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Andrew Bartlett,
Senator for Queensland
First Speech - 11/11/1997Thank you, Madam President. Enough of that legislation stuff for
a while; it's time for some serious fun. I would like to begin with a clear and
simple message for all Australians, all Democrats members and supporters, the
media and other members of this parliament: the Australian Democrats are still
here and we are stronger than ever. The last few weeks have been an extraordinary
time in Australian politics and for the Australian Democrats. I have been totally
thrilled and enormously uplifted by the overwhelming response from Democrats members
and supporters in Queensland and around the country. Almost to a person, there
has been a redoubled enthusiasm and commitment to what the Democrats stand for--that
every person can make a difference in working to make our country and our planet
a fairer, safer, cleaner and more inclusive place for ourselves and for future
generations. I have very few concerns about the Democrats ability to rebound
from recent events. We are currently experiencing a massive surge in membership,
commitment and enthusiasm for the vision and role of the Democrats, a huge increase
in membership inquiries and virtually no loss of members, apart from the obvious
one, of course. We have had growing levels of public support in state elections,
including record votes in the last 12 months in WA and then South Australia. We
are on track to do well in the upcoming ACT elections. I acknowledge and welcome
the presence of some ACT Democrats here today. While Cheryl Kernot's defection
has been disruptive because of its unexpectedness, we are very much strong enough
to absorb her loss, adjust and move on. The team of staff, party officials and
members who worked to support Cheryl Kernot as leader of the Democrats are more
determined than ever to promote the Democrats aims. One of things Cheryl Kernot
said when she resigned from the Democrats was that the party's base for growth
and development was secure. I know she said that, because I have the fax that
came through to her office while she was making her speech from the exceedingly
Hon. Gareth Evans's office outlining her rationale. It says it in there, so it
must be true. We very much acknowledge her contribution to making the party as
strong as it is today, but we also acknowledge the work of many others who have
worked and continue to work to make the Democrats a strong and viable force in
Australian politics. It is a big responsibility to be representing Queensland
and to represent the Australian Democrats in the national parliament. I am very
honoured and very proud to have that privilege. My colleague Senator Woodley here
in front of me is a religious man, as some of you may have gathered, and would
no doubt remind me that pride is one of the seven deadly sins. I promise to stop
at just one, but I understand first speeches are a time for a little self-indulgence,
so hopefully my sins shall be pardoned on this occasion. Senator Woodley--Already!
Senator BARTLETT--Thank you, Father. Working outside the entrenched two-party
system in Australia is an arduous task. The Democrats have been more successful
at it than any other party in Australia's history. Senators may be aware that
a book on the Democrats first 20 years was launched yesterday. It has certainly
been a fascinating 20 years with lots of successes and quite a number of failures
as well. In some ways, it is a marvellous time for me to come into this chamber
with the first 20 years behind us and a new and stronger wave in the history of
the Democrats about to unfold. Today, 11 November, is a historic day in
Australian and world history with many great events and many terrible events happening
on this day. Of course, it is best known as Remembrance Day. As the Democrats
new spokesperson on veterans' affairs, I would like to record our gratitude to
all those who sacrificed so much for their country in times of war. As all senators
would agree, war is an abomination and all who have experienced it and endured
it deserve recognition. Of course, 11 November was also the day in 1975
when many Australians celebrated and some were outraged at the dismissal of the
Whitlam government. Some time earlier, in 1880, it was the day when Ned Kelly
was hanged, a man who some saw as a common bandit and others as a freedom fighter
and a class warrior. I do not imagine the event of my first speech is ever likely
to be considered that historic, and I suppose it is even a matter of opinion whether
it is a great event or a terrible event, but it is good to be able to have that
day as a mark that I can think back on. As with many Australians, my ethic
origins are fairly mixed. I have a preponderance of Irish ancestry of which I
am quite proud. There is that pride stuff again. I am sorry about that. I also
have a smattering of English, Swiss and Greek, including a great-great-grandfather
who is acknowledged as the first Greek settler in Australia, arriving in Adelaide
in 1840. That background makes me pleased to be the Democrats spokesperson on
immigration and multicultural affairs. The importance of immigration and the fundamentally
multicultural nature of Australian society since the 19th century is something
which has been undermined a lot in recent times. I am very keen to promote the
positive and fundamental role of multiculturalism as well as the excellent policies
