Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the passing of Don Burrows AO MBE on 12 March 2020, especially noting his:

(a) lifetime contribution to the Australian music industry; and

(b) contribution to music education and Indigenous communities; and

(2) further recognises the:

(a) contribution that creative arts and culture make to Australian society; and

(b) impact of COVID-19 on the creative arts sector.

It is appropriate that the House recognise the passing of Australia's legend of jazz, Donald Vernon Burrows AO MBE on 12 March in this year of 2020, aged 91. I pay tribute to my good friend, Don, on behalf of all Australians. Don's friendship, patience and deep love for musicianship, the art of jazz and his extraordinary gift of music profoundly impacted the lives of thousands, including my own. At 14, he nicknamed me 'Zootina' after the sound of the American jazz saxophonist, Zoot Sims.

Don was born on 8 August 1928 in Berowra in Sydney to musical parents. In 1937, a visiting flutist Victor McMahon inspired him to start on flute. At age 12 and during his early teens, he played in Victor's band on various reed instruments in clubs. Don told me that he played more than two dozen woodwind instruments—26 to be precise.

He went all the way to the top on flute: Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival at Montreux in '72 and he recorded the album Flute Salad in '92 with Dutch flutist Chris Hinze, one of his 40 records. By 1942 Don had begun his love affair with the clarinet, which he learned in three short weeks before a radio appearance. He told me that during the war years due to cane shortages that he fashioned his clarinet reeds from wooden toothbrushes just so he could keep playing. In '68, the year I was born, he played a residency at the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Ed Gaston, Alan Turnbull, Julian Lee, Jude Bailey, Errol Buddle, John Sangster and George Golla, with whom he played for some 38 years. I pay my respects today on their behalf, as I have met all of them, Don's jazz contemporaries.

Don studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as a young man and soon became principal clarinettist with the ABC's Symphony Orchestra. In '73—it was a big year for Donnie—he won the first gold record for an Australian jazz musician for his record Just the Beginning. It was the first to win a Keating, a creative fellowship scholarship. He was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire and instigated the first jazz program in the Southern Hemisphere at the Sydney Conservatorium. In '87 he was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia. Don worked over the years with jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson—excuse me, Deputy Speaker—Tony Bennett. Stephane Grappelli, Cleo Laine and the Sydney Symphony. Can I just have a moment? I'll get there. Thank you. For six years he presented his own TV series—Australians will remember The Don Burrows Collection. In 1991 he was inducted into the ARIA Music Awards Hall of Fame. In 1989 and 1999 he was named one of Australia's living treasures. With two honorary music doctorates from the University of Sydney and Edith Cowan, and one in education from CQU, he also received the Ted Albert Award for outstanding services to Australian music at the APRA awards. In 2007 he was inducted into the Australian Jazz Bell Hall of Fame.

Visiting Don at his Church Point home, he shared stories of his life over a glass of Scotch and showed me his cherished photographic collection. Don was passionate about educating Indigenous children in regional and remote communities through the power of music. Later he suffered from arthritis, and once he could no longer play woodwinds he joined his local community brass band. He picked up the trombone, having never played it before. Not knowing who Don was, a young girl in the band offered to teach him all seven positions. He said to me, 'I sat next to her and she taught me how to play the trombone.'

In the 1980s I was a member of John McKenzie's Adelaide Connection jazz choir. We toured Sydney and played the Manly jazz carnival and the Don Burrows Supper Club. We played in the South Australian Riverland with James Morrison, George Golla, Craig Scott and Laurie Kennedy. The connection recorded the albums Makin' Whoopie and Nice and Easy, of which I am proud to say I was a part. I was honoured to stand beside Don on a few occasions and follow him to do a solo on the tenor sax, a very hard act to follow.

Life can be truly amazing, and Don's certainly was. The last time I saw Don was at the Gold Coast City Jazz Club at HOTA in my electorate of Moncrieff, the very club of which I am now a patron. I took him a bottle of Scotch to thank him for his kind and enduring friendship. Rest in peace, Don Burrows.

David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for that wonderful speech and eulogy. Rest in peace. Is there a seconder for the motion?

Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to support this motion. Before I start my remarks, I would like to thank the member for Moncrieff for her beautiful speech on behalf of her friend. This motion talks not only about the amazing Don Burrows but the role that creative arts and culture play in Australian society. That is something that we should treasure. Clearly Don Burrows was a man that not only treasured that but contributed greatly to it. I didn't have the pleasure of knowing the great Don Burrows, so I did research before speaking on this motion. I found this quote of his which, the member for Moncrieff may well have been there for—I'm not sure. I understand, as we have just heard, that jazz education was one of Don's passions, and I understand that he said this:

Jazz is music that is passed on to each new generation by playing it, you can't learn it from the written page, or even by being told about it – you have to jam together. This means that most musicians of this genre have a mentor, and I was lucky enough to have the best.

