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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-18 Daily Xml
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Members

McLachlan, Hon. A.L.

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.I. Lucas:

That this council notes the resignation of the Hon. A. L. McLachlan as President of this council and recognises his meritorious service to the council and to the parliament.

(Continued from 6 February 2020.)

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (16:47): I will be brief on this motion. I would like, as many others have, to start by congratulating you, Mr President, on your elevation to very, very high office. You follow in the footsteps of people like the Hon. Russell Wortley, so I know you will treat it with the respect that positions like this deserve. I would also like to congratulate former President McLachlan on his appointment to the Senate.

The Hon. D.G.E. Hood: Good conservative member.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: He is a good conservative member. I also note the person the Hon. Andrew McLachlan is replacing, former senator Cory Bernardi. Whilst I do not often agree with Cory Bernardi, he advocated strongly as a senator for his beliefs. However, I believe that with Senator Andrew McLachlan that position representing South Australians in the Senate may be far less polarising, even if Andrew McLachlan does not have his own online TV channel.

It is always good to have representatives in this place that have lived and worked in regional South Australia. Mr McLachlan spent time working out of Port Augusta as a lawyer well before running for parliament. There are some things I did not realise. When I googled Andrew McLachlan, I was surprised to learn that he spent time as the CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland, was for a time a creator of dystopian electronic Melburnian music and was a part-time actor in several Monty Python films. While I do not think any of these were our own Andrew McLachlan, they were Andrew McLachlans.

Our Andrew McLachlan has served our state well. It will be a loss for the Parliament of South Australia to lose such a dedicated member. Before he took up the presidency, Mr McLachlan was regularly on the wrong side of arguments—or at least, he was not on the side I was on, which I consider the wrong side of arguments—and despite not agreeing with him, I found it hard not to respect him. He always fought for what he believed in, even if it did not align necessarily with the position of the day of the Liberal Party. This foundational sense of what he saw as right, of holding to his values, made him an honourable man, and he held to his conservative values quite strongly.

The Hon. D.G.E. Hood: He was a good conservative member.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: He was a good conservative member, as the Hon. Dennis Hood interjects. There were some similarities. I will acknowledge that, like Andrew McLachlan, the Hon. Dennis Hood advocates fiercely for his conservative values, his conservative beliefs. I rarely agree with the Hon. Dennis Hood, but he is highly effective in how he does it, as was the Hon. Andrew McLachlan.

It shows the level of esteem that the Hon. Andrew McLachlan has been held in that we had speeches from both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition in this chamber when a new senator was selected, and just how much he stuck to his guns regardless of the political whims of the time.

Andrew McLachlan was a good President of the Legislative Council. On the rare occasions that I overstepped or interjected, he was quick to correct my ways. He was very patient and he ruled very wisely. That being said, he was always fair and balanced and not afraid to reprimand those on the other side, as I am sure the Hon. David Ridgway could attest to on many occasions.

I would like to thank Andrew McLachlan for his service to the South Australian parliament, and I wish him well on his journey to Canberra. I cannot guarantee that I will vote for him when he is up for re-election in the Senate, but I will be glad to know that he is there. I commend this motion to the council.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (16:51): I rise to support this motion, and in doing so I reflect on something I said in my maiden speech, when I addressed the then President, the Hon. Andrew McLachlan. I said:

I am sure you will carry your dedication to duty, as exemplified through your previous military service, into this role and be a model of fairness and adherence to the standing orders.

I think it is fair to say that he has certainly demonstrated that throughout his time here as President, something that hopefully all in this chamber have appreciated. Many in positions such as President or Speaker give lip service to the principle of being fair and impartial, but parliaments often see that go out of the window at a very early stage. The Hon. Andrew McLachlan, however, was an exception to that. He was keen to see robust debate in this place and that extended to, shall we say, energetic question times, something that I think, hopefully again, everyone in this chamber appreciates.

Of course, we now have a new President, who I hope will follow in the footsteps of the Hon. Andrew McLachlan. No doubt our new President will put his own mark on the role, but I sincerely hope that it will include a willingness to see robust debate and energetic question times. I think it is fair to say that the Hon. Andrew McLachlan is universally respected and highly regarded, despite political differences.

