Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to our good friend and valued colleague Senator the Hon. Arthur Sinodinos. Arthur has provided outstanding public service to Australia for about four decades. He's now preparing to take on his next assignment for Australia, to represent our country with our most significant friend, ally and economic partner, the United States.

Over the past 40 years, the last eight years as a senator for the great state of New South Wales, Arthur has served our country and, for most of that period, our Liberal cause with dedication, commitment and great distinction. When he entered the Senate in 2011, replacing Helen Coonan, as a senator for New South Wales Arthur was already a formidable presence of long standing in coalition circles. He was a giant of our Liberal cause already. He clearly stood out from other first-term politicians with his strong reputation as a respected political and policy contributor preceding him.

Arthur's rise began in earnest in 1987 when he took the position of senior economic adviser to John Howard, then the federal Leader of the Opposition and to become our longest-serving recent Liberal Prime Minister—and I would argue certainly one of our greatest Liberal prime ministers and our greatest prime ministers of Australia ever. It was that initial two-year stint which laid the foundation for Arthur's incredible distinguished career of service to our country and the Liberal cause so far. In 1995 he returned to John Howard's office. Within two years he was appointed as his chief of staff. As a close confidant to the Prime Minister he was widely recognised as one of the most influential contributors in Australia.

When Arthur entered this chamber eight years ago it marked the return of an extremely skilled operator, and one of our best policy brains, to the coalition ranks. In opposition Arthur played a key role in developing the policies that drove the coalition to victory at the 2013 election. He chaired the coalition's deregulation task force to cut government red and green tape, which led to significant reform, reducing the cost of doing business in Australia after our election to government in September 2013.

As Assistant Treasurer in the Abbott government he invested his significant expertise on economic and fiscal policy matters to help the new government build and foster a stronger and stable economy. As Cabinet Secretary in the Turnbull government he provided significant strategic advice at the heart of the government while ensuring that all the important processes of government ran smoothly and that all the different policy perspectives on different issues had been appropriately heard and considered before a decision was made.

In 2017 Arthur became the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, and later that year it was Arthur who led the charge and who put Australia onto the path towards the establishment of a national space agency, and as he indicated in his remarks it was announced soon thereafter. Recent announcements of further investment in our space industry underscore the importance of Arthur's vision for space exploration. When Arthur delivered his first speech he described John Howard as:

… a fighter who was prepared the knocks to take for what he believed, pick himself up and keep going.

Arthur has emulated his distinguished former boss in many ways, but it was in his private life that Arthur was forced to really channel this fighting spirit when in 2017 he was diagnosed with cancer and forced to take leave to get well again. It was so good to see Arthur return to the Senate in good health, after his tough 18-month battle, cancer-free, and just in time to help us win the 2019 election. Talk about a fighting spirit! As Arthur embraced the survivorship phase of his battle with cancer earlier this year, he fittingly announced government funding for services at Sydney Cancer Centre, a facility of Chris O'Brien Lifehouse.

Politics is about helping people and improving lives. Arthur's altruistic nature is not just confined to politics. He has been a member of a wide range of pro bono boards, including the Mary MacKillop Foundation, the Aboriginal Employment Strategy and the Australian Institute of Management. He is, of course, a proud Australian of Greek heritage and has always been active in the local Greek community here in Australia. It was the combination of his strong community involvement, his public service to our nation and his contribution to the development of economic policy and reform which saw him recognised through his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2008.

Arthur has forged an incredibly impressive career and, unsurprisingly, there is more to come. Through his longstanding and very senior contribution to our country, from the back room to the front line of politics, Arthur is the perfect fit to pick up from Joe Hockey as our top international envoy. As our next ambassador to the United States, Arthur goes to Washington at a pivotal time in our deep and enduring relationship with America. As we have recently celebrated 100 years of mateship between our countries, Arthur will help us lay the foundations for the next 100 years.

Arthur, we wish you well as you depart this place for the international stage, and we know you will represent Australia's interests with distinction, as you always have. In your first speech, in 2011, you said that you hoped to be able to look back on your career and say that, in a small way, you helped make the best country in the world even better—something that you also referenced today in your remarks. Australia is in a much better and stronger position today, and Australians have better opportunities to get ahead today because of the contribution that you have made so far. And, of course, there is more to come. Our country is fortunate to retain your services in Washington. On behalf of the coalition team in the Senate, we wish you all the very best in your future endeavours and, in particular, in taking on the responsibilities as our ambassador to the United States. Thank you for your service so far.