Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I begin by acknowledging Joan Hall, who is with us tonight, whom I have known for many, many years and whom I have the utmost respect for. A state funeral was held on 1 July at the Adelaide Festival Centre to honour the life of Raymond Steele Hall, better known as Steele, a name that befitted his character. It was a well-deserved farewell to an outstanding South Australian who had served in the state and federal parliaments and, uniquely, had served in the South Australian House of Assembly, including as SA Premier and in both the federal Senate and the house of Representatives. It was just as fitting, as others have already said, that the service was held in Adelaide Festival Centre, an Adelaide CBD landmark that graces the picturesque River Torrens precinct, that puts Adelaide on the global performing arts stage and that Steele Hall had delivered as SA Premier.

He did that during an era of progressive policy battles between himself and Don Dunstan, both of whom were strong debaters, both with visionary and transformative policies for South Australia. Perhaps their most robust encounter—and I can well remember it—was their disagreement over whether South Australia would be best served by the Dartmouth Dam or the dam at Chowilla in South Australia, just outside of Renmark. As others have quite rightly pointed out, ultimately the Dartmouth Dam is where it is.

When I reflect on Steele Hall, I think of a man of conviction, integrity and courage: conviction to stand up for what he believed in, integrity to do what was right and courage to stand up to powerful critics even within his own political party to the point of crossing the floor in federal parliament and ending the pro-Liberal South Australian electoral boundary gerrymander, which undoubtedly cost him the 1970 election. His achievements are many and, although the following examples are just a sample, they highlight the social and moral justice that drove Steele Hall.

Steele Hall supported the lowering of the voting age from 21 years to 18 years. As a senator, he was critical of the blocking of supply to the Whitlam government. He founded the South Australian Liberal Movement, which became a progressive arm for South Australian Liberal voters between 1973 and 1976. He spoke out against racism and cuts to social welfare. He supported journalistic freedom. He took a stand for Indigenous Australians. These are all issues which are still so important today, and yet way back then in the 1970s and 1980s, when perhaps it took courage to take a stand on them, Steele Hall did that. In so many respects, he was ahead of his time on the issues that he fought so hard for.

Having entered parliament at the young age of 31 years, Steele Hall had served as a parliamentarian for 33 years at the time of his retirement in 1996. However, he was never too far away from the political fray, with his wife, Joan, serving in the state parliament between 1993 and 2006. I last saw Steele Hall at the 40th anniversary dinner of the Para Hills Community Club in the Makin electorate, which, as South Australian Premier 40 years earlier, Steele had opened. I still have the photographs of him doing that back in my office. On the night, both Steele and Joan were clearly the drawcard for the evening dinner. They came into the room, and I think everyone was so happy to see the both of them there joining with us.

To you, Joan, and to your whole family, I say thank you for the service that Steele gave our nation—not just our state, our nation. He did make a difference to our country, as others have quite rightly pointed out. To you and the family, I extend my sincere losses at his passing. I'm sorry I couldn't get to the funeral; I would have liked to. Once again, my condolences.

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