Albanese, Anthony, MP

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): I join with the Prime Minister in honouring a great Australian. When Michael Jeffery left Government House for the last time as Governor-General a Papua New Guinean in military uniform was waiting for him among the well-wishers. Bagpipes at the ready as Michael and his wife, Marlena Kerr, walked out, he played 'Now is the Hour', a song with which Maori soldiers were farewelled as they headed off to war. The piper was Sergeant Major Michael Pissa, the musical director of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. He had served under Michael Jeffery decades earlier, and his presence in Canberra was the expression of the sort of lasting affection and loyalty that Michael Jeffery inspired throughout his life. As Tony Wright wrote at the time, 'There has never been a farewell quite like it for an Australian governor-general.' If the end was emotional, the beginning was complicated, coming in the wake of a governor-general's resignation. When Michael Jeffery was called upon, the weight placed upon his shoulders was even greater than would have normally been the case, yet he was so much more than a safe choice to calm the waters after the turbulence of his predecessor's exit. He knew the ropes, after serving as Governor of his native Western Australia. He was a counterterrorism expert. He established Future Directions International, a not-for-profit policy think tank, to research important medium- to long-term issues facing Australia. As the Prime Minister has indicated, he was really concerned about environmental issues, including climate change and the looming challenges of water shortages, and the impacts on our natural environment, on what is often a very dry continent. The last chapter of his working life saw him focusing his energies on improving the health of the land as our first National Soils Advocate, a great appointment. This is just the post-military part of his CV. He was the first Australian-born Governor-General to have had a full-time military career, having served in Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam and, of course, Papua New Guinea, a country with which he formed such a lasting bond. In Vietnam, he was awarded the Military Cross as well as the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Among his many military commands, he took charge of the Special Air Service Regiment, carving out a new role for it in northern surveillance and, according to a former commander, saving the SAS in the process. As Governor-General, Michael Jeffery travelled the country extensively. He spent so much time meeting people who did their bit to make their local communities better. He held himself up as an example to children that they didn't have to grow up in an environment of wealth or privilege to be able to dream big. As for the importance of good manners, he strove to lead by example. He once explained his decision to clear out of Western Australia, when his term as Governor had come to an end, saying, 'You don't like to tread on the shadow of the new incumbent.' Then, during his term as Governor-General, he triggered a minor skirmish with a speech at a dinner honouring the 1948 'Invincibles'. The Australian cricket team was in a bit of strife at the time, as members would remember, for its on-field behaviour against the Indian team. As the nation's 'gentleman-in-chief', the Governor-General suggested it might be a good idea if there were a return to fundamental courtesies and good manners. Captain Ricky Ponting exercised his right of reply in the media, saying that it wasn't the 1950s anymore and that professional cricket was a tough, high-pressure environment, to which the return of serve came from the wonderful former Invincible Neil Harvey, who did, of course, play right throughout the 1950s. At the dinner, he said, 'I can't see any reason why they should carry on like a pack of morons,' about the Australian team. Michael Jeffery was a gentleman, an upright Australian when the nation needed one. That day at Yarralumla as he walked away from Government House, there was, amid the sense of conclusion, a reminder of a bright and happy beginning. As he and Marlena approached the waiting limousine, the piper finished his set. He did that with a different song, 'Mairi's Wedding'. It was the same tune he had played at their wedding at a Port Moresby barracks 41 years earlier, piping Marlena down the aisle to Michael and the start of a wonderful partnership and marriage that would last for more than half a century. Our thoughts are with Marlena and their daughter, Sarah, both of whom are here with us today in the gallery, their sons, Simon, Craig and David, and all of their grandchildren. May Michael rest in peace. We honour him today.