Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand to offer some comment on the passing of Don Randall. Today we have heard some very moving statements from members from both sides of this place and we have heard some rather humorous anecdotes. I am sure some have learnt today things about Don that they were never aware of. Until I attended Don's funeral there were things I was unaware of. The funeral was well attended in Western Australia by members of both sides of the House and by the community at large—as well as state members, ambassadors, the Prime Minister, past premiers and the current premier of Western Australia. It showed the mark of the man. I was not aware that Don had an affiliation with bee keeping. Who would have thought? In addition there was his love and passion for playing the violin. Don never struck me as that sort of person. What I saw was the robust character whom you could always go to for advice, and he would give it to you straight between the eyes. When my cigar cabinet was low, I could go to Don and get a fine Cuban cigar that he had choreographed through his relationships with the Cuban Embassy. I will speak to his relationship with many countries during this delivery. Don was genuinely a man you could learn from—a man we could all learn from.

Don's passing teaches us in this place a lesson. It teaches us that life is a precious gift and that life should never be taken for granted. The age of 62 is far too young to be leaving your family and far too young to be leaving work that still needed to be done, as I am sure Don would attest was the case in his electorate. From attending the funeral and knowing the man during the time I have spent in this place, I know he jammed a lot into his life. His family, who were here in the gallery today, should be very proud of the accolades that have come Don's way. They should be very proud of his achievements. It makes you wonder how the parliament will remember you in your passing What will be the legacy you leave behind in this place? It is a question I ask of all members on both sides of the House. A common thread of Don's legacy here was the cardboard cutout. If you were to ask Don, I am sure that would not have been how he scripted the final speeches about him, but it is interesting how people recall different things and spark those memories.

For Julie, Tess and Elliott, it is a sad day for them to come and rehash the passing of a father, a husband, an uncle, a brother-in-law. For all those in the gallery today it was a sad day. Having lost a father myself at a young age, in trying to offer some comfort to families, in trying to offer some comfort to friends, Don would want you to be reminded of the good things he has done. He would want you to remember the good times that you had had with him and embrace those times. Yes we would all love to think that life is infinite and that we will go on, but if you were to script your own exit, being here today and gone tomorrow is not a bad outcome—no pain, no suffering, hours after coming off the golf course with friends that he continually played with. I had the pleasure when I was in Perth of going to the Royal Perth Golf Club, which was Don's golf club, and playing with some of the members that he played with, that he drank with, and meeting some of the ladies that he offended. He wrote a letter to the president of the golf club saying something about women being too slow and they should not be allowed on the golf course, and there was an uproar. Don did not see the political kicker in that but, by crikey, every lady in the golf club knew of the letter that Don Randall had written to the club president.

Don was a wily old character, and he was truly a chief government whip's pain in the backside—not only for me but for my predecessors before me. Don liked pushing the envelope. I can recall a story that a member of the House shared with me about Don. It was Steve Irons. Steve Irons had said, 'I've got the direct flight back to Perth this Thursday afternoon at five o'clock.' Don said, 'Don't go back on the direct flight. What I do is I fly to Sydney and I get on the Sydney flight direct to Perth—the movies on that flight are much better. Why don't you get off your flight, come with me and we will fly together to Perth?' Steve Irons was a new member and said, 'Okay, I'll take advice from you—you've been around for a while,' and subsequently Irons changed his travel arrangements on Don' advice. Don chose not to make the travel arrangements out of Sydney, and when the vacancy became available when Steve got off the direct flight from Canberra, Randall booked it and flew direct back to Western Australia on the seat that Steve Irons left. Steve Irons never flew on that other flight ever again, and he never took advice from Don Randall about leaving a direct flight again. That was the character of the man. He reminds us that we should live life to the fullest, and I encourage members to think of their own families. This place can be ever so smothering of your time, and it is your family that ultimately suffers. As members of this House we sacrifice time with our family so that we can contribute to our community. Don's passing should be a measure for all of us on both sides of the House—we have to make sure that we invest time with our family, because Don has taught us indirectly that we do not know when our time is going to be up.

There will be tough days ahead for the family. There is the shock of losing Don in the first instance, the hustle and bustle of organising and choreographing the funeral, and being shuffled from the west coast to the east coast to be here today, very generously to listen to members offer their contributions to this condolence motion for Don. They will go home, eventually, and there will be nights where Julie, Don's wife, will sit and wait for Don to come through the door and there will be a stark realisation that Don will never walk through that door again. They will be difficult times for the family; they will be difficult times for the children. If you knew Don and if you knew Julie, I encourage members to reach out to the family—periodically, when Don comes to your memory, just ring and say 'How are you going, I'm thinking of you and I'm thinking of the legacy that Don Randall has left behind.'

