The Hon. Ian
Macdonald, Senator for Queensland
First Speech - 11/09/1990As one of only two of Queensland's 12 senators resident in north
Queensland, my role in the Senate will be to concentrate on north Queensland and
on northern Australia. I am Australia's northernmost Liberal representative and
part of the area I represent adjoins the border of Papua New Guinea. The future
of our nation lies in north Queensland and northern Australia-an area of enormous
diversity, from the cattle and cotton of Rockhampton and the Central Highlands
region to the sheep, beef, minerals and oil of the west; from the canefields of
Mackay, Proserpine, Ayr and Home Hill, Ingham, Tully, Cairns and Mossman to the
tobacco of Mareeba and tea of Innisfail, from the mines of the Bowen Basin to
the bauxite of Weipa and nickel of Greenvale; from the frontiers of the nation
in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York and the heritage treasures of Charters
Towers and Cooktown to the natural attributes which make the Whitsundays, the
Mission Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas areas, the Atherton Tableland, the cape
and gulf regions-without doubt the world's leading tourist destinations of
the future. Northern Australia is, after all, the area which, with only 6.5 per
cent of Australia's population, produces 45 per cent of Australia's export income.
First Speech It is my honour to have been elected by the people of Queensland
to serve their interests and the interests of Australians generally in the Parliament
of this nation. It is my hope that I can discharge that honour and trust with
the distinction of those senators who have preceded me to this chamber. My brief
experience in the chamber and of the Senate has confirmed the important and real
role which the Senate plays in the democratic processes of our nation and in the
protection of citizens from the excesses of government. May I at this stage,
Mr President, publicly extend to you and to other senators my congratulations
on your elections, and also my thanks to you all for your indulgence in permitting
me to make this speech at this time. I am conscious o
f the responsibility
that we as custodians of the nation have as we steer our land to the new century.
I have a vision for Australia: a nation continuing its unique style of Australian
comradeship, its strength and purpose, its peace, stability and prosperity, while
becoming a sophisticated, caring and intelligent leader in the part of the world
in which we are geographically placed-an Australia whose basic strengths and endowments
enable us to concentrate on social, humanitarian and environmental responsibilities
into the next 100 years. I am an Australian first. I was born here, as were
my parents and grandparents, but I have no claim to any rights not enjoyed by
all other Australians. As a lawyer, I understand and accept unquestionably the
rule of the law, as without it we become a mindless rabble of competing interests
where survival is of the fittest. There can be no group of Australians who have
the right to defy the law, no matter how just they may believe their cause to
be.
While an Australian first, it is as a Queenslander that I enter this
Parliament. I am fortunate to have lived in many parts of Queensland as a child
and I can say that there are few parts of the State to which my travels have not
taken me. But it is north Queensland and northern Australia that is my home. The
town of Ayr, the Burdekin district, has been my teacher, my provider since my
school days.
I was happy to attempt to repay what the district had given me
by serving for almost 12 years as an elected councillor on the Burdekin Shire
Council and by helping the less fortunate of our area through my close involvement
with Australia's home-grown young man's service club, Apex, for a 15-year span.
The Commonwealth's involvement from the Fraser years in the construction of
the Burdekin Dam has guaranteed water for, and the continuing prosperity of, the
world's premier sugar-growing area and has secured the small but increasingly
important rice-growing and horticultural industries in the area. Water from the
Burdekin w
ill ensure that the industrial and commercial capital of the north,
Townsville, can continue to expand without ever having to concern itself again
with water in what is Australia's dry-or, should I say, sunshine- tropics. The
Burdekin delta will be the food bowl of Asia in the years ahead. After the
initial gold rushes of 100 years ago, it was the sugar industry that developed
north Queensland-an industry whose history is as fascinating and instructive as
its plans for the future. The establishment of Australia's major raw sugar refinery
in the Townsville-Burdekin region will bring with it new activity and expertise
and a range of by-products and value-added goods to enhance Australia's trading
position in the world. In addition to being the fastest growing regional centre
in Australia, Cairns is rapidly becoming the international gateway to our nation.
It is undoubtedly the tourist capital of Australia. With Australia's mining capital
in Mount Isa, joining Townsville, Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton,
the north
already has the infrastructure to lead the way in our relationships with the Asia-Pacific
region. Our trade with Papua New Guinea and other Pacific island nations has increased
rapidly in recent years, and will continue to do so. We have the natural resources,
the infrastructure, the lifestyles, the peoples, the expertise and the acclimatisation
to play an ever increasing part in the lives of the some 250 million people to
our immediate north who are geographically closer to us in northern Australia
than we are to the 16-odd million of our fellow Australians living south of the
Tropic of Capricorn. Our education and unique scientific facilities in the
north will be of enormous benefit to the Asia-Pacific region in the years ahead.
James Cook University, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Commonwealth
Scientific Industrial Research Organisation and the Institute of Tropical Rainforest
Studies are all prominent in matters of real interest to our near northern neighbours.
