Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I came to the Senate, I had only met George Campbell once, but very quickly I became very good and very close friends with George, which puzzled many people—and me, at times—because we did not seem to agree on very much. Even though we were both from the Left of the party, we seemed to be in constant argument about all forms of Left politics. We did agree on some things. When George agreed with me, he was actually right in those matters. When he did not agree with me, he was wrong—except for maybe one case. In the six years I have been here so far, we have had the luxury of three leadership ballots, which can test friendships and relationships within the party. George and I never voted for the same leader, ever. I will concede that maybe he was right about Mark Latham.

But I rise tonight because I want to put some formal remarks on the record about George’s fine career. George stated in his first speech that he was committed to fairness, equality of opportunity and social justice. He declared that he had an abiding bias towards working people and those in society who are less well-off. Working with him in this place, I have seen him prove this to be true. He, like me, came from a trade union background and has spent almost all of his working life helping workers, through unions or in the Senate.

Working people, together with their unions, have achieved significant change. We only have to look at the eight-hour day, superannuation and maternity leave, amongst many, many other things. George recognised that this was not a one-way street—that hard-won rights could just as easily be taken away. He recognised that the conditions of employment which our forebears fought for and made sacrifices to achieve were continuously under threat. He knew the conservatives well when it came to the struggle of working people. I will quote from George’s first speech to illustrate this. He said:

I know it is popular for those on the other side of this chamber to decry those achievements and to vilify trade unionists, but you cannot ignore the facts and you cannot rewrite history.

George was not surprised when the coalition came into this place and tried to destroy the many hard-won achievements of working people. What was galling to us was that it would occur on our watch as representatives of Australian working people in the Senate. This was why George was one of the stalwarts in the fight against Work Choices—he would not let the heritage of all those who came before in our labour movement slip quietly away.

George was a tremendous weapon against the anti-worker legislation so lovingly tended by those opposite. His knowledge and wit, combined with his ferocious passion for the rights of working people, made him a formidable force in this place. Looking back at George’s contributions, I am struck by how consistently he quickly grasped the essence of the issue and looked to find solutions, arguing against injustice and working toward a fairer society.

Several years before we realised there were chronic problems in infrastructure, skills and demand for workers, George was calling for investment in these areas. Again, I will quote George from 1997, when he called for:

... the development of a bank of regional and national infrastructure projects that can be initiated at various times over the life of the economic cycle to sustain high growth rates in the economy; effective skills development and labour market programs that enhance the opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed to obtain sustainable long-term employment consistent with the needs of the economy ...

Again he was proven correct. Infrastructure funding and skills shortages are areas in which the coalition never really planned at all. To top it off, George was proven right yet again when we look at his call for strong industry policy. He warned:

... we can be relegated to the role of fringe dweller providing the raw materials out of which others will extract the real added value.

And, again, what did the conservatives do? They sat back and rode on a resources boom, happy to see exactly what George predicted become firmly entrenched as reality.

George has always known that working people are the backbone of our economy and that a strong economy is built on opportunity and on our collective toil. He recognised that we must reward this collective effort and ensure our economy serves the needs of our society, ensuring fair outcomes from our collective wealth. George always fought against the lack of vision of the conservatives where they pushed for a society where our collective wealth was driven towards those with influence and power and where working people were merely seen as economic inputs that could be mistreated with impunity.

I