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The government and the Australian Labor Party have said their final goodbyes to the Honourable John Kerin AO., a former Agriculture Minister and a beloved statesman who was instrumental in reforming Australia’s agricultural policies in the Hawke and Keating governments. He was 85.



Kerin first entered the Federal Parliament in 1972 and was appointed the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy by Prime Minister Hawke, thereafter spending his life passionately fighting for the farmers of Australia.

In addition to his impressive record as the Agriculture Minister, Kerin also gained notoriety when he had a short stint as Treasurer in 1991.



The government has expressed their condolences for the late Agriculture Minister.

Prime Minister Albanese wrote that Kerin served the nation with 'experience, care, pragmatism, consultation, and an unbreakable sense of humour'.

'John once wrote, “politics is like farming; no one is forced to do it, but someone has to”. It was to Australia's lasting fortune that John did both, bringing his deep experience of the land first to the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and then to Federal Parliament,' said Albanese.



'It was as Minister for Primary Industries and Energy that he made his greatest mark. And what a profound mark it was.’

‘While he cut his teeth in the Whitlam government, it was as a minister in the Hawke government that John played his crucial role in reforming agriculture and primary industries in Australia.’

‘His valuable work and service for Australia's primary industries was recognised in 2008 when he was made a Distinguished Life Member of the Australian Agriculture and Resource Economics Society.’

Albanese finished by saying, 'The Government extends its deepest condolences to John's family and friends. We will miss him greatly. May he rest in peace.'



Murray Watt, the current Minister of Agriculture, also paid tribute to John Kerin, calling him 'Australia's best and most reformist agriculture minister.'






We would also like to pay our respects to another Australian politician who passed this week, the Honourable Stewart West, former Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, Housing and Construction, and Administrative Services.



Stewart West also served in the Hawke Government as a Cabinet Minister from 1983 to 1990.



He was a lifelong trade unionist and was instrumental in the environmental campaigns to save the Franklin River in Tasmania and Kakadu in the Northern Territory.



Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote, ‘Stewart showed a great willingness to put his money where his mouth was. He was a politician of unbending principle, one who cherished the privilege of being in Cabinet but who nonetheless prioritised principle over career.’

‘Stewart was instrumental in reforming Australia’s immigration policy, and remained vocal about the plight of refugees long after his political career came to a close.’

‘I was proud to sit beside him at national conferences, and I was proud to stand alongside him to improve the lives of working Australians.’
The passing of John Kerin and Stewart West marks a monumental loss in the history of Australian farming and politics.

We know politics can be a divisive topic, but we ask that you practice kindness in the comments as many mourn John and Stewart’s passing.