fundamental right and necessity to provide a realistic freight service of any kind to the country communities so affected.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that the Paringa line in South Australia be not closed.

And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. by Mr Porter. Petition received.

page 21

TAXATION

Notice of Motion

Mr WILLIS:
Gellibrand

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 1, I shall move:

That this House, being greatly concerned at the apparent continuing erosion of the equity of the tax system calls on the Government to establish a select committee of the House of Representatives on Taxation to investigate and report back to the House on:

the extent to which the income tax schedules established by the Parliament are related to the capacity of taxpayers to pay

the degree to which the nominal incidence of taxation under these schedules is distorted by the impact of tax avoidance and tax evasion

the impact on the equity of the tax system of the increased incidence of indirect taxation

the impact on the equity of the tax system of a greater proportion of tax revenue being collected from indirect taxation in the future, and

the need for changes to the present system, the introduction of new taxes or other measures which can be used to restore equity to the tax system.

page 21

SENATE: APPOINTMENT OF MINISTERS

Notice of Motion

Mr BURR:
Wilmot

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That this House is of the opinion:

That no members of the Senate should be appointed Ministers of the Crown.

Because the House of Representatives is the people’s House and is elected on a basis of equal franchise it should have exclusive responsibility to form an executive government and initiate government policy.

Because the Senate is the House of review it should be free to review all proposed legislation and carry out its other review functions independent of the executive government and further that the members of the Senate should not be inhibited in that review process by also having responsibilities to the executive government and therefore calls on the Governor-General following the next and subsequent general elections to appoint all Ministers of the Crown from the members of the House of Representatives.

page 22

TECHNOLOGY

Notice of Motion

Mr Barry Jones:
LALOR, VICTORIA · ALP

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 2, 1 shall move:

That this House:

. rejects the prevailing colonial mentality of the Fraser Government by which technology transfer is overwhelmingly under foreign control;

rejects the concept of technological determinism - the idea that technological changes must be adopted regardless of social consequences, as set out in the CITCA (Myers) Report;

expresses its preference for technologies which complement and enhance human capacity, dignity and diversity;

asserts that the Australian people have the right to choose the most appropriate technologies from the range offering, e.g., solar as opposed to nuclear energy;

believes that introduction, ownership and control of high technology should not be left to market forces alone;

calls on the Fraser Government to follow the example of Switzerland and Sweden in encouraging higher levels of nationally based research and development; and

calls for the establishment of an Independent office of Technology Assessment and a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology so that both Houses can take an active and informed role in pursuing national policies on technology.

page 22

LEISURE

Notice of Motion

Mr BURR:
Wilmot

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

  1. . That a select committee be appointed to examine

    1. The facilities, services and opportunities available to the community to spend leisure hours for the betterment of the individual and the community.
    2. Whether there is a role for the Commonwealth Government in co-ordinating the activities of State and local governments in the field of recreation and sport.

  2. That the committee recognise the responsibilities of the States in these matters and seek their co-operation in all relevant aspects.

page 22

NON-METROPOLITAN UNEMPLOYMENT

Notice of Motion

Mr KERIN:
Werriwa

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 3, 1 shall move:

That this House:

1 ) notes that non-metropolitan Australia has 30 per cent of our population yet experiences over 40 per cent of national unemployment;

notes that the unemployment: vacancy ratio for nonmetropolitan is higher than for metropolitan Australia;

deplores the rejection by the Government of a plan by the Australian Council of Local Government Associations that would have created jobs throughout nonmetropolitan Australia;

deplores the rejection by the Government of any suggestions to direct funds via State and local governments to cope with seasonal unemployment in rural communities;

deplores the failure by the Government to recognise that one in three rural towns is in decline;

is of the opinion that the Government has failed to recognise and deal with rural unemployment and the deteriorating situation in rural towns accentuated by the drought;

calls on the Government to urgently implement job creation programs, seasonal unemployment programs and programs to assist business in non-metropolitan Australia.

page 22

PARLIAMENT: BUDGET APPROPRIATION

Notice of Motion

Mr BURR:
Wilmot

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 4, 1 shall move:

That this House is of the opinion:

1 ) That the next and subsequent budgets should provide a one line appropriation to the Parliament:

That such an appropriation should be administered by the Presiding Officers without reference to the Minister for Finance.

page 22

UNEMPLOYMENT

Notice of Motion

Mr HAWKE:

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 5, 1 shall move:

That, in light of the Government view contained in the 1 980-8 1 Budget Papers that there will be no improvement this financial year in the already disastrously high level of unemployment and the consistent glossing over of this fact by the Minister for Employment and Youth Affairs, in the opinion of this House, and as a matter of urgency, a joint committee should be established to inquire into and report on unemployment in Australia, with special reference to:

1 ) the extent of unemployment and tl-e degree to which it has become a long term problem:

the degree to which unemployment bears particularly upon certain industries, regions and sectors of the work force;

the social implications of prolonged large-scale unemployment;

the applicability to Australia of innovative employment creating schemes operating in other comparable countries;

the extent to which unemployment could be reduced by implementing and expanding manpower programs;

other means by which unemployment could be reduced, and

the extent and nature of possible conflict between the objective of reducing unemployment and other policy objectives.

page 23

PARLIAMENTARY TERM

Notice of Motion

Mr BURR:
Wilmot

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 6, 1 shall move:

That this House is of the opinion that the term of the House of Representatives should be extended to four years and the term of the Senate eight years, and therefore calls on the Government to conduct a referendum in conjunction with the next general election to propose to the Australian people appropriate amendments to the Constitution.

page 23

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Notice of Motion

Mr UREN:
Reid

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 7, 1 shall move:

That this House:

1 ) recognises that rapid uncontrolled export oriented resource development is creating major regional dislocations throughout Australia and in particular

is contributing to the economic decline of regions traditionally dependent on diverse manufacturing industries; and

had led to a severe imbalance in the development of growing regions whereby public funds are channelled into the provision of physical infrastructure for projects of large corporations while community needs are neglected; and, therefore

calls on the Government to

develop and implement policies for balanced development which take into account the different needs of each of Australia’s regions;

support regional authorities and assist them to create employment and enter into partnership arrangements with private enterprise to attract new economic activity to their regions; and

promote planning of public investments and coordination of government services on a regional basis through the co-operation of Federal, State and local government.

page 23

OLYMPIC GAMES

Notice of Motion

Mr John Brown:
PARRAMATTA, NEW SOUTH WALES · ALP

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 8, I shall move:

That this House:

Acknowledges the Australian public’s overwhelming support for maintaining the Olympic Games as a truly international event dedicated to fostering world peace.

Condemns any government which attempts to thwart the ideals embodied in the Olympic Games to suit its own political purpose.

Exhorts the International Olympic Committee in its deliberations upon which city will host the 1988 Olympic Games to look favourably upon Australia and grant Melbourne that privilege in our nation’s bicentennial year.

In doing so, asks the IOC to consider the history courage, skill and dedication traditionally exhibited by Australia’s athletes and to ignore the Australian Prime Minister’s transgressions against the spirit of the Games and his attempts to eliminate the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

page 23

EDUCATION

Notice of Motion

Mr DAWKINS:
Fremantle

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 9, 1 shall move:

That this House calls on the Government to re-establish the needs principle in relation to the funding of schools in Australia to ensure that all Australian children have an equal opportunity to the highest standard of education.

page 23

NATIONAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Notice of Motion

Mr HURFORD:
Adelaide

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 10, 1 shall move:

That this House condemns the Government for its failure to devise a national industry development strategy which is capable of leading to full employment within the next decade.

page 23

INTERSTATE COMMISSION

Notice of Motion

Mr MORRIS:
Shortland

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 11,1 shall move:

That this House is of the opinion:

That the establishment of an interstate commission is essential to the development of a more efficient national transport system.

page 23

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

Notice of Motion Mr LIONEL BOWEN (Kingsford-Smith)- I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 12, 1 shall move:

That the House calls upon the Government to make an urgent review of all Commonwealth laws impinging on the freedom of the Press so as to provide a proper balance in a democratic society between the freedom of the Press and the legitimate foreign policy, defence and security interests of Australia.

page 24

IMMIGRATION

Notice of Motion

Mr YOUNG:
Port Adelaide

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 1 3, 1 shall move:

Noting:

the unco-ordinated and unplanned immigration intake introduced by the present Government at a time of high unemployment;

the general neglect of services Tor the specific needs of newly arrived immigrants and people from ethnic backgrounds living in Australia; that a select committee of the House of Representatives be established to inquire into immigration and ethnic affairs.

page 24

HEALTH

Notice of Motion

Dr BLEWETT:
Bonython

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 14, 1 shall move:

That this House, noting that health cover in Australia

. is inequitable given that contribution rates are unrelated to ability to pay;

is overly complex given that contribution rates, benefits, exclusions and eligibility vary within and between the States; and

lacks universality given that high insurance rates and limited government provisions leave a significant proportion of Australians without adequate health cover, affirms its support for a national health scheme that is equitable, simple and universal.

page 24

RESOURCE RENT TAX

Notice of Motion

Mr KEATING:
Blaxland

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 15, I shall move:

That this House calls upon the Government to introduce a resource rent tax on highly profitable petroleum and mineral ventures to ensure that the benefits of these developments be shared equitably between the producers and the Australian community.

page 24

NATURAL DISASTER INSURANCE SCHEME

Notice of Motion

Mr JACOBI:
Hawker

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 16, 1 shall move:

That this House:

. notes with concern the inadequacy of existing insurance compensation arrangements in the event of a natural disaster;

notes the resolution of the House of Representatives on 6 May 1976, that a natural disaster insurance scheme should be introduced as soon as practical: and

resolves that a joint parliamentary committee be established to re-examine the whole question of natural disaster compensation funding and that the terms of reference of the committee should be-

to make recommendations on the establishment of a natural disaster fund and methods of revenue collection to provide the Commonwealth with funds to guarantee grants in the event of a natural disaster;

to specify what constitutes an actual natural disaster, so that the history of doubt and uncertainty surrounding the admissibility of insurance claims in the event of a disaster can be eliminated:

to define what benefits should be payable to victims of a natural disaster: and

to recommend the composition and the nature or an administrative authority to operate a natural disaster scheme, and to examine practical administrations of the scheme.

page 24

SMALL BUSINESSES

Notice of Motion

Mr HURFORD:
Adelaide

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 1 7, 1 shall move:

That this House-

1 ) expresses its concern at the level of bankruptcies occurring in Australia

condemns the Government’s continuing failure to ensure that small businesses have adequate access to finance

calls on the Government to provide a significant increase in funds available for small businesses borrowing through the Commonwealth Development Bank or other institutions, and

urges the Government to institute additional new policies to assist small business.

page 24

FUNDING OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Notice of Motion

Mr RUDDOCK:
Dundas

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 1 -I think it is the second notice for that day- I shall move:

