Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I'd like to pay tribute to the life of Sir David Smith. Every student of Australian history recognises Sir David. Those iconic images of the Dismissal are part of our national story. Today we recognise the contribution behind the scenes of, to quote the Canberra Times, one of the most respected public servants.

Sir David Smith was born on 9 August 1933 in Melbourne. He was educated at Princes Hill State School and Scotch College. He later attended Melbourne University and the Australian National University. He joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1953. He was principal private secretary to the Minister for the Interior and the Minister for Works from 1958 to 1963. He was then appointed secretary to the Federal Executive Council. Sir David became head of government branch, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 1971 to 1973. From 1973 through to 1990 he was the official secretary to the Governor-General. It was during this service that he gained public attention, to put it mildly, when, on Remembrance Day 1975, he read the Governor-General's proclamation dismissing Prime Minister Whitlam.

Sir David was also the inaugural secretary of the Order of Australia from 1975 to 1990, and he helped design Australia's own honours and awards system. He received numerous honours himself, being invested by the Queen as a Commander of the Royal Victorian order in 1977, appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1986 and knighted by the Queen at Balmoral Castle in 1990. After retirement he held several honorary visiting fellow or visiting scholar positions at the Australian National University. He even worked as a volunteer guide at Old Parliament House at the Museum of Australian Democracy, sharing the rich story of Australia democracy and his unique role within it. He was a delegate to the 1998 constitutional convention. He was a celebrated and published author. On behalf of the Australian government and on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I pass on our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

See this speech in context