Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay my respects following the passing of Ronald Joseph Walker AC, CBE, otherwise known as Mr Melbourne, a man who was celebrated in life and will be mourned in death, a friend to many and somebody who was deeply committed to his local community, to his state and to the betterment of those who were less fortunate than him. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and their three children, Joanna, Campbell and Candice. We send our warmest wishes at this difficult time.

Ron Walker was, in a way, bigger than life. I was fortunate to know him and talk to him regularly about the Liberal Party and, during his battle with cancer, about the listing of the drug which prolonged his life beyond what many thought. He was always passionate about the causes he supported. He thought deeply and he was brave. In terms of his record, as a businessman, as a party official and as a proponent of Melbourne in attracting events to our city and our state, he had very few equals. He was elected to the Melbourne City Council, aged 30, in 1969. He was the Lord Mayor of Melbourne from 1974 to 1976. He was the Liberal Party's honorary national treasurer, which the Prime Minister has described as the most challenging job in politics, having himself held that role. Ron fulfilled that responsibility between 1987 and 2002. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his service to local government, and the citation for his Companion of the Order of Australia read:

For service to business, the arts and the community, and to raising the profile of Australia internationally with significant benefit for tourism and employment.

His success in attracting the Grand Prix to Melbourne and other major sporting events and his ability to reach across the political aisle to the new Premier of Victoria at the time, Steve Bracks, showed that he wasn't deeply partisan when the interests of his community demanded a different approach. We pay tribute to his vision for Melbourne and to his philanthropic activities, which were far and wide, many of which are not known more broadly, for that is the way Ron wanted it. And we thank him for what he did for Melbourne, what he did for the Liberal Party and what he did for the country. May he rest in peace and be remembered fondly for all that he achieved.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a melancholy duty to speak on condolence in relation to a hero of our country, a hero of Melbourne, a hero of the Liberal Party and a hero of so many communities. Of course, I'm speaking about Ronald Joseph Walker AC CBE—or 'Big Ron', or Ron Walker, as he was more commonly known. I will say firstly to Ron Walker's wife, Barbara, and their three children and three grandchildren that we send our warmest wishes and thoughts at this obviously difficult time. And I say it's melancholy because, on one hand, as a city—Melbourne—and as a country we mourn the loss of such a great man as Ron. But we inevitably—and I think it's important that we do—rejoice in his life and see it as an example for all of us to try to emulate. The truth is that very few of us will be able, in any way, shape or form, to emulate what Ron Walker was able to do. And I refer to the contribution of my good friend the member for Kooyong, who outlined so many of the achievements of Ron Walker. I think each of them can be marked by service to others—service to our community, service to our city and, of course, service to our country more broadly.

Ron was a giant of Melbourne, literally and figuratively. He resurrected the city that was unflatteringly known as 'moribund Melbourne' in the early nineties, in the dark days of the recession. He played a role in delivering so many of the institutions that people like me, who grew up in Melbourne in the eighties, take for granted and that so many Melbournians, thankfully, take for granted as just being the fabric of our culture. He chaired the Victorian Major Events Company. He secured the hosting rights for the Grand Prix—and I will say how important that was, as a young man growing up in Melbourne, for our sense of identity and for the re-emergence of Melbourne and the re-emergence of Victoria in a very figurative way. It gave us a sense of confidence. For those of us who remember very fondly the Kennett years, when our numberplates said, 'Victoria—on the move', Ron Walker and the work that he did through the Victorian Major Events Company embodied that and absolutely gave us that sense of confidence and pride. We are very parochial and proud as Victorians and Melbournians, and Ron Walker gave us so much to be proud of.

He was truly a stalwart in business and politics, serving as lord mayor in the seventies, and he dedicated his very scarce spare time to the Liberal Party and our causes. He was a man who embodied our values: entrepreneurship, hard work, aspiration, pulling yourself up from your own bootstraps, doing it yourself. Ron was someone from humble beginnings who achieved so much. He embodied what we stand for, and it was a great honour for our party to have somebody of his status and stature support so many members of parliament and support our Liberal cause more broadly.