That this House believing -

that any proposal to divert taxation to fund u political party will eventually lead to the weakening of the vigour and responsibility which should reside in freely formed political parties

that public funds should be used for the benefit of the Australian people and not to promote the contest for power by political parties and

that such funding is contrary to the interests of emerging parties and will prolong the power of contrasting political organisations, opposes calls for the direct funding of political parties made by those inside and outside this Parliament.

page 24

FOREIGN OWNERSHIP: SUPPRESSION OF INFORMATION

Notice of Motion

Mr WILLIS:
Gellibrand

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 18, I shall move:

That this House notes with concern the Government’s suppression of information on the level of foreign ownership, the control of Australian industry and resources and calls on the

Government to re-establish the Foreign Participation Section of the Australian Bureau of Statistics so that such statistics may be regularly compiled and published.

page 25

EARLY RETIREMENT

Notice of Motion

Mr SCHOLES:
Corio

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 3, 1 shall move:

That a select committee of the House be established to inquire into and report on all aspects of early retirement.

page 25

AUSTRALIA’S DEFENCE FORCES

Notice of Motion

Mr SCHOLES:
Corio

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 4, 1 shall move:

  1. 1 ) That a standing committee of this House be established to

    1. examine and report upon -
    1. the capacity of Australia’s Defence Forces to meet the criteria of substantial self-reliance as set out in the Guam document
    2. the appropriateness of existing organisation of Australian Defence Forces
    3. the capacity of the Defence Forces to achieve defence readiness in a short period
    4. the level of reserves and reserve equipment for use in a defensive requirement situation
    5. the availability of replacement equipment to maintain an effective action capability
    6. the effectiveness of the expenditure of funds appropriated for defence

    7. the relationship between defence and Australian industry

    8. carry out a continuing examination of the extent to which announced defence programs are implemented
    9. examine such other matters related to the defence of Australia and the defence services as may be determined by the committee or referred by the Parliament.

  2. That the committee be given all powers necessary to carry out its investigations and report to the Parliament at least twice a year.

page 25

ELECTORAL LAWS

Notice of Motion

Mr SCHOLES:
Corio

– I give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 6, 1 shall move:

That a joint select committee be established to inquire into and report upon -

1 ) all aspects of existing electoral laws affecting the Australian Parliament;

changes that should be made to existing legislation;

the provision of proportionate subsidies by the Australian Government to political parties and candidates in Federal election campaigns and the disclosure of the amount and nature of assistance by corporations and individuals to these parties and candidates.

page 25

QUESTION

CHEMICAL SPRAYING IN VIETNAM

Notice of Motion

Mr HOLDING:
Melbourne Ports

-! give notice that, on General Business Thursday No. 2, I shall move:

That this House is of the opinion that-

) an independent judicial inquiry should be established as a matter of urgency to investigate the effects of chemical spraying in Vietnam on Vietnam veterans and their families and

the Vietnam Veterans’ Action Association and its scientific and legal advisers should be consulted in determining the form and terms of reference for that inquiry.

page 25

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: PROPOSED STANDING COMMITTEE

Notice of Motion

Mr SCHOLES:
Corio

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

  1. 1 ) That a standing committee be appointed to maintain a continuing surveillance of the practices and procedures of the House of Representatives with a view to making recommendations which would enhance the role of the House and its operational efficiency.
  2. That the committee consist of four Government members and four Opposition members to be appointed by Mr Speaker after consultation with the party whips.
  3. That Mr Speaker also appoint a chairman of the committee who shall only have a casting vote.
  4. That any additional terms of appointment of the committee be the subject of a subsequent resolution of the House.

page 25

PUBLIC SERVICE STAFFING LEVELS

Notice of Motion

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That this House -

1 ) deplores the action of the Government in applying arbitrary staffing levels throughout the Public Service, without regard to -

the already deteriorating levels of service to the public across the entire range of government operations:

the need for government services in many sections of the community seriously disadvantaged by government policies;

professionally established criteria for staffing, designed to achieve efficient performance with economy and fair work loads; and

the responsibility of government to act rationally and honestly in its dealings with both its employees and the general community, and

calls on the Government to withdraw this arbitrary decision and reconsider staffing levels on a basis that will genuinely serve the public interest and preserve the integrity of the Government’s role as an employer.

page 26

DUMPING OF NUCLEAR WASTE

Notice of Motion

Mr HOLDING:
Melbourne Ports

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That this House-

condemns the proposed dumping of 10,000 drums of nuclear waste in the Pacific Ocean, 900 kilometres north of the Mariana Islands, by the Japanese Government.

notes with concern the comments of distinguished Australian and Japanese scientists that such action constitutes a grave threat to Pacific marine ecology and Pacific nations and peoples, and

further condemns the Federal Government’s failure to oppose such action by the Japanese Government, as being contrary to the assurances given to this Parliament as to the safe disposal of nuclear waste and also to the tenth meeting of the South Pacific Forum on 9 and 10 July 1979, where all South Pacific Forum countries, including Australia, unanimously voted to oppose the use of the Pacific area as a place to dump nuclear waste.

page 26

PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY

Notice of Motion

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That it is the view of this House that a joint committee consisting of the Library committees appointed by each House shall-

exercise, on behalf of the Parliament, general oversight of the conduct and operation of the Parliamentary Library;

recommend the annual appropriations for the Library;

recommend the appointment of the Parliamentary Librarian;

determine what policies and services are necessary for the efficient functioning of the Parliamentary Library;

report annually to the Parliament on the conduct, policies and functions of the Library;

receive regular reports from the Parliamentary Librarian as to the general operations of the Library and as to any specific problems which may have arisen in relation to its staffing and functioning;

make such reports as may be necessary to the Parliament, after consultation with the Presiding Officers with respect to -

problems which may arise in relation to the terms and conditions of employment of the Parliamentary Librarian and any member of the Library staff;

any other problems which may arise in relation to the effective functioning of the Library.

meet at the request of the Presiding Officers as joint chairmen, or upon the request of one-third of its members.

page 26

AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT: PROPOSED JOINT COMMITTEE

Notice of Motion

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That a joint committee of the parliament be established to inquire into and report on-

1 ) The power, jurisdiction and effectiveness of the Australian Parliament.

The privileges of the Australian Parliament.

The proceedings and usage of the Australian Parliament.

The machinery of the Australian Parliament; and

The relationship of the media of mass communications to the Australian Parliament.

page 26

SAND MINING ON FRASER ISLAND

Notice of Motion

Mr WEST:
Cunningham

– I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That this Parliament condemns the attempts by the Deputy Prime Minister to change present Government policy not to allow sand mining on Fraser Island.

page 26

KIM DAE JUNG

Notice of Motion

Dr THEOPHANOUS:
Burke

– I give notice that on the next day of sitting 1 shall move:

That this House deplores the death sentence imposed on Kim Dae Jung, former Opposition Leader in the South Korean Government, and calls upon that Government to extend him clemency and on the Australian Government to apply meaningful pressures to achieve such clemency.

DEATH OF SIR JOHN McEWEN

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– Honourable members will know that a short while ago the Right Honourable Sir John McEwen died. I move:

I am sure that honourable members on both sides of this House will join me in paying tribute to a great Australian. Sir John McEwen gave many years of dedicated and distinguished service to this country. He was born in Victoria in 1900. He entered this Parliament at the age of 34 as the member for Echuca. From 1937 to 1949 he represented Indi. From 1949 until his retirement in 1971 he was the member for Murray. His 36 years of parliamentary service included membership of several parliamentary committees, including the Bankruptcy Legislation Committee in the 1930s, the Australian Advisory War Council during the war years and the Standing Orders Committee from 1962 to 1971. He became Deputy Leader of the Australian Country Party in 1943 and remained so until he became Leader in 1958, the position he held until his retirement in 1971.

His ability was recognised early in the Parliament. In 1937 after only three years in the Parliament he was appointed to his first ministerial post, Minister for the Interior, which he held for one and a half years. His first reaction to getting that post was a typical one and different from that which could be expected now. I am advised that as Minister for the Interior responsible for the Northern Territory and Aboriginals he camped out and moved around the Northern Territory for six weeks with his permanent head to learn something of his responsibilities. In these times we would move more easily and more quickly but maybe get a not so good understanding of the responsibilities and problems that had to be faced. His next post, that of Minister for External Affairs, he held for seven months during the early months of World War II in 1940. In 1940 he was appointed Minister for Air and Minister for Civil Aviation and held those portfolios for a year until the defeat in Parliament of the Fadden Ministry. On the election of the first post-war Menzies Ministry in 1949 he became Minister for Commerce and Agriculture, a portfolio he held until 1956, when it was renamed Trade. He held the portfolio of Trade from 1956 to 1963 and the portfolio Trade and Industry from then until his resignation from Parliament in 1 97 1 .

Following the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt in December 1967 Mr McEwen, as he then was, was sworn in as Prime Minister for a short period. Thereafter he continued to serve as Deputy Prime Minister until his retirement in 1971. But this list of achievements, impressive as it is, is only a part of the McEwen story. He was a man who towered physically and politically above many of his contemporaries. His political career from its very beginning bore the hallmarks of a man who, once he believed in a cause, would back his judgment to the hilt. For example, at the time of his first election to this House in 1934 as member for Echuca the Victorian Country Party was in open conflict with the Federal Country Party Leader, Earle Page. It demanded that all its candidates sign a pledge to refuse to support a coalition Federal Government or to take part in a coalition ministry without its approval. John

McEwen signed the pledge, as I am advised, won the seat but quickly realised the necessity for an anti-socialist coalition. In 1937 he became a Minister. He was consequently expelled from the Victorian Country Party for refusing to resign from the Lyons-Page Government. The Victorian Country Party remained in turmoil for a while but it was a further mark of his leadership that he subsequently re-united that party and committed that party to the support of the coalition which was then recognised to be in the interests of all of Australia. He remained firmly committed to the coalition cause - a cause, I might add, which is as important today as it ever was.

When one rises in this place to mourn the passing and honour the memory of a member of this House one cannot help but search for a word or a phrase which encapsulates that person’s character. In Sir John McEwen’s case one word immediately springs to mind and it tells a large part of the McEwen story: That word is determination. As a young man during the Depression when others turned away from the land he was determined to turn his soldier settlement grant at Stanhope into a first class property and he did. He also recognised that governments had a role to play. He soon became involved in industry politics and later in national politics. As a member of the Parliament he was determined that his own constituents would receive the best representation possible. They acknowledged his ability by supporting him for 36 years. As a Minister of the Crown in successive coalition governments he was determined to put Australia first. His 21 years as Minister for Trade and Industry, as the portfolio subsequently became known, bear witness to his breadth of vision and to his capacity as a politician.

During a period when Australia’s economy was broadening he developed the trade and industry portfolio, establishing close contacts with leaders in primary and secondary industries. He was convinced that Australia needed strong, broadly based manufacturing industry and he dedicated himself to achieving that goal. As Minister for Trade and Industry he had the responsibility of reconciling what many people saw as contradictions inherent in the portfolio - the need for protection, as it was then seen, to develop local manufacturing against the free trade favoured by rural and mining interests. That he reconciled those differences in accordance with the times is further testimony to his own political skills. To some it might seem ironic that a leading Country Party member should devote so much of his parliamentary life to encouraging and supporting Australian manufacturing industry, but that was the mark of a man who was dedicated to Australia as a whole. Under his stewardship Australian manufacturing industry developed more than it probably has under any other single Minister, and for that Australia needs to be grateful.

