Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My first knowledge of David Jull actually preceded my coming into the House. Back in the period when the Australian newspaper was indeed a quality publication with excellent coverage of international affairs and the national election results around the world—you could even find out how many tries Wynnum-Manly scored against Redcliffe in the Queensland rugby league premiership—there was a front-page story in the Australianabout this Liberal member of parliament called David Jull, who I had never heard of up that point. He had taken up the rights of underpaid workers in a sawmill in Queensland. Basically a company there had picked up derelict homeless men, paid them extremely substandard wages and here was this Liberal member of federal parliament campaigning for those workers. It really struck me. I do not want to be too stereotypical in my views of the opposition, but to see somebody from that side of politics campaigning for workers rights really struck me.

I then had the advantage of spending a period in the state parliament where, it being a smaller building, people live on top of each other and friendships across the house more readily arise. Coming here, he was an extremely friendly person on the other side of politics. I cannot recall him saying a bad word about anyone. He was extremely cooperative and helpful to people. On the foreign affairs committee that I participated in with him, he was always a person who worked to get a consensus and see if we could actually come to agreement about any report that we were undertaking. I know that many members do that, but I think he had a particular propensity for it—seeing whether there was a possibility of getting conflicting views on the one line.

People have referred to his interest in tourism. I recall going to Thailand with him on a foreign affairs delegation. I am often assailed for my dress sense, but I recall him taking virtually the whole delegation to a place there and buying suits. He knew were to go in Bangkok to get suits for everyone and arrange it all. I said that despite my image with regard to suits. That was probably one of the better ones I have purchased.

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