Top honours for OECD head and former finance minister Mathias Cormann
Despite being one of the Coalition’s most famous numbers men, not even Mathias Cormann could have predicted how spectacular his journey to Australia would be after arriving as a fresh-faced law graduate from Belgium 30 years ago.
Cormann’s career took him to the highest political offices in the country, and then he returned to Europe as OECD secretary in Paris. Now this extraordinary journey has earned him the highest Australia Day honour; He became a Companion of the Order of Australia.
As he returned to the country to receive the award this weekend, Cormann told this imprint: “Receiving this award from my country gave me a real sense of pride. It’s a very special moment.”
“I never expected [30 years ago] What was ahead?
“Australia is a wonderful country, Perth is an amazing place to live in. I am extremely grateful for the many opportunities Australia has given me to contribute over the years.
“I can honestly say that I always gave my all to make the best possible contribution.”
He was appointed a Companion “for outstanding service to the Australian people and Parliament, to the implementation of government reform, to multilateral relations and to international economic development”.
Cormann, a licensed pilot and German speaker, worked as political staff for various Coalition ministers, including former WA premier Richard Court, in the late 1990s and early 2000s before spending five years at WA health insurer HBF.
He replaced retiring WA senator Ian Campbell from the Liberal Party in 2007 and was re-elected in 2010 and 2016, before resigning in late 2020 to take up the post at the OECD.
What he will be best remembered for in Australian politics was his role as finance minister from 2013 until his retirement; but Cormann is coy when asked to pick a standout.
“Public service through politics is very much a team game. So I don’t want to claim any success in parliament as a personal achievement,” he said.
“But I am satisfied that I have made an impact, been a strong voice for WA as a senator and contributed as much as I could to good government for Australia, both in opposition and as a minister.
“If I had to point to anything specific, I would say that I am pleased that over seven years as finance minister I have made a real contribution to economic policy, fiscal repair and fiscal discipline, which has put Australia in a stronger and more resilient position to deal with and recover from the economic and fiscal impacts of the COVID pandemic.”
Cormann’s new role at the OECD has required a complete break from ties to partisan politics, but he has said he is still interested in politics while working at a global level – just in a “little ‘p’ context”.
“Although I am in a non-partisan position working with governments of different political views, I continue to have the opportunity to help shape economic and fiscal policies and public policy more generally,” he said.
“And I continue to engage with governments on a daily basis as part of our global affairs activities and, for example, within the G7, G20 and APEC, which I continue to participate in.
“So in many ways, I haven’t really left politics behind. I feel very fortunate for what I’ve been able to do and what I’ve had the opportunity to do.”
Cormann is married to WA district court judge Hayley Cormann and they have two daughters, Isabelle and Charlotte.
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Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political correspondent and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Award for best political journalism.Connect with: excitement or email.