This was a man who served his community in countless ways. Towards the end of his life, his generous philanthropy and work for causes such as access to life-saving and life-extending medicines came to the fore. No doubt, Ron Walker had engaged in philanthropy in those ways throughout his adult life, but he gained greater notoriety and greater public acclaim, particularly for the work that he did campaigning to get the drug Keytruda added to the PBS. There will be countless Australians who benefit from that campaign whom you can add to the list of countless Australians who, in some way, shape or form, benefitted from Ron Walker's life, benefitted from the work that he did on behalf of others. I, therefore, again, extend my deep condolences to Barbara Walker, their three children and three grandchildren, and thank them for supporting Ron to enable him to make a difference to the lives of so many. We've lost a true giant of our country, of Melbourne and of the Liberal Party. May he rest in peace. God rest his soul.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to join my colleagues in acknowledging the life and work and achievements of Ronald Joseph Walker, to join with the many who, over the past few days since his death, have provided wonderful accolades of his service to the community, and to extend my condolences to his widow, Barbara, and members of the Walker family. In the many accolades that have been given about Ron Walker, both in this place and elsewhere in the last few days, there obviously has been great emphasis on his service to the community, particularly in Melbourne—to his work, firstly, as a successful businessman, his term as Lord Mayor of Melbourne and, more significantly, his chairing of the major events activities in Melbourne, including the Commonwealth Games and the Grand Prix, and then subsequent charitable work, particularly for others less fortunate than himself.

It's just one other, I suppose, in the life of Ron Walker, relative minor episode that I want to remark upon today which goes to the character of the man. It relates to a small country town in the north-east of Victoria named Walwa. Walwa is hundreds of kilometres from any major centre. It's on the Murray River, in the valley there—a beautiful spot in north-eastern Victoria between Albury to the west and Towong and the Snowy Mountains to the east. There had been, and indeed still is, a country bush nursing hospital at Walwa for many decades.

Walwa's a small town. At the 2006 census, the population was listed, I think, as 268. There are undoubtedly more people in the surrounding farming areas, but you get the sense of a remote community in this beautiful part of Victoria. There'd been a local doctor as well as the bush nursing hospital at Walwa for more than 20 years. But, due to funding constraints, there was a question about whether or not that hospital could continue to operate. Indeed, in about 1998-99, there was a real crisis in terms of the continuation of services in the community.

I remember one day, when I was the Minister for Ageing in about 2001 or 2002, getting a phone call from Ron Walker asking, 'Can't we do something about keeping this hospital open in Walwa?' Why was he interested? It was because there had been a story in the Herald Sun in Melbourne highlighting the plight of people in this remote community if they were to lose their doctor, which they'd had for many decades, and, indeed, if they were to lose their hospital. He said that he would do whatever he could to ensure that this hospital remained open. I think it was at the urging of his wife, Barbara, to do something for the locals there, not that he had any particular connection with them. He was urging me as the minister from the Commonwealth level to try to do something with the states as well. To cut a long story short, Ron Walker pledged $150,000 for the maintenance of this hospital, a pledge which he subsequently renewed some years later. In many ways, he was the saviour of the Walwa bush nursing hospital, so much so that by 2006, through a period of development, what came out of that was a medical centre, an accident and emergency 24-hour response centre and, in addition to that, independent living units that in effect brought together hospital and aged care. His frustration in conversations I had with him at the time was that, if the states and the Commonwealth could only get together, we could provide these services rather than having a division between the two. Through his championing of this through his personal financial contributions and his continued interest, the people of Walwa in north-eastern Victoria today continue to have medical and aged-care services that otherwise they wouldn't have. That would mean for them, for the farmers and for the townspeople in Walwa a journey of an hour or an hour and a half at least to a major centre such as Albury or further afield to get those services.

As I said, this small episode in a wonderful life is an indication of the character of a man who saw a problem in a remote rural town and decided that he could do something about it not just in his contribution of finances to the continuation of the hospital but by getting on the phone to the likes of me and the then Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, to see what we could do and, by working with us, come up with a solution.

The other thing that is said about Ron Walker is that, even though he was a lifetime Liberal and a great contributor to the Liberal Party, not just financially but in other ways as well, he nonetheless had an ability to work with people on all sides of politics. He did that when he was the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, he did that through the major events and developments in Melbourne and he did it in a lot of other ways. He did it by bringing people together and heading towards a goal, less concerned about the political differences than achieving the goal. He was able to achieve a huge amount for Melbourne, for Victoria and for many ordinary people. We stand in his debt. I extend my condolences once again to his wife, Barbara, and to members of his family. May he rest in peace.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party, Minister for Revenue and Financial Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with my colleagues, both on this side of the chamber and opposite, to pay tribute to Ron Walker, a great Australian, a great Melburnian and a well-loved constituent in my electorate of Higgins. He was a man who achieved so very much in his more than 50 years of public life. The fact that people flocked from all over Melbourne and across the nation to be at Ron's state funeral speaks volumes about his contribution and lasting legacy. Despite his deep affiliation with the Liberal Party, people from both sides of politics and from all walks of life came to pay their respects.

