JOHN Howard flinched as his former right-hand-man Arthur Sinodinos declared he wanted to hold a memorial service for the coalition's failed Work Choices policy.

Senator Sinodinos - who replaced former frontbencher Helen Coonan, who retired as a NSW Liberal senator this year - was one of the architects of the controversial workplace relations policy when he was chief of staff for then prime minister Howard.

"Let me conduct a brief memorial service for the industrial relations policy formerly known as Work Choices," Senator Sinodinos told a packed upper house during his first speech to parliament.

In the public gallery's first row, sitting next to the senator's wife Elizabeth and son Dion, 10, Mr Howard visibly flinched, perhaps mindful that the 2007 election defeat was partly blamed on the policy.

"The truth is we failed to prepare the ground for such a major reform," Senator Sinodinos continued.

Under Work Choices, the award safety net was stripped back and this had been a mistake, he said.

"Some employers abused that freedom," he said.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is on the public record saying Work Choices is "dead, buried and cremated" but the Labor government continues to taunt the coalition about the policy.

During the Howard years Mr Sinodinos was often lauded as the "the real deputy PM" and ranked in media power lists as the "most covertly powerful Australian".

Senator Sinodinos, who gave up a lucrative gig with National Australia Bank to take up the Senate spot, heaped praise on his old boss,

"John Howard is a fighter, someone who was prepared to take the knocks for what he believed, pick himself up and have another go," he said.

"Observing John Howard convinced me that politics is not worth a candle unless you are fighting for something."

Despite reportedly advising Mr Howard in government to back a carbon emissions trading scheme, Senator Sinodinos said the Gillard government's carbon tax was a "giant churn of taxpayers' money".

"In the absence of international action, it will only harm Australian industry and send greenhouse emissions offshore," he said.

Senator Sinodinos was equally critical of the government's mining tax, saying it should be "put on hold to avoid a double whammy on the resources sector".

But he did call for a new sovereign wealth fund modelled on those held by Singapore and South Korea.

"Such a fund could also kick-start a genuine venture capital market so more Australian inventions and innovations are commercialised here rather than abroad," Senator Sinodinos said.

The son of Greek migrants who grew up in working-class Newcastle told the Senate he was advocate of a big Australia and migration.

"I am proud of my Greek heritage, which is the basis of Western civilisation," Senator Sinodinos said, as the public gallery erupted in laughter.

"And you should still be paying for it, and you will."

Elizabeth Sinodinos blew a kiss to her husband below when he thanked her for her love and support.

"She's tougher, smarter and more discerning in her judgments than I am," he said.

Dressed in blue with a pretty bow in her hair, his restless toddler daughter Isobella had to be escorted out of the public gallery, during the speech, in a staffer's arms.

"To my children Dion and Isobella, I hope you will forgive my absences and in coming years learn that serving others is a noble cause," he said.

Liberal Party top brass turned out to hear the senator's speech including Mr Abbott, Joe Hockey, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Dutton, Bronwyn Bishop, Sophie Mirabella and Christopher Pyne.

The former finance and treasury department official was Mr Howard's chief of staff from 1997 to 2006.

He was recognised for his public service with an Order of Australia in 2008.

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