The sudden death of former Federal Arts Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Simon Crean, has shocked and saddened the arts sector.
Crean is remembered as principled, passionate and committed to the rights of workers; one of his greatest moments came as Leader of the Opposition when he took a bold stance against Australia’s involvement in the US-led war against Iraq – a position that was subsequently vindicated despite his argument being condemned as ‘insubstantial’ at the time.
