Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Cities and Urban Infrastructure) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House expresses its sincere sorrow at the death of the Honourable John Cain, and acknowledges his extraordinary contribution to public life and to the State of Victoria, in particular as Premier from 1982 to 1990.

On 3 February, St Paul's Cathedral was overflowing with people united in grief and in gratitude for the life of John Cain—a big life well lived. As Daniel Andrews, one of his successors as Victorian Premier, has said, 'Grief for the passing of a great man, dear friend and beloved family member, a familiar presence to so many Victorians still—especially to those of us who spent time around String Street where he continued to work, to serve right until the very end—and in gratitude for all that he did and how he went about it.'

John Cain remade both Victorian Labor and Victoria, and his influence of course extends further than this. Without John Cain, I believe there would not, could not, have been a Hawke government. His confidence in and passionate commitment to the Labor cause should not be overlooked in paying tribute to his work. For more than 60 years he fought for a party that was as good in itself as in its great mission to secure a more just society. Michael Duffy, in his eulogy made this clear, and his words resonated with me. In almost every conversation I enjoyed with John, he pressed me on what I was doing to carry on this vital work.

John Cain was elected to the Victorian parliament as the member for Bundoora in 1976 and as Premier in 1982. He won three successive elections before resigning as Premier in 1990. The Cain government broke open a stale society and economy in Victoria, and in particular its work laid the foundations for the vibrant, exciting world city that Melbourne is today. He fought for equality, democracy, equity and progress, and won the argument for each of these. He fought for the rights of workers, of women, to protect our natural environment, for citizens to access government information and to have confidence in the independent administration of justice and of elections. He fought for a more open economy, as well as society, and for everyone to get to share in the benefits of both. He fought for us to look confidently out to the world and to present ourselves to it. That included, of course, every January at the tennis centre, at the centre of Melbourne's sporting precinct. This remains a fitting monument to John Cain's ambition and to his vision. These things—these achievements—can be reduced to a list, but the whole of the achievements has been proven to be so much more than the sum of the individual parts. That's because it is simply impossible to think of Victoria today without paying tribute to John Cain. It's that simple and that stark.

When he stepped down as Premier, John Cain didn't leave the parliament immediately. He continued to represent the people of Bundoora right up to the 1992 election. And from then he continued in his understated way to make his contribution. This was when I first met John. It's said that you shouldn't meet your heroes, and John Cain was one of mine, but I am so deeply grateful for every minute I spent with John—often over coffee at Old Treasury, in his office. To feel that I was worth his time was an honour, and to have the chance to listen to him, whether through pointed but very polite questions or carefully framed advice, was a peerless political education.

Today, when we lament the decline in trust in politics we generally look to the circumstances driving the changes in society, media and so on. But we should think more about standard setting and follow the example that John set—or seek to, at least. I suspect that very few possess his qualities of selflessness, devotion to duty and unbending rectitude, and kindness too. John Cain's example shows that kindness and decency aren't synonyms for weakness; indeed, quite the reverse. Many people disagreed with John Cain's politics, of course, but I've not encountered anyone who wasn't impressed with his integrity, his work ethic and his deep and unending commitment to public service. He's a Labor hero, but a role model for all in public life. He lived his values every day. If we were all a little more like John Cain in how we conducted ourselves, our politics and our nation too would be in much, much better shape. So it is fitting that he should be remembered in this place, our national parliament, as well as in Victoria.

In reflecting on the friendship, the generosity and the encouragement that I was so privileged to enjoy through my brief relationship with John Cain, my thoughts turn to those who always mattered most—to John's family. To his wife, Nancye, and their children, Joanne, John and James, I say thank you for sharing with Victoria and Australia this great and wonderful man. I extend to you all of my sympathies. Vale, John Cain.

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