Page 4921 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 11 December 1990
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Dr Higgins died before the full benefits of his intellect, experience and style of management could mature to the benefit of the Treasury and the nation. Mr Speaker, Dr Higgins is survived by his wife Paula and two sons, to whom I move that our condolences be now expressed.
MS FOLLETT (Leader of the Opposition): Mr Speaker, I would like to associate the Labor members with this motion of condolence. Mr Kaine has outlined Dr Higgins' career and I will not revisit that ground, except to say that between 1981 and 1984, when Dr Higgins was representing Australia at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, he held the most senior position in that organisation that has ever been occupied by an Australian. So quite clearly he was marked for great things at quite an early stage in his career. His promotion to Deputy Secretary in 1984 and subsequently, in 1989, to Secretary to the Treasury at the very young age of 47 was an indication not only of his enormous ability but also of the very high regard in which he was held by his colleagues and by his political masters.
We have all seen the tributes to Chris Higgins in the newspapers - throughout the national press, in fact - and those are a further indication not only of the greatness of this man but also of the deep affection that was felt for him by so many of his colleagues.
He has been described as the quintessential team player and also as a great manager and nurturer of people whose management style was particularly marked by his encouragement of junior staff. The Federal Treasurer observed that Chris Higgins was a public servant in the high tradition of public service, devoting his life's work to the public good, ahead of personal gain or advancement.
Dr Higgins was a very thoughtful and a very active member of the Australian Labor Party for some 20 years. In that time he took a particular interest in social justice issues and brought to bear his own expertise as a leading economist to tackle the social justice aspects of international, national and local economic policy. Dr Higgins' very great talent, his compassion and his work as an economist will be very greatly missed by the Australian Government and also by the Australian people, not to mention, of course, his own community, the ACT. So we join with Government members in offering our sympathies to his widow, Paula Higgins, and his two sons, David and Tim.
Question resolved in the affirmative, members standing in their places.
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