Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL - Thursday, 26 June 2003] p9318b-9319a Hon Kim Chance; Hon Norman Moore

MAJOR GENERAL MICHAEL JEFFERY, AC, MC, GOVERNOR GENERAL OF AUSTRALIA Motion HON KIM CHANCE (Agricultural - Leader of the House) [10.25 am]: I move without notice - That this House congratulates and offers its best wishes to Major General Michael Jeffery, AC, MC, a Western Australian and former Governor of , on his appointment as Governor General of Australia. I move this motion to provide the House with the opportunity to express its congratulations to a Western Australian, Major General Michael Jeffery, following the recent announcement by the Prime Minister that the former Governor of Western Australia will be appointed to the post of Governor General effective from 11 August this year. I have met, as have other members, with the previous Western Australian Governor on a number of occasions. I have a high regard for this courageous and outspoken individual who has risen to the highest post in the country from his origins in Wiluna, Western Australia. It is testimony to Australia’s tradition of equality that a person from Wiluna, who, after a lifetime contribution and dedication to the interest of his country, can take up the highest post in the land. After receiving his secondary education in , Michael Jeffery went to the Royal Military College, Duntroon at the age of 16. Major General Michael Jeffery went on to have an unblemished record of military service to his country. He served with distinction as a company commander in Vietnam where he was decorated with a Military Cross. Notably, in 1975, he was appointed the first commander of Australia’s Special Air Service regiment and has held a number of senior appointments in the including, but not limited to Deputy Chief of General Staff; Commander of the 1st Brigade, Holsworthy, Sydney; and Brigadier in command of Australia’s national counter-terrorist coordination authority from 1981 to 1983. Major General Jeffery was appointed Governor of Western Australia on 1 November 1993 and became a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1996 for his services to the State. The Government expects that Major General Michael Jeffery will conduct his service to the Australian people in the same exemplary manner in which he served the people of Western Australian as Governor. On behalf of the Government, I wish him all the best in doing so. HON NORMAN MOORE (Mining and Pastoral - Leader of the Opposition) [10.28 am]: I join with the Leader of the House in supporting this motion to congratulate Major General Michael Jeffery on his appointment as Governor General of Australia. As the Leader of the House said, it is testimony to what can be achieved in Australia by individuals who have the drive and initiative to achieve. Having been born at Wiluna, which is in my electorate but more importantly is in Western Australia, and having worked his way through a very successful military career, Major General Michael Jeffery then became the Governor of Western Australia in 1993. His military history is well known and I do not propose to go into that other than to say that he was highly decorated, highly respected, highly regarded and very successful. When he became Governor in 1993, I was delighted at his appointment and came to know him and his wife, Marlena, quite well as a minister of the Crown during that time. It is fair to say that the way in which he carried out his role as Governor was well accepted and regarded by the Western Australian community. One thing about Governor Jeffery was that he was very keen to spend as much time as he could travelling throughout Western Australia and visiting most centres in the State. I remember on many occasions running into him in some of the tiniest outback communities in the State where he was carrying out his role in a very effective way. He was highly respected throughout the State because of that. In no small part, the role played by his wife, Marlena, was equally important because she is a gracious person who mixed extremely well with the community. The pair of them often met with people throughout the State and were highly respected by those people. When Michael Jeffery was Governor of Western Australia, he was also was known for making the odd comment or two about various issues affecting the social condition in Australia. I will not go through any of those other than to mention one comment he made, which I thought was quite important, at the opening of the West Australian Newspapers Ltd’s new building at Osborne Park. I quote from his speech - So my plea to you as the primary newspaper in the State, to your Board and to your shareholders, is to take a step back for a while and really think through the huge moral responsibility you have; to encourage, to lift our spirits and to inspire, as well as looking quite properly to your news and business responsibilities. There is no reason why each cannot go hand in hand. Report the news, but don’t make it.

[1] Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL - Thursday, 26 June 2003] p9318b-9319a Hon Kim Chance; Hon Norman Moore

He went on to suggest that the newspaper run a good news story every second day for 30 days to see if it lost any circulation. Regrettably, it did not do that. However, that sort of comment, made in a proper sense on that occasion, is the sort of comment that the then Governor often made and a comment that most people would find very agreeable. One thing I recall about Major General Michael Jeffery was the discipline he brought to the Executive Council. As a minister, I attended the Executive Council on many occasions. I came to realise that I needed to know exactly what was contained in every minute in detail, because he would want to know and he would not sign anything unless he was absolutely convinced that it must be agreed to. Mr President, Major General Michael Jeffery will be an excellent Governor General of Australia. The role he played in Western Australia and the way in which he carried out that role was a good apprenticeship - if I can put it in those terms - for his new role as Governor General. I congratulate the Prime Minister on his appointment and I congratulate Michael Jeffery on being appointed. I look forward very much to his being an excellent Governor General of Australia in the years ahead. Question put and passed.

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