Today Philip Ruddock has announced he will not renominate for parliament at the next election.
Philip is the longest serving member of our Parliament – he is the Father of the House and he has been a dear friend, wise counsel and an inspiration to generations of Liberals.
Philip was the longest serving Immigration Minister in our history. In that role, he was able to deploy his long standing commitment to multiculturalism and human rights.
Indeed there is no single person in our Parliament who has contributed more to modern, multicultural Australia than Philip Ruddock.
In his remarkable 42 years of Parliamentary service including as an Attorney General in the Howard Government, he has fought to abolish the death penalty and fought tirelessly against racism.
He has sought to advance human rights at every opportunity including through his membership of Amnesty and his roles as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Human Rights Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.
I am very pleased that Philip will continue to advance human rights on a global scale as Australia’s Special Envoy for Human Rights. It is a natural continuation of his lifetime work.
Philip Ruddock’s commitment to public service and contribution to the Australian people serves as an example to us all.