Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to join those offering condolences on the passing of a great Labor servant in Gerry Hand last November. Gerard Leslie Hand—a true believer through and through, his convictions never wavering and energy never faltering. He started as a textile worker, a union organiser, who grew up in Warrnambool. The guiding light throughout his life was this simple motto: 'Never forget the poor'. Famously, he came agonisingly short in his first tilt at a seat in parliament, losing preselection to a fellow called Bob Hawke in a seat of Wills in 1979. But, as we saw over and over Gerry's political life, he just kept fighting.

Not only did he win the seat of Melbourne for Labor in the 1983 election that swept Hawke into power; he also then went on to become a trusted and respected voice to his formal rival, a new Labor prime minister presiding over the dawn of a new political era. He spent the next decade representing the electorate of Melbourne in that government, six of them as a member of both the Hawke and Keating cabinets. He took on hard portfolios and never shrank from difficult decisions. He wore the criticism that came from those decisions with great grace, later describing that period of his life as 'turbulent', but never spoke a word of regret, only gratitude for the opportunity to serve—not hollow words.

I do recall his service, in particular, being remembered fondly in our part of Western Sydney. As minister for immigration, he helped support the Blacktown Migrant Resource Centre, with an icon of that centre in Pat Johnson, who was someone that I had great dealings with. I enormously respected her contribution to the settlement process for people that had made Australia their home in a variety of different ways. Gerry Hand visited Blacktown a number of times and set up an ongoing dialogue with people in the community. He would call them from time to time to get their reflections on policy—to get soundings from people on the ground in communities about policy that worked or, in some cases, did not work as initially intended. I very much respected him for that.

That tendency of Gerry Hand's to reach out, to talk with people and to lend the benefit of his advice is something that I was enormously grateful for. His life in politics had never been really free of trials and tribulations, but his advice was sage and his observations astute. I was always grateful for him sending the odd text message from time to time after hearing me in the media or for being able to speak with him and learn from his experiences as well. His determination to pass on lessons or offer a listening ear showed the importance he placed on parliamentary politics and his regard for those who were called to serve in this place. As I said, I'm enormously grateful for the fact that someone with his experience took the time to message and call and to be there to talk to from time to time.

I want to offer my sincere sympathies to his wife and children, of whom he spoke so lovingly and so often. I say to them: thank you for sharing him with us. Together we all grieve his passing.

Vale, Gerald Hand.

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