Senator ALSTON (Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) (5:27 PM) —It is a great pleasure to speak in honour of former Senator Newman and Senator Gibson. Jocelyn Newman sat next to me for a period of years in this chamber since we have been in government, having come into the Senate only a matter of months before me. In many ways, there have been some interesting parallels. I have been in a position to make judgments about both Jocelyn's political ability and her character traits. I heard Senator Faulkner graciously say that she was a formidable opponent. You could almost say that from our side as well. If you were a member of the Expenditure Review Committee and had the temerity to oppose a certain proposition, then Jocelyn was a very vigorous, determined and dogged opponent.

Jocelyn was absolutely determined to give her all in aid of a cause in which she believed. Having accepted responsibilities at the highest level, she was very persistent in pursuing those causes, as she should have been and as those she represented would have expected. That is the characteristic I most recall about Jocelyn, and I do so with great fondness because in many ways she broke a lot of moulds. Many people are just lawyers, people can be just small business people; she was both. You can be interested in politics and you can be interested in policy; she was interested in both. She had a fervent commitment to women's issues but she was also passionately interested in a number of other issues, defence being the love of her life, just as her late husband was. Again, in that sense, she broke the mould because it was not either/or. Time and again in cabinet she would remind us in no uncertain terms that we had to be very conscious of what we were doing and the impact that it would have on the majority of the community—and very timely admonitions they were.

Through all the time she was here, she was a person of great integrity and principle. She certainly believed in a large number of causes. She was very conscious of her public responsibilities. I think she saw it as a great honour, which it is, to be able to serve. Not all are able to serve at the highest levels, and she certainly made a very marked contribution at every stage. Certainly in cabinet she had a unique status. The responsibility she had, first in the social welfare portfolio and subsequently in the Family and Community Services portfolio, was truly awesome, and it was one she carried out very impressively. Getting on top of the detail can sometimes be numbing, and yet every slip is a minefield—I thought she negotiated that area remarkably well.

What I would say about Jocelyn is that she was really `firm but fair', and you cannot ask for much more than that. She had a determination which marked her out from most, but she was also very concerned to ensure that she was doing the right thing at all times by all constituents, and by colleagues and others. I will remember her fondly. She has departed from this place, and I very much hope that she will enjoy her retirement years. She remains, of course, absolutely committed to her family: she will have many happy distractions on that front, but I know she will find many other things to do to ensure that her active mind is fully utilised. So I pay great tribute to Jocelyn as someone of tremendous physical and political courage who has been one of the Liberal Party's great contributors.

Senator Brian Gibson came in here a little after me, but in many ways Brian is also unique. It is very difficult to persuade people in business to come into politics: they might come in here if they think that they will earn more money or that they have run out of options or if they somehow think that it is just something you might move on to late in life, but Brian was one of those very unusual characters who had an outstandingly successful business career at very high levels. To run ANM, as he did for a number of years, brought him in contact with media proprietors and the like, and they are not to be trifled with, as we know. Then to be Chairman of the Hydro-Electric Corporation in Tasmania is probably about as high as you can get. That is public service royalty! The future of Tasmania can often turn on decisions made by the HEC. I would say that you only get to that level if you are very highly regarded. So, before Brian came here he had pretty much the perfect credentials, and certainly on our side of politics we not only rejoice when we have people like Brian Gibson, we also often bemoan the fact that we do not have more people of that calibre.

I think what Brian did was to bring a skill set to a whole range of issues that really did add value to the parliamentary process. It is one of the great tragedies that Brian was cut down in the prime of his political career. That is part and parcel of the vicissitudes of politics. But the area in which he was a parliamentary secretary was one in which he was uniquely well qualified. I know even after he left that job, he continued to remain passionately interested in a whole range of business and financial issues where he would know things instinctively that most of us would never have come across. He would have to tell me and others just what was going on in the real world. It is really a demonstration of how absolutely invaluable it is to have had that first-hand experience. If you are a good lawyer, you can read your brief. We know that. That will take you a fair way, but there is no substitute for that hands-on experience.

Senator Boswell —I've been telling you that for years.

Senator ALSTON —My friend down here has been giving me regular lectures about how it is all very well to be a flash city lawyer but you have to have the hands-on experience. Senator Boswell was able to make his fortune many years ago and to come on and faithfully serve his country since that time, but I think he would acknowledge that Brian Gibson had skills and experience that are very rarely found in federal politics. As a result, I think he will be well remembered for having made a very valuable contribution.

I might just say in passing that I think he also has a great deal to contribute in the future, because the combination of that practical business success with success at very high levels in politics is unique. I suppose as we all get older we are more attracted to this proposition, but there is absolutely no reason why someone of Brian's age and level of fitness—I used to come across him running around the block in Kingston—should not be able to turn each of those attributes into very important assets for the business community. I very much hope that he will be in a position to continue not only to enjoy a retirement of sorts but also to add value to the community, as he has for so many years, as his recognition in the Order of Australia clearly acknowledges.

I have very much enjoyed our friendship. I was delighted to be able to go down to Tasmania to join in a farewell for Brian. I did that because I have a particular affection and regard for Brian, and not just as a very decent and civilised human being. There are a few of those around, I suppose, although not all that many; nonetheless, Brian has a lot more going for him than that. That is why it was with a great deal of sadness that I saw him cut down in the prime of his political career. I have always seen him as someone who really does have a lot to offer.

So, Brian, all the best for the future and thank you for all you have done. You have been a great supporter of our side of politics, as has Jocelyn, of course. You are two people of very real stature who have served both your state and your country very well indeed.