Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the death of the late Steele Hall on 10 June 2024, aged 95 years;

(b) that Steele Hall is the only Australian to have served as Premier of a state, as well as a Member of three houses of parliament; and

(c) that Steele Hall served as the 36th Premier of South Australia from 1968 to 1970, also served in the Commonwealth Parliament as a Senator for South Australia from 1974 to 1977, and was the federal Member for the electoral division of Boothby from 1981 to 1996; and

(2) acknowledges the service of Steele Hall across four decades and three houses of parliament to the Australian and South Australian people.

Friends, I stand here today to pay tribute to a remarkable Australian. Steele Hall was the 36th Premier of South Australia, serving in that role between 1968 and 1970, after which he entered federal parliament as a senator for South Australia, serving in that role between 1974 and 1977. Then, remarkably, he was the member for Boothby between the years of 1981 and 1996. Steele Hall is the only Australian to have served as a premier of a state as well as a member of three legislatures. Sadly, on 10 June this year, Steele Hall died at the age of 95, having lived an extraordinary life, leaving a profound political legacy.

Steele was born in 1928 in Balaklava, a country town in the mid-north of South Australia. He was educated there and worked on his family's 800-acre sheep and wheat farm at Owen, a 20-minute drive out of Balaklava. In 1959, at the age of 31, Steele was elected on behalf of the Liberal and Country League as the member for Gouger. He was a member of the then Playford government and quickly gained a reputation for his independent thinking and his shoot-from-the-hip style—something which, of course, resonates with me. In spite of this—or perhaps because of it—and because of his forthrightness, he rose through the ranks of the party. Following Playford's loss in 1965, Steele was endorsed by Sir Thomas Playford as his successor. After just two years in opposition, Steele returned the Liberal and Country League to government in 1968.

Steele Hall was a conviction politician before we knew what that term meant—a man of courage and integrity. Necessarily, many of the positions that Steele adopted weren't popular and, indeed, some in his own party from time to time disagreed with Steele, but it was that courage that I admired. Now, I could wax lyrical about some of Steele Hall's key accomplishments as premier, include the development of important industries such as the gas industry in South Australia, the improvement of Aboriginal rights and the fluoridation of the Adelaide water supply, but there are two things that stand out for me. Firstly, he is remembered for having reformed the electoral system in South Australia to better reflect the principle of 'one vote, one value'. Inequitable electoral boundaries, commonly known as the playmander, had greatly advantaged the Liberal and Country League over previous decades. Steele's introduction of electoral reforms jeopardised his own prospects of retaining the premiership, but nonetheless he was committed to the principle of democratic electoral fairness and to working for the greater good of the South Australian economy. It goes without saying that the introduction of these reforms was a major reason for his defeat in 1970.

The second issue, of course, was his support for the proposal of the Dartmouth Dam—a decision which was ultimately right, albeit unpopular at the time. It typified Steele's unrelenting pursuit of the state and national interest. Two years later, after many combative episodes within the Liberal and Country League, headstrong Steele splintered from the party, set up the Liberal Movement and was elected to the Senate under that standard in 1974. He then quit the Senate three years later to unsuccessfully contest the federal lower house seat of Hawker, but by 1981 he was back in the Liberal ranks, returning as the member for Boothby in Adelaide's south, holding that seat through to 1996. I acknowledge the current member for Boothby has joined us today.

At a Liberal Party function in Adelaide just last week, the Hon. John Howard, while reflecting on the life of Steele Hall, described him as 'reformative and transformative'. That, friends, is high praise from the greatest living Liberal. His political life and legacy was anything but lacklustre. His contribution to South Australia was enormous, his capacity for debate legendary, his intellect and competitive energy unrivalled. His close friend and former political adviser, Sir Lynton Crosby AO, describes Steele as a 'principled maverick, a man from the plains, a farmer, a politician and, above all, a man of integrity and strength—plain speaking, plain values'. Oh, for some of those plain-speaking, strong values today in this place, a place he is familiar with.

I offer my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Joan, who is here today, herself a former member of the South Australian Parliament, serving as the member for Coles and subsequently Morialta and as Minister for Youth and Employment and Minister for Tourism; and to Steele's six children and grandchildren. Thank you, Steele, for your services to South Australia and to the nation. Vale, Steele Hall.

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