Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I join with the Prime Minister in paying tribute to the life of Australian sporting hero Sir Jack Brabham. A flight mechanic in the RAAF, Jack retained a lifelong love of engine design, construction and repair, and once said that driving was the relaxing part of the world of Formula One.

Jack began his career in racing purely as a designer and builder of so-called midget cars, because he believed drivers were all lunatics. But in 1948, as a fill-in driver—in only his third race—he won his first speedcar event, the beginning of his journey to the pinnacle of Formula One greatness. Jack won back-to-back world Formula One championships in 1959 and again in 1960. However, his most remarkable victory came in 1966 when he won the championship in a car that he had built himself, a sporting feat that will never be repeated.

Jack Brabham's success became part of the collective Australian psyche. He was truly the Don Bradman of the racing circuit, with an iconic modesty and a wry sense of humour and none of the fist pumping and self-congratulation of modern sport. We will not see his like again. All of us in the Labor Party offer our heartfelt condolences to Lady Margaret, Jack's sons, Geoff, Gary and David, and his grandchildren. May he rest in peace.

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