Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my sad duty to inform the House of the passing away of Bob Donnelly last week on 24 May 2017. I would like to send my condolences to Robyn and his son, Chad. Of course, it was a very sad day for the South Australian labour movement, because Bob, from the time he joined the Electrical Trades Union in 1968, when he first went to work for ETSA, until 24 May, had been a great fighter for workers and the broader labour movement across South Australia. He held every position in the union. He was a shop steward at ETSA. He was a long-serving member, a state councillor, an executive member, an organiser, a branch assistant secretary, a branch secretary, a delegate to divisional council, a divisional president and a CEPU national councillor. He really did epitomise, I think, the character of the union as a member-driven organisation, one that was strongly focused on the interests of electricians and plumbers across the state and particularly in the power industry.

Bob had a great deal of wisdom and experience that he could share with people like me when we were talking about the power industry or other things, particularly the power crisis we have had. Bob always was there with, I think, a sage word and with sensible feedback on what we do in places like the South Australian parliament and the federal parliament. He was obviously a big supporter of mine, and I was really grateful for that support and for his contribution more generally to the labour movement. I guess his involvement in the union was in part guided by his great friendship and mateship with Bob Geraghty, who also, sadly, was taken by cancer and also was a secretary of the CEPU.

It is very, very hard to replace men like Bob Donnelly. They are great fighters for their class, for their community, for their family and for the broader labour movement. We can only express our sadness at his passing and our admiration at his long fight against cancer, defying the odds for so long. We know that this world is a worse place for his passing, and we extend our condolences to his wife and his son and to the broader community that is the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union.