Liberal senator Jim Molan dies aged 72

After a rapid deterioration in health, liberal senator Jim Molan passes away at age 72.

Before entering politics, the NSW senator had a lengthy military career that included time spent as a major general in the Australian army.

Jim Molan, a liberal senator, passed away at the age of 72, and his former colleagues have lamented the loss of "a real patriot."

After Christmas, Molan, a well-known China hawk in Australian politics and one of the "Operation Sovereign Borders" planners, saw a "sudden and fast" drop in health. He passed away quietly on Monday while being held by his loved ones.

"A patriot, a good [and] honourable guy, and above all and most crucially, a great family man," according to opposition leader Peter Dutton, was lost to the country.

No matter if you already knew Jim or were meeting him for the first time, Dutton added, "Jim drew you in instantly with his warm and fascinating charm." You, in turn, always had Jim's whole attention. Even when he didn't agree with someone's viewpoint, he always showed charity toward it.

Molan was referred to as "a man of principle and a politician of conviction" by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.On Twitter, Albanese stated that Jim Molan "spent his life in service of our country."

Australia "lost a real patriot and serviceman who displayed unflinching loyalty to the safety and security of our nation," said to Simon Birmingham, the leader of the minority in the Senate.

Birmingham said in a statement that despite having major health concerns, Jim was "diligent in keeping up with vital topics and resolute in his pursuit of steps he thought were critical to Australia's future security and prosperity."

By continuing to support Australia's long-term safety, security, and peace, we may best honour Jim's service.Jim's wife Anne, their four children, and their five grandkids received his "sincere sympathies," he said.

Journalist Erin Molan is one of Molan's children.His family stated in a statement on Tuesday that he was "many things—a soldier, a pilot, an author, a volunteer fireman, and a senator."

He was especially loved as a spouse, father, grandpa, and brother. Our sorrow is tremendous, but we find solace in the memories of a life spent bravely, with love for his family, and in service to the nation he cherished.

We appreciate your prayers, thoughts, and consideration for our privacy at this trying time.

Sussan Ley, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, lamented the loss of "an intellectual giant" in the legislature, while Richard Marles, the defence minister, praised Molan as "a determined defender for our nation."

We both have an interest in national security, and Jim is an honourable and kind man, according to Marles, who spoke with 2GB radio about him on several occasions over the years.

Penny Wong, the Senate leader for the government, said that Molan was also well-known for his accomplishments in other areas, including as his work on the Senate committee on stillbirth.

The loss of his granddaughter Emily Charlotte Sutton in 2007 prompted Molan to volunteer for the investigation, he said in a personal speech to the Senate in 2018.

"The recommendations of this report will spare many Australian parents from the unimaginable grief of their baby going to the hospital mortuary instead of the nursery, of making autopsy arrangements, of supporting postnatal mothers to walk through a cemetery to choose a plot for their baby, of a funeral with the smallest of white coffins being carried by a shell-shocked family member, and of returning home to a house full of grieving relatives," the report's authors write.of baby accessories," he declared at the time.

However, Molan's greatest contribution was made in the security sector. He rose to prominence in Australian politics as one of the most vocal critics of Chinese military aggression. He declared last year that he thought a conflict with China might break out "within three to five years."

In his book "Danger on Our Doorstep," which was released last year, Molan made the case that the Indo-Pacific region was currently facing a growing threat from China's ascent.

In the army for 40 years, Molan, who represented New South Wales, held the position of major general.In his previous military career, Molan served as the coalition forces' head of operations in Iraq.One of the creators of Tony Abbott's strict, military-led immigration policy was Molan.

From 2013 to 2014, he worked as the prime minister's special representative on "Operation Sovereign Borders." In 2016, he asserted that Australia was "leading the globe" and that Operation Sovereign Borders had become "the new normal." He also stated that thousands of migrants were "waiting for weakness on our part."

In 2017, after Fiona Nash was barred from the Senate due to her dual citizenship, Molan was elected. However, he later filled the temporary Senate vacancy left by the retirement of Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos to become the Australian ambassador to the US. He was unsuccessful in the 2019 election after being demoted to the unwinnable fourth slot on the Senate ticket.

Molan chose to leave the Senate in June 2020 rather than stand with his colleagues to stop a discussion of Pauline Hanson's divisive "all lives matter" resolution. He stated that every senator ought to have been given the opportunity to express their opinions.

In the Congressional election of 2022, he was re-elected to the Senate.