that the Democrats have in this area. Senators might be able to deduce
a link between my Irish heritage and my first direct political activity. This
was as a nine-year-old in 1974 when I helped my mother hand out how-to-vote cards
for the DLP outside my local school. After what seemed like a pretty hard day's
slog to me as a nine-year-old, I went home and waited expectantly for the results
on the television and waited to see all the DLP seats swarm in. As most of you
would know, the 1974 election saw the DLP completely wiped off the political map
in Australia, never to resurface. It was a bit of a harsh introduction to politics,
and, I guess, after that one, anything has to be an improvement. As some
media commentators noted in the wake of my predecessor's defection, the Democrats
are quite a lot like a family. That is partly why so many people felt her betrayal
of the party so personally and why I very much appreciate having so many of my
colleagues here with me today in the chamber and in the gallery and, I am sure,
thousands around the nation listening on the radio. I would be remiss
if I did not spend a bit of time paying tribute to my own families--both my immediate
one and the broader family that is the Australian Democrats--both of which have
given me so much support and encouragement as well as the odd moment or two of
pain, which I guess is what families are all about. At my wedding last year I
inadvertently spoke a bit longer about the Democrats than I did about my own family,
which probably was not too good an idea, so I had better redress that imbalance
by starting with my immediate family this time around. I have been incredibly
lucky in having such a stable and supportive family, and I would like specifically
to pay tribute to my mother and father. I am thrilled my mother is able to be
here today, although my father unfortunately cannot. I could not have got a tenth
of the way to where I am without their support and subtle guidance. There was
the occasional non-subtle bit, but it was mostly pretty subtle. They gave me my
passion for social issues and for politics from a very young age, so you can all
thank them or blame them, as the case may be, for my being here today. Indeed,
it was my mother who actually told me that Cheryl Kernot was joining the Labor
Party, so she has got her finger more on the political pulse than I have. I will
probably need to turn to her for a bit more guidance than I have been with this
politics business, I think. To my brothers and sisters and their spouses
I also say thank you. I will probably need even more support from here on in than
I have already received to date, so do not think your work is done yet. You might
even have to think about starting to vote Democrat some time. They have got a
variety of expertise amongst them which I can draw on, and I am sure I will be
subjected to it whether I ask for it or not, including as a mathematician and
engineer, a management consultant, a medical doctor and a nuclear physicist, along
with my own mother's long-term involvement in women's and employment issues over
many years which, again, has been a great source of inspiration to me.
My father endured a long and fairly painful illness for some years before he died.
He often used to half-joke--and it was only half a joke--that he was forcing himself
to stay alive through that so he could make it to the next election and enjoy
seeing Paul Keating get tossed out. Unfortunately, as we all know, politics can
be painful business, and his look of disappointment on the morning after the 1993
election was one of the deepest I have seen. Even though 1993 also had the fabulous
occasion of John Woodley being elected to the parliament from Queensland--gaining
the Democrats two seats from that state for the first time and being the real
light amongst the gloom of that election--not even that managed to cheer my father
up at all as, despite being an eminently sensible man in many ways, he never did
have too much time for the Democrats for some reason. Nonetheless, I am sure he
would be very pleased today--probably even more pleased than he would have been
when Paul Keating finally got what he deserved
in 1996. To my wife,
Julie, who is also here today: I would like to thank you for all your love, patience,
support, kindness, forgiveness and insight--just to name a few. I would not have
survived to be here today without you, so I guess in some ways that means I owe
everything to you. In the broader Democrat family I have to run the risk
of naming some names and inadvertently, therefore, risk leaving some people out.
There are so many capable and dedicated people that deserve mentioning. I think
in the current circumstances it is more crucial than ever that the contribution
of these people is recognised. All of us know that we would disappear overnight
without the selfless dedication and commitment of countless people who contribute
so much of their own time, money and energy simply because they believe in the
ideals and policies of the party. The Labor Party might be so short on
talent and so incapable of supporting and promoting capable women in their own
ranks that they have to poach them from elsewhere, but I can assure you that the
Democrats are filled to the brim with talented women and men. Some of them, of
course, are around me today in the Senate and others are in state parliaments
around the country, but there are many more at grassroots level around the country.
