Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At 9.15 on the night of Monday, 25 July 2011, a statement was issued to all members of the federal parliamentary press gallery advising them:

Our longest-serving and much-loved colleague, Rob Chalmers, is very, very ill and has decided to reluctantly retire after 60 years of insightful and independent political commentary and scrutiny.

The following Wednesday, 27 July 2011, Robin Donald Chalmers passed away aged 82, surrounded by his loving wife, Gloria, and his children. From his first question time in March 1951, with the Daily Mirror, to his last budget lock-in in May this year, his efforts spanned an unprecedented 60 years. From Sir Robert Menzies to Julia Gillard, Rob Chalmers was a wise and determined presence in the press gallery and his knowledge and passion for all things political was renowned. When he began his career in journalism, typewriters and copy boys were in use, then came facsimile machines, the first mobile telephones, computers and the internet and email. What a transformation in telecommunications. A dedicated journalist to the end, Mr Chalmers' death marked the end of an era.

Rob Chalmers had a remarkable work ethic. Just days before his death he was still working on the upcoming newsletter, Inside Canberra, where as the editor he finished off his final copy only just missing out on seeing it in the final print hours before he died. The life of a journalist and editor is not an easy one, and I know all about that. It is a tough game with high public expectations, as you would expect, and intense deadline pressures and the need to be accurate, balanced and fair. As with any job there are good and bad aspects; character is tested each and every working day of what is more a way of life than a career.

To remain on the scene for more than 60 years as Mr Chalmers did is no mean feat. Mr Chalmers was an inspiration to not just journalists but to all who worked within these political walls. It is not an easy job and it is not easy to maintain such dedication and passion in an ever-changing environment. He carried out his work with aplomb and with a certain sense of presence, and I am told the gallery will miss Rob's determined shuffle along the corridor and his astute observations and wisdom. Rob was an old-fashioned journo to the core—shrewd, independent, authoritative. He represented the best of hardnosed press gallery journalism in this country. He had, as they say in the industry, ink running in his veins. He was happy to pass on advice and taught some of the very best, yet few will be able to match his array of knowledge on the very topics he loved the most—policy, politics and new ideas.

As a fellow journalist by trade I pay my respects following the loss of a great writer and tutor, and as a parliamentarian I mourn the loss of a fine journalist who faithfully filed the news for an appreciative readership. To his wife Gloria, son Rob and daughter Susan I offer my deepest condolences. May he rest in peace.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a former director of the National Press Club board and as the member for Canberra, which is home to many journalists and lobbyists, I rise today to echo the words of the Prime Minister in honouring the life and work of Rob Chalmers, who died, as the member for Riverina said, in late July at the age of 82. His death is a great loss to the corporate knowledge of this place and to the sense of history he brought to the press gallery and to the political life of Australia.

Robin Donald Chalmers was born on 14 July 1929 in Sydney to his parents Robin and Janet. He came to the press gallery in 1951, to the so-called provisional building just down the road. As anyone who has visited that old building will know—I strongly encourage all members to take a tour of Old Parliament House if they have not already done so—the place is very cramped and the conditions in the press gallery were very tight indeed. In fact, some journalists camped out on the roof waiting for the next press conference or to type up their notes, it got that tight.

Rob worked in Canberra for 60 years, more than half of this nation's political history since Federation. Most notably he worked on his publication Inside Canberra, surviving 12 prime ministers—Menzies, Holt, McEwen, Gorton, McMahon, Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Keating, Howard, Rudd and now Julia Gillard. I understand that throughout that time he gingered all of them and was very vocal in his views on them, and according to one of my oracles here in Canberra, a Labor Party historian but also an oracle on Canberra history as well, Don Dwyer, none of them ever met his very high expectations. He was a very demanding man of very high standards, obviously. I believe Rob attended close to 60 budget lock-ups, from Fadden in 1951 to the latest one in May this year, and he witnessed 28 federal election campaigns and five changes of government. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to go toe to toe with such legends of the Australian political establishment, but Rob Chalmers did it. He came into the game of politics and political journalism at a vastly different time—a dramatically different time to today—a time when print and radio dominated the reporting of the day's events. He witnessed the introduction of television, the 24-hour news cycle, the internet and the daily use of the social media of Twitter and Facebook. The world of 1951 was vastly different to the one we see now, 60 years on. Despite the massive changes to how news was reported over that time and is reported today, throughout this he not only kept up and maintained his relevance but continued to be a leader in the press gallery.

I understand he was a great mentor to many a young and not-so-young cadet journalist in this place. He was a very strong supporter of my husband, particularly when he started on AM in the press gallery six or seven years ago. Every time Chris had done a report on AM, Rob would come up and give him a critique of what that piece was like. I understand it was very constructive and productive. He was very good at mentoring journalists and sharing the wisdom of all his years and all his experience and, in the end, I think, making them better journalists.

I have been interested to read some of the anecdotes in recent weeks about this remarkable man. I think it is a remarkable thing that one man could collect and collate—indeed, in many ways be the embodiment of—our proud political history. I think any politician, staffer or journalist will agree that this place can be a pretty gruelling one at times. The stresses of public life and tight deadlines and of getting the right words out all can take their toll. To do it for 60 years is an absolutely extraordinary achievement.

He contributed to this town in other ways as well. He was President of the National Press Club. Having been a director on that board, I know that it can be challenging at times—a roomful of journalists making decisions on financial matters can always be a challenge. He was a very proud member of the Royal Canberra Golf Club. He was also a great contributor to what parts of Canberra used to be renowned for, particularly the press gallery: the 'long lunch club', which used to involve a lot of journalists and senior people in the Public Service. Those lunches were always on Friday and tended to go from 12.30. The piece would be written and everyone would head off for the long lunch at the Commonwealth Club, the golf club or wherever. They were always interesting affairs and there was never any wine drunk!

