The NSW senator had a long military career, including serving as major general in the Australian army, before turning to politics

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Liberal senator Jim Molan’s former colleagues have mourned the loss of “a true patriot” after he died aged 72.

Molan, one of the architects of operation sovereign borders and a prominent China hawk in Australian politics, suffered a “sudden and rapid” decline in health after Christmas. He died peacefully on Monday in the arms of his family.

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