Reflecting on the fact that we now have a new President, there have been media reports that the Hon. Mr Dawkins was seeking the President's job, but presumably he could not get the numbers, or perhaps the media reports were wrong. There were rumours that the Hon. Dennis Hood may have stepped into this role. He has, of course, demonstrated a strong ability through the many incisive and topical questions that he asks in this place and his ability to keep Labor on its toes at all times, but as we saw, he too has taken on a new role, although not that of President.

As well as President, the Hon. Andrew McLachlan had a role with me—I was honoured—of co-convener of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel, and he was certainly very active in that role. He was very interested and attentive to all things to do with that role and the Jewish community, and he successfully built strong attendances at all of our events.

Before Christmas, I reflected on what would be appropriate descriptions for our then President. I mentioned that the definition of presidential included the words dignified, authoritative, judicious, diplomatic, powerful, awe-inspiring, self-assured, commanding and regal. I said then and I say now that most, maybe even all, of those descriptions applied to the Hon. Andrew McLachlan as President of this council. I am confident that in years to come we will be able to apply the same descriptions to our new President.

The Hon. Andrew McLachlan's move to the Australian Senate is a loss to this chamber. I congratulate him on his new role and join with others here to wish him well.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (16:55): Mr President, I also join in on congratulating you on your election to the position that you are now holding as the new President. However, you may wish to rethink that when you hear, in a minute, about the lengths to which the former President went to open the doors of this place. I will rise for a very short time but not necessarily to discuss the past achievements of the former President, now Senator McLachlan, or his role as a member of this place.

As a relatively new member of this chamber, I did not experience Andrew's famous insertion of poems or his opinionated debates that have been referenced by many. I merely knew him as the Presiding Officer of the South Australian Legislative Council, the 21st President of this place. Most importantly, I knew him, as did 600 wizards and witches who have entered this place on our Harry Potter mega takeovers, as the grumpy old holder of the keys to the Chamber of Secrets. The grumpy President was woken by the pounding fists of witches and wizards only to appear dressed in his full presidential get-up in his old office doorway.

The former President helped open the doors of this place to the biggest Hogwarts' takeover of any parliament—I have not fact-checked that; someone else can worry about that—not once, not twice, but four times. Over 2,000 people participated in the last takeover. While the former President helped open the doors of this place to over 600 wizards and witches, the majority had never before entered this place. What is more, he did this in the dying days of his preselection battle, which he may have reminded me about once or twice.

On the Hogwarts' front, Mr President, you have very big shoes to fill. This building is often viewed as the Chamber of Secrets. I am sure many would like to forget this chamber actually exists, especially those who warm the government benches in the other place, as has been the case for centuries. However, as we know, this is the people's house. For whatever reason, few realise that they can just wander into this building. Few feel connected to this place or are aware of how these chambers can change and support their lives.

Perhaps I have this wrong and perhaps the former President just liked getting dressed up in his wig and knickerbockers. He not only brought laughter to these chambers, he also gave a gift to younger South Australians, a gift that will enable them to feel connected forever. We can encourage our younger generations to have a voice, but if they do not know how to make change we will all be the poorer for it.

Putting aside Hogwarts, one of the first conversations I had with Andrew ended with me leaving his office with a collection of cheesy, USA-style, self-promoting memorabilia. I am not going to repeat in this chamber what I actually thought of the magnet, stickers and other paraphernalia but they did give me an idea for his parting gift. The Senator now may roam the corridors of federal parliament. I am sure he will continue to walk to work. To ensure he does not forget this place he will be able to wear a cheesy and tacky piece of memorabilia. He will be able to walk to work with a '21st President of the Legislative Council' cap and, do not worry, Clerk, I certainly used the logo correctly.

On a serious note, Andrew is no stranger to serving his community or his country, from his service in Afghanistan, to the floor of this place, to what Andrew dubbed his throne—the President's chair—and now to our capital. While I did not know Andrew as long as most in this chamber, I appreciated his leadership, direction and much-needed guidance in this chamber. I thank him for his service to this place, and I wish Andrew and his family well as they embark on the honour of representing all South Australians in the Senate.

Finally, the senator often said to his Hogwarts friends that the chair that the President has the privilege to warm is not a chair: it is a throne. To our new President: I hope you enjoy the great privilege of keeping your throne warm, and I look forward to seeing you in your Harry Potter get-up.

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (17:00): I also rise to speak on this motion. I think I can only add to the tone of what is a great deal of well wishes for our former President. On paper, I think that the former President and probably quite a few on the benches where I sit really do not come from a similar background. The former President—you can read his opening speech—comes from a very long line of very commendable persons, for all of whom he can cite very proudly their roles in the colony, as he might put it, and their subsequent achievements that they managed within that.

