CONDOLENCES

Senator COLBECK (Tasmania) (16:21): I rise to associate myself with comments made by colleagues across the chamber on the life and the service of the Reverend the Hon. Michael Tate AO, and I extend my condolences to his family and my thanks to them for lending him to Tasmania, Australia, the church and our communities. It was fascinating to read back through his story and how he came to his place in life, coming from a quite conservative family, a Liberal family, but finding himself on the other side of politics.

Senator COLBECK: Well, not all of us find our way that way, Senator Farrell, but he did. He held very strong Christian pacifist beliefs, and that didn't always sit well with his own side of politics, even. His entrance to the parliament came through first being preselected at No. 4 on the ticket and then, through the resignation of two other members of the ticket, being elevated to No. 2.

Senator Farrell, you and I might understand some of those nuances. That's what brought him to this place. He was, on a number of occasions, challenged seriously by the party machine in Tasmania and supported from a federal perspective to retain his position in the place, and the work that he did in the parliament, I think, probably was part of that process.

One of the things that I appreciate about Michael Tate was his courage and his willingness to undertake those tasks that he'd been given that didn't necessarily curry favour with his own side of politics. Those are quite often the most difficult tasks that you will undertake as a member of parliament, and it's a rare—and, sadly, these days even rarer—trait that we see.

He undertook some very difficult roles when you look at the allegations in two inquiries with respect to Lionel Murphy, where he made decisions that weren't supported, necessarily, by his side of politics. And then I look at his time as the Chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Human Embryo Experimentation Bill 1985, very early in the piece for those sorts of issues.

But I then reflect on conversations that I had with him between 2004 and 2007, when this chamber had three significant conscience based debates with respect to stem cell research and human cloning. He didn't completely eschew politics; he took the opportunity to contact some of us who were participating in that debate and were struggling with some of the concepts that we were dealing with.

But he did that in such a way that we had a strong sound, respectful, sensible communication. We didn't necessarily have to agree, but at the end of the day he was very willing to have those conversations to support those of us that were struggling ourselves with what are and were really important issues of the day. For him to have served such a terrific life of public service, as has already been indicated, in education, in the parliament, as an ambassador and then in the clergy—it is an extraordinary life of service that he has given.

We all ought to pay thanks to him and to his family for that. He served humbly, but he served with great distinction and integrity. I think that's a real mark of a man who had a really significant legal mind—the fact that he was entrusted with so many of those difficult inquiry processes but also ministerial appointments as Special Minister of State and the minister for justice, then immigration and justice again on another occasion.

As Senator Polley said, Tasmania is poorer for his passing. The nation is poorer for his passing, but we are richer for his contribution. I thank him for it, and I extend again my condolences to his family.