Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (14:04): I thank the Prime Minister for his kind words, and I honour him in honouring the life of Anthony John Messner AM. Tony was born to South Australian parents, but, as a child, teenager and young man, Tony lived in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. His father's job, as a bank officer, meant that the Messner family was constantly on the move. It's one reason why Tony, contrary to his South Australian roots, took a shine to rugby union. The other reason was that the young man was gifted with the well-built frame of a front rower. Indeed, as the Prime Minister pointed out, his talent saw him play at the highest level, representing Western Australia. Following in his father's footsteps, he took up a career in banking. Banking brought him back to Adelaide before he moved to Mount Gambier. There, he worked as a chartered accountant and was secretary of the local chamber of commerce. Having settled in SA, Tony married Louise Ahrendt in 1963, with whom he had two sons. He later married Robyn Rooke, in 1983, and it was in Mount Gambier that Tony began his political career. Between 1964 and 1975, he rose through the ranks, from Young Liberals vice president to serving as a member of the state council and the state executive. Tony was driven by what he saw as the basic truth of Liberal philosophy: to maintain freedom and to provide equal opportunity for all. Like many seeking political office, Tony was initially unsuccessful. In 1972 he lost out in preselection to contest the lower house seat of Davenport in South Australia. In 1974 he missed out on an upper house seat in Canberra, being fifth on the ticket. But, after the dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975 and Malcolm Fraser's largest majority victory in Australian history, Tony won a South Australian Senate seat. For the next three elections that he contested, he was top of the SA ticket, serving the state he loved for 14 years. Characteristic of many maiden speeches of past times, Tony avoided delving into his personal background. Instead, he devoted almost all of his words to discussing the issues that he was most passionate about—none more so than small business. It was typical of a man who, as one journalist later described, was willing to make the most of it in a quiet way. Not only did the former banker and chartered accountant understand small business, but the new senator saw it as his duty to champion small business. Indeed, in Tony, small business had an indefatigable champion. Tony was a person who said of small business that it's the start of new ideas and a breeding ground for new industries, which creates more jobs and more wealth. For these reasons, he said, small business is big business in Australia. He delved into many issues facing the sector, such as creating credit, financing, asset depreciation and an inadequate taxation system. He proposed that small businesses would be better served by the establishment of an independent statutory watchdog in place of the then government-run advisory bureau. In his maiden speech of 1976, he said that small business was the key to economic success, and he was dead right. During his first years as a senator, he was outspoken on economic issues. To read his views today, be they on inflation, spending, taxation or industrial relations, is to have a Back to the Future moment. With his economic acumen, Tony was appointed in 1980 as the Minister Assisting the Treasurer, where he passed important legislation to deal with tax avoidance. Tony Messner shared more than a portfolio with his Treasurer, the young John Howard. During sitting weeks in Canberra, they shared a flat together, with political life and lodging leading to a lifelong friendship. In 1980 Malcolm Fraser also made Tony his Minister for Veterans' Affairs. It was a tough time to oversee that portfolio, with many veterans of the Vietnam War beset by physical and psychological trauma for the rest of their lives from that service. Agent Orange was also a major public issue. Commendably, Tony established counselling centres for veterans in capital cities in every state and in the Northern Territory. Moreover, he also undertook a review of repatriation laws. Thanks to the legislative amendments that he introduced, Tony brought about an end to the discriminatory way in which veterans of different conflicts received different benefits. With the defeat of the Fraser government in 1983, Tony spent the next six years in various shadow portfolios under opposition leaders Andrew Peacock and John Howard. Among those appointments, Tony was given responsibility for social and community services, and he took the fight up to the Hawke government for its introduction of an assets test, which was detrimental to age pensioners. Promoted to shadow cabinet as spokesman on finance and taxation, Tony campaigned vigorously against the government's fringe benefits and capital gains taxes, and he kept up his energy on the debate, undeterred by leaks from his own side to the ABC. Indeed, Tony's ideas about a tax system that sought to encourage self-reliance over dependence and that promoted freedom of choice for families became hallmarks of the Howard government for more than a decade later. Tony believed government ought to be out of people's pockets and, as much as possible, not in them. As shadow minister for public administration, he sought to bring about changes in the Public Service to address waste and inefficiency. Upon his retirement, Tony may have hoped for more time to indulge in his diverse interests, ranging from risk management to the American Civil War, but his postpolitical life saw him on the move once again. In '97, he was appointed Administrator of Norfolk Island, and there a holidaying John and Janette Howard visited Tony and Robyn Messner, and there we can imagine friends and former flatmates reflected on their political fates. On behalf of the coalition, I offer my heartfelt condolences to Tony's wife, Robyn, and the Messner family. May Tony Messner rest in peace. The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect to the memory of the Hon. Tony Messner, I ask all present to rise in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— The SPEAKER: I thank the House. Debate adjourned.