However, Sir John felt that he attained one of his greatest achievements - and I think it is an achievement about which history will record he may well have been right - when, for a short time as Minister for External Affairs in the wartime Menzies coalition ministry, he foresaw the danger to Australia should the Axis powers gain a base in New Caledonia and the Pacific. Working with other allied leaders he was foremost amongst those who successfully sought to deny the Axis powers that important location and a base in the Pacific. It might have made a very considerable difference to the subsequent history of the war and it could well have made an even greater difference to the part that Australia was able to play in the war if the Axis powers had gained a base and a significant military installation in New Caledonia.

Sir John’s service to this country was not limited only to service while he was in government. During his years in opposition he was a member of the Australian Advisory War Council but it was upon the Menzies coalition’s return to government in 1949 that Sir John McEwen began his long association with trade and industry, an association that will long be remembered. Sir John McEwen was a great Australian. His long and distinguished service was acknowledged through the honours that were awarded to him. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1963, a Companion of Honour in 1969 and just before his retirement he was created a Knight Grant Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. Sir John retired from the Parliament and the Ministry in January 1971. I was honoured and privileged to serve in the Parliament with him and to serve in government with him. There was much that all members who served in the Parliament during his time could learn from him. And he was a good friend. I am sure all honourable members will join me in offering our deepest sympathy to Lady McEwen. The National Country Party, this Parliament and all Australians share her loss.

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– Three great statesmen have moulded the fabric and guided the destinies of the National Country Party over 60 years - Earle Page, Arthur Fadden and John McEwen. It is largely through the efforts of these three men that the party remains a forceful and viable influence on contemporary Australian politics. I doubt whether any three other Australian politicians have attracted such a fund of anecdotes, perhaps even from time to time influenced in the telling, I suspect, by some rather free-flowing hyperbole; but for all that, fascinating stories. Doc Page and Artie Fadden have become mythical figures in Australia’s political folk lore. I have no doubt that Black Jack McEwen, as he was widely and affectionately known, will join them in a legendary trinity as part of Australian political history.

John McEwen was born with the century and his long and distinguished career reflects many of the turbulent currents which have swirled through Australian public life. A boy of extremely humble circumstances, he became a highly successful farmer and gradually built a great public career - one of the most colourful and distinguished in the history of the Australian Commonwealth. His career spanned the 40 central years of the Country Party’s 60-year history in national politics. He was appointed to the Lyons Ministry when he was a relatively young man of 37 and thereafter he was always close to the centre of the Australian government as Minister, party leader, Acting Prime Minister and, all too briefly, Prime Minister.

The Australian Labor Party recalls with appreciation his very close association with the Curtin Ministry through the Australian Advisory War Council. During the 1950s and 1960s he was closely identified with the development of trade and commercial policy. I would like to record an observation similar to that made by the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) in his comments; namely, that it is a testament to Sir John’s remarkable political agility that he was able to build a highly protected Australian industrial sector while retaining the loyalty and largely satisfying the aspirations of a demanding rural constituency. I know of no greater example of political adroitness in our political history.

John McEwen ‘s life, despite its distinction, was not without its disappointments. He waited much longer for leadership of his party than might have been expected, given his qualities. An unswerving loyalty to the minority party meant that our nation’s highest political office was withheld, except in a transitory sense. Even given this, his career remains one of the most refulgent in the 80 years record of the Australian Parliament. Despite his austere demeanour, Sir John was a man of great personal warmth and accessibility. Members of the Australian Labor Party recall this great and redoubtable Australian with respect and affection. I am honoured to place on record today our thanks for the long and distinguished services to Australia of John McEwen. On behalf of the Opposition, I place on record our sincere condolences at the passing of a distinguished Australian.

Mr ANTHONY:
Minister for Trade and Resources · Richmond · NCP/NP

– This is a specially sad occasion for me and my colleagues in the National Country Party. I thank the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hayden) for their very kind and sincere remarks about my former leader. We mourn the passing of a man who was, to all of us, a giant, and to a number of us almost a father - and certainly a political father. If it can be said that any of us in this party know something of the art of politics, of the duties, the sacrifices, the responsibilities, the challenges and the fascination of politics, it can also be said that we learned those things from a master practitioner in John McEwen.

McEwen was a strong man. He was at times a hard, tough and demanding man. He had a commanding presence, a personality of great force. He was a man of integrity and a man of honour. He was a powerful negotiator. He was a persuasive advocate. He knew how to put his views and to win his arguments. His toughness and his resilience came, perhaps, from the hardships he endured as a child and as a young man. He had lost both his parents by the time he was seven. He was earning his own living at 1 3. He joined the Army at 18, shortly before the First World War ended. As a soldier settler, it has been recorded that his only assets, apart from 80 acres in the Goulburn Valley, were a horse, a cart, 50 shillings, good health and a determination to succeed.

In politics John McEwen always made sure that he had the fullest information about the matters he dealt with. He put enormous effort into his speeches and into the preparation of material that he used in the House, in Cabinet and in negotiations. When he was Minister for the Interior in the 1930s, as the Prime Minister mentioned, he toured the Northern Territory by horse, camel, truck and aircraft. He visited the Ord and Kimberley regions decades before anyone thought of the great developments that were to occur there. John McEwen once admitted, when asked, that he would have liked to have been Prime Minister. He said honestly that he sure would have liked that, but also said that he had been unwilling to make the sacrifice of his political independence that such a step would have required of the leader of a minority party. His partnership with and his loyalty to Sir Robert Menzies made, I believe, one of the most successful and significant combinations that have ever existed on the Australian political scene.

In 1921 John McEwen was married, but never had a family. His wife, Annie, worked with him through all those early years. In the early part of the Second World War, when he was Minister for Air, his wife set up a program in Melbourne to help young airmen in transit. Many is the time the McEwen flat in Melbourne was jammed with young airmen sleeping on floors or anywhere else they could find space. Mrs McEwen also did great work in helping to care for the wives of Australian airmen serving overseas. In fact, it was very much as a consequence of the sacrifices she made at that time, during the war years, that her health deteriorated, and that she suffered so much serious illness after the war until her death in 1967, by which time she had been made Dame Anne McEwen in recognition of her wonderful public service.

The resolution and determination which John McEwen displayed as a young man were seen by many of us in later years. He had the capacity to devise policies and the personal strength of character and the determination to fight for those policies and to see them put into practice. He had the character and strength that allowed him to do things others would not even try to do. I recall one day in the House when he was asked a long question about a very sensitive personal and political dispute he was involved in at the time. The House was hushed as the question was asked and there was a great air of expectation and tension while we waited to hear the answer. But McEwen simply ignored the question. He did not even move in his seat. He treated the question with complete contempt, stared straight ahead and said nothing. In the end, the Speaker was required to call on the next question. In its way, McEwen ‘s response was of the kind that only he could give.

In the 60 year history of the National Country Party there have been only four leaders. Those four leaders have been Sir Earle Page, who served for 18 years, Sir Arthur Fadden who served for 1 7 years, Sir John McEwen who served for 1 3 years, and myself. So far I have had the job only for a mere 10 years. Page, Fadden and McEwen - all of whom have now passed on - were towers of strength around which the Party grew and carried on its work on behalf of all Australians, but mainly on behalf of country people. But, to more recent generations, it was the name of John McEwen that most clearly symbolised the Party’s post-war work, and the growth of Australia’s export industries in the 1950s and 1960s. When I succeeded him as Leader of the Party and as Minister for Trade and Industry in 1971, 1 found that everywhere I went in the world the name McEwen was respected, trusted and admired. He formulated the policies and led the battle to change attitudes so that Australia could become an even greater trading and industrialised nation after the war than it had been earlier. In Japan a few years ago, my hosts proudly showed me a plaque on a wall of an hotel and a photograph commemorating the signing in that hotel in 1957 of the first trade agreement between Japan and Australia. That historic agreement provided the formal basis - the framework - for the massive trade growth between Australia and Japan in the years that followed. That agreement stands, along with many similar treaties, as a landmark, a testimony, to John McEwen’s enormous influence on the development of Australia’s trade, and Australia’s influence and respect in the world.

John McEwen’s energies and determination were devoted, over virtually the whole of his life, to meeting the needs of Australia’s primary producers. He saw very clearly their importance to Australia’s economic wellbeing, and he fought on their behalf with tremendous vigour and success. It would take far too long to detail the things he achieved but I will quickly run through a brief list. He negotiated international trade agreements with Japan, with New Zealand - the New Zealand-Australia Free Trade Agreement was his - with Britain and a host of other countries. He negotiated the international commodity agreements for wheat, sugar and dairy products and the industry stabilisation schemes which have given great stability and strength to so many of our rural industries. He worked for many years to help put Australia’s wool industry on the sound and secure footing that it enjoys today. He negotiated the subsidies and bounties that have proved to be so valuable to our rural industries. He negotiated emergency aid in times of disaster, devaluation compensation, complex multilateral trade negotiations in Geneva, fuel freight subsidies, the Export Payments Insurance Corporation, and realistic taxation concessions for rural interests. He negotiated money for beef roads - I was with him in 1961 at Windorah in western Queensland when he conceived this idea - and money for water projects for rural research. He negotiated probate concessions, achieved export incentives, led the fight against agricultural protectionism and secured the entry of Australian flag vessels in the container trade. These are just a few of his achievements, in partnership with his ministerial colleagues of both parties. We remember the fight he led on behalf of Australia’s primary producers at the time when Britain was negotiating to join the Common Market. We remember the fight he led to ensure that Australia’s farmers suffered the minimum possible loss from that historic and most significant event. John McEwen never opposed Britain’s entry to the Common Market. He sought rather to ensure that our access to an enlarged Market was in accord with the international commitments that had already been accepted by all the parties concerned.

But do not let anyone think that John McEwen’s concerns were only for the interests of farmers, as important as those interests were and are. He had a wide-ranging view of, and concern for, the interests of all Australians. Nowhere was his concern stronger than in his commitment to keep Australia secure through strong defences and strong alliances.

In many respects, John McEwen was more commercially and private enterprise oriented than most in the various coalition governments he served. Although he was leader of a party strongly committed to serving the interests of the rural community, he will be remembered in history as the man who did perhaps more than any other to encourage the development of manufacturing in this country. He put the Australian Trade Commissioner Service on a firm footing, with its members drawn in the main from experienced businessmen. He constantly advocated that only with growth could Australia sustain its living standards, employment and security. He developed a continuing basis of co-operation with all sectors - rural and industrial. For instance, the Manufacturing Industry Council provided the basis for developing policies covering monetary, fiscal and tariff measures designed to achieve, and achieving in his time, sound growth and prosperity. This was similarly the case with the Export Development Council which grew out of his understanding of the needs of business.

