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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-05-15 Daily Xml
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WILSON, HON. I.B.C.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:33): I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Ian Wilson. Ian was born on 2 May 1932 and died in Adelaide on 2 April, just shy of his 81st birthday. Ian was a quiet man, a demeanour which often belied his passion. I want to highlight three of his passions today. Firstly, Ian Wilson was passionate about liberalism. He consistently advocated for respect for all citizens in one nation, for the equality of the sexes and for the need for accessible education. Ian's liberalism was rooted in a strong Christian commitment.

Ian's politics were liberal, not conservative. In this he was the son of Sir Keith and Lady Wilson, both in their own right leaders and pioneers in the political organisation of liberalism in South Australia. Ian continued in that tradition when he helped establish and was the inaugural president of the Young Liberal Movement in South Australia some 60 years ago.

In the early 1970s, Ian Wilson was active in the process of modernising the Liberal and Country League. Ian's close friend and historian, Baden Teague, summarised Ian's involvement in this period in an eulogy at his funeral. I quote from that eulogy:

This initiative founded the Liberal Movement to reform and energise the Party. It included many refreshing liberals. Ian believed that enduring change in the Party would need to come genuinely from a broad spectrum of the Party and not be thrust upon it. This is what happened, but I also believe that it was Ian Wilson who fired up this liberal resurgence. This renewal led to winning the public support which soon made possible the Tonkin Liberal Government statewise and supported the Fraser Liberal Government nationally. Ian's leading contribution to this political revolution in the 1970s was as important as his service as a Member and a Minister.

Later, in the 1970s, it was my privilege to serve in Ian Wilson's campaigns for Sturt, and his encouragement and his passion for liberalism influenced me greatly.

Ian Wilson was also passionate about good policy. It was working in Ian Wilson's personal office in the mid-1980s that I became acutely aware of his passion for good policy. For Ian, policy was not an end in itself. His politics was rooted in his liberal values, and his goal was his commitment to better outcomes and to help people live a life of their choice and building a better nation. Ian was a man of great intellect. His qualities won him the 1955 Rhodes Scholarship, enabling him to travel to study law at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Ian served as the member for Sturt in the House of Representatives for 24 years. First elected in 1966, he was re-elected against the tide in the 1972 It's Time election. Ian served as the parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, the minister for home affairs and the environment, and the minister for Aboriginal affairs in the early 1980s. Ian worked with a wide range of people, including his political opponents, to deliver positive outcomes for South Australians.

In his office, I was struck by his capacity to engage political colleagues, parliamentary committees, academics and anyone else who was ready to join the task in developing high-quality policy, particularly in the area of tax and social security. Ian knew that Australians need support from time to time, but that support can become a trap if tax and social security regimes do not interact effectively to protect incentive and to promote opportunity. Ian was one of the strongest policy practitioners I have seen in any parliament.

Thirdly, Ian Wilson was passionate about family and community. Ian Wilson and his delightful wife, Mary, made a great team. Above all else, they provided a home of love and care to their sons Keith, Richard, James and Nigel and, in later years, embracing their daughters-in-law and their seven grandchildren. Together they worked tirelessly in the community, including on projects such as the May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust, promoting Australia's cultural heritage and providing opportunity for young writers and illustrators.

On 10 April, it was my privilege to join hundreds of others at St Peter's Cathedral at Ian's funeral. The funeral was a strong affirmation of Ian's Christian faith, the love of his family and his commitment to his community. At a personal level, I was there to acknowledge my personal indebtedness to Ian and Mary for their personal support since the 1970s. I regard Ian Wilson as a mentor. I seek to honour his life by working to see our shared values continuing to be realised in this city, this state and this nation. I express my condolences to Mary and the family.

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