I would like to single out a number of Democrats, partly just to give a bit of
a sample of the many other hardworking and capable members who are not in parliament
and are therefore not so visible, and partly because I believe they deserve special
mention. It is a long list, but it is just a sample. Queensland is such a big
state, so there are a lot to go through. From Cairns, Alan Isherwood and
Leonie Watson, who worked so hard up in the far north with the many issues of
importance up there. Colin Parker, a great stalwart, and Annette Reed from Townsville.
Ian Hope, who has been slogging away for the full 20 years and more. Lesley Hawes,
similarly in Bundaberg, along with Lance Hall, Marsha Ferris, Michael McGuinness
and others. People in Maryborough such as Pam Howard, Pam South and Phil Rodhouse.
On the Sunshine Coast, Councillor Alan Kerlin, Geoff Armstrong and others. Toni
Law, keeping the flame burning in Toowoomba. On the Gold Coast, people such as
Col O'Brien, Kathy Shilvock, Sue Moreland and Melinda Norman-Hicks. Our great
crew in the town of Ipswich, fighting the forces of evil, including our long-suffering
state treasurer, Max Kunzelmann, our candidate for Oxley at the next federal election,
Kate Kunzelmann, and our state assistant secretary, Megan Bathurst--all of whom
I am pleased to see are here today. Megan is a great champion of reconciliation
issues a
nd has done an enormous amount to promote that through the Democrats
and through the wider community. There are heaps of others I could mention
around Brisbane, such as George and Marjorie Blair-West, Councillor Peter Collins,
who has done so much to raise our profile in the Logan City area, Hetty Johnston,
who is also here today, is our state leader for the upcoming election in Queensland
and a great campaigner for environmental and children's rights issues. All the
members of the Dickson branch deserve a special mention as they will have a particularly
interesting time at the next election. Other people in Brisbane such as Ian Laing,
Ian Renton and Mary Anne McIntyre, who has been a loyal deputy president for many
years, and newer members such as Lyn Dengate, Greg Hollis, and also Gayle Woodrow,
who has put so much into the Democrats over so many years. A man who deserves
special mention is Tony Walters, whose contribution to and effort for the Democrats
in Queensland over an enormous number of years must be acknowledged, along with
Gael Paul, whose wise stewardship did so much to nurse the party in Queensland
through some difficult times in the earlier part of this decade. Another person
I am thrilled to see here today is Fay Lawrence from Rockhampton, who is the archetypal
Democrat stalwart. She has slogged away for over 20 years, not just for the Democrats
but for the causes of indigenous rights, peace and the environment. Her commitment
has been unshakeable. One example amongst so many was her recent effort in giving
up a month of her time to help our candidate, going all the way to Darwin for
the Northern Territory elections. Just another in an endless list. The
hardworking, ever patient and usually cheerful Tracee McPate, our national executive
rep, long-term member and researcher Kerri Kellett, and our powerhouse state secretary
Marianne Dickie, who has had to take on so much extra in the last few weeks. I
managed to convince her to run for the state secretary position earlier this year
by telling her that her first year in the job would be reasonably uneventful;
nothing too much was likely to happen so she would have a while to get used to
the position. Graham Jenkin, our tireless compiler of the widely acknowledged
and renowned Democrats' web site, has also excelled in building a strong and vibrant
network of young Democrats in Queensland that will serve us well into the future.
Another who deserves special mention is Liz Oss-Emer, an experienced and wise
member of our National Executive, who has been a great support to the party over
more years than I have been there and a great support to me, even when we have
been on opposite sides of an argument. I recall very clearly being gathered
in the Commonwealth parliamentary offices in Brisbane on 1 July 1990, which was
the day my predecessor officially became a senator. There were five people there
that day, including four staffers--and that includes me. One of those people now
lives in Sydney after giving three years effective work to that job; another moved
further away from the action and now lives on the west coast of Tasmania; one,
of course, has moved further away again and has joined the Labor Party; and the
two remaining have traversed an amazing journey since then, with many twists and
turns, including a few periods in purgatory and the odd stop off in hell along
the way--not always at the same time. It is a real thrill that both Althea and
I have survived and are able to share this moment together and, I hope, many more
to come. Other stars who deserve mention include: Cheryl Thurlow, the
world's greatest media officer, who also shares the distinction of being one of
the few people I have never heard a bad word spoken about; our long-suffering
and long-serving national secretary, Sam Hudson, and our national campaign director,
Stephen Swift, who have both done so much to make us more professional and disciplined
in our campaigning. Funnily enough, I have heard an odd bad word or two about
them. But I guess you cannot do those jobs as well as they do without drawing
some flak. It is doubly important that I publicly acknowledge and applaud
the hard work, ability and loyalty of the marvellous team of staff who support
the Democrats in this parliament and in parliaments around the country, as well
as Geoff and Yulia, our staff in the party's national office in Canberra, and
the many who have contributed so much to the Democrats' increasing effectiveness
in recent years. I do not know if this does much for people's future job
prospects, getting mentioned in the first speech of a Democrat senator--but bad
luck. You cannot get me because it is parliamentary privilege once you get in
this seat. I have to mention our superstar researchers Jacqui Flitcroft, John
Cherry, John Davey, Victor Franco, and our environmental warriors Susan Brown,
Fran Murray and Rose Kulak--who had a fascinating introduction to the position.
