Tribute to our good friend Wayne Swan

Today we pay tribute to our good friend Wayne Swan.

 

We thank him for his lifetime of service to the Australian people. 

 

Wayne will be remembered as one of the greatest Treasurers in our nation’s history. 

 

He dedicated his significant intellect, and his compassionate heart, to making life better for ordinary people. 

 

Wayne’s stewardship of the Australian economy throughout the Global Financial Crisis was the envy of the world. 

 

As other developed countries fell into recession, Wayne’s management kept hundreds of thousands of Australians in work, and our economy strong. 

 

Despite the enormous challenge of the Global Financial Crisis, during Wayne’s time as Treasurer, around one million jobs were created, the economy grew by more than 13 percent, and for the first time ever Australia won three AAA credit ratings.  And for the first time in decades, the gap between the rich and poor actually got smaller.

 

Wayne was making the case for, and was delivering, inclusive prosperity long before the IMF or the World Bank adopted it as orthodoxy.  He was not afraid to act against the interests of the few to benefit the many.

 

For Wayne, good economic management was never an end in itself.  It allowed our nation to afford life changing reforms - new housing for the homeless, a dental scheme for kids, fair funding for schools, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the first national paid parental leave scheme, the largest increase to the pension, and additional funding for Labor’s Close the Gap commitment.

 

We will always be grateful for Wayne’s unstinting support of us personally. 

 

We wish Wayne and his beautiful family every happiness in post-Parliamentary life.

 

The Federal Parliament will not be the same.  But Wayne will forever be a giant of the great Australian Labor Party.  We are in his debt.