He was the first to perceive that the importance of the United Kingdom as a trading partner must decline and the first to see the opportunity and advantage of establishing a partnership with Japan. He did this at a time when feeling against Japan was extremely strong. He knew that trade, not just aid, was important for the developing countries, and conceived, against the opposition of all industrialised members of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the first system of tariff preferences for less developed countries. John McEwen was a great nationalist. He conceived the Australian Industry Development Corporation as a body complementing existing financial institutions and designed to assist industry and development and, to the degree possible, Australian ownership of that development.

Mr Speaker, I have spoken of loyalty. If we want to see the loyalty John McEwen could command, the respect and affection he could earn and the service he could inspire, we need look no further than the people who, over the years, served on his personal staff. Some have passed on. Others who are still with us no doubt would like, if they could, to pay their own tribute to their old boss whom they admired and loved. I cannot possibly remember or mention all of them, but let me refer to just a few of the longest serving ones. In earlier days, there was Ray Gullick, who was John McE wen’s campaign manager for his first election and who served him over many years. There was Leo Maroney, Ken McKernan and Fred Schwinghammer. There was Fiona O’Connor, who worked for John McEwen for something like 25 years. There was the late Maureen 0’Dea whom we remember with affection. There was Bill Carew, who was one of his Press secretaries and who served him over a number of years. There was also Margot Girle, who now is on the staff of my colleague the Minister for Transport (Mr Hunt). Those are just a few of the many people who loyally served John McEwen and Australia. Of course there was Mary Byrne. Mary Byrne worked for John McEwen for, I think, about 14 or 15 years. Today, as Lady McEwen, she mourns the passing of a husband she loved and admired and whom she cared for with tremendous devotion. To Mary - Lady McEwen - our sympathy and love go out today.

Of course there are many people around Australia today who worked for John McEwen - as personal staff and as departmental officers. I think of the fruitful relationship between Sir John Crawford and John McEwen; between Sir Alan Westerman and John McEwentwo examples which, I think, deserve special mention. There are legions of other people today throughout the Commonwealth Public Service and throughout Australian commerce and industry who are products of what might be called the McEwen era. They, too, have been saddened by the passing of their old chief. The Public Service and other great areas of Australian life have been made richer by their work and by the inspiration which John McEwen was able to give, through them, to others.

Mr Speaker, John McEwen House stands in Canberra as a practical, working memorial to this great man. The real memorial to John McEwen is to be seen in the nature of Australia today: A great trading nation, a respected nation, a secure nation, a nation whose primary producers have secure, stable markets and strong domestic industry marketing arrangements - primary producers whose importance and contribution to the wellbeing of the nation are understood. John McEwen was not just a politician or a political leader, but a statesman. He looked like a statesman. He behaved like a statesman. He spoke like a statesman. He had a statesman’s bearing. He was a statesman. Above all, he was an Australian, and Australia was the better for his presence.

Mr UREN:
Reid

– I join the three leaders in paying respects to John McEwen. I can think of no conservative member of this Parliament whom I have respected more in the 22 years that I have been a member of this place than John McEwen. As has been said, he was a great Australian. He was also a great nationalist.

I want to comment only on two brief aspects of his career. I refer firstly to his contribution to the creation of a diverse manufacturing base in Australia. John McEwen experienced the Depression of the 1930s. He knew what unemployment was all about. He believed that we really needed a diverse manufacturing base for the employment of the Australian work force, and he committed himself to bringing about that situation. The other aspect about which McEwen was concerned was the sell out of Australian resources and their takeover by foreign investment.

As Leader of the Country Party, John McEwen spoke on many occasions contrary to the policies of the coalition government of those days. When questioned about this inconsistency, he would say that he spoke always according to his party’s policies, as leader of the party, but when he came into the ranks of government he had to adhere to government policy. Speaking in 1963 to the annual conference of the Victorian branch of the Country Party, John McEwen said:

There has been an increasing tendency Tor capital to flow into Australia, not to establish some new and highly complicated activity, but to come in to buy out an Australian flour mill or an Australian dairy factory, sometimes a co-operative.

I make it quite clear that I can’t welcome the transference of ownership to overseas people of these simple foodprocessing activities, which have been actually established by Australians, and in many cases successfully operated by Australians for more than half a century. We in this room are mostly established farmers. If we earn enough annual income, we can live by selling a bit of the farm each year, and that is pretty much the Australian situation - we are not earning enough, and we are selling a bit of our heritage each year.

That was said 1 7 years ago, and all of us in this Parliament know that we have sold our heritage bit by bit every year. There are two ways for a country to be conquered. One is by military means and the other is by economic means. John McEwen foresaw that we could lose our sovereignty by economic means, and that is why he stood firmly by his principles. He was a skilled politician. It was said by the leader of my party that although John McEwen represented rural interests, and in most cases rural interests wanted free trade, he was able to build up that diverse manufacturing base. What is the situation under the present leadership? The present leadership of the party which McEwen lead so successfully has built up an alliance with the rural and mining sectors, and I might say that it is to the detriment of the small farmer and the small manufacturing sector. That is the sad thing about the Country Party sell out of McEwenism. John McEwen was not only a great political leader but also a great Australian. I am very pleased to be able to pay tribute to such a great man.

Sir William McMahon:
LOWE, NEW SOUTH WALES · LP

– I thought for a long time about whether I should say something about John McEwen because the previous speeches have been rather long. I was associated with him longer than anyone else in this House and I knew him probably better than anyone else here, too. Many of the things which happened between us are matters of record. Many of them are recorded in Alan Reid’s book. Shortly after I became a member of the Menzies Cabinet I became a very firm friend of John McEwen. We would go to the theatre together, talk together and play billiards, which I had never played before. There was nothing we would not do if we could find amusement and, above all, if we could find opportunities we would talk together about the world’s problems. I shall never forget him. He earned my respect the hard way. He had that until the day he left Parliament and he retained it afterwards.

I well remember him during my years in the Menzies Cabinet. In the first place, he asked me on two occasions whether I would be his representative when he went overseas. In fact, one such period was six months. It was divided by two weeks in the middle. That in itself shows the friendship that existed between us. He came to me on one occasion and said that he did not want to remain with the Department of Commerce and Agriculture. He wanted something that would permit him to spread his wings and to do the kinds of things that would expend the energy, of which he had an abundance. I remember suggesting that he look at placitum (i.) of section 51 of the Constitution. I said: ‘John, would it not be better if you took over Trade and Commerce together? Trade would give you a wonderful opportunity to see the world and to be able to exercise your influence on behalf of Australia. Secondly, Commerce would mean that you would probably have responsibility for the banking community together with other commercial areas such as retail trade’. When he was ill I played an important part in forming what became the Department of Trade. We had a lot of difficulties in that respect because Sir John Crawford had one kind of view and the gentleman who acted in his position while he was away took a totally different one.

Sir JOHN McEWEN:
ECHUCA, VICTORIA · CP

asked me whether I would become the Minister for Primary Industry. I said that I would provided that I remained in the Cabinet. He confirmed that, as did Harold Holt and Eric Harrison. From then on I struck trouble. I mention two examples tonight, particularly because the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Anthony) is in the chamber. While Sir John McEwen was away when I was Minister for Primary Industry I decided that as we were about to have an election I would like to be able to give something to primary industry, particularly the butter and dairying industry. I conceived the idea, with the help of others, of giving the industry a minimum payment. I sat next to Larry Anthony in the House. We worked out a scheme together with Sir Earle Page. That year we won every butter seat. The Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) will remember the number of times he rang me and gave me hell because he felt that I was not doing enough, although 1 did not think that he was involved in the butter industry. On that matter Sir John McEwen and I had our first real quarrel. It had been decided without my knowledge while he was away that I was not to be permitted to touch butter. There was a frightful row.

We had one other difficulty. He always insisted that I do what I was told by the staff, particularly Freddie Schwinghammer. Sir John McEwen went to Geneva, where he handled negotiations on the sugar agreement and, at the same time, the grains agreement. When he made his statement in Geneva it received no publicity. The department brought to me a copy of a statement it thought I should make. When he came back and saw that for two or three days I had front page coverage in every newspaper he felt that I had not complied with his instructions. After that I realised that it was time we separated; and we did.

The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Anthony) did not state that during that time I introduced the first wheat stabilisation scheme of a LiberalCountry Party coalition. I had about as much knowledge of wheat as has my baby daughter, aged seven years. Nevertheless, I well remember doing that. I did not have my departmental permanent head with me at the time as he had taken ill during the discussions. The number of occasions on which I had to ring John McEwen and try to explain something to him was incredible. The situation was the same with the dried vine fruit stabilisation scheme.

I mention one or two other matters which I think are important. At one stage when I was close to him I believed he thought he had the qualities of a great leader. But I think I should say that a senior leader of the Liberal Party of Australia threatened me by stating that if I tried to help John McEwen to the leadership of the party I would be drummed out of it. At that time I was not particularly addicted to the Liberal Party or the Country Party; I thought that both parties were worthwhile and that they ought to be sustained. Members of the Liberal Party on at least three occasions considered very carefully whether John McEwen might be drawn into the Liberal Party in order to take over its leadership should an opportunity occur. Whilst initially I thought he might like to do that, later it was not a proposition.

John was a man who believed strongly that a person occupying a position such as his could not become a real leader unless he caused fear in everyone with whom he dealt. I say very emphatically that he even used to frighten the daylights out of R. G. Menzies. On at least two occasions R. G. Menzies wondered whether we would be able to separate ourselves from the Country Party. He discussed that matter twice but never faced the barrier on the issue. Those are some of the things which had to be said. But I should mention one other matter: He tried various occupations. No honourable member mentioned that once John McEwen was in the employ of Fred Whitlam, the father of Gough Whitlam, I think in the Attorney-General’s Department. John McEwen had a varied career. He had tremendous vitality and a deep interest in most of the issues about which people talked. At dinner his conversation always was interesting.

In conclusion, I must say that he was a man of compassion. People might have looked at him and seen a tall, gaunt man with jet black hair, looking formidable and even terrifying, but to see him with his first wife, who was a cripple, was a lovely sight. It was comforting to see the care and assistance he gave her. He usually had her with him. About three years ago when we were in England to attend the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, we went to Windsor Castle. Again, it was pleasant to watch him and his wife. She is a lovely person. I convey my condolences to her.

Every member of this House who knew John McEwen’s wife would know that if he had a problem he wished to have explained he could talk to her. She was a friendly, charming person. I had my troubles with John McEwen, heaven knows. I do not think that anyone could have had more trouble with a member of Cabinet than I had with John McEwen. Probably R. G. Menzies had difficulties with Dick Casey and Sir Earle Page when they were trying to replace him with Bruce, but they did not have the bitterness of our troubles. I think I have said enough. I repeat, I respect the man. I had a deep liking for him once and I respected him till the end. I am glad to have been able to make a contribution today even though it might have taken up a bit too much of the time of the House.

