Senator ALSTON (Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) (7:02 PM) —I wish to make a few remarks about the late Sir John Gorton. Sir John Gorton would have to be Victoria's most illustrious senator, given his unique achievement in being leader not only in this house but in the other place as well. To have attained the rank of Prime Minister for a period in excess of three years is in itself sufficient to demonstrate that his contribution to Australian public life was immense. I want to pay particular tribute in areas where I have a special interest. His role and involvement in the precursor to the Australia Council for the Arts and the National Film and Television Training School were clearly major achievements that reflected the changing culture of the time, but they were also in many respects ahead of the main debate.

I had the privilege of presiding over the lecture series, Prime Ministers on Prime Ministers. It was a particular privilege on the evening of 12 November 1997 when Sir John delivered his address. Yesterday I heard Senator Faulkner referring to some elements of that address, particularly those qualities which Sir John believed were critically important to a Prime Minister. He paid tribute to both Sir Robert Menzies and Harold Holt as people of enormous integrity and decency but also of great political fibre and character. I think it was quite significant that Sir John was able to discuss not only some of his own achievements but also his insights into what it was that posed particular challenges for Australia. In a character sense, I found it quite enlightening to see the humility that he displayed. He made it plain then, and I think elsewhere, that he understood the precarious nature of political life. Although he stayed in the parliament for some years after he ceased to be Prime Minister, he understood that that particular role was one that was likely to be fairly limited by any measure. He concluded that lecture series address by saying:

And then he paused and said, `For a time at least.' I think that is one of the great characteristics of the man. He always had a twinkle in his eye. He understood the importance of the issues, but he could also see the lighter side. I remember asking him on that evening—he was in his late 80s at that point— whether he still followed current affairs closely. He turned and looked at me in a way that made me wonder why I had ever thought of asking the question, because he said, `Of course I do: I listen to the news, I read the newspapers, I have views on every issue.' It was as though he had never left. I found that a bit intimidating in a sense, because some of us might like to think that we will eventually slow down a bit. But he was someone who had been around politics for probably 50 years or more and who still could not get enough of it. That was what so impressed me about him—that he still had that great sense of the public interest and he was still passionately concerned about improving the quality of life on so many fronts.

He had strong views and he was not afraid to express them. The way in which he lived his political life demonstrated that he was not inclined to talk around an issue. He was very forthright, he saw great virtue in being a risk taker and, as we all know, he was a rugged individualist—probably the archetypal one. In fact, when I heard about his magnificent war record and all that he had been through—particularly the physical disfigurement but also effectively defying death on several occasions—it seemed to me to be the perfect CV for an aspiring political candidate. I am sure that was the last thing that would have gone through his mind when he thought he was only inches away from death. Yet that is the very sort of person that you want to see go into politics—someone who has been a great risk taker, someone who has been prepared to put his life on the line for his country, someone who has an ongoing passion to improve the lot of those around him.

I think many have paid tribute to Sir John in the context of his formal achievements but I simply wanted to say that, in my dealings with him, I found him to be an immensely warm and human individual—someone who had all of the best characteristics, particularly post politics, which is when I came to know him. I have had the opportunity to exchange views with him on a number of occasions over recent years, and on every occasion I felt uplifted. I think we should be eternally grateful that someone such as Sir John strode the political stage in the way that he did.