Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I want to talk about Mr Tony Manuli, a gentleman from my electorate. I promised him that I would get this on the record. But first, to set the scene: I am sure we all know who the Englishman named Thomas Crapper is and what he is supposed to be famous for. Well, he did not really invent the flush toilet, but his name is indeed a cloud that hovers over it in history. Did he really give his name to these systems? No, the name was likely derived from the 13th century Anglo-Saxon word crappe. So not only was he not the inventor of the flush toilet; it is also unlikely that he really gave it its name either. What he did was carry the technology forward.

Mr Manuli informed me that he and his partner Jozsef Havasi did invent the dual flush toilet system. I have in my hand the patent application dated and stamped by the Australian Patent Office on 19 June 1979. Mr Manuli delivered this system idea to Caroma in the same year for appraisal and was told they were not interested. In a book entitled Imagination—100 Years of Bright Ideas in Australia, I read that in 1980, only one year later, the Caroma company in Adelaide released its revolutionary DuoSet dual flush cistern. What a surprise! It certainly was for Mr Manuli.

By the way, Mr Manuli is not looking for compensation, just recognition. Thomas Lynch said, ‘The flush toilet, more than any single invention, has “civilised” us in a way that religion and law could never accomplish.’ As the member for Swan I am proud to have in my electorate a man who contributed an invention that has saved so much water. It is something we should all reflect on next time we are sitting down.

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