A tribute to the Hon. John KerinFriday 21 Apr 2023
“Ask Fitzgibbon”, he might have said, “he’ll tell it as it is, but give him a few minutes only to contain any embarrassment or reputational damage”. John Kerin called a spade a spade too. He did not suffer fools gladly. He could be impatient, intolerant, irritable, and sometimes, down-right cranky. He was highly principled, far more interested in policy than in politics and detested those who arranged them in the alternate order. He was an environmentalist but was dismissive of environmental fundamentalists. He railed against those who failed to stick to evidence and science-based policy. Always willing to have a go, he had a love-hate relationship with his contemporaries in Labor’s NSW Right – possibly the other thing that in his mind, qualifies me to be speaking at his farewell today. I also suspect John Kerin set himself up for a bit of amusement by asking a 61-year-old to speak for the next generation of Labor people who didn’t serve in the Parliament with him, but nonetheless followed him, admired him, respected him, and appreciated his friendship. I was just 21 years of age when Bob Hawke was swept to power in 1983. I’m one of many political junkies of my generation, who spent a large part of their relative youth watching in awe, as Hawke and his first-class team of ministers strutted the national stage. In addition to Hawke and Keating, there was plenty to like about the Labor team – Button, Bowen, Beazley, Dawkins, Hayden, Evans, Jones, Ryan, Walsh, Willis, and others, brought a gravitas to the ranks of the ministry never previously seen. Another stood out - the lanky former axe-man – a handy skill in politics - who appeared to have quickly mastered the agriculture, fisheries & forestry portfolio, one of the most challenging jobs for any Labor Minister. And he navigated its complexities and political difficulties, while also managing the mining and energy portfolios. Quite a feat. I was captured by John’s intelligence, his background, his wit, his humour, his hair-do, and of course, his legendary ability to hypnotise a chook. Exactly 30 years on, I too found myself thrust into the agriculture, fisheries and forestry portfolio. And of course, one of the first things I did was to reach out to Labor’s best – and indeed, Australia’s best. There began a friendship I will always treasure. Along the way I heard many jokes and character assessments none of which I can share here, as much as John might like me too. Yes, he liked to be provocative and sometimes it got him into trouble. But most importantly, I learned much from him. John’s autobiography remains a key source of information whenever I’m reflecting on the Hawke/Keating years and in particular, the land sector policies of that period. We thank him and we will always remember him with great fondness. Rest in peace my friend”. The Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon, Friday 14 April 2023, Old Parliament House, Canberra For more on the life and achievements of John Kerin click here Photo: Former Labor minister for agriculture John Kerin. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) Source: AFPA, the manadarin | ||
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