Wednesday, 2 August 2023

Simon Crean

Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh) (09:44): I rise to pay tribute to the late Honourable Simon Crean. Simon was the reason I joined the Labor Party. I was 16 and helping out in my mum and dad’s coffee shop, which was up the road from his electorate office. One day Simon popped in for a coffee and I was immediately starstruck. He told me I should join the Labor Party – I did, and the rest is history. A few years later he was pounding the pavement with me when I ran for council and again when I ran for Parliament. I also got to work in his office. He was just such an inspirational boss, who taught me so much, especially about the value of working as part of a collective. His passing really has made me wonder how different my life would have been had I not met Simon and had his encouragement. I certainly do not think I would be a member of Parliament.

Simon achieved so much in politics. He led the labour movement at both an industrial level as president of the ACTU and also as party leader. The only other person who has led both was Bob Hawke. This is therefore a very significant loss. I was just a school student when Simon as opposition leader prosecuted the case against the Howard government’s decision to join the war in Iraq, and as we have heard over the past month, this was the right decision. He has received a lot of the praise over the past month for this decision, but it was not so at the time, and I think it is somewhat regrettable that we are only realising now what a great leader he was. Vale, Simon. You were the best prime minister this country never had.