Mr TURNBULL (Wentworth—Prime Minister) (14:00): I move: That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 23 March 2017, of the Honourable Ian Louis Robinson, a Member of this House for the Division of Cowper from 1963 to 1984 and Page from 1984 to 1990, place on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement. Ian Robinson was born in 1925 in Coraki, New South Wales. He was a dairy farmer, a journalist and a company director before he entered politics as a member of the Australian Country Party. Ian's is a record of public service that spans many decades. Before he joined the federal parliament, he had already served 10 years in the New South Wales parliament as the member for Casino. He was elected as the federal member for Cowper in 1963. He went on to serve at the federal level until 1987. He never lost sight of the enormity of his responsibility to the people of Australia. As he put it, the work we do here 'fairly and squarely' determines the future of this Commonwealth. He was a strong voice for his rural and regional community, for roads, for the decentralisation of services and for the state and federal governments working together. He dedicated himself to improving the working relations between the states and the Commonwealth. After his time in state parliament, he had a special insight into both the problems and the possible solutions. He was a passionate advocate for rural and regional Australia, and was concerned to reverse the drift of people from the bush to the city. Ian knew that when our regions are strong, our nation is strong, and everything he did was to help encourage vibrant regional communities flourish. Apart from a time serving as the Assistant Minister to the Postmaster-General, Ian served on committees looking into areas as diverse as pharmaceutical benefits, Aboriginal affairs and the need for a new and permanent parliament house. After so many years of service to the community of north-eastern New South Wales and to our nation, he will be sorely missed and mourned. I extend on behalf of the House our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Florence, and his family, and the deep appreciation of the nation for his lifetime of public service.