Certainly the list of names that the member for Moncrieff read out sounds like he really did have the best.

Thinking about that quote really resonates—that connection between arts and culture and community and education. It is really important that governments support all of those sectors individually, but also because of the way they mesh together to make life bigger and better than it would otherwise be and make our society something more vibrant and happier than it would otherwise be.

Of course 2020 has not been a great year for the cultural and arts industries, like it hasn't been a great year for anyone. We know that those industries were pretty much the first hit. For many people who work in those industries they will be some of the last industries to be able to recover. Hearing about the life and legacy of Don Burrows, I am sure he would want to see live venues able to open their doors again after we get through COVID and have the financial means to be able to continue to operate, and who would like to see our institutions that educate about the arts and music and the humanities able to continue to do that, and, most importantly, for Australian to be able to continue to access them after we get through COVID. The arts industry is of course important for our souls and it's also important for our economy. It contributes some $111 billion a year and employs around 600,000 people, which I understand to be more than the mining and aviation industries combined. So, although there may be people out there who don't see the value of the arts for what they bring to our souls, the arts certainly also bring money to the bottom line of Australia and to our economy.

One of the things about arts and culture that I think is fundamentally important and we should never lose sight of is that it doesn't have to be for everyone. You don't have to be someone who wants to go to the opera. You don't have to like jazz or even understand it. You don't have to be someone who reads poetry. But your life is enriched because there are people that do those things and because those things exist. Everyone's life is in some way touched by our creative industries. If you're a gamer, the games that you play have been designed by creatives. If you read books, that's obvious. If you watch television, apart from reality television most other shows have some contribution from someone who's got a role in the creative arts and the cultural industry. So many people can't live without dance, and I just want to take this opportunity to say that I know that the dance studios in my electorate and many others are really struggling, and the young girls and boys and older participants who love dance are missing it. We know that that's an industry that needs government support to be able to get back on its feet, because it's so important for so many people.

I want to end this speech not by being critical of the government but by calling on them to think about the legacy of legends like Don Burrows and others and how important it is to make sure that every Australian has the opportunity, no matter how much money they have or where they come from, to study music, literature, humanities, history and all those things that make us richer from day to day.

Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, too, thank the member for Moncrieff, otherwise known as 'Zootina', for moving this motion and recognising the great life of Don Burrows and his contribution to the creative arts in Australian society. Don's was clearly a rich life, from a boy lapping up the sun on the beach at Bondi in the 1930s to playing with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman and Nat King Cole. He clearly was one of those truly unique and wholly unmatched talents. Pioneering Australian jazz music on the world stage, entering the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1991, being named a National Living Treasure twice and having released 32 albums certainly demonstrated that Don wasn't just good; he was great. Don's place among the jazz greats is most definitely assured. Indeed—and I hope this is of some comfort to his friend the member for Moncrieff—it's not hard to imagine him right now up there in some celestial smoke-filled bar, playing with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald, with I was going to say a glass but perhaps a bottle of Scotch by his elbow.

In reflecting on the life of this giant, this man who brought music listeners so much joy and who dedicated so much time to not only promoting jazz but also providing opportunities for young musicians, we are reminded once again of the importance of the arts to our lives and our culture. Earlier this year, as the social distancing and restrictions kicked in, our theatres fell silent, acts stopped touring, movie releases were delayed and, for so many hardworking artists, including my sister, months of planned future work disappeared in days. As I've said before, the arts are vital, not only to our nation's culture but also as a mechanism through which we express ourselves and understand ourselves. This year we've been reminded, both through the absence of live shows and also in tuning into our TV shows to binge, just how vital the arts are. They challenge us. They help us to look at the world in a different way. But they also delight us, distract us and bring us moments of joy.

I am aware that sometimes, in certain company, just saying the phrase 'the arts' might cause some people to immediately conjure up images of experimental dance pieces performed to beat poetry. While I am sure that experimental dance performed to beat poetry has a loyal following, which I respect—I don't understand but I respect—we know that the arts are so much more. The arts contribute to our economy and create jobs. A report from the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA this year estimated that the creative industries contributed an estimated $3.3 billion in industry value-add to the WA economy and employed approximately 53,000 people. According to the ABS, across Australia there are 600,000 people working in the cultural and creative sectors. You can see the way that the arts contribute to our economy in events such as the Perth Festival, which this year had a $30.3 million direct economic impact on the WA economy and an $84.7 million multiplier effect. This was despite having to finish early because of COVID.

