Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on indulgence to acknowledge the passing of Sir Jack Brabham AO OBE. Sir Jack was an Australian legend. He was indeed one of a kind. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force before becoming a giant of motor racing. He won the Formula One World Championship in 1959. He was first Australian to win that particular title, and he won again in 1960. In 1966 he won his third world championship, driving a car that he had built himself. Nobody had ever won a championship in their own car before and nobody has done it since. He also took out the Constructors Championship in 1966 and in 1967.

Sir Jack was always willing to have a go and was named Australian of the Year in 1966, a National Treasure in 2012 and was the first driver in history to be knighted for his services to motorsport. He was respected and admired for his spirit and for his great skill as an engineer and, at all times, he was the quintessential gentleman, charming and patient to a fault with his fans.

He was a champion driver, an engineer and, more recently, a champion for macular degeneration awareness. To his wife, Margaret, and to his sons the government extends its deepest sympathies.

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