Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to make a contribution on the condolence motion for the Hon. Bob Brown AM, the former member for Charlton and Hunter. Having served in this place as the member for Charlton myself—in fact, as the last member for Charlton—I know what an honour it is to be a voice for the constituents of Charlton in this place. Unfortunately, the seat of Charlton was renamed Hunter in the 2016 redistribution, and there is no member for Charlton currently in the House. At that time, I became the member for Shortland, and my colleague the member for Hunter now represents about 55 per cent of the constituents of the old Charlton, while I represent about 25 percent, and the rest are in the member for Newcastle's electorate.

Although I did not know Bob personally, his reputation precedes him. I could go to any meeting of the mighty West Wallsend branch of the Labor Party and the presence and legacy of Bob was always there. He was a fierce advocate for the working people he represented in this place, and he had an abiding commitment to the Labor movement—both its industrial and political wings.

I'd like to acknowledge Bob's service at all three levels of government that we have in our federation: his time as a councillor and mayor of Cessnock; his time as state member for Cessnock; and his federal service as a member for Hunter from 1980 to 1984 and then as member for Charlton from 1984 until his retirement in 1998. Not many Australians have such a love of public service as to serve at all three levels of government. I'd also like to recognise Bob's ministerial career, serving as Minister for Land Transport and Shipping Support from 1988 to 1990, and thereafter as Minister for Land Transport until 1993.

Bob's service was recognised in 2007, when he was named a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to the Australian parliament, particularly in the area of transport policy; to the community of the Hunter region through his local government, heritage and sporting organisations; and to economics education. Being an economist myself by training, I would say that the people of Charlton certainly benefited from having Bob in this place. I know that he wrote the economics textbook that was the official textbook for the New South Wales school system.

His commitment to his community and the great Australian Labor Party was evident from his first speech in this House, on 2 December 1980, when he said:

May I say how privileged I feel in the first place to be able to represent the electors of Hunter and people in the wider community as the member for Hunter. I am proud to represent people with whom I have been personally associated for so long. I am here to represent people to whom I feel personally and politically committed because of their allegiance and loyalty to the Australian Labor Party and to the aspirations of the Labor movement.

I also note his selfless commitment to the party, when after the sweetest victory of all—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11 : 38 to 11 : 5 5

As I was saying, Bob Brown's dedication to his constituents was further evidenced in his statement outlining his reasons for standing aside from the ministry in 1993, where he said:

I will have the opportunity to concentrate on my own electorate and on some areas of special interest. I express my appreciation to the ALP members and to my constituents in the Charlton electorate for their continued support and loyalty.

Mr Deputy Speaker, it won't shock you to know that members of the Australian Labor Party are dedicated to the cause of the labour movement and for workers' ability to collectively organise for decent pay and conditions. We will always fight for the rights of workers, and Bob Brown certainly exemplified this. Bob Brown, when talking about the waterfront dispute in 1998, told parliament:

Scabs are people who betray their fellow workers. They sabotage industrial action which is taken by organised workers to improve their circumstances, consolidate their gains or protect their wages and conditions. Scabs are thieves who try to improve their own position by stealing from other workers. They steal their jobs and their incomes and, in the process, seek to feed their own families with food they steal from the tables of others.

I would be interested in knowing what Bob would say about the current conflict with GrainCorp in the port of Newcastle who are looking at using strikebreaking workforces during their negotiations of the new enterprise agreement right now.

In the same speech, Bob went on to refer to the often violent birth of the Australian trade union movement, where workers were shot and killed by police at coalmines and wharves, and said:

To those who say those events were long ago, I say that we have recently seen the vile images of balaclava hooded thugs in black suits with their rottweilers, alsatians and mace sprays, as well as the darkened buses with the shrouded windows smuggling scabs on to the wharves and the mine sites. They are foul, vile, gut-wrenching images that despoil our humanity.

This passion was a product of the minefields and the coalfields of the Hunter Valley, where workers risked their livelihoods and often their lives to advance conditions such as workplace safety, where workers were shot and maimed and, in one instance, killed for taking industrial action to protect the community. This is where Bob came from, and Bob lived those values each and every day on this planet. Bob's passion for the rights of workers to collectively bargain is incredibly evident in those words.

I also want to reflect on and pay tribute to Bob's activism in the movement against the Vietnam War. In recognising the service of his predecessor, Bert James, Bob stated in his first speech:

Bert James was one of the most forthright and courageous members of the Federal Parliament and, among many of those great issues which he pursued, probably the most courageous stand which he adopted was in relation to the horrific experience of the Vietnam War. The position which Bert James adopted has been completely vindicated. There is no one today in the Australian community who is not aware of the fact that Australia became involved in the Vietnam War on the basis of lies and deceit.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11:59 to 12:13

I was providing a quote from Bob Brown on his predecessor Bert James:

Bert James was one of the most forthright and courageous members of the Federal Parliament and, among many of those great issues which he pursued, probably the most courageous stand which he adopted was in relation to the horrific experience of the Vietnam War. The position which Bert James adopted has been completely vindicated. There is no one today in the Australian community who is not aware of the fact that Australia became involved in the Vietnam War on the basis of lies and deceit. The detail, brutality and futility of that war will stand as a permanent indictment of those shameful people who perpetrated it. It was one of the most brutalising experiences in the history of mankind.

I refer to Vietnam and the antiwar movement because of feedback I received from my friend and fellow branch member the former member for Wallsend John Mills. John stood against Bob in the preselection for the seat of Hunter in 1980, and John recalls that Bob was something of a hero locally in the late 1960s because of his brilliant organising and activism, particularly in organising marches against the Vietnam War around the Hunter.

I will end my contribution by sending Bob's family my condolences and also our best wishes and thanks for his service. To his daughter, Kelly Hoare, who also served as the member for Charlton, his son, Brad, and all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, you can be rightly proud of this truly wonderful man whose service to the parliament of Australia we honour today.

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