Earlier last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to discuss the challenges of 2020 with a number of wonderful arts organisations in my electorate of Curtin and in WA. I was pleased to be joined with representatives from the Chamber of Arts and Culture, the Australian Council for the Arts, Perth Festival, the Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, Steamworks Arts, Aura Film Finance, Barking Gecko and PICA. Being in a room with these passionate, intelligent and driven individuals was helpful and allowed me to gain further insight into what 2020 has meant for them. It also allowed me to also discuss the future of the arts in WA and how we could work together as a team to not just grow the industry but promote our unique voices and stories. I want to thank them all for the constructive discussion we had. I'm really looking forward to working with all of them and doing what I can to advance the arts in WA.

I recognise that there are still lots of challenges ahead, but, just as we've had to look at all of our industries this year, we need to take 2020 as an opportunity to look forward and think of new ways in which we can support the arts and also ensure their sustainability. I thank everybody in the arts for what they do and for their passion. What was present in the life of Don Burrows is shared by all artists. On behalf of the member for Moncrieff, I would like to finish by proposing to everybody who listened to the speeches today to put on a Don Burrows album—perhaps Cool Yule at Christmas to remember those we have lost during this coronavirus period.

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

I too rise to support this motion and acknowledge the member for Moncrieff's speech as well, and those of others who have spoken about Don Burrows in this place. I would also like to pay tribute to the great jazz musician, Don Burrows, who sadly passed away this year. Don leaves an undeniable legacy for Australian music and the arts in general. His achievements are many and varied. He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, the first jazz musician to be given this honour. He was twice named as one of Australia's living national treasures. He was responsible for taking Australian jazz to the world stage through his countless TV appearances and recordings. He was the first Australian act to perform at the great jazz festivals around the world. But it was his passion for education and fostering a love of jazz and music in general that will be one of his greatest legacies. Don Burrows helped establish the first jazz course in Australia at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and he was responsible for putting together one of the first jazz studies programs in the Southern Hemisphere. Don Burrows understood the importance of having a strong and vibrant arts scene. He understood this and he used his public image to champion the next generation of young musicians. But it wasn't only students at the conservatorium who had the opportunity to learn from this passionate musician. Don Burrows also spent a great deal of time providing music education to all sorts of people, but especially people in remote communities. He usually visited each place for a week and loved witnessing the children's joy and exhilaration when he played to them or with them or participated in events with them.

Don Burrows understood that a world without music and the arts is unimaginable—and I think most of us understand that as well. He understood the importance of our creative industries, and I am certain that he would despair at the current state of the sector. Our creative industries and the arts sector, play such a vital role in our culture, our community and our economy. The culture that we produce in this country is about who we are. Whether it be music, movies or authors that write books, culture is very, very important. The arts sector is very, very important. It is the way that we see ourselves through the prism of arts, and Don contributed greatly to that area.

It is really sad at the moment to see some of our artists suffering the loss of their jobs overnight. We heard the member for Dunkley, the member for Moncrieff and others talk about how our arts sector is just starting to get up and about the theatres and musicals that were shut and how the everyday life that musicians like Don would have had basically been locked down—and then, of course, there were the mass job losses overnight.

We pay tribute to Don. He contributed greatly to the jazz industry. At a time when Australian jazz was not frowned upon but we weren't known that well around the world—jazz normally came from other places around the world—he put Australia on the map through his jazz music and through his work as a performer and a whole range of other things. He was one of Australia's greats. He was a legend to the jazz industry. From what I was reading earlier, he didn't like being called a legend of jazz and music. Nevertheless, he was, and Australia will miss him dearly. The jazz music industry will miss him and so will the arts sector.

Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to recognise the passing of Don Burrows AO MBE. On 20 March 2020, the iconic and, arguably, the greatest Australian jazz musician and flutist passed away at the age of 91. His death marks the end of an incredible era of music in Australia. Oscar Wilde once said that he would rather be ashes than dust; that he would rather burn out than die out. I think that Don summed that up beautifully throughout his life. His passion for jazz began when he was a teenager. Filling in with jazz bands during World War II, with time and passion, Mr Burrows became a multi-instrumentalist. He continued to tour the world with his jazz repertoire. Burrows was the first Australian musician to garner international acclaim within his genre.

Whilst his contributions to the world of jazz is commendable, his lifetime contribution to the Australian music industry deserves special recognition. After Don had toured the world, he returned home to share his love of jazz with the next and future generations—and, for those of us on the northern beaches, most notably James Morrison. By starting the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's first jazz program, Don wanted to pass on to the next generation what he had developed.

For more than 40 years, he travelled the outback regions of Australia to share what he saw as the gift of music with Indigenous children and all those who otherwise did not easily have access to music. His enthusiasm was appreciated and absorbed by so many who never thought that they would ever have the chance to learn more. Those he educated and mentored zealously, as some of his mentees have told me, really appreciated Don's time.