He was a man of extraordinary vision and was renowned for his determination, capacity for hard work and commitment to public service. As Ron's lovely son, Cam, said of his dad this week, 'If someone said it could not be done, he worked even harder to make sure that he succeeded.' I think there is a lesson in that for all of us here in this place.

Ron's contribution to Melbourne and Victoria is the stuff of legend. Ron was not known as Mr Melbourne for nothing. So many have said so much about his contribution, but I want to highlight a couple of things. Matthew Guy has said that Ron was the greatest premier that Victoria never had, and I think it is an apt description. There is no doubt that his work helped Melbourne become the modern capital that we all know and love. Following Ron's passing, his partner at Hudson Conway, Lloyd Williams, was quoted as saying, 'I don't think there is anyone who has done more for the City of Melbourne for 200 years.' As we know, in the 1960s and 1970s, Ron served as a councillor of the City of Melbourne, followed by a stint as Lord Mayor. He very famously brought the Formula 1 Grand Prix to Melbourne in the 1990s. Whether you loved it or loathed it, there is no doubt that it was more than just about motor racing; it was about putting Melbourne on the map, promoting this great city, our great city, to the world. As the chairman of the Melbourne major events corporation, Ron was instrumental in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Melbourne. Under his stewardship Melbourne went on to host what is considered by some to be one of the best Commonwealth Games ever.

Notably, Ron made a significant contribution to public health. In 1990, his wife, Barbara, suffered chronic pain after a breast cancer operation. After a long search across the globe for a cure to her pain, Barbara eventually entered the ADAPT course. Ron and Barbara were so impressed with this treatment program that they founded the Barbara Walker Centre for Pain Management at St Vincent's Hospital to give others the same treatment that she had received. In 2012, after being diagnosed with cancer, Ron took part in a trial of a breakthrough drug, KEYTRUDA. Less than two years later, Ron was cancer free. Oncologist Grant McArthur treated Ron's melanoma. This week Grant wrote that he quickly learned that during his appointments Ron would want to focus on the latest research developments in the field before moving on to discuss how other patients could get access to the same treatment. For Ron Walker it was not just a personal journey, but a mission on behalf of his fellow Australians. As Grant put it, Ron was simply relentless in his pursuit of opportunities for good health for all Australians with cancer. As we know, Ron then, happily for everyone, successfully lobbied the Federal Government to ensure that KEYTRUDA was added to the PBS, making it available to the general public at an affordable price and saving so many lives.

Ron was renowned for his generosity, but he was also very humble. Reports since his passing suggest that Ron's true contribution to philanthropic causes will never really be known. Such was his humility that he would often make anonymous donations to support people in need.

Of course Ron was a giant of the Liberal Party. For many years he served as the party's honorary federal treasurer, and he was an immense fundraiser. He has been someone that Liberal Prime Ministers, Premiers and ministers have frequently turned to for advice over a period of many years. On a personal note, I can say that he was exceptionally kind to me in both my local and ministerial capacities. His unswerving commitment to our party has been nothing but colossal. My deepest and sincerest condolences to Ron's family, including his wife Barbara and his adult children, Campbell, Jo and Candice, and their children. We share your sense of loss, but I know that his proudest achievement is his family. There is no doubt that Ron Walker will forever be remembered for his contribution to our great city, our state and our country. His legacy will live on. Vale Ron Walker.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to reflect on the life of a giant of the great state of Victoria and of Melbourne, Ron Walker. The truth is that I didn't know Ron Walker that well. He was one of those people that I knew from a distance, as a child growing up in the 1990s watching the state of Victoria enter into new energy and dynamism after the period before. Ron Walker was one of those people that, as a young child, I watched on television, watched in newspapers and read about as a giant of the state who was doing amazing things in helping to revitalise our great city. Of course, there was nothing that embodied the revitalisation for many people, particularly somebody as young as myself, so much as the symbolism of the Grand Prix, which made itself to Melbourne courtesy of Ron Walker efforts and the efforts of many others. In fact, that became the symbol not just for the revitalisation of a city but for the people and the energy that came with it, and you can never take that legacy away from him. He was the champion of that cause and was tasked with getting the Australian F1 Grand Prix away from Adelaide in the mid-1990s. He served as chairman of the Australian Grand Prix for nearly 20 years and leaves behind an incredible legacy, where it continues to operate today. But the legacy isn't just of the event; it is of the spirit.

