Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's an honour to follow on from the member for Solomon to pay tribute to the late Hon. Benjamin Charles Humphreys AM. I think it's probably fitting that the member for Solomon contributed to this debate today, because I think that, if there's one place where Ben Humphreys was known outside of his beloved inner south electorate of Griffith, it'd be the north of Australia. I follow on from the member for Solomon and his fitting words on a great Australian, Ben Humphreys.

I was privileged to attend the memorial service for Ben alongside many of my colleagues, including the current member for Griffith, Terri Butler. At that service, we heard about Ben Humphreys's life as a businessman, a member of parliament and a cabinet minister. But, most importantly, we heard about his achievements of being a husband, a father and a much-loved grandfather. We also heard about a wonderful Australian who was also a cracking storyteller.

Ben Humphreys was born in Brisbane in 1934 and grew up in the community in and around where he lived for his entire life. He worked as a local mechanic before joining the Labor Party, and we heard at his service and his funeral the wonderful story about how he met his beloved wife, Beryl, by attending church. I heard at the service that Ben was a regular attender of church once he'd met Beryl and caught her eye. That was a beautiful marriage that lasted many decades and provided much support through Beryl for his career as a businessman and also, of course, as a member of parliament. As we all know, we can't do these jobs in this place without the love and support of our family, and Ben had that in spades.

He grew up and set off into a business career. Locals still call the garage he owned at Galloways Hill 'Ben's garage'. Following on from this he had an entrepreneurial streak and set up an outfitters. He sold many items across Northern Queensland and northern Australia. As we heard from the member for Solomon, he was a successful entrepreneur.

He entered parliament in 1977. It was a difficult time for the Labor Party. I was interested to hear about the preselection that Ben contested before the 1977 election. It would be fair to say that the Queensland Labor Party was difficult to operate in, following on from the defeat when the famous cricket team was elected under the Bjelke-Petersen government. I understand that Ben contested preselection against the late Denis Murphy and the late Clem Jones, a former great Lord Mayor of Brisbane. Ben prevailed. I know he had strong support from the industrial and union base, which Ben was particularly proud of. All of the old unions—the ETU and the Federated Storemen and Packers Union—backed Ben to the hilt. Ben never lost support from those unions during his time in this place and, of course, in the former house as well.

I joined the Labor Party 28 years ago. The 1990 campaign was one of the first I worked on. I remember being in awe of Ben Humphreys even before joining the Labor Party. He was a larger-than-life figure. He had enormous respect amongst branch members. I watched the election where he triumphed. Since 1977 he served in this parliament for almost two decades. He served alongside prime ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. We heard in the contributions from the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister about his distinguished service as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. He also served as Deputy Opposition Whip, and as Government Whip after Labor's victory in 1983.

He served in the ministry from 1987 to 1993. Ben Humphreys remains Australia's second-longest-serving veterans' affairs minister. I've heard from many people about his dedication and devotion, it would be fair to say, to veterans. He was a tireless and devoted advocate over many years. His career pinnacle was when he travelled with our frailest diggers to Gallipoli for the 75th anniversary of Anzac Day. He described it 'not as a journey but a pilgrimage'. He was, indeed, deeply affected by that visit.

He wasn't someone who looked for a lot of accolades, fame or glory. I would say he was old-school Labor—someone who wanted to do the job and got in and did the job. Support for him amongst branch members was legendary. A great friend of mine, a former Brisbane City Council colleague of mine and Leader of the Opposition, former councillor Shayne Sutton told me today that branch meetings were always well attended whenever Ben was the special guest. People loved hearing the stories from the Hawke and Keating years. He was simply a great storyteller.

He always took time to nurture, support and show interest in newly elected representatives, not just at the federal level but also at local and state levels. I understand that Ben instilled in his family that how-to-vote cards would always be at the Humphreys family booth at the Morningside Uniting Church and would be always staffed by the Humphreys family. He always made sure that he was available on election day, until he was physically unable to do so. My family also has a connection with Morningside. My father and my grandmother ran a greengrocer store along Wynnum Road in Morningside, so I know how important it is to have locals on your side, and the Humphreys family booth is still staffed to this day.

The other issue that we heard at the service, from John Brown AO, was Ben's connection with a lot of his colleagues. John Brown gave a beautiful tribute at the funeral about Ben's commitment to his colleagues here and how he reached across the aisle when he was veterans' affairs minister to make sure that he was respectful of all different views but also remained dedicated to those veterans.

The legacy of Ben Humphreys is enormous. On the south side of Brisbane, people still regard him as one of the best federal members that the south side of Brisbane has had. We've heard from the member for Solomon that the members for Griffith have included former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and, today, shadow minister Terri Butler. I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the Humphreys family, who are wonderful stalwarts of the Labor Party, to his five children—Sharon, Jude, Brenda, Ben Jr and Jason, who all are remarkable people who have gone on to support the Labor Party over many, many years—and of course to his grandchildren: Beth Edwards, Hannah Nolan, Amy Nolan, Claire Atkinson, Hunter Hanson and Lola Humphreys. I know he was a much-loved pa to all of you. You could see that beautiful love and connection at his funeral, with his grandchildren paying tribute to their wonderful role model and pa. I know it's a sad time for the Humphreys family, but I wanted to give my support and strength to them. I know they will continue to serve. I send my deepest condolences to Ben's beautiful widow, Beryl, who was a mainstay of Ben's career, particularly his political career. She was always there by his side, enabling him to do his job in this place and in the former house as well. With those few words, I say: Australia has lost a wonderful son. His legacy will remain with us for many, many years. Ben Humphreys, rest in peace.

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