The former President attended law school overseas. He spent significant time working in the sectors of finance and law. He had a significant military background, which I think formed a fairly significant portion of what he brought to this place. I still recall the oft-cited quote of a former premier, who said to this parliament around the time I entered this place in politics that, if you want a friend in politics, you get a dog. I would not call my dog Andrew, but I would say that I do not find agreement with what the former premier said. To put it another way, a way I think the former President will enjoy because it is by one of his chosen poets, 'good fences make good neighbours'. I will come back to that later on.

I have never found Andrew, the former President—I am not sure if I can refer to him by his Christian name anymore—someone who made things difficult. I never found him to be someone who was not willing or at least open to being friendly, even though this place sometimes discourages exactly that. It is not that our former premier was entirely incorrect in what he said because many here choose to live and die by a pretty ruthless sword. The problem, of course, is that we tend to lionise those who live in politics that way. I think it makes it even more important for everyone on this side of the chamber here today to trumpet our former President in regard to what he did in his actions on his rise through and eventually, or at least maybe notionally, above this place to Canberra.

I think it is notable in this regard how many members of this place would often cite the former honourable member's title before his name. Often, I think people either said he was 'President McLachlan' or 'the Hon. Mr McLachlan'. Even in his opening speech, the original President referred to him as 'the gallant Mr McLachlan', and even the opposition leader made the same error in his farewell speech in this place in the last sitting week. I think in all respects, many people regarded Andrew as honourable, even without needing the title.

The fact is that he took the step of excluding himself from the parliamentary caucus of his party while fulfilling his presidential role, something that might seem a bit of a simple step but, again, makes him quite honourable. The speed with which a number of very complex matters made their way through this chamber last year spoke volumes to his ability to recognise what the rules of this place are and how best to achieve them and get them done in what could be quite difficult environments. As I think I have already said here today, what is also notable is the number of speakers who wish to speak fondly on the elevation of our former President.

I cannot quite recall the specifics of the question he asked when he was in opposition one day, but it is worthy of an anecdote. While the Labor Party was in government, the then honourable minister Malinauskas took a Dorothy. He took it on the matter of what I think were awards to police dogs at the time. Much of the Dorothy was spent lauding the achievements of the participants and those who were placed first, second and third, how they were particularly worthy. All this was somewhat undone when Mr McLachlan's supplementary asked how many participants there were, and he had to come back with, 'There were only three.'

The fact is—with all due respect to you, Mr President—we will all miss the formerly honourable Mr McLachlan for his interjections, for his wit, for his capability in recognising the respect of this place, how it operates, how it could better operate and how it should operate. On a personal note I will miss my discussions surrounding the topical matters of the week over a coffee with Andrew. These types of things can often make this place both unbearable and bearable at the same time, and I will miss those.

I will miss the relish he took to the role of being in opposition questioning ministers and at the same time the relish he took to the role of President, right down to his role in the now somewhat regular and already-noted Harry Potter event, which is held regularly in this place. That is something I support, and I look forward to you involving yourself, Mr President. I know you will.

We can all learn a lot from the attitude taken by the formerly honourable member in his relatively short time in this place, and wish him well in his new role. I remind him of two very valuable bits of advice. The first I know he will listen to, because I am quoting from his original speech in this place. He said:

Unfortunately, our federation has delivered a significant level of fiscal imbalance, which undermines the ability of our governments to take real accountability. The fiscal arrangements between the states and the commonwealth are in need of recasting, together with their respective taxation regimes. The ideal for any functioning federation must be the accommodation of the desires and needs of all of the many regions that make up our nation.

So, Andrew, good luck with that one, mate. I will finish with a quote from Mr Frost, one of Andrew's favourite poets. I know he likes a particular poem but I prefer a poem called Mending Wall, the poem I referred to earlier. I take a specific quote from it:

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

I encourage members to read the whole poem. I will not create the disaster of doing that to everyone here—it is quite long—but I encourage members to read it. I think it would help us all in how we act in this chamber. It is certainly as good a summary as any I can think of of Andrew's time in this place. I remind him of it in his travels in Canberra and look forward to taking every chance to remind him of it in future over a coffee—or perhaps, hopefully, something stronger.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (17:07): I echo the congratulations made to you, Mr President, on your elevation to this position presiding over us all. I also rise to associate myself with the remarks congratulating the previously honourable Andrew McLachlan to the lofty heights of now Senator Andrew McLachlan, and want to echo the words of thanks and gratitude to him, particularly in the presidency role but also before that as a member of this place. In particular, I would also like to note the fine work of his former staff member, Zachariah Reveruzzi, who was always of assistance to my office.

