It is with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of the Right Honourable Doug Anthony AC CH, former Leader of the Nationals and the longest serving Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
Doug began his career as a dairy farmer in Murwillumbah in Northern NSW, and he carried that experience - his strong work ethic and his country values - with him throughout his entire political career and the rest of his life.
In 1957, at 27 years old, Doug was elected as the Member for Richmond, when his father, Hubert Lawrence "Larry" Anthony suddenly passed away. Three generations of the Anthony family held the seat of Richmond on and off for eight decades.
Doug became Leader of the then Country Party from 1971 to 1984. He was Deputy Prime Minister to John Gorton, William McMahon and Malcolm Fraser.
He was a fierce advocate for regional Australia, once storming out of parliament alongside Ian Sinclair and Peter Nixon when the then Prime Minister William McMahon proposed increasing the value of the Australian dollar which would hurt rural exports.
Doug was also an extremely dedicated and passionate Minister for Trade, tackling issues around wool and wheat exports, he once famously traveled to London and gave his British counterpart a serve on behalf of Australian farmers in the early 1970s.
He always acted in the best interests of rural and regional Australia with a voice so loud and strong it was hard to ignore.
Doug will be dearly missed and his tireless work for the people of Australia and for the National Party will live on forever.
My sincere condolences go out to his wife Margot, their three children and nine grandchildren, and to all the people touched by the life of this inspirational person.