Mr KEATING:
Blaxland

– I desire to be associated with the remarks expressed by previous speakers. I had only briefly the privilege of serving with Sir John McEwen in this Parliament. I never knew him well and I speak today only because I think that someone who is touched with greatness should be remembered when he passes on. This is such an occasion. I think it is true to say that on our side of the chamber Sir John McEwen ranks as the most significant post-war conservative. Not only that, his most distinguishing feature was that he was one of the few people produced by the Country Party who pursued interests beyond the narrow interests which its members normally pursue, and are elected for, in this Parliament.

He was, as other people have said, a great Australian nationalist whose views were conditioned by experiences in the Depression and the lack of industrial preparedness as Australia moved into the Second World War. I think it is true to say that he was the father of Australia’s manufacturing industries. It is also true to say that he was the person who recognised the inevitability of the decline of imperial preference and the fact that Britain would no longer be a significant trading partner of Australia, and therefore sought new markets outside this country. That all seems very obvious today but it was not obvious then, certainly to a country which was inextricably linked with Britain. Australia’s trade with China was a significant achievement on his part. It was a case of forgetting the politics and getting your foot on the money. He was good at that, as indeed is the present Government. His relationship with Japan represented a milestone in Australia’s new trading relationships and in his own career.

Had Sir John McEwen lived longer in politics I think he would have seen that the dual policies he pursued of developing and protecting a manufacturing base while promoting a massive force for structural change - the primary exporting industries were incongruous. Beyond 1972 or 1973, he would have come to the conclusion that his efforts would then need to have been directed at letting the two live in harmony. Today this problem is caught up in the silly argument of free trade or protection. The difficulty we see today is that the very industries in which he was most interested at the end of his career, those of mining and agriculture, are the very forces which are threatening the manufacturing industries that he sought to build and protect. Nevertheless, he would have recognised that and I believe that, had he remained in politics longer, we would have seen more enlightenment from the coalition parties in their approach to development and the need for balance.

The honourable member for Reid (Mr Uren) has mentioned the fact that Sir John McEwen was an Australian nationalist who was interested in preserving the ownership and control of our industries. He did that very much against the trend of his own party. The Australian Industry Development Corporation was a matter of great argument in the coalition in those days. He was the father of the AIDC and more is the pity that the present Government has not allowed that organisation to flourish and carry out the role envisaged for it by Sir John McEwen. He was a most significant Australian.

For his own party he achieved not only the milestones to which I and a number of other speakers have referred but also the establishment of a pecking order of leadership and management that I suppose is best served today by Mr Anthony, Mr Sinclair and Mr Nixon. In that respect he did more for the Country Party than Sir Robert Menzies or a succession of Liberal Prime Ministers ever did for the Liberal Party. In fact, our only regret is that he never recruited the honourable member for Wannon (Mr Malcolm Fraser). As a Western District grazier, the honourable member would have been a certainty for the Country Party, but somehow he slipped the noose and we have to deal with him now as Prime Minister. We may have ended up with you, Mr Speaker, still perhaps as Leader of the Opposition or even the honourable member for Kooyong (Mr Peacock) who now serves with distinction on the front bench.

I have one particular memory of the late right honourable gentleman. He was a very tough man, a difficult man for the Opposition to deal with, and he understood power. The deputy to President Nixon, Haldeman, wrote a book called The Ends of Power. That is an acute expression which conjures up all the complexities of power. Sir John McEwen certainly understood power and the use of power. If one were to sum up his personality one could say that he grabbed the naked flame of power and held on.

Mr SINCLAIR:
Minister for Communications · New England · NCP/NP

– The passing of John McEwen reflects the end of an era. Tonight I would like to join with my leader, with the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser), with the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hayden) and with other colleagues in their remarks to his memory. He was a complex character. He was a soldier-settler, basically a farmer, a distinguished parliamentarian and a very outstanding international negotiator and international statesman. In this place he performed magnificently. All of us who worked with him can remember his standing here at the dispatch box jangling coins in his pocket and gazing across the table from under his mephistophelean eyebrows but using words in a simple, direct and accurate way. He was a quite outstanding person in this Parliament in the power of his oratory and his efficacy.

He was also outstanding in other ways, and I want to refer briefly to two such aspects. I remember being with him in Japan at a time when imports of Japanese motor vehicles were first causing concern in the Australian market place. I can recall that he sat in a corner with the then Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister Sato, while Sir Alan Westerman and Des McSweeney did a haka in another corner. It was as a result of that discussion in the middle of a geisha party that voluntary restraints were first achieved on the imports of Japanese vehicles into this country.

Basically the strength of John McEwen lay in his ability to recruit and to use the talents of others. He had an extraordinary ability to get the best out of people. He was certainly one who gave loyalty and expected loyalty. All of us know of the outstanding men of distinction in the Public Service who worked with him. The names of Sir John Crawford and Sir Alan Westerman have been mentioned, but if one looks at the record of the Department of Trade and Industry one will see the number of permanent heads who were appointed from its ranks and one must reflect on the capability of the man who was ministerial head of the Department who fundamentally was responsible for their selection. Honourable members might recall that Sir John, in his valedictory in this place, said of his advisers:

If you do not tell me I am wrong when you think I am wrong you are no good to me as an adviser. You must press your point.

John McEwen enjoyed people. He enjoyed people agreeing with him only when he knew that he was right. Above all, he enjoyed a strong debate with somebody when he believed that he might not be right. He relied extensively on the advice of others, yet made his own judgment. As my leader has said, essentially he was a father to us all and within the National Country Party his loss will be particularly felt.

Mary - Lady McEwen - his widow, is much loved by those of us who knew her when she worked with him and when she lived with him as his wife. Over the last few years his illness did not make life easy for either of them. To Mary I too would like to extend my love and my deepest personal sympathy. Perhaps we all recall these words of Kipling:

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue. Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And - which is more - you’ll be a Man, my son!

Those words, I believe, fit perfectly that great Australian- John McEwen.

Mr LLOYD:
Murray

– Previous speakers in the debate have listed the details of Sir John McEwen’s long and pre-eminent parliamentary career and of his achievements which made him a great Australian. I wish to concentrate on the view of Sir John from the electorate he represented with such great distinction for so many years. He lived in the electorate, whether it be called Echuca, Indi or Murray, for almost all his life. I lived about 25 miles from his Stanhope farm and from an early age was aware of the respect, almost the awe, in which he was held by the electorate. His reputation was such that rumours would sweep the district from time to time that McEwen was changing the type of farming on his Stanhope property. People would quietly drive past to check the rumours and, on the odd occasion when a rumour was confirmed, the farmers of the district would reassess their farming strategy to see whether they should follow suit.

Sir John McEwen grew with the electorate and, although he became a national and international figure, he never turned his back on his electorate or forgot those who sent him to Canberra. He was always known as the Stanhope farmer. His own battle as a young soldier settler struggling on a new irrigation block to develop a viable farm was to be repeated many times as northern Victoria became the major irrigation and dairying area of Australia. Probably a greater number of soldier settlers, following two world wars, were settled in northern Victoria than anywhere else in Australia. His early and continuing leadership in and support for the agricultural co-operative movement is also significant in that co-operatively owned food processing factories have developed to a greater degree in northern Victoria than possibly anywhere else in Australia. His determination to overcome adversity, from being an orphan at the age of seven and an impoverished soldier settler to being Leader of the Country Party, Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister, is a tribute to his strength of character. I believe it is also a tribute to Australia as a nation, which allowed such a man to come through. Although he was the member for Murray from 1949 to 1971, he was a Minister for all of that time and the title ‘honourable member for Murray’ was rarely used. I am proud to follow Sir John as the member for Murray but I can never replace him either as the local member or in Parliament. The electorate will always remember his outstanding contribution to this nation.

There are four achievements which I believe establish Sir John McEwen as a statesmanpraise which I would give to few Australians. The first achievement was the negotiation of the Japanese trade treaty. The second was the stabilisation arrangements for agricultural commodities both in Australia and internationally. His third achievement was his determination to have an adequate level of Australian ownership in development projects and, finally, there was his uncompromising support for the Federal coalition and its supremacy over party squabbles which at times brought him into conflict with the Victorian Country Party organisation and his parliamentary colleagues. His dignified departure from politics reinforced his stature, although many of us would be disappointed that evidently he has not written his memoires

In conclusion, I wish to mention Dame Anne McEwen, his wife of 46 years until her death in 1967, and to extend my sympathy and that of the Murray electorate to his widow, Mary, who was such a great strength to him in the last years of his life, to his sister, Mrs Gladys Richards, and to his brother, Dr George McEwen.

Mr NIXON:
Minister for Primary Industry · Gippsland · NCP/NP

– I also support the motion of condolence moved by the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) and supported by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hayden), the Leader of the National Country Party (Mr Anthony) and other speakers. I pay a tribute to Sir John McEwen not only for my own part but also for the thousands of party members throughout the Victorian countryside who were his admirers and supporters over the years. Sir John McEwen was a truly great Australian. He was a man who put Australia first and who never ceased to fight for Australia’s interests. He devoted a lifetime to the interests of this nation. He was also a great parliamentarian.

The clarity and information he gave in answers to questions were a lesson to all. In debate it was fact and policy that counted, not personality. Whilst he was a tough and determined parliamentarian he was also a man of extraordinary foresight and perception who always took what I call the long view. He could see the long term value or possible adverse implications in proposals while others could see only the short term prospects.

The examples of this are legion. For instance, while surrounded by critics inside and outside this Parliament he fought to secure the AustraliaJapan Trade Agreement in 1957, and today Japan is our biggest trading partner. He could see the dangers implicit in the longer term for free world trade, particularly in agricultural products, because of the way in which the European Economic Community was being formed. Again, he has been proven so right. He could see the necessity for a geographically distant nation such as Australia to improve its shipping service. He staunchly promoted the idea of containerisation and encouraged shipping lines to make the costly transfer to container shipping, despite considerable criticism. Today the statistics prove that, again, his conviction was right. Since the introduction of containerisation, container traffic through Sydney alone has trebled to about 3 billion tonnes with reduced turnaround time and increased cargo capacity. Sir John McEwen could see advantages such as those. He was forwardthinking all the time.

He also worked tirelessly in the interests of the Australian primary and manufacturing industries to improve their situations domestically and to enhance their trading positions through international forums. He was a great believer in free world trade, and led numerous trade delegations to many parts of the world. Internationally he was not only well known but also was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him. Japan recognised his contributions by awarding him the Order of the Rising Sun in 1973. In 1950 he successfully negotiated agreement with the governments of the United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Africa for an international floor price scheme for wool. Whilst the proposal was defeated by a referendum in Australia in 1951 and a further proposal was also defeated in 1965, his vision for a wool floor price arrangement was ultimately vindicated in the 1 970s with the establishment of overwhelming international acceptance of the Australian reserve price arrangements at wool auctions. Today the scheme is a major mainstay of the Australian wool industry.