Don was but one member of the creative arts industry, but a vibrant example of how the arts contribute to Australia's society, enriching the lives of so many by fostering response, engagement and creativity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are also significant, as they are often an expression of their culture and their history. For many Australians the arts foster a richer and more meaningful life by supporting the expression and production of creative thought and new ideas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has confronted all Australians, especially the cultural and creative sector. In recognition of this hardship suffered by so many in the industry, the government has provided in response approximately $700 million of additional targeted support for the sector. On 26 September the government dedicated $22.9 million in 2020-21 to support Australia's national cultural institutions during COVID-19.

In Don's final years, which he lived out in Terrey Hills, in the electorate I represent, he was cared for by James Morrison. It was an act of kindness to return to him that which he had been given so freely by Don. Don spent his last years on the Northern Beaches at the Terrey Hills Nursing Home. His passion never faded. He led several small ensembles at the nursing home. Don Burrows's music touched many lives in his 91 years of life, and his spirit lives on in the dazzling body of jazz music he has left for us to listen to.

The ancient Greeks used to say that art, when done at its apogee, provokes, stimulates and beckons all of us to do better. It demands that reason lead our passion, because together they make us better. This, I believe, sums up Don entirely. Vale Don Burrows. Thank you for the music.

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like the family unit, music is central to the human experience. It has a capacity to convey emotion and bring individuals together, whether for entertainment or for ritual. As a paediatrician I also know and understand the important role that music plays in the cognitive development of children, including language and literacy abilities, spatial reasoning and fine motor coordination.

The passing of Don Burrows earlier this year marked the end of an era for Australian music. Australian jazz fans will forever be grateful for his remarkable cultural legacy. Don was born on 8 August 1928 in Berowra, Sydney, to musical parents. He first picked up the flute in 1937—three of my four children play the flute, so I know how much he must have loved it!—after meeting flautist Victor McMahon. In the early 1940s he also picked up the clarinet and studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. My colleague and good friend the member for Moncrieff, who is also a world-class saxophonist, has reliably informed me Don played more than two dozen woodwind instruments. He would go on to release 40 albums.

By 1942 Don was fast becoming a key figure in Sydney jazz circles. He performed in dance halls, in nightclubs and on radio, including The Youth Show on Macquarie Radio. In the sixties and seventies Don's talent took him all over the world. In 1973 Don put Australian jazz on the map when he became the first Australian jazz musician to win a gold record for his record Just the Beginning. Many will remember Don for his later work on The Don Burrows Collection, which ran for six years during the 1980s; I certainly do. Don collaborated with many artists over the years, including household names such as Frank Sinatra, the great Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett. He also had a notable partnership with James Morrison, who recently said that Don 'touched so many lives and inspired generations of musicians and audiences alike'. Don was also an accomplished photographer, and received honours from the Australian Institute of Professional Photography in 2008. This passion complemented his travels as a musician.

Don was also passionate about education. He spearheaded the establishment of the jazz course at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was chair of jazz studies—a pretty cool job, if you ask me. He also used his passion of photography to support those making a career in music. For many years he travelled to regional and remote locations to perform and to photograph the sights and people along the way. Some of his favourite photos were of Indigenous children. These images were never included for sale; however, an idea was put to the department of Indigenous affairs in Canberra that he sell some of these images and put the proceeds towards a fund to support any Indigenous person seeking assistance for a career in music. That's what happened.

Don understood the power of investment in the arts and in particular music. The Morrison government also understands the importance of investing in Australia's arts sector. We recognise the valuable contribution it makes to our community, to our economy and, indeed, to our national identity.

Earlier this year I championed the need for an inquiry into the impact of COVID on the arts and how we as a government must ensure that our cultural identity not only thrives but prospers. An inquiry was announced in August this year. A standing committee will now undertake an inquiry into Australia's creative and cultural industries and institutions, including but not limited to Indigenous, regional, rural and community based organisations. This is important to build upon the important contribution of those who have gone before us, such as Don.

Australia will forever be indebted to Don for his cultural legacy. He is a true national treasure. Jazz biographer Bruce Johnson said of Don:

… his importance to Australian jazz extends beyond his musicianship. He has been central in the acceptance of jazz as a musical form to be treated with the same seriousness accorded other performing arts …

I'd like to mention that my uncle Mark Stephens, also known as Lazy Harry, is a country musician. I've watched his career over many decades and know how difficult it can be to make it in the music scene. We thank Don Burrows for the work he has done. He has made Australia a little more worldly and a little more sophisticated. Rest in peace, Don.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.