Post by Flash on Aug 29, 2006 1:16:16 GMT -5
I think most of us would be thankful to have achieved a fraction of what Don Chipp did in his life. He was an amazing man in so many ways. I’m so sorry he has gone.
DEMOCRAT DON CHIPP DIES AT 81
29.8.2006. 14:52:20
The man who strove to 'keep the bastards honest', founder of the Australian Democrats, Don Chipp, has died following a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.
His energy, idealism and frankness won him voters, fans and friends across the political spectrum throughout his political career and into retirement.
Mr Chipp announced that he was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease two years ago.
He aimed to draw attention to the need for extra resources to help sufferers and research the neurological illness which is characterised by tremors, especially of the hands.
Last year he survived a bout of pneumonia after spending a period on life support.
Mr Chipp had recently turned 81 and is survived by his wife Idun Welz and six children.
He died in a Melbourne hospital yesterday.
State funeral
Prime Minister John Howard says Mr Chipp will be given a state funeral.
"Don Chipp's family has accepted the government's offer of a state funeral," Mr Howard said in a statement.
The prime minister again paid tribute to the man who quit the Liberal Party in 1977 to set up the Democrats, saying Mr Chipp had made a significant contribution to public life in Australia.
"To me, Don Chipp's most enduring quality was his relentless passion and commitment to issues," Mr Howard said. "Until the very end he had strong beliefs and strong opinions concerning issues of public policy."
Working class roots
After growing up in a working class Melbourne suburb, a young Don Chipp joined the RAAF during World War II, later studying a commerce degree from the University of Melbourne before becoming a management consultant.
He was a fine sportsman, and played Australian rules football (AFL) for Fitzroy and spent 10 years on the professional sprint circuit.
Mr Chipp was soon active on a wider stage, particularly as CEO of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games civic committee.
Two years later he was chairman of Victoria's first doorknock cancer appeal. He's credited with raising more than 300,000 pounds in two hours.
But it was in politics that he truly made his name and appeal standout. His long and influential political career began in the 1960s after being preselected for the Liberal Party in the Melbourne seat of Higinbotham.
He served under prime ministers Robert Menzies, Harold Holt, John Gorton, William McMahon and Malcolm Fraser.
He was appointed the Navy Minister in 1966 and later served as the Minister for Customs and Excise until 1972.
It was in that role Mr Chipp built up his reputation for controversy after he cleared a big list of censored books, including Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer.
He also took no action against the subversive Little Red School Book and for the first time published the list of banned books, previously a secret.
Keep the Bastards Honest
Tipped by many political commentators at the time as a future prime minister, the craggy faced Chipp ended up turning his back on that career path, founding instead the Australian Democrats after becoming frustrated with party politics.
He famously coined the expression, “To Keep the Bastards Honest” when explaining why the new party was necessary.
It was one of the most well known political slogans of the past 40 years but later Mr Chipp had come to believe that he’d failed to deliver on the promise, saying he hadn’t even defined who the bastards are.
Soon after quitting politics he did define the ‘real bastards, saying they were the millions who reacted to a problem with another beer and a hateful "She'll be right, mate"; the shareholders who supported uranium mining because of the profits; the bankers who welcomed foreign takeovers because they were good for profits; the unions who encouraged forest destruction because it pleased their members; lawyers who opposed simplifying workers' compensation because that would threaten their holiday homes.
"These are the real bastards, and they are represented in Canberra with sickening fidelity by members of the Liberal, National and Labor parties," he wrote soon after quitting politics.
Throughout his career his guiding principle was English philosopher John Stuart Mill's insistence that majority opinion should always be questioned.
Mr Chipp led the Democrats until his retirement in 1986, handing the leadership baton to Janine Haines the first woman to lead a significant political party in Australia.
He had spent 25 years in parliament, in that time changing the political spectrum and shifting the balance of power.
DEMOCRAT DON CHIPP DIES AT 81
29.8.2006. 14:52:20
The man who strove to 'keep the bastards honest', founder of the Australian Democrats, Don Chipp, has died following a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.
His energy, idealism and frankness won him voters, fans and friends across the political spectrum throughout his political career and into retirement.
Mr Chipp announced that he was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease two years ago.
He aimed to draw attention to the need for extra resources to help sufferers and research the neurological illness which is characterised by tremors, especially of the hands.
Last year he survived a bout of pneumonia after spending a period on life support.
Mr Chipp had recently turned 81 and is survived by his wife Idun Welz and six children.
He died in a Melbourne hospital yesterday.
State funeral
Prime Minister John Howard says Mr Chipp will be given a state funeral.
"Don Chipp's family has accepted the government's offer of a state funeral," Mr Howard said in a statement.
The prime minister again paid tribute to the man who quit the Liberal Party in 1977 to set up the Democrats, saying Mr Chipp had made a significant contribution to public life in Australia.
"To me, Don Chipp's most enduring quality was his relentless passion and commitment to issues," Mr Howard said. "Until the very end he had strong beliefs and strong opinions concerning issues of public policy."
Working class roots
After growing up in a working class Melbourne suburb, a young Don Chipp joined the RAAF during World War II, later studying a commerce degree from the University of Melbourne before becoming a management consultant.
He was a fine sportsman, and played Australian rules football (AFL) for Fitzroy and spent 10 years on the professional sprint circuit.
Mr Chipp was soon active on a wider stage, particularly as CEO of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games civic committee.
Two years later he was chairman of Victoria's first doorknock cancer appeal. He's credited with raising more than 300,000 pounds in two hours.
But it was in politics that he truly made his name and appeal standout. His long and influential political career began in the 1960s after being preselected for the Liberal Party in the Melbourne seat of Higinbotham.
He served under prime ministers Robert Menzies, Harold Holt, John Gorton, William McMahon and Malcolm Fraser.
He was appointed the Navy Minister in 1966 and later served as the Minister for Customs and Excise until 1972.
It was in that role Mr Chipp built up his reputation for controversy after he cleared a big list of censored books, including Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer.
He also took no action against the subversive Little Red School Book and for the first time published the list of banned books, previously a secret.
Keep the Bastards Honest
Tipped by many political commentators at the time as a future prime minister, the craggy faced Chipp ended up turning his back on that career path, founding instead the Australian Democrats after becoming frustrated with party politics.
He famously coined the expression, “To Keep the Bastards Honest” when explaining why the new party was necessary.
It was one of the most well known political slogans of the past 40 years but later Mr Chipp had come to believe that he’d failed to deliver on the promise, saying he hadn’t even defined who the bastards are.
Soon after quitting politics he did define the ‘real bastards, saying they were the millions who reacted to a problem with another beer and a hateful "She'll be right, mate"; the shareholders who supported uranium mining because of the profits; the bankers who welcomed foreign takeovers because they were good for profits; the unions who encouraged forest destruction because it pleased their members; lawyers who opposed simplifying workers' compensation because that would threaten their holiday homes.
"These are the real bastards, and they are represented in Canberra with sickening fidelity by members of the Liberal, National and Labor parties," he wrote soon after quitting politics.
Throughout his career his guiding principle was English philosopher John Stuart Mill's insistence that majority opinion should always be questioned.
Mr Chipp led the Democrats until his retirement in 1986, handing the leadership baton to Janine Haines the first woman to lead a significant political party in Australia.
He had spent 25 years in parliament, in that time changing the political spectrum and shifting the balance of power.