Prior to his elevation to the presidency in this place, I would like to think that the then honourable Andrew McLachlan was an honorary crossbencher, sitting in my former seat, the seat I first took in this place that is now occupied by the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos. I like to think that seat is perhaps a little special in terms of the crossover role it tends to play, certainly in the last 10 years or so.

In that role, as he was in his presidency role, he was diligent, thorough and fair. He did not take the responsibility of presidency lightly and he did not take the responsibility of representing the people of South Australia in this place lightly. It led him to cross the floor on more than one occasion, standing up—as he would say—for land and liberty. I think it showed that Mr McLachlan was multidimensional.

My staff had a mood board of the many moods of Andrew McLachlan above the notice board on the back of my staff office. He has seen this board and I think he took great delight in how we had noticed that he did not have a poker face and that each day brought a new mood to be recorded on the Hon. Andrew McLachlan mood board in my office. Sadly that is no longer, now he is no longer our President, but I am sure that he will not be forgotten in this place or indeed in my staff's office.

The sliding doors opened for the then honourable Andrew McLachlan and now he is Senator Andrew McLachlan and has moved from these red, vinyl benches to the red, leather and fabric benches of our Senate. I will fondly remember the many times he sat on the blue fabric of the couch in my office that he helped me secure, for which I will be eternally grateful. My words to his new Senate parliamentary colleagues are in the form that he himself so preferred. They are almost a poem but more a rhyming couplet: he may be a Tory but he is sure no Cory, and I wish him well in the Senate.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (17:11): Mr President, I congratulate you on your election as President. I rise briefly to speak on this motion and to add my thanks to Andrew McLachlan for all he has done for this council and the parliament. While I am sad that we will be losing him in this place, I am heartened that, in his new role, the people of South Australia will not have lost a champion.

Although he currently no longer has the title of honourable, the manner in which Andrew carried himself while in this place means he will always be honourable in my eyes. As a member of the Legislative Council, he always acted with integrity and transparency—traits that are revered in this cutthroat business of politics. When Andrew took up the President's position, I was torn. On one hand, I was sad because I knew we were losing a great member on the floor, but I also knew that he would be a fair and reasonable President.

He controlled the chamber well, which can sometimes be challenging, and the kind words which have been expressed about Andrew's departure are a testament to how well liked and respected he was in this place. I offer my congratulations to Andrew McLachlan and wish him all the best in the future. I support this motion.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (17:12): I also rise to add my comments to this motion. I have known Andrew McLachlan for quite a long period of time, and I remember that, in earlier days, when I probably first met him he was a member of the state executive of the Liberal Party. I also remember his candidature for preselection on the Liberal Senate team before he eventually came to this place, so his interest in red chambers and also beyond his service here has been there for a long time.

Many of us have enjoyed getting his red chamber report at the end of every sitting week, which I notice is continuing now that he has gone to, some would say, higher service. I am not sure whether all of us agree with that, but I note that his red chamber report is continuing. Andrew is held in great esteem across the chamber in this parliament without any shadow of doubt.

I remember that when he, as a very new member, was asked to represent the shadow Attorney-General, the Hon. Vickie Chapman, on matters to do with her portfolio in this chamber, he sought my thoughts on a number of occasions, I suppose because I was the whip and had been for some time. Of course, we all know—those of us who were here then—the extent to which that meant that he was speaking in the chamber because of the great proportion of the bills that we deal with that come out of the Attorney-General's area.

He always acted with great integrity. I think that has been exemplified in his community service with many organisations, including St John, his Defence Force service and his great support of the veterans community. He was particularly supportive of my work in the suicide prevention area, as it particularly related to serving defence personnel and veterans.

In his role as President he held very high the importance of upholding the traditions of the Legislative Council. He was and still remains a great supporter of the role of upper houses in general, and that will serve him well in the Senate. He is, I think, a great example of someone who is particularly dedicated to this state. He is a very strong South Australian, and that is what we need in the Senate. I wish him all the very best in his service as a senator for South Australia.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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