Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 7 September I was very honoured and privileged to attend the launch of the book Glasgow Road to Canberra, the memoirs of John L Scott. Those of you in this place would know John Scott as the former member for Hindmarsh, who was the member from 1980 to 1993. The book was launched by the former Premier, Lynn Arnold, and it was a very interesting night. The book was spoken about by Lynn and by many other people at the event.

The book is a historical event of, basically, the Labor Party, the union movement in South Australia and John Scott's life—his very early years living in Scotland in tenements during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s as a child. The book describes the hardships of living in the tenements with five or six families and only one toilet to be used between all of them. For example, washing was done on a shift basis where each family had one day to do their washing. He describes very colourfully in the book how the children would be told off when they went outside to kick a ball because there was always washing on the line.

John, as I said, was the member for the seat of Hindmarsh from 1980 to 1993, and he was a very good member. John migrated to Australia with his family in the sixties. In fact, he came off the ship at Outer Harbour and travelled to Glenelg in my electorate and spent his first few weeks living in Glenelg. His first impressions were of Australia as a paradise. In the book he recalls driving along the seafront of Outer Harbour to Glenelg.

There were many, many letters sent on the night of the launch and John read many of them out. There was one particular letter that I want to speak about. It was a letter from the honourable Bob Brown, not the one that recently retired, but Bob Brown who was a minister in the Hawke—he was Minister for Land, Transport and Shipping. He wrote John a letter to congratulate him on the book. He said:

Dear John,

Two minutes ago I finished reading your 'Glasgow Road to Canberra'. To say I was delighted and impressed by it would be an understatement. I felt inspired by your courage, commitment, integrity and by the successes you have achieved throughout your life. Your love for Michiko—

that is his wife—

has clearly been a great inspiration to you.

Your experiences have closely paralleled many of the major issues in Australia's political and industrial development and your contribution towards those events has been really substantial.

The book is an outstanding presentation of your own growing consciousness and the development of your trade union and political skills. There are many profound observations about the great issues of the time which imparted on your own experiences and achievements. You have presented much evidence to confirm the great, positive and principled role of the progressive-left elements of the community and of the broad labour movement in pursuing justice and decency.

From your principled and innovative approach to unionism, you initiated and encouraged the development of attitudes, structures and practices which strengthened the trade union movement.

When you were elected to the Commonwealth parliament in the same election as me, you entered that role with a massive background of enlightenment and experience which you continued to draw on during your years in Canberra.

I was especially pleased to have my memories rekindled around many of the issues we confronted—the MX missile trials, uranium to France, racial discrimination, British atom tests, privatisation and many more.

John Scott you can look back on a life well lived. My warmest regards to you and Michiko.

Your colleague and comrade

Bob Brown.

That gives you an example of the regard that the former member for Hindmarsh, John Scott, is held in, even today, in and around the electorate and in South Australia.

His book, as I said, is a description of John Scott's life, his tribulations and his work in the union movement. He describes when he first started working at General Motors Holden in the garage where there was mainly maintenance on trucks. A fatal accident occurred when someone was killed. He was infuriated by this and also that the factory did not close down for the day out of respect. From there he went into the union movement and made many, many changes.

In the few moments that I have left one of the most classic lines that I read, the line that really moved me was a line by John which says: 'The working experience cannot be copied— (Time expired)