It was only later in my life that I started to learn a bit more about Ron Walker and his contribution to the rebuilding of Victoria. He was part of, shall we say, a group of people at the time who seized the opportunity to turn a rust-bucket state into a shining jewel that continues to guide this great nation, and that is part of his legacy. That's why Jeff Kennett said recently that, without Ron Walker, Melbourne—and Victoria—would not be what it is today, and I wholeheartedly share those sentiments.

But it was only later in life that I really came to terms with the full legacy of Ron Walker and what he has done for our great state. He was elected the Lord Mayor of Melbourne City Council from 1974 to 76, having served on the council since 1969. During that time, he was named as Victoria's Outstanding Man of the Year during his lord mayoral term, as well as Victorian Father of the Year in 1976, Victorian of the Year in 1994 and many other incredible honours.

He, of course, also had a highly successful career in sports administration, which began off the back of a successful business career. He even led Melbourne's bid to host the Olympic Games in 1996. But, when it comes down to it, he was a family man, and that becomes clear as you listen to and hear the eulogies and read many of the things that have been said since his passing. And it's that spirit that I want to acknowledge, and I pay my condolences to his wife, Barbara, and his children for their sad loss. But having grown up with Ron Walker as a pre-eminent figure in Victoria and Melbourne throughout my childhood, as I got towards the latter stages of my life—or the present stages of my life today—

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know, I'm still fit and healthy!—I actually did get to meet Ron Walker a couple of times. It was in the mornings as he did his regular routine of walking around the botanical gardens track, the Tan, and anybody who has lived in and around the south Yarra area will know that the Tan is incredibly popular with the community, particularly for residents in nearby areas, as a part of an ordinary morning fitness routine. Ron fulfilled his surname by being one of the most regular walkers who covered the Tan most mornings—although I do remember the gaps and absences when he was getting treatment and care because of his health conditions.

So, to Ron: I remember you as a man who made a great contribution to the state of Victoria, a man who made incredible contributions not just to our state, not just to our city, but, of course, to our nation—somebody whose life will barely be replicated by others, because the task ahead of him and what he achieved was so great. But what I will always remember you as is a man who walked in the mornings around the Tan with humility and purpose, and now you walk into the sunset.

Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to express my condolences upon the passing of Ron Walker AC CBE. I first met Ron Walker when I was a young journalist with Channel 7 news in the 1980s, during the days of Hudson Conway when Crown Casino was under construction. He was a giant of Victoria then. He saw in this particular project a project which would transform Melbourne, and that's exactly what has happened. I recall that Lloyd Williams, his great friend and partner in the project, took me on a tour when Crown Casino was under construction. I walked into the main foyer and said, 'I'm a bit worried about the design. There are no windows.' Lloyd said, 'That's the whole idea, Sarah.' They were transformational days.

As we've heard in this debate today, Ron Walker was a giant of Victoria. He chaired the Victorian Major Events Corporation. He secured the Grand Prix for Victoria, which was monumental at the time. He served as the chairman of the Grand Prix Corporation. He was the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, and in 1988 he was appointed as a commissioner for Melbourne's 1996 Olympics bid. He worked very closely with former Premier Jeff Kennett. They had a wonderful friendship and they had a great vision for Victoria, and together they achieved great things. The mark of the man was that Ron Walker also worked very closely, and with a great sense of bipartisanship, with former premiers Joan Kirner and Steve Bracks in particular. As chairman of the Melbourne Major Events Company, which managed the bids for both the Grand Prix and the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Ron Walker made a lasting impression on Melbourne and, of course, on Victoria.

He was an extraordinary man, but, as we've heard in this debate, much of his contribution to Melbourne and to Victoria was through his philanthropic contributions and, in the more recent years, his contributions to cancer research. Once Ron Walker determined he was going to do something, he certainly did it. He made an extraordinary contribution to the Liberal Party of Australia and he was a great mentor to many members of the Liberal Party. I didn't have so much to do with Ron when I entered politics, but my mother was a minister and the member for Geelong in the 1990s and worked with Jeff Kennett, and she worked very closely with Ron Walker. He made an impression upon me as a young journalist in the 1980s and he's still making an impression with his legacy. He left such a mark on Melbourne and on Victoria. He was a visionary and, for that, he is to be forever commended for the incredible work that he did for our state.

I wish to express my sincere condolences to his beloved wife, Barbara, and his children, his grandchildren and his other family members. May he rest in peace.