He was also a strong supporter of Australian industry. Because of that, some suggest that he erred on the protectionist side and so was not entirely thrilled with some of the initiatives and reforms that the Hawke-Keating government introduced over the eighties to get us to the open economy that we see has ensured our prosperity today.

He was an Aussie of the old school, according to people I have been speaking to in researching today's speech on this condolence motion. He was popular and friendly. His presence, his stories and his gravitas will be sorely missed by all in this place and by many, many Canberrans. He was sent off in grand style with a formal funeral service at Queanbeyan, but the informal farewell, at the Press Club, was equally impressive, I understand, and the stories were pretty wild and pretty ripe.

In farewelling Rob Chalmers, I offer my condolences and the condolences of all Canberrans to his family. As people have said to me, he was an Aussie of the old school. He was popular and friendly. He gave a great deal to journalism in this country. He gave a great deal to political life in this country. We honour and thank him for that.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Rob Chalmers's life and, indeed, his passing remind me about the very nature of this place. I feel like I knew Rob Chalmers very well, but I realise now on reflection that I did not really know the man at all. By that, I mean that I knew him in his professional life but I did not know anything much at all about his personal life. The member for Banks and I are very close. I hope he will agree with that statement.

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Absolutely.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have never been to the home of the member for Banks and I do not know any of the members of his family, so it is a funny place. We spend a lot of time together here and yet we often come to realise that we know so little about one another outside this place.

So it was with Rob Chalmers and me. I came here in 1996. After I became a shadow minister in 1998 I had portfolio responsibilities that were of interest to Rob Chalmers. On this basis I got to know Rob Chalmers very well, in a professional sense at least.

Reflecting again on the nature of the place, I am very sad now that Rob Chalmers was in a nursing home. I did not know it and I am very sad that I was not able to be here for his farewell. Certainly, I would have visited him if I had known how unwell he was in his last days.

Rob Chalmers was obviously an extraordinary person. Anyone who achieves so many years in the press gallery of the national parliament is an achiever. I read some of his last works and he was obviously still very sharp.

He had a very strong interest in trade and industry policy. I suppose it is true that he was of the old school, but very consistent. He took his ideals and views about trade and industry policy to every issue of the day. He was most consistent and always advocated on matters on the basis of those ideals and principles.

It is hard to imagine what it must be like to have been here for so long and seen so many members, prime ministers and treasurers come and go. Reflecting again on my earlier statements I regret now not to have found some time somewhere to have a meal or a few beers with Rob Chalmers, because he must have been a repository of some fantastic stories about this place, both the official and the unofficial sides of the place. So I have come to this condolence motion with lots of regrets.

I am very happy to have known Rob Chalmers and to have had many policy discussions with him. And of course I am very happy to have been the subject of some of his stories—positive stories, I am happy to say. I very much regret that I did not get to know Rob Chalmers, the person, better and I very much regret I did not spend more time with him in a more social sense. I am sure that if I had I would be a better politician today, because I know that I could have learnt much from him both from his knowledge and his experience. I often say that I still learn every day I am in this job, and it is true. I have been here for 15 years. You would learn a lot from someone who has been here for 60 years, and I am sure I am not the only one who holds that view.

So, I join with the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and all members who have participated in this debate in saying that he will be sadly missed. I acknowledge his amazing contribution to public life in this country and therefore his marvellous contribution to his nation.

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been in this place for almost 21½ years and in that time I have interacted with many journalists, past and present. I can honestly say that you could number on my left hand the number of journalists that I would be prepared to speak about in a condolence motion. Rob Chalmers is one of them. I found him to be a good person. I found him to be a decent person. I found him to be a very ethical person. And I liked him. All my interactions with him were interactions where he sought to check the facts in relation to something he was writing. He was one of those old-style journalists that actually believed in checking the facts before writing. He was about trying to achieve accuracy in what he was writing, because he understood the impact once he wrote and the publishing of what he wrote. That is not true of many in the gallery today due to the deadlines and sometimes the views that they have which, frankly, they do not want to change—which may if they chased up other sources in relation to their writing or what they put to air.

Rob Chalmers was old school and he had, I suppose, a charm about him—and that is why I liked him. In many respects, he had a values system in terms of ethics and what it meant to be a journalist and the high responsibility involved with being a journalist. You only have to look at what is coming out of the UK at the moment to see the lengths that people are going to to get stories and how that is rocking the system. That was not Rob Chalmers.

Rob was also so respectful of people in positions. Be they the Prime Minister of the day, the ministers of the day, the Leader of the Opposition or members of parliament, he understood the need to respect that people occupied positions and that in many respects most people are here to do good.

So I want to be associated with all that has been said to date on the condolence motion and pay my respect to Rob and offer my sincere condolences to members of his family. He is going to be missed. The reality is that he was different from all his colleagues—and that is because he was here for some 60 years. He had a corporate memory and an understanding. We all think that everything that is happening around us is new and has not happened before. The truth is that in some respects it is groundhog day. Rob was able to recount to me stories in relation to Menzies, Chifley and others and incidents that occurred back then. In my life I have always respected older people and people like Rob Chalmers who have a values system and are happy to talk not in an aggressive way but in a way that is not putting you down—in a respectful way. With Rob's passing this place has experienced a loss—a big loss—because I do not think we will see the likes of him again.