Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence) Share this | Hansard source

It is with a great sense of pride and honour that I rise to honour Barry Cohen AM. Having attended his memorial service yesterday, which was also a great honour, I came away from that event wishing I had actually met him. He seemed like an extraordinary individual. Adam and your brothers and your beloved mum are so lucky to have had him in your life. He was a larger-than-life character. The tributes were flowing from former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, the current Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and also the Leader of the Opposition, who all had the most extraordinary anecdotes about a man with passion, with commitment, with a true sense of altruism, with a great love of Australia and a great commitment to advancing Australia for all Australians—not just a handful of the lucky few, but all Australians. He had a huge commitment to advancing our nation, and he did so with such bonhomie and such humour.

He was a larger-than-life character. I really wish I had met him after hearing all those fabulous stories yesterday, not just the tributes, but also the eulogy, Adam, from your brother—a beautiful eulogy—and also from David. That eulogy was very powerful; and also the acknowledgement to country from Aunty Jannette. I've seen Aunty Jannette acknowledge country and welcome to country at many events across Canberra, but the beauty about yesterday's welcome to country and acknowledgement of country was the fact that Aunty Jannette was great mates with Barry. So in the welcome to country she gave an extraordinarily unique perspective on their relationship and the work he did in advancing the Indigenous cause from when Stuart, Adam and Martin were just small children. The fact that Barry Cohen was deeply committed to ensuring the betterment of Indigenous Australians, not just in his part of the world but right throughout Australia, and the connection he had with Aunty Jannette and others from the Indigenous community was palpable. You could sense that the relationship was deep and mutually respectful, and Aunty Jannette's and also David's comments on the relationship with Barry reflected that.

Barry had a great sense of humour, a great sense of honesty, a great sense of candour, a great sense of banter but, ultimately, a great sense of love—not just in terms of commitment to better public policy, but mostly a real, genuine, deep, abiding love for the Indigenous community and a really deep commitment to advancing their lot in Australia, particularly in the 1967 referendum. He was very actively involved in that. I think that's where Aunty Jannette first had the connection with him, going right back to 1967. He was an extraordinary man. After going to the memorial service yesterday, I know I would love to have met him. I feel far lesser as a result of not meeting him.

It's lovely that Adam's here today, to hear these speeches that honour his father, and Rabbi Feldman who beautifully presided over yesterday's service. We had these beautiful tributes and eulogies, and this beautiful acknowledgement and welcome to country by Aunty Jannette. It was punctuated by a drinking song—a joyous drinking song, was it not, Rabbi Feldman? It is not in keeping with the usually sombre nature of memorial services but we were all up singing that song. Everyone knows the tune, not necessarily the words, and we were singing and clapping away at the memorial service. This highlighted the nature of Barry Cohen and his joie de vivre, his passion for life, his wanting to suck the pips out of life. Every day, every hour you're living, you're working towards improving the lives of Australians, of making a difference. That was the very strong message I got from yesterday. You and your mum and brothers are so lucky to have had him in your lives, Adam.

I was keen not just to talk about that extraordinary memorial service yesterday but also to acknowledge as the member for Canberra the contribution Barry Cohen made to Canberra, our nation's capital, and its national institutions. His legacy is quite extraordinary—and it was made in an environment that often wasn't in keeping with Barry's views on particular issues. That's particularly the case with the National Museum. There's always been a bit of ambivalence about the National Museum—whether we need it, what it should house and where it should be located. It's not just a Canberra pastime or Saturday night dinner conversation about a national museum; it's a national conversation about the fact that there has been this ambivalence and that he took the first steps towards making the museum happen. It underscores his commitment. He confronted and overcame adversity. If he believed in something, from what I can gather, he just pursued it, knowing he was on the force of right. He was fighting the good fight. He was the former minister for home affairs, the arts and the environment. His legacy here in our nation's capital, in terms of national institutions, is significant. I thank him for that.

In April 1984 Barry announced the establishment of the National Film and Sound Archive. It's back in the news, that fabulous old deco building, at the anatomy building, at the ANU. Unfortunately, the new CEO is looking for alternative digs. It's been controversial since it went to that building and it's been controversial in that there's been talk of moving it out of Canberra. Canberrans have fought back to keep that fabulous national institution here, and it all began with Barry Cohen.

The archive took over the former anatomy building and was built in the deco period of the 1930s. It was opened in 1984 and is now heritage listed. It began with 20 freshly minted staff led by Ray Edmondson, who Barry described as the persistent force behind the archive. Barry's belief in the work of the archive and Ray Edmondson was apparent as the archive built up its identity and there was a broader understanding of its role, within the national-collections institutions area, over the next 10 or 15 years. It was an extraordinary vision. Thanks to Barry's vision, the national archive was realised. It is Australia's living archive and already has more than 2.8 million items being preserved for future generations, and the collections continue to grow.

I also want to thank Barry for the legacy he left with the National Museum. As I said, it was highly controversial, over many years. There's been a lot of debate about its purpose and location.

The history of the original concept of having a National Museum of Australia is that it was first raised in the seventies, but it was Barry who initially picked it up. He kicked the tyres and got the museum moving from concept to reality in the 1980s. It took successive governments another 20 years to consult and design the museum that we're familiar with today, down on the point on Lake Burley Griffin. It was Barry who oversaw the building of the temporary visitors centre and the headquarters at Yarramundi Reach, which were the first steps towards making the National Museum of Australia a reality.

In closing, I just want to offer my condolences and the condolences of all Canberrans to Rae, Stuart, Adam, Martin and Barry's many, many friends right across Australia and throughout the world. As was said yesterday, he was a big character. He was a big presence. He created big memories. He had a big life. He was an extraordinary individual who I would have loved to have met. I look forward now to going over his writings and reading them, particularly his comments on the New South Wales Right—which I will very much look forward to—as a member of that esteemed establishment. We honour and thank Barry Cohen AM for his contribution to our nation, to our national capital and to our national institutions. Vale.

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