I recall that on one occasion shortly after I entered Parliament there was a debate in the joint parties room on this very issue. I built up a solid argument supporting the reserve price plan but inadvertently I got one figure wrong. As a result, I saw my case torn to shreds. Afterwards John McEwen came up to me. He could see that I was upset, and he said: ‘1 think you have learned something today. Always double check your facts.’ It was a fundamental and vital piece of advice that I have never forgotten. Sir John was always an absolute stickler for detail; everything had to be dead accurate. It is easy to understand why he adopted such a demanding attitude to detail. A glance at the Parliamentary Handbook will give anybody an indication of the tremendous volume of work attended to and achieved by Sir John. His name probably appears on the statute books more times than that of any other Minister. It is for that reason that today he is remembered and will continue to be remembered as a great figure in Australia’s history and development while his critics have faded from memory to the point where most people would be hard pressed even to remember their names.

In his capacity as Minister for Commerce and Agriculture between 1949 and 1956, Minister for Trade from 1956 to 1963, and Minister for Trade and Industry until his retirement in 1971, Sir John maintained a strong interest in the needs of the man on the land. As Minister for Commerce and Agriculture he rewrote the statutes on wheat and dairying stabilisation, and sought successfully to ensure stability throughout primary industries. Here again he was incredibly perceptive. One of his pets was continually to tell farmers that if they wanted to make a significant political impression they must speak with a united voice. Today they do so through the National Farmers Federation.

On the personal side, Sir John was a man who took a very keen interest in the development of new members of parliament and new Ministers. No matter how busy, he was always available. He never proffered advice unless it was sought. His advice and his judgment, based on years of experience at the top of Australian public life, was always constructive, helpful and wise. I might point out that it was available to members from both sides of the House. I consider myself fortunate to have entered this Parliament as a young man and to have served and learned, both as a back bencher and as a Minister, when John McEwen was leader of my Party. I am proud to acknowledge that I was a significant beneficiary of John McEwen’s wisdom. A number of members of today’s Cabinet are the richer for having worked closely with John McEwen. He also had the ability to inspire confidence and total loyalty from his personal staff who always held him in the highest regard. A number of them stayed with him for many years.

As a leading figure in the Country Party in Victoria he was an inspiration and his force of personality and knowledge of his subject invariably gave him the edge in debate at party conferences. It was these qualities that also allowed him to take command at times when differences of approach were taken by the State and Federal representatives of the party. He believed absolutely in the need for a strong and stable coalition in the government of the nation and nothing would deter him from that belief. His loyalty to that view remained undiminished throughout his career and after his retirement.

In retirement he lived quietly, refusing to join in the controversies that occurred from time to time. I often called on him for a yarn and always found that he maintained a razor sharp mind and awareness of what was happening on the national scene. But, again, he would offer advice only when it was sought. John McEwen was a man of tremendous integrity and capacity, a very great Australian and a man to whom Australians of today owe a very great debt. My sympathy goes to his wife Mary who was a stalwart companion throughout the years.

Mr SPEAKER:

– I knew John McEwen as a Minister. I knew him as an adversary in the Cabinet room. Trade practices legislation attracted the longest Cabinet consideration of any individual policy. John McEwen insisted on the Bill being taken clause by clause. This meant that we considered the legislation for weeks and months. I sat opposite him during these discussions. John McEwen was involved in a continual search for the desirability of the clauses as structured and their compatibility with the philosophy which stood behind the measure. For me this was a very long and difficult learning process. When the Cabinet consideration was completed he was most generous to me in supporting the Bill.

I knew John McEwen also as a man of tremendous wisdom. When I was Leader of the House and I had to deal with difficult tactical problems in the chamber his counsel as to how they should be handled was always of the highest order. I greatly appreciated his assistance. Therefore I had experience of his generosity and his wisdom. I recently had experience of him in another respect. I learned that for very many years he was the number one ticket holder of the Fitzroy Football Club. I am quite sure that a tremendous number of Fitzroy supporters follow their club even though it has failed to win a premiership for so long. It was typical of John McEwen that notwithstanding the club’s lack of success he gave the team his complete loyalty until his death. His wife Mary, who almost invariably accompanied him to the football matches, has lost a great companion. 1 am sure that all of us who know her will feel very sad for her very deep loss.

Question resolved in the affirmative, honourable members standing in their places.

page 37

DEATH OF FORMER SENATOR V. C. GAIR

Mr SPEAKER:

– I inform the House of the death of the Honourable V. C. Gair, a former senator. Vincent Clair Gair died on 1 1 November 1980. He represented the State of Queensland from 1965 to 1974. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1952 to 1 960 and Premier from 1 952 to 1 957.

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– Mr Speaker, with your indulgence, I wish to make a few remarks about the late Vince Gair.

Mr SPEAKER:

– The right honourable gentleman has that indulgence.

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:

– Vincent Clair Gair died on 1 1 November at the age of 79, after an involvement in Australian politics spanning more than 60 years. His association with the Australian Labor Party began when he was 14, and he remained a member of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party for more than 30 years. Vince Gair served in the Queensland Parliament from 1932 to 1960. He was a Minister from 1942 to 1952, Deputy Premier from 1947 to 1952 and Premier from 1952 until 1957. In 1965, representing the Democratic Labor Party, Vince Gair was elected a senator for Queensland. He was Leader of the Democratic Labor Party in the Senate from 1965 to 1973 and, in 1974, he was appointed Ambassador to Ireland.

We have witnessed in the passing of this former State and Federal parliamentarian not only the end of a political career of determination, colour and controversy but also perhaps the passing of an era which, through its turbulence and its persistence, had a profound effect on the course of Australian politics. In 1957, Vince Gair refused to accept a directive from the extra-parliamentary Australian Labor Party executive to grant an extra week’s annual leave to State public servants. It was not the first time that Vince Gair had struck out, but his move on that occasion proved to be historic. He was expelled from the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party. He and his supporters formed the

Queensland Labor Party. In the same year, the Labor Government fell and lost the subsequent election to a Country Party-Liberal Party coalition. Three years later, Vince Gair lost his own seat.

It can truly be said of him that he never walked away from a conflict, no matter what the consequences were to him or to those with whom he was associated, if he believed in the cause. As the officiating priest said in the panegyric at the funeral service for Vince Gair, he was a man who knew humility but he was not humble about the things he believed in. He was tough and pugnacious, an able bargainer, and a boots and all fighter for what he believed was right. He knew difficult times and he knew how to respond to them. During the 1950s when his government had fallen and he was facing an election he was bombarded by members of the media seeking stories and comments. On one occasion he told them that a meeting in support of the Queensland Labor Party would be held in Queen’s Park by Mr Ryan, a well-known Labor figure. Crowds duly gathered, along with the media, only to be confronted with the statue of T. J. Ryan, the first Labor Premier of Queensland in 1 9 1 5.

Vince Gair earned the respect of his fellow politicians through his skills as a negotiator and his deep-rooted understanding of constitutional, political and parliamentary processes. His was a long, diverse and distinguished career. It is doubtful whether we shall see his like again for he was very much a man shaped by the times in which he lived - two world wars, a depression and a postwar boom. Whatever final judgment historians may come to regarding the contribution he made to Australian political life over so many years, there can be no denying that Vince Gair left an indelible mark on the events of his time. Our sincere sympathy goes out to his widow and to the members of his family in their bereavement.

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– The late Vincent Clair Gair’s background was redoubtably Irish and Scottish. The Celtic tradition has always been a very strong one in the Australian Parliament, through from the founding fathers of the Australian Constitution such as Paddy Glynn and King O’Malley to Dr William Maloney, who held the seat of Melbourne for 40 years, to great Labor leaders such as Andrew Fisher, James Scullin and Arthur Calwell, and to contemporary figures such as the late Frank Stewart, Freddie Daly and, serving still, Mick Young. I doubt whether there has been a more extraordinary manifestation of the Celtic spirit in Australian politics than the late Vincent

Clair Gair’s. His was a remarkable political career, encompassing leadership of two political parties, and the positions of State Premier and Federal senator.

He was a dominant figure in Labor politics in Queensland for more than 50 years, a peer of legendary trade union figures such as Clarrie Fallon and Joe Bukowski, a successor to tough and wily State Premiers such as Forgan-Smith and Ned Hanlon. Gair played a key role with these men in the politics which kept Labor in government in Queensland for more than 30 years. It is a matter of history that he broke with the Australian Labor Party in 1955 and, for 17 years thereafter, was a perpetual scourge of our party. It should also be recorded that there was a measure of reconciliation in the final years of Vince Gair’s life, although he did not re-join the ALP as did that other great State renegade, Jack Lang. It is beyond my powers to capture even briefly in this House the dimensions of a figure like Vince Gair. Perhaps only a great Irish novelist like James Joyce could convey the psychological complexity of such a rich character, or a great Irish playwright like Sean O’Casey could portray his tremendous theatrical qualities.

These are a few things that need to be said to give some sort of a balanced picture. Vince Gair was for many years the member for South Brisbane, traditionally a working class area which suffered tremendous deprivation and suffering during the Depression. Members like Vince Gair sustained tremendous burdens in these years, handling the problems of thousands of unemployed and disaffected. As a man of middle years whose origins lie in Vince Gair’s old electorate, 1 can testify from my own knowledge and experience that he discharged his responsibilities with dedication, diligence and humanity. Whatever wounds Vince Gair might have brought to his party, it should never be forgotten that over more than a generation many thousands of Labor people were assisted by him. The Labor movement is forever indebted to him for his work and his charity in those years. It is, of course, also indebted to him for much else and these are the things that will be remembered in the fullness of time which heals all wounds.

It is also appropriate to note that the cycle which was started by Bob Joshua, Vince Gair, Frank McManus and their colleagues is now nearing completion. The Democratic Labor Party is substantially weakened, its former adherents returning in droves to the one true Labor Party. In these circumstances, it is appropriate that on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, the party to which he brought both much distinction and much anguish, I pay tribute to Vincent Clair Gair and record appreciation of his service. I place on record the condolences of the Opposition to the widow, children and their families of the late Vincent Clair Gair.

Mr ANTHONY:
Minister for Trade and Resources · Richmond · NCP/NP

– I would like to join with the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hayden) in paying a tribute to the late Vincent Clair Gair who was a very colourful and prominent politician in the same era as that of Sir John McEwen to whom we have just paid tribute. He was a major political force in Queensland politics and in national politics for a long period. His time of political activity was 42 years. He was Premier of Queensland from 1952 to 1957, a senator from 1965 and he became parliamentary Leader of the Australian Democratic Labor Party in 1974, when he was appointed the Ambassador to Ireland. I think the appointment as Ambassador to Ireland is what really shook his party and certainly staggered the nation at the time. We will recall that his appointment was one of political expedience by the then Prime Minister Mr Whitlam, who wanted to secure three Senate positions in Queensland. It was Reg Withers and I who devised a scheme whereby by delaying his resignation, and persuading the Premier of Queensland to call for the early issue of the writs we would defeat the objective that the Prime Minister had. Fortunately all these things were achieved one evening within a matter of 1 2 hours. I guess that that will be one of the things that I will always recall about the late Vince Gair.

