Queensland's new Attorney General practised law in Tuvalu
Updated
The Pacific Islands have gained a friend in a senior ministerial post in Australia, with former Tuvalu Attorney General Cameron Dick securing the same job in Queensland's newly re-elected State Government.
Presenter Sean Dorney
Speaker: Queensland State Government Attorney General Cameron Dick
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DORNEY: Voters in Queensland went to the polls last weekend and one of the newly elected Members of Parliament has a strong Pacific connection.
ABC TV ELECTION COMMENTARY: Cameron Dick has won the seat - former Acting Attorney General of Tuvalu for some obscure reason. He's an international lawyer.
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DORNEY: Mr Dick was an Australian volunteer in the mid 1990s and being a lawyer he went to Tuvalu as Crown Counsel.
DICK: The position that came up was the position of Crown Counsel in the Attorney General's office in Tuvalu, a position that I was very happy to be offered and delighted to take. Australia has a significant role to play in the Pacific and it's our backyard. And I was grateful to go there in the mid 1990s and to fulfil that role of Crown Counsel in the Attorney General's office. After 12 months in that role the Attorney General of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, undertook post graduate studies at the Australian National University in Canberra and I was asked by the then Prime Minister, Kamuta Latasi, and the Cabinet to serve as the Acting Attorney General for 12 months.
DORNEY: His election to the Queensland Parliament led to a rapid promotion.
ABC NEWS ITEM: Cameron Dick a former Attorney General of Tuvalu was only elected into office three days ago but finds himself rocketed onto the front bench.
DORNEY: Now Queensland's Attorney General, Mr Dick, says he owes a lot to his time in the Pacific.
DICK: Tuvalu is an amazing country, one where I learnt a lot about the importance of family and community and I was, as an outsider, as a palangi, was embraced by that community and welcomed without question. And it's something that's stayed with me since that time. I think it was a very important time for me because it showed me the importance of what lawyers do and the importance of the rule of law in maintaining civil society. I was very fortunate to be able to do a number of things in my capacity as a lawyer there from criminal prosecutions to advice to the Government on a range of matters including international law matters which demonstrated to me the importance and the important role that lawyers play in making society work. And that was a great experience for me which, as I say, has remained with me since that time and, I think, made me a better lawyer and a better person.
DORNEY: As Queensland's top law officer, Mr Dick says he'll encourage any young Australians to follow in his footsteps and volunteer for work in the Pacific.
DICK: Absolutely. It was a terrific personal and professional experience for me. It opened my eyes to a very important part of the world and a very important part of the world to Australia. It also allowed me to practice in a number of areas of law in an extensive fashion that I wouldn't necessarily have had the experience and the opportunity here in Queensland if I'd stayed in practice here in Brisbane. So I'm very honoured to have fulfilled that role in Tuvalu as I'm honoured now to be the Attorney General of Queensland.
SWEARING IN: I, Cameron Robert Dick, do sincerely promise and swear (fade) …
DORNEY: Queensland's new Attorney General says he's pleased the Australian Federal Government under Prime Minister Rudd is engaging strongly with the Pacific and he'll be offering help where he can.
DICK: I think Queensland has a role to play within Australia. The principle responsibility lies with the nation at a nation to nation exchange. That's why I'm so pleased at the significant engagement of the Rudd Government, the Australian Government with the Pacific region at the moment. And I think there's an important role our national government can play in engaging with the range of issues and challenges facing the Pacific Rim and Pacific Island nations in particular and as far as I'm able to I'll be a voice for those issues and concerns to the best of my ability within government here but also when I have the opportunity to speak to my Federal counterparts.
