ON THE WALLABY- 29th August 2006

VALE DON CHIPP – A GREAT AUSTRALIAN

”When we lose our love for our fellow man less fortunate than ourselves, then we cease to be a Democrat” – Don Chipp, Australian Democrats 25th anniversary Dinner, Melbourne 1992

It probably seems funny writing an obituary about a bloke I only met once in my life but who’s dream was to have a profound effect on my own life and I still continuing to do so.

That man is Don Chipp, who passed away last night in Melbourne at age 81 and who will always be remembered in Australian history as the man whose dream and enthusiasm led to the creation of the Australian Democrats political party and for which I served four terms in the mid 1990’s as their national president.

The time of my meeting this man was at the 25th anniversary dinner that commemorated the launch of the Australian Democrats and I, along with then leader Senator Cheryl Kernot and Party founder Don Chipp spoke at the Dinner.

I was first “cab off the rank” followed by Cheryl and then it came Don’s turn to address those gathered and I watched, I guess more than a little in awe, as this coughing, quiet man rose to take his place.

There before my eyes he went, as did Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson when I saw him speak in the late 1980’s, from an aging man to a raging warhorse in the blink of an eye and as he uttered the words I have used as his quote to introduce this OTW, I grabbed a beer coaster and wrote them down verbatim such was their effect on me.

What he said in those few words encapsulated what being a Democrat was all about and sadly, many, indeed most, of the current parliamentary and national executive have either forgotten or never realised their meaning and it is little wonder to myself or others of a similar ilk that they now face oblivion into the political wilderness.

Don’s career will, over the next few days and following his State funeral that the Federal government has accorded him, be highlighted often and Australia will be well aware of the man and his achievements, even though, as I alluded to in the previous paragraph, his legacy will have been wasted.

For his legacy changed Australian politics forever in that the Democrats broke the two party nexus and they did, as he initially proclaimed “keep the bastards honest” and that got up the nose of Liberal and Labor big time.

My partner, Sam Hudson, was in there from the start and today is a very sad day indeed for her with her having served as national secretary (where I first met her) for over 18 years and then chief-of-staff for Senators Kernot ,Stott-Despoja and Lees when they were Party Leaders.

Many are the amusing tales she tells of the early days when the party flew “on a wing and a prayer” but tapped so successfully into the needs of ordinary Australians and it is no surprise that the Democrats was made up of, as much as I detest the term ,“ordinary Australians”.

The Democrats have always been a “strange lot” to followers of politics in that they practiced “participatory democracy” whereby members actually ran the Party and whilst I will admit, I had times during my years as national president that I wished we could sometimes just “go ahead”, the Constitution did not allow that.

These and other measures, such as Parliamentary members being able to vote as their conscience dictated (providing the Party line was told first) were pivotal to Don and the others who created the Democrats and whilst they are anathema to the “heavies” in other Parties, they did give the Democrats a real point of difference.

As for “keeping the bastards honest”, yes, they did for over a quarter of a century of turbulent Australian politics and Sam believes that Don’s greatest achievement was, in establishing the Democrats and vwho gained the balance of power in the Senate in 1981, restoring Australians faith in the Senate, much of which had been badly shaken in the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in 1975.

Given the imbroglio that now exists in the Senate with the Government’s narrow majority, how many Australians wish that the Democrats were there as in the early years?

Many I would venture to suggest and that probably is the greatest compliment to the late former Senator Don Chipp and a real indictment on his current successors.

Rest well Don for, in football coaching legend Jack Gibson’s words, “you played strong and done good”!

Carpe diem

Tony

Tony Fountain

Professional Speaker, auctioneer and author

Sydney NSW Australia

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