CONDOLENCES

Senator CANAVAN (Queensland—Nationals Whip in the Senate) (15:59): I too would like to share my condolences to the family of former senator Stan Collard and recognise his wonderful service to our nation. I do so with some pride as the senator that was next based in Rockhampton after Senator Collard. It's a great honour and privilege to continue the great service he did for Central Queensland.

When you read Stan's biography, his life story, it's inherently interesting because he's something of a Renaissance man. He was a railway worker, driving trains, but he had the most suave fashion sense around. He was a man committed to conservative principles and to supporting the National Party, but he was also a secretary of trade unions and, indeed, was involved in organising strikes.

He was a man of great Christian faith but also somebody who was welcoming of all. His life is something for all of us, I think, to learn from because the most interesting people are always the people who surprise you, and Stan often surprises when you read his life history. As I and others have mentioned, he was secretary of a couple of unions out at Cloncurry.

At Stan's memorial, which a few of us went to, it was hilarious to hear how Stan had been the campaign manager for Bob Katter Sr at three elections, I think, and that in that time he also found time to moonlight as a secretary of a union and organise a strike from the National Party's campaign office. Perhaps that was the first time a strike had been organised out of a National Party office.

It might not be the last! I don't know. Things are changing fast.

Once Stan was elected, he was part of Central Queensland. He based himself in Rockhampton. During Stan's career, Central Queensland grew up.

Cloncurry was always a centre of wealth, but the railways were extended. Stan was one of the first team of drivers to drive the two-kilometre-long coal trains, which was part of the process of transforming Central Queensland, through the 1960s and 1970s, into the great wealth centre that it is today. There's a great story from Stan's biography, from when he was elected.

A few of us would have had the experience where you're elected but don't go straight into the Senate; you've got a period of time to wait until we all turn over. He took his wife, Gloria, to England, and upon arrival he had to fill out the arrival forms for the customs officer. The customs officer asked him what his occupation was, and Stan said: 'Well, you might not believe this, but a month ago I was a locomotive driver, and when I get back to Australia I'll be a senator.' What a great Australian story—that somebody driving trains could be elected to this nation's parliament and represent it so well.

Stan then set up his office in Rocky. I must apologise and seek forgiveness for the fact that I didn't know Stan had been based in Rockhampton when I decided to move my Senate office there. I was living in Toowoomba at the time.

I don't want to embarrass anybody—and they do great work—but I asked the Parliamentary Library, while I was a senator-elect, 'Has there ever been a senator based in Rockhampton?' They came back and said, 'No, there's never been a senator based in Rockhampton.' So I drafted a press release saying, 'I'll be the first senator based in Rockhampton.' I was very, very lucky, because, just a couple of days before pressing send on this momentous, historic announcement, I was in Senator Ron Boswell's office—he was still a senator then—at 1 Eagle Street, and I said to him: 'I've got this momentous news.

I'll be the first senator in Rockhampton.' Ron looked at me and said, 'I'm sure I can remember being in Stan Collard's office and looking at the Fitzroy River.' Immediately I jumped on Google, and, sure enough, Ron was right, as he almost always was. I was able to change that press release to say that I was the first for 25 years, so I avoided a massive embarrassment.

It's been great to continue Stan's legacy. He was a senator at a time of great turmoil in conservative politics. I don't know how we want to describe the current time, but there might be some lessons from how he approached things.

I was reading Stan's final newsletter that he sent, and I wanted to read some extracts into the Hansard for us all. He had a mailing list as a senator, and this was, I believe, his final newsletter. I'm indebted to the Page Research Centre for having this available.

At the start of this newsletter, he said: Let me say at the outset that I regard the aim of making the National Party the dominant conservative party in Australia to be both legitimate and desirable. All of my political life I have worked to this aim for the simple reason that without being the dominant force it will be impossible for us to bring about the type of society I believe Australians want and deserve.

Many people know that, as others have remarked, he failed to be preselected, ultimately because of the failure of the Joh for PM campaign and his perceived lack of support for it. He went on to criticise that campaign, and, in hindsight, a lot of the points he made were right. He said: The reason I could not support the methods of the Joh for PM, Joh for Canberra or Joh's Nationals in control of the Senate pushes was simply that the tactics used violated many of the conservative principles I believe in and I understood so did the National Party.

He went on to say, quite humorously: Contrary to media inspired opinion— this is at the time— the Liberal Party was not about to swing back to the Peacock, Macphee, Steele Hall wets. The Howard dries always had the numbers and were in control even if the wets did tend to hog the media limelight. I'm not sure if that's still the case, but maybe it was then.

And then he finished by saying: I should also like to ask how often have delegates at Conference heard Sir Robert— Sir Robert Sparkes— correctly remind them that they are there to listen to the arguments and then make up their minds. They are to exercise their judgement and not vote under direction from branches, zones or divisions. Similarly, Parliaments are deliberative assemblies where representatives, elected by the voters, are expected to exercise their judgement.

I think they're all very wise sentiments from former senator Stan Collard. As I say, it's been a great privilege to bask somewhat in his reflected glow and continue the great work he did in Central Queensland to develop our area. It was great to be with his family at the recent memorial service, particularly to hear about his strong Christian faith and involvement in the Methodist Church in Rockhampton, and he continued that throughout his life.

My sentiments again go to his family, to Sue and Steve, who are in the gallery today. Vale, Senator Stan Collard.