Editorial: Senator Ron Boswell – a man of his people and a worthy inspiration

SENATOR Ron Boswell yesterday gave his valedictory speech to the Senate, finishing up his 31-year service to the state and nation.

Senator Ron Boswell is congratulated by fellow senators after delivering his valedictory speech in the Senate chamber. Picture: Gary Ramage

TO BE a senator in the service of the nation and our state is a great privilege. Queensland has been blessed and cursed by the quality of those who have served in this way. We always celebrate and cheer on those in the national Parliament who stand up for our state. A test all our senators face is whether they deliver for Queensland, which can be measured by the fairness and adequacy of government policies, as well as them standing up for the needs and concerns of our state’s citizens.

Ron Boswell, the travelling salesman who decided more than three decades ago to take his political concerns further than the water cooler and to run for office, yesterday gave his valedictory speech to the Senate, finishing up his 31-year service to the state and nation. Everyone in Queensland feels they know Senator Boswell and have had him in their lounge rooms and tea rooms many times over those years.

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Senator Boswell has built his career on the guiding principle of what he can do for his constituents and how he can leverage his political power to benefit the people he represents. In his time, Senator Boswell has argued the case for more money for the bush, greater benefits for small business and fewer restrictions on recreational fishers and those using national parks.

The consistency in Senator Boswell’s career in national politics has been adequacy, fairness and giving a voice to those who are often not heard.

This newspaper has not always agreed with all of Senator Boswell’s agenda – his call for protectionism in some small business sectors such as pharmacies do not match our vision for an open economy – but we have respected his unmistakable advocacy for his constituency and the state of Queensland. People in remote areas have a better telecommunications system, through essential phone and internet access, because Senator Boswell demanded it from then prime minister John Howard a decade ago.

In just over two weeks a new Senate will assemble in Canberra and, regretfully, fewer people of Senator Boswell’s character will be there. For Queensland we will have a Palmer United Party representative in Glen Lazarus, the former rugby league player. The prospective senator for PUP would do well to review Senator Boswell’s career and learn how an advocate for the state operates.

Senator Boswell has, in many respects, been more like a senator in the US Upper Chamber, with a single-minded, state-focused determination to stick to his principles rather than silently toe the party line. He has walked the fine line between abiding by the wishes of his party – both the Nationals and the Coalition – and his beliefs and basic needs of constituencies he built himself.

When Senator Boswell began agitating against the carbon pricing policies of the Rudd government in mid-2009 he was a voice in the wilderness, with no one taking notice until his colleague Barnaby Joyce started shouting about $100 lamb roasts. The rest is history, and demonstrates the determination and keen political mind Senator Boswell possesses.

He had the same impact on fishing zones along the Queensland coast and, even yesterday, was cheering a result from his passionate opposition to wild rivers laws in this state.

Any state in Australia would be happy to have a senator as dedicated and successful as Ron Boswell, someone who more often than not puts his state before his party. This is not always comfortable for those who led the Nationals and the Coalition – and we do not always support his stands – but you cannot fault his conviction and principles. We would do better to have more like him. He will be missed.

As we are about to be reminded, the Senate is a difficult and complicated House of Parliament which is made up of a mix of party hacks and time servers, free spirits, determined and principled individuals, and unknown characters.

Those who will take their seats in two weeks should follow the ways of those who have gone before them, such as Senator Boswell. There are not many better role models.

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MAROONS’ BELIEF IS ROCK SOLID

BELIEF is a powerful weapon. It is a combination of faith, and trust in yourself and others, that enables otherwise insurmountable peaks to be scaled and the longest odds to be beaten. Queenslanders believe.

No matter what the bookies say, no matter how long our injury list is and how many star league players are out of action, we still believe we have the capacity to lift beyond expectations and upset the favourites – to rub some boot-churned mud in the face of arrogance personified that is New South Wales.

We remember Mark Coyne’s ‘‘miracle’’, match-winning try in the dying seconds of State of Origin I in 1994; we remember Alfie Langer’s comeback and blazing performance in the decider in 2001, and dozens of other glorious Queensland fightbacks.

We also remember and respect how close the contest is – a Cooper Cronk field goal deciding the issue in Origin III in 2012, and the series decided by just two points in the final game last year.

Anyone who writes a Queenslander off is a mug. Go the Maroons!

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Christopher Dore, corner of Mayne & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 778). A full list of our editors and journalists, with contact details, is available at couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/ourstaff