As Premier of Queensland and as Leader of the Democratic Labor Party he fought a long and often bitter battle in his struggle to prevent the influence of the Communist Party into the trade unions of Australia. Many other Australians shared his convictions and their actions brought about a momentous upheaval in the party that Senator Gair had been a member of for so many years. The passions and turbulence of that time have weathered with the years, but they are a very important part of our national history and political heritage. Senator Gair, in his long career in politics, both at State and Federal level, won high regard for his leadership and political conviction. I offer my sympathy to his party, his widow and family.

Mr KILLEN:
Minister for Defence · Moreton · LP

– When I was discharged from the Royal Australian Air Force at the end of the Second World War I found myself heavily involved in politics. I would suspect that brashness has always been a constant companion of youth and, looking back on those years, I would not hold myself out as being any exception. Mr Gair was Premier of Queensland. I forget what the issue was, but I challenged him to a public debate. His response was a classic one. He said: ‘Dempsey never fought with preliminary boys’. The years swept by and when our late friend and colleague was on his way to Ireland - surrounded, predictably, by high controversy - he came to me with an application for a passport. He said: ‘Can you help me?’ I said: ‘I will do my best. What is it?’ He said: ‘I want you to sign my application for a passport’. On that application form was the question: ‘How many years have you known the applicant?’ I looked at him and asked: ‘How many years, Vince?’ He said: ‘You are a preliminary boy no longer’. So he went off to Ireland.

I should tell the House, because I suspect that it would have been his will, that when he was appointed he was deserted by everybody. We all go through these ups, if one may describe them as such. My friend the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hayden) has even had experience of that. One day Vince Gair was at the Lobby restaurant on his own for lunch. My companion had not arrived and I asked him to have lunch with me. I told him of the occasion when a former Defence Minister, Forrest, was appointed by Hughes to sit in the House of Lords. Hughes had found out that Forrest had been working against him in the party. Thank heavens modern political parties are spared those enormous burdens! Hughes turned to Forrest and said: ‘You know, you have a great gift of God and nature. You have a great command of sums. You can add them up. You have only one fault - you cannot explain them to anybody. You are going to sit in the House of Lords’. Forrest fell for this spiel. He sailed from Fremantle and died at sea. I turned to V. C. Gair and said: ‘You can make up your mind. My advice is that you fly either Aer Lingus or Qantas’. He had a very robust political spirit.

Death is a mighty leveller. The no less is she a constant and consummate musterer of differing views and of disparate political views. Those of us who were in the church on the occasion of the obsequies will recall that. I sat with my distinguished friend the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition in this Parliament, the Premier of Queensland and Mr Casey, the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition in the Queensland Parliament. Vince Gair would have enjoyed the conversation enormously. A magnificent panegyric was preached by Father Barney McLaughlin. Thank heavens the English language lives on, at least in the spirit of the Irish. Of Vincent Clair Gair he said: ‘Christ enjoins us to love our enemies.

Vincent Clair Gair belonged to the Old Testament’. Those of us who knew him down through the years will recall that. He was a man of high controversy. No apology, no defence, should be offered or declared upon that ground. When politics cease to be a matter of controversy we will have entered the servile state. The generosity of those present was evident. I know of the wars, the anguish, the anxieties and, one may say, the hurt of the years but they were all there to say goodbye. I join the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) and the Leader of the Opposition in extending personal sympathy to his widow, Nell, and to the children.

Mr Donald Cameron:
GRIFFITH, QUEENSLAND · LP

– My comments will be brief. I want to make reference to the fact that Senator Gair, the former Premier of Queensland, probably had more of a profound effect on the politics of the State of Queensland and this nation than almost any of the other persons who have walked through the various doors of both chambers. Many who are members of this Parliament today and many who have passed through the Parliament in the last two decades have been here simply because of the fact that Senator Gair said no in the mid-1950s. It is appropriate at a time such as this for all of us here today and for those of us who have passed through - those who arrived victorious and have since departed either voluntarily or in defeat - to reflect on the fact that often it was not our own greatness or our own attractiveness to the electorate that brought us here, but it was a course of events. The course of events which brought many of us here in the first place was simply the emergence of another party which chose to direct a section of one party’s traditional vote to another party. That is why many of us are here. Without Australian Democratic Labour Party preferences many National Country Party members and many Liberals who are here today would never have been here. I recognise that and I think the honourable member for Kennedy (Mr Katter) and others here acknowledge that fact. Mr Killen made reference to Senator Gair’s funeral. When we see people of all political persuasions gathered together on such an occasion we cannot help thinking that it is a pity that so often it takes a funeral to bring us together.

Mr SPEAKER:

– As a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased senator, I invite honourable members to rise in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places

Mr SPEAKER:

– I thank the House.

page 40

DEATH OF MR PATRICK GALVIN

Mr SPEAKER:

– I inform the House of the death of Mr P. Galvin, O.B.E., a former member of this House. Patrick Galvin died on 24 September 1980. He represented the division of Kingston from 1951 to 1966.

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– Mr Speaker, with your indulgence 1 would like to say something about the late Patrick Galvin. The House was saddened to learn of the death of Patrick Galvin on 24 September. Honourable members would be aware that Patrick Galvin was the Australian Labor Party member for Kingston in this House from 1951 to 1966. He will be well remembered by his colleagues for his dedicated work as chairman of the Opposition’s defence and foreign policy committees and remembered by the Parliament for his work on a range of parliamentary committees. His emergence as respected spokesman for the Australian Labor Party in this Parliament was a recognition by his own party of a man who was never afraid to state his own case and to state what he believed in this Parliament. He did that fervently and with energy. In particular he was an unrelenting fighter for the democratic process, especially as it applied to the trade union movement.

In all the efforts of Patrick Galvin there was a forthrightness, a blunt honesty, an invigorating commitment and a deeply felt dedication to traditional values. He was amongst those who are often referred to nostalgically as the ‘old school’. His example as a parliamentarian will remain with the memories that we have of him. The character of this Parliament had changed very much since the days of Patrick Galvin, when he first became a member of parliament and when 1 and two or three others - yourself included, Mr Speaker - were first elected to this place. I am not always entirely sure that the changed composition of the Parliament has necessarily improved it. There were people with great experience in affairs, people who had had a direct experience of the 1930s, of the Depression and of the hardship and difficulties that that involved, people who had worked up through those years and through the trade union movement during the 1930s and 1940s. They lived through and experienced difficult times.

I believe some of that experience would be of continuing value to the Parliament. We are the poorer because we are without that experience from amongst our own ranks at present. Patrick Galvin was one of that school. His own experience of life was of value to the Parliament. In 1 979, as a fitting recognition of his parliamentary service, service to trade unionism and to sport, Patrick Galvin was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen with the award of an Order of the British Empire. With his passing our sincere sympathy goes out to his widow and his son in their sorrow and their loss.

Mr HAYDEN:
Leader of the Opposition · Oxley

– Pat Galvin was a member of this House for 1 5 years. He was a senior member of the Federal parliamentary Labor Party in the early 1950s and the mid-1960s. He was the Labor Party’s spokesman on defence matters during the demanding and arduous years of the initial Australian commitment to Vietnam and its gradual build-up. Tragically, he was swept from this Parliament in the great tide which engulfed the Labor Party in 1966 because of its proper and principled resistance to the Australian commitment in Vietnam, a resistance which has been vindicated a hundredfold in subsequent years. In those difficult years which also saw the reintroduction of conscription, Pat Galvin was a competent and vigorous spokesman for the Labor Party on a wide range of defence issues. He fully justified the confidence of the then Leader of the Opposition, Arthur Calwell, who appointed him to that position.

Pat Galvin was only 55 when he left the Parliament which was relatively youthful in parliamentary terms. Certainly, he had time to make a successful comeback and re-enter the Parliament. I have no doubt that he would have been a senior member of the Labor Government from 1972 to 1 975. Pat Galvin chose not to do this but to rest content with his 1 5 years of service in this Parliament, devoting himself to his family and undertaking a range of public duties. He was a forceful and at times fiery advocate of his convictions. There were occasions when we had our differences of opinion, as I seem to recall Alan Reid noting in the Daily Telegraph in about October 1975. But I always admired him. He was not a malicious or vindictive man. Pat Galvin was a loyal and dedicated worker for the Australian Labor Party. He was a very effective spokesman for its policies in this Parliament. I was saddened to hear of his death. I acknowledge and pay tribute to his fine qualities. On behalf of the Opposition I express condolences at his sad passing.

Mr KILLEN:
Minister for Defence · Moreton · LP

– I wish to speak of our distinguished late friend Pat Galvin, a former member for Kingston. I trust the House will understand that it is no matter of fancy or imagination, but I can still see my honourable friend standing at the dispatch box opposite. It is almost 25 years ago to the day that Artie Fadden said to me: ‘You will get a lot of advice in this place. Most of it is dubious. All of the good bowlers are not in the one team. Don’t forget that advice.’ Pat Galvin was a magnificent bowler. He held strong views for his party but he presented them with immaculate fairness, firmness and undying conviction. The late Frank Stewart and my constant friend who emerges in a variety of roles these days, Fred Daly, shared with Pat Galvin a room rejoicing in the name of Monkeys Flat. If political parties were to know or to be informed of what took place in Monkeys Flat looking back through the years I think a few of us would be summoned to give very elaborate explanations for our conduct.

Pat was a great person. He was a great member of this Parliament and a great representative of the Australian Labor Party. The generations of the centuries are beckoned to understand that we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. The firm, gentle but robust spirit of Patrick Galvin will find for itself a very well furnished mansion in another world.

Mr CHAPMAN:
Kingston

– I support the expressions of condolence relating to Pat Galvin. I do so as the present incumbent for the seat of Kingston which Pat Galvin so ably represented from 1951 to 1966. Although electoral redistribution and population growth have substantially changed the seat of Kingston since the time Pat Galvin represented it, nevertheless it covers much of the same area as it did at that time. With 1 5 years’ service as the member for Kingston, Pat Galvin has thus far been the electorate’s longest serving member since it was created in 1949. The Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hayden) have highlighted his parliamentary achievements over those 1 5 years.

But Pat Galvin also won the respect of his constituents for his commitment to them in his day to day work on their behalf in the electorate. Undoubtedly that contributed to his longevity as its member. I cannot claim to have had a close association with him but I recall that after I was first elected to represent Kingston in 1 975 he was one of the early visitors to my office to offer his congratulations and his best wishes for my future as the electorate’s representative. The genuine warmth of this gesture certainly has remained with me and was appreciated by me at the lime. I believe it reflected his continuing interest in the electorate and in its welfare. Personally and on behalf of the electors of Kingston 1 therefore extend my sympathy to his family and support the expression of condolence.

Mr SPEAKER:

– As a remark of respect to the memory of the deceased, 1 invite honourable members to rise in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places:

-

Mr SPEAKER:

– I thank the House.

page 42

ADJOURNMENT

Mr MALCOLM FRASER:
Prime Minister · Wannon · LP

– As a mark of respect to the memory of the late Sir John McEwen, I move:

Question resolved in the affirmative.