Don had a great passion for golf. I mentioned the Royal Perth Golf Club, where he was a member. As part of that, he had reciprocal membership rights at the Royal Canberra Golf Club. Twice in the last 18 months—regretfully, on the passing of former prime ministers Whitlam and Fraser, when the House suspended as a mark of respect to those fine men—as a keen golfer Don took the opportunity to reach out to members from all around this great country who like playing golf and said, 'Let's go down and mark our respect and have a game of golf.' He spent a lot of time on the golf course, but he was a hacker. He was not a great golfer by any stretch of the imagination, but he would give it his best.

I would hope that one of the traditions that Don's passing leaves in this place is that, when time permits, members of this House—and I know the Western Australian members will join me in this—have some type of memorial day or recognition day for Don conducted at the Royal Perth Golf Club. We will take some members of the press with us who have played with Don and members who have previously played either directly or indirectly with Don. I think there are about 12 or 15. I would like to propose that that happen at a point in the future so we can acknowledge and remember Don's contribution to this place and, like all good golfers, sledge him as hard as we can, because that is what you do on a golf course.

Don's commitment to this place was vast and varied. He sat on a number of committees, He sat on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment and Workplace Relations. I sit on the Standing Committee on Economics because small business is my background. But Don's background was as a schoolteacher, an educator. Wanting people to be better tomorrow than they are today, Don was also a natural fit for the Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Workforce Participation. He was also part of the Joint Statutory Committee on Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Account; the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; and the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests.

When he went onto the local government committee, Western Australia was a growing, emerging state and, as we heard in speeches today from members, he was always in the minister's office advocating for his electorate, shouldered by either a mayor or groups he was sincerely advocating for. It is ironic that he sat on the privileges and members' interests committee, because everyone will remember the issue that got Don got into hot water for—travelling from Western Australia to Cairns, spending time with a colleague up there. Entitlements will always haunt this place. Don was no stranger to it.

During the Howard government, he held the position of Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration. He has been most recently a member of the Standing Committee on Procedure. Under this procedure portfolio, he had just undertaken a comprehensive review of the Federation Chamber, which the Deputy Speaker, in the chair at the moment, presides over. He had just presided over a review of electronic use of equipment in the chamber, conducting roundtables with the members of this place. He religiously attended the Selection Committee—the committee that determines the private business that comes before the House—and always had comments to offer.

Don was a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. I think it was the trade part of that that blew back Don's hair. His relationships internationally extended to the Parliamentary Friends of Japan and the Australia-Cuba parliamentary friends group, and it was lovely to see that the ambassador for Cuba, who Don had a very strong relationship with, attended Don's funeral. His Excellency will not mind me sharing with the parliament that he stood at Don's coffin, put his hand on the coffin and blubbered and cried for the loss of a friend and the loss of a friend of Cuba, because that is what Don was.

Don was also chair of the Sri Lanka friendship group. I had the opportunity today to catch up with one of Don's colleagues from Sri Lanka, Noel, and I have given him a personal commitment that I will do my best to fulfil the duties Don was doing. I will try and take up that role, because any work Don has done in this place was invaluable.

In opposition, Don was the shadow parliamentary secretary for local government before he was the shadow parliamentary secretary for roads and transport. Prior to that, Don held the positions of shadow cabinet secretary and shadow parliamentary secretary assisting the Leader of the Opposition, as well as the shadow parliamentary secretary for energy and resources. So he was across a number of portfolios.

I associate myself with all the comments of my colleagues today in acknowledging the passing of a good man. On his corflute was written 'You talk and I will listen'. When I saw that, I thought, 'I might use that; that's a good idea, 'you talk and I will listen'. He took Canning from being a marginal seat to a very safe seat.

Speaking at the funeral, his children, Tess and Elliott, gave an account of a dad who was a great dad, a dad who will be sorely missed. It was an emotional day.

It is my intention to take a copy from Hansardof each of the speeches that have been given here today by members on both sides of the House. It is my intention to have them bound. It is my intention to have each of the members who have made a contribution here today personally sign their speeches. Then, with the approval of the House, I will send that to the family as a gift from this place, as a reminder of every word that has been said in this place by every member, so that it will be kept and held as a memento for the family.

I thank you for the opportunity to speak. Don Randall, my mate, rest in peace. I hope my handicap gets better and, if it does, it will be as a result of your tuition.

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