I also mention Bruce Tait, who may well have the honour of being the only
person to serve on the staff of the first four Queensland Democrat senators. I
must not forget Shirley Simper, who was mentioned in the media during the last
federal election for her skill in smelling a rat about something that was happening
in that campaign. Even her widely acknowledged skills were not able to sniff anything
out a few weeks ago. Many people use their first speeches to mention some
of their heroes or inspirations. I am not a big believer in public heroes or putting
people on pedestals, but I can say that virtually all the people I have just mentioned
are an inspiration to me. It is witnessing the ongoing commitment of people who
work at the grassroots level to make a difference to our society that I find most
inspirational and most energising. If I had to pick a single Democrat out of the
pack, I would probably go to one of my original inspirations, Janine Haines, whose
insightfulness and originality I found very inspiring and nearly as appealing
as her sense of irreverence which she managed to maintain. I think that is very
important. If I had to pick a couple of non-Democrats to add to my list
of influences, at the political level, one would probably be Senator Brian Harradine,
who has been here in the Senate longer than the Democrats have existed as a party
and has been fairly consistent to his principles throughout that time. It is a
great thrill to me that I have managed to get into this place while Senator Harradine
is still serving here. I am sure he will reward me by voting against my amendments
whenever I move them, but that is the way it works. Outside the world
of politics, one person in the world of the arts I would mention is Nick Cave,
another person who has been around since the late 1970s. He has developed and
changed remarkably, whilst remaining true to his vision. He has been a great help
to me as well, without his knowing it. I must say that Nick Cave and Brian Harradine
is an interesting combination, even wilder than Nick and Kylie Minogue--I can't
wait for that one. In relation to Cheryl Kernot, I think I can say this:
I have learned a lot from her, as I have from many other people. I very much appreciate
the opportunities she provided me with and some of the lessons, good and not so
good, that she taught me along the way. They have made me a more well rounded
if somewhat harder and slightly less naive person. As I said before, the
Democrats are a lot like an extended family and, like any family would be in these
circumstances, we were hurt by her decision to leave us. However, the reasons
for her decision, whether they be good or bad, are basically unimportant. She
has made that decision for her own reasons. The Democrats have accepted that,
and life will go on. I expect we will maintain an interest in what she does and
how she gets on, in the same way that a family would about a child who has decided
to leave home. But we certainly will not sit around and mourn, or feel sorry for
ourselves, or wonder where things went wrong. We will get on with our lives, as
she will get on with hers. After the initial period of shock, there is
very little anger in the Democrats at what has happened. There is, however, a
great deal of determination to ensure that the legacy and role of the Democrats
is maintained and continues to grow, because it is so important to the future
of this country. As the political saying goes, `Don't get mad, don't get even,
get ahead.' That is what the Democrats aim to do. I will mention a few
areas where I have some particular interests. I hope I can look back in a few
years time and be able to say that I have helped to bring some progress in those
areas. I believe Australians are feeling more and more disempowered and disconnected
from the political process. This is bad not merely from the point of view of the
legitimacy of the democratic process, but also because of the lost opportunity
for our country in having the skills, ideas and energies of the community being
positively applied to address issues of importance. It is time people were encouraged
to have input into the political process, whether in the party political sense
or at a community political grassroots level. I hope I am able to help in that
regard. The community's disaffection with the political process links
to the social and environmental damage caused by the anti-people economic policies
pursued by both Labor and coalition over the last decade. Both parties have put
economics before people, I believe, with disastrous results. Both parties have
forgotten that we live in a society, not an economy, and that the economy must
be subservient to social and environmental requirements, not the other way around.
I am personally very committed to encouraging us all to give more consideration
to the welfare and rights of animals. The lack of consideration humans give to
each other in the world today is exceeded only by the lack of consideration we
give to the other animals we share the planet with. My personal belief is that
there are compelling environmental and ethical grounds for encouraging people
to stop eating animals. Vegetarianism has a long ethical tradition in
our society. There are also very sound theological arguments in the Christian
biblical tradition against the eating of meat where practicable, as Senator Woodley
would acknowledge. I have found many people acknowledge some of these arguments,
but not enough to stop their meat consumption. I guess the spirit is willing,
but the flesh is just too tasty for many people. Whilst I understand the
traditional, cultural and economic reasons why animals are imprisoned and killed
for human consumption, I believe the time has come for us to look to move beyond
that. There are too few voices for the welfare and rights of animals in our society,
let alone in our parliaments. I hope I can provide a voice for them in this place.
I move to one of the most important issues facing us all at this most
significant time in the history of federal parliament, with the crucial choice
facing us regarding native title about to unfold in the next few weeks. Personally,
I feel very sad that the golden and positive opportunity that native title and
the Wik decision in particular presented to our nation has been squandered beneath
an avalanche of fear, ignorance and deliberate deception. If only a small effort
had been given to exploring and explaining the positive benefits for all of us
of the concept of coexistence, none of the current divisiveness would have been
necessary. One has to look only at the recent successful negotiations
close to where I live--over Stradbroke Island and parts of Moreton Bay near Brisbane--between
the Quandamooka Land Council and the Redlands Shire Council. These groups used
native title not to battle each other in the courts but to examine ways of working
together to see what positive options are possible for the future through a responsible
and mutually respectful approach. I believe no other party in Australian
history has so completely and fundamentally betrayed its own basic principles
and its own constituency than the ALP has in the last 15 years, although I guess
the Nationals have given it a bit of a run for its money with their support of
the level playing field and pushing family farmers off the farm. Anyone who believes
there has been some fundamental change in the Labor Party--the party we all know
will do whatever it takes--needs a serious reality check. It will take a hell
of a lot more than a bit of warm rhetoric and some nice repackaging to turn around
such a record. It has to be acknowledged that there has basically been
a joint effort by Labor and the coalition in doing so much damage to our nation.
Both have willingly unleashed the scourge of uncontrolled and heartless market
forces with no regard for the human, social or environmental cost. Both have embraced
wholesale privatisation and been unparalleled perhaps in the world in promoting
the idiocy of the level playing field and deregulated global competition with
little regard for human rights or environmental damage. Both have championed GATT,
the World Trade Organisation and, on a local level, the national competition policy.
Both have supported uranium mining, increased the amount of forests being
felled and woodchipped, and overseen further degradation and pollution of our
rivers and wetlands. Both cynically and continually have slashed levels of overseas
aid, betrayed the East Timorese people, supported up-front fees for tertiary education,
continuously tightened and restricted the social security safety net and irresponsibly
slashed the tax rate for high income earners and companies. Both have supported
policies which have seen the death of egalitarianism in Australia and a growing
gap between rich and poor. That is why I am a Democrat and why the Democrats and
our role are so important. What more of a reason could anyone need? Having just
alienated virtually everyone in the chamber, including probably Senator Brown,
who will probably not talk to me now because I like Senator Harradine, I would
like to thank so many senators for taking time out from their busy schedules to
come and hear my speech, along with those who listen
ed so politely in the
gallery without any boos or hisses. I realise it is the largest crowd I am likely
to get for a speech in this chamber for a fair while, so I best enjoy it. I would
also like to thank the Queensland and federal governments for so helpfully enabling
me to promptly fill the Queensland Senate vacancy. It is very much appreciated.
To all I have named and all the thousands of other hardworking Democrat
members, supporters and parliamentary staff I have not mentioned I give this commitment:
I will do all I can to work with you to make our country and our planet a better
place. I will not forget the vital role that you all play in shaping the Democrats'
vision and policies, in gaining the Democrats votes and seats in parliaments and
in supporting the Democrat parliamentarians who represent the party. I will not
turn my back on you. I will work with you to make the Democrats and the ideals
and policies we stand for more prominent than ever in Australian politics.
Honourable senators--Hear, hear!
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