House adjourned at 7,37 p.m.

page 42

NOTICES

The following notices were given:

Mr Nixon to present a Bill for an Act to provide for the collection of levy imposed by the Barley Research Levy Act 1980 and to establish a Barley Research Trust Account, and for related purposes.

Mr Nixon to present a Bill for an Act to amend the Australian Meat and Live-stock Corporation Act 1977.

Mr Nixon to present a Bill for an Act to establish an Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, and for related purposes.

Mr Nixon to present a Bill for an Act to amend the Wine Research Act 1955.

Mr Viner to present a Bill for an Act to amend the Public Service Act 1922 and certain other Acts.

Mr Viner to present a Bill for an Act relating to Parliamentary Secretaries to Ministers of State.

Mr Hunt to present a Bill for an Act to amend the Aged or Disabled Persons Homes Act 1954.

Mr McVeigh to present a Bill for an Act to amend the Homes Savings Grant Act 1 976.

page 42

PAPERS

The following papers were deemed to have been presented on 25 November 1980, pursuant to statute:

Air Force Act- Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 306, 307.

Australian Dried Fruits Corporation ActRegulations Statutory Rules 1980, No. 331.

Australian National University Act- Statute - No. 143 - Enrolment, Courses and Degrees Amendment No. 11.

Australian War Memorial Act - Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 298.

Bounty (Agricultural Tractors) Act - RegulationsStatutory Rules 1980, No. 291 .

Canberra College of Advanced Education Act Statute- -No. 44 -Courses and Awards Amendment (No. 2).

Census and Statistics Act Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, No. 332.

Christmas Island Act - -Ordinance 1980 No. 7 Quarantine and Prevention of Disease.

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act Ordinance 1980 No. 4- Interpretation (Amendment).

Copyright Act Regulations Statutory Rules 1980. No. 276.

Currency Act Regulations Statutory Rules 1980. No. 288.

Customs Act Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 273, 328.

Customs Act and the Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Act Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 293, 300.

Dairy Industry Stabilization Levy Act- Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, No. 299.

Defence Act -

Determinations- 1980-

No. 24- Higher Duties Allowance Service with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.

No. 25 Amendments of Determinations made under section 58b.

Defence Amendment Act - -Interim Determinations Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 274, 283, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305,313,314,315,316, 333, 334.

Defence Service Homes Act Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 289, 290, 297.

Designs Act- Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980. No. 318.

Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act

Regulation- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 308.

Dried Fruits Levy Act- Regulation- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 280.

Export Expansion Grants Act - Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, No. 287.

Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Act Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 312.

Fisheries Act- RegulationStatutory Rules 1980, No. 279.

Health Insurance Act- Regulations -Statutory Rules 1980, No. 317.

Homeless Persons Assistance Act- Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, No. 330.

Interim Forces Benefits Act- Regulations Statutory Rules 1980, No. 322.

Judiciary Act- Rule of Court -Statutory Rules 1980. No. 296.

Lands Acquisition Act- -

Land acquired for

Site for Commonwealth Offices, Bellerive, Tas.

The purposes of the Department of Transport in pursuance of its functions under the Air Navigation Act, Broken Hill, N.S.W.

Statements ( 10) of lands acquired by agreement authorised under sub-section 7(1).

National Health Act- Regulations -Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 292, 309.

Naval Defence Act -Regulation - Statutory Rules 1980. No. 285.

Navigation Act- Navigation (Dangerous Goods) Regulations- Determination, dated 7 October 1980 - Amendment No. 1 .

Nursing Homes Assistance Act- Regulations - Statutory Rules 1980, No. 310.

Papua New Guinea Independence Act - RegulationsStatutory Rules 1980, No. 278.

Papua New Guinea (Members of the Forces Benefits) Act- Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 325.

Patents Act- Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 320.

Pig Slaughter Levy Act - Regulations - Statutory Rules 1980, No. 294.

Primary Industry Bank Act - Regulation - Statutory Rules 1 980, No. 327.

Public Service Act - Appointments - Department -

Employment and Youth Affairs - R. K. Baird, R. F. Bligh, A. R. Smith.

Productivity- W. L. Brown.

Science and the Environment - P. G. Quilty.

Trade and Resources - R. Kennedy.

Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 281, 31 1.

Public Service Arbitration Act - Public Service Arbitrator - Determinations accompanied by statements regarding possible inconsistency with the law - 1980-

No. 1 2- Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees Association.!

No. 326 - Printing and Kindred Industries Union.f

No. 327- Association of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors and Draughtsmen of Australia.

No. 328 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers). f

No. 329- Australian Public Service Artisans’ Association.

No. 330 - Commonwealth Medical Officers Association.

No. 331 - Professional Officers Association, Australian Public Service.

No. 332 - Professional Radio and Electronics Institute of Australasia.

No. 333 - Association of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors and Draughtsmen of Australia.

No. 334 - Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners of Australia.

No. 335 - Association of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors and Draughtsmen of Australia.

No. 336 - Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 337- Electrical Trades Union of Australia.

No. 338 - Actors’ and Announcers’ Equity Association of Australia.

Nos. 339 to 341 - Professional Officers Association, Australian Public Service.

No. 342 - Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 343 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers)

No. 344 - Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers.

No. 345 - Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 346 - Hospital Employees Federation of Australia.

No. 347- Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 348- Administrative and Clerical Officers’ Association, Commonwealth Public Service.

No. 349- Australasian Society of Engineers.

No. 350- Australian Building Construction Employees’ and Builders Labourers’ Federation.t

No. 351 - Federated Clerks Union of Australia.

No. 352 - Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees Association.

No. 353- Australian Broadcasting Commission Senior Officers’ Association and another.

Nos. 354 to 356- Australian Journalists Association.

No. 357- Professional Musicians Union of Australia.

No. 358- Australian Broadcasting Commission Staff Association.

No. 359- Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 360- Federated Engine Drivers’ and Firemen’s Association of Australasia.t

Nos. 361 to 365 -The Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

No. 366- Association of Professional Engineers, Australia and another.

No. 367 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

No. 368 - Professional Officers’ Association, Australia, Australian Public Service.

No. 369 - Association of Officers of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and another.

No. 370- Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 371- Federated Liquor and Allied Industries Employees Union of Australia.

No. 372 - Association of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors and Draughtsmen of Australia and others.

No. 373 - Professional Musicians’ Union of Australia.

No. 374- Electrical Trades Union of Australia.

No. 375- Australian Journalists Association.

No. 376- Australian Broadcasting Commission Staff Association.

No. 377 - Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners of Australia and Others.1

No. 378- Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

No. 379- Australian Public Service Artisans’ Association and another.

No. 380- Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

No. 38 1 - Australian Journalists Association.

No. 382 - Professional Officers Association. Australian Public Service.t

No. 383- Administrative and Clerical Officers’ Association, Commonwealth Public Service and others.

No. 384- Australian Journalists Association.t

No. 385- Administrative and Clerical Officers’ Association, Commonwealth Public Service and others.

No. 386 - Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners of Australia.

No. 387- Federated Miscellaneous Workers Union of Australia.

No. 388 - Telecommunication Technical Officers Association.

No. 389- Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 390 - Merchant Service Guild of Australia and others.

No. 391 - Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

Nos. 392 and 393 - Professional Radio and Electronics Institute of Australasia.

No. 394 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

Nos. 395 to 397- Administrative and Clerical Officers’ Association, Commonwealth Public Service.

Nos. 395 to 397- Administrative and Clerical Officers’ Association, Commonwealth Public Service.

No. 398- Association of Professional Engineers, Australia and another.

No. 399- Association of Officers of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

No. 400- Association of Officers of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and another.

No. 401- Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association.

No. 402 - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Technical Association.

No. 403 - Royal Australian Nursing Federation^

No. 404 - Federated Clerks Union of Australia.

No. 405 - Federated Storemen and Packers Union of Australia.

No. 406- Association of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors and Draughtsmen of Australia and others.

No. 407 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

No. 408 - Professional Radio and Electronics Institute of Australasia.

No. 409- Association of Professional Engineers, Australia and others.

No. 410- Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers). t

No. 411 - Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 412 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

No. 413 - Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

Nos. 414 and 415- Federated Liquor and Allied Industries Employees Union of Australia.

No. 416 - Administrative and Clerical Officers’ Association, Commonwealth Public Service and others, t

No. 417 - Administrative and Clerical Officers’ Association, Commonwealth Public Service.

No. 418 - Electrical Trades Union of Australia.

No. 419- Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).t

No. 420 - Amalgamated Metal Workers’ and Shipwrights Union and others.

No. 42 1 - CS RO Laboratory Craftsmen Association.

No. 422 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers).

No. 423 - Administrative and Clerical Officers Association, Commonwealth Public Service and others.t

No. 424 - Australian Public Service Association (Fourth Division Officers), (t Not accompanied by statement.)

Remuneration Tribunals Act -

Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 284.

Remuneration Tribunal- Determination- 1 980/ 1 2 - Chairman designate of the Interim Broadcasting Council and holders of public offices or other bodies.

Repatriation Act- Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 321.

Repatriation (Far East Strategic Reserve) Act Regulations-Statutory Rules 1980. No. 323.

Repatriation (Special Overseas Service) Act Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980. No. 324.

Seamen’s War Pensions and Allowances Act Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980. No. 326.

Seat of Government (Administration) Act Ordinances- 1980

No. 31 - Interpretation (Amendment).

No. 32-Amendments Incorporation (Amendment).

No. 33 - Motor Traffic (Amendment).

No. 34- Australian National University (Leases) (Amendment)

No. 35- -Sewerage Rates (Amendment) (No. 3)

No. 36- Water Rates (Amendment) (No. 3).

No. 37- Motor Traffic (Alcohol and Drugs) (Amendment).

No. 38–Fire Brigade (Administration) (Amendment).

No. 39- Sale of Motor Vehicles (Amendment).

No. 40- Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Amendment) (No. 2). Regulations- 1980 -

No. 14- -(Adoption or Children Ordinance and others).

No. 16- (Motor Traffic (Alcohol and Drugs) ).

Senate (Representation of Territories) Act Regulation- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 275.

Stales Grants (Petroleum Products) Act Amendment of the schedules to the subsidy schemes in relation to the States of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia, dated 21 September 1980.

Superannuation Act - Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 277, 286.

Telecommunications Act Australian Telecommunications Commission - By-laws-

Telecommunications (Charging Zones and Charging

Districts)- Amendments Nos. 4, 5. Telecommunications (Community Calls)

Amendments Nos. 3, 4. Telecommunications (Consultative Council)

Amendment No. 2. Telecommunications (General) - Amendment No.

Telecommunications (Staff) Amendments Nos. 29. 30,31.

Telecommunications (Interception) Act Regulations- Statutory Rules 1980, No. 329.

Trade Commissioners Act- Regulations -Statutory Rules 1980, Nos. 282,295.

Trade Marks Act- Regulation - Statutory Rules 1980. No. 3 1 9.

Cite as: Australia, House of Representatives, Debates, 25 November 1980, viewed 22 October 2017, <http://historichansard.net/hofreps/1980/19801125_reps_32_hor120/>.

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