The s
pace base proposed for Cape York will propel Australia to the forefront
of the world's science, technology and learning in this futuristic field. It will
bring unparalleled economic and social benefits not only to the area, Australia
and the world, but also to the environment and wildlife, which will be absolutely
protected, and to the peoples of the area, who will share in the wealth and benefits
the space base will bring. As the world focus turns to northern Australia
and the Pacific, it will become more and more relevant to establish our front
line defence forces in the north and to properly equip and maintain them. Let
us not forget that the only threat ever of invasion to our shores was repelled
by our military forces, and those of our allies, operating from bases in north
Queensland. Northern Australia is a great place simply to live in, but there
are costs and hardships of living in the very far north and west-difficulties
which were once recognised and compensated by a taxation zone allowance.
I intend to work to make this equalisation for those pioneering our frontiers
relevant again. The environment is of particular significance to northern
Australia. It is part of our lives; we feel it every day. Long after southern
newspapers, politicians and pressure groups have ceased to cynically squeeze votes
out of the issue, we will still be vitally concerned with the environment. That
is why it is just so important that matters of the environment are dealt with
in close consultation with the people of the area sensibly and with sensitivity.
The flat earth policies espoused by some groups should not be allowed to capture
the government of the day. If these groups had been in charge of things in the
past, north Queensland would never have been settled. The hysteria and blatant
politicism of some groups are repulsive to the many of us who work to protect
the environment in which we live. I think many Australians now appreciate
the genuineness and sincerity of the Liberals' proposals for the environm
ent, as their childlike faith in the promises of the ALP and its lackeys at the
last election are shattered daily. The Barrier Reef is north Queensland. Its future
must never be put in jeopardy by the decisions of man. Land care and prevention
of soil degradation, proper management of our rivers and river catchment systems,
and sensible management of our tropical wet rainforests-these are the major environmental
issues for northern Australia. Sensible guidelines must be established and adhered
to so that those developing our nation know that once they have reached those
goals their projects can proceed. Mr President, it is my privilege to represent
the Liberal Party in this Parliament: a party of great ideals, principles and
philosophies; and a party which has shaped the destiny of this nation and will
lead Australia into the next century. Often the Liberal Party is referred to as
a conservative party. Do honourable senators know what `conservative' means? The
Oxford Dictionary defines `conservative' as `
opposed to change'. It was the
Liberal Party in Australia that first introduced child endowment, provided the
first assistance for aged persons homes, established the Great Barrier Reef marine
park, and saved Fraser island. The Liberal Party was the choice of Australia's
first ever Aboriginal politician. It was the Liberal Party in Queensland, like
its counterpart in South Australia some years before, which virtually voted itself
out of office on a matter of principle so basic as accountability and honesty.
It was the Liberal Party in Queensland which paid almost the supreme sacrifice
for its ideals. Some, often mischievously, confuse the word `traditional'
with the word `conservative'. We certainly are a very traditional party. We have
a very traditional commitment to our flag, the family, freedom and democracy.
But can a party that has been to the forefront of social, health, democratic and
workplace reform be rightly referred to as conservative, as opposed to change?
The dictionary definition of `liber
al' is, `forward thinking, democratic,
broad-minded, committed to individual liberty'. That is why I reject absolutely
the label of being a conservative. I am a Liberal. I have been for all my adult
life and I always will be. It is with pride that I take my seat in this chamber
contemporaneously with a great Queensland Liberal who stood out as one of the
principal players in the drama that unfolded at the time of those real trials
of democracy and accountability in Queensland in 1983. It will be my privilege
to continue to work with Senator John Herron for the betterment of our State and
nation. The Liberal Party in Queensland has had its ups and downs politically-more
down than up in the last decade-but John Herron and I are part of a resurgence
which will return Liberal governments for the good of Australia and Queensland
in this decade. In an election result which so many so-called expert commentators
labelled as a loss for the Liberals in Queensland, the Queensland Liberal Senate
representation ha
s doubled and, for the first time ever in Queensland's history,
the Liberal Party has four senators and, equally with another party, the largest
single representation of Queensland senators in this Parliament. Queensland
is the only State in Australia where the coalition has two senators more than
the total of the combined Australian Labor Party-Australian Democrats liaison.
The Liberal vote in Queensland in the Senate rose from about 16 per cent to 29
per cent-in many electorates, particularly in North Queensland, exceeding the
Liberal vote in the House of Representatives. It will continue to increase to
the next election. I pay tribute to my two colleagues, Senators MacGibbon
and Parer, for their carrying of the Queensland Liberal flag in this chamber in
the past 13 and six years respectively-at times a very lonely and sobering experience,
but one which they have carried out with great distinction and courage. It is
of some sadness to me to see today that neither of them could be here for very
good
reasons. However, I congratulate them on the efforts they have made
over the past years. I should also like to mention some other dedicated Queensland
Liberals such as the late Eric Robinson, Mr John Moore, MP, Sir William Knox and
Mr Denver Beanland, MLA, whose loyalty and principle over a period has placed
Queensland Liberals in a position where they will be, for the first time, the
leading-in numbers-political party in the Sunshine State. I also want to mention
some of the previous Liberal senators whose footsteps I follow in this chamber.
The late Dame Annabelle Rankin was a great Australian and Queenslander, a great
Liberal and one who, long before it became fashionable, advanced the cause of
women in politics. Former Senator Kathy Martin-Sullivan continues to serve the
nation in this Parliament in another place. I refer also to former Senator Neville
Bonner, who represented Queensland, the Liberal Party and his race with great
distinction in this Parliament and whom I fondly recall welcoming to
my home
often during his many trips through the Burdekin. I also make special mention
of former Senator Ian Woods, the last and, I believe, only other Liberal senator
from North Queensland. Ian Woods was a legend in his own time, firstly as Mayor
of Mackay for many years and then as a Queensland Liberal senator. He was always
in the news fighting for his constituents, whether or not that suited the Party,
most notably crossing the floor against the Government's sales tax on motor vehicles
legislation-an even more remarkable event when we remember that his only means
of transport ever was a bicycle. Ian Woods assisted me in my campaign recently
and often recounted the heady times when he stood alone in the cause of his constituents.
I do not presume that my time in the Senate will have the colour and excitement
of Ian Woods. But his ability as a Liberal to cross the floor where the real interests
of his constituents transcended his party loyalty is not lost on me. It is a right
which few other politica
l groupings tolerate, and I might say a right which
has attracted me and many others to the Liberal Party over the years. During
our history, the Australian public has had flirtations with odd groups and individuals,
with minor parties which, for a few years, have held some sway in the running
of the country. But the intrinsic good sense of Australians has, over the years
of our history, seen these parties fade and die as Australians realise that the
good of the country demands a democratically elected government that is allowed
to govern free of the dictates of grouping which represents such an odd part and
view of our peoples. The Liberal Party provides the opportunities for minorities
and people with particular interests and concerns but who have an underlying belief
in the individual and free enterprise, to join and play a part in ensuring that
the views of all sections of Australia are implemented democratically by a caring
government governing for the good of the nation. Finally, I want to m
ake some reference to my family and friends. Over the years my wife Lesley has
shared my efforts, excitements and disappointments-in politics, my career, my
activities, my life-with a special loyalty and commitment. The rewards have been
our achievements, our ability to help others, and the friends we have made on
the way. I publicly acknowledge the support of my brothers and sisters and their
children and grandchildren, my tireless helpers in the Burdekin branch of the
Liberal Party and my friends, some of whom have travelled long distances at great
expense to be here today. Canberra has been the source of some very sad memories
for my family. My eldest brother Neil, an officer in the Royal Australian Air
Force, lost his life over Duntroon College in March 1957 while training in the
defence of his country. I hope that my connection with the national capital will,
for my family, give a happier but equally as proud memory. I know that my aged
mother in the geriatric ward at the Ayr District Hospital is wit
h me today
in her prayers and will find a happiness of Canberra along with her sorrows of
the past. My late father would have loved to have been here today, and I guess
he always thought this might happen. I fondly recall as a child sitting with my
father listening to the parliamentary broadcasts on the wireless in the late 1940s,
at the time of the bank nationalisation dramas. My first blooding to politics
came when I and my best mate from next door of Irish Catholic parentage fought
often over the merits of Liberal and Labor when neither of us quite knew what
the terms and names even meant and had no idea of the ramifications of confiscation
of private property. Mr President, my early ideas of politics crystallised
somewhat more intelligently in my formative years, when I came to realise that
even those who had no inherited wealth or position had the right and the opportunities
to succeed in Australia-to be an individual, to do what they aspired to do. I
have always considered it a privilege tha
t I had the opportunity to work
long hours for practically no pay during the day, whilst studying externally through
the Queensland University at night to achieve my profession in life. My parents
had no money but I had the opportunity, the health and the encouragement of a
caring family. Australia has been built by those who had the opportunity and
seized it-not complaining about what others got or had given to them. It is only
by giving the opportunity to succeed, by providing incentive and encouragement
to work and produce, by ridding ourselves of the negativeness of high taxation
and overgovernment, that we will return to the progress and comparative standards
of living we enjoyed in the past. We must again become a nation of contributors
rather than recipients. I am committed to the individual and opportunity.
I want to encourage Australians to succeed, to pursue excellence, for success
enables us to provide for those whose disabilities deny that opportunity. I believe
that Australia's future is
assured by encouraging people to attain their
fullest aspirations, by seeking to reward effort, for in so doing we strengthen
the country and provide a foundation to allow a compassionate and caring society.
So, Mr President, as I do from northern Australia humbly join you in this
chamber, it is my hope that my time in the Senate will coincide with a new spirit
and enthusiasm in Australia, such as that of our pioneers, and a realisation of
our destiny in the Asia-Pacific region. If, in my term, I have made some contribution
to that new-born spirit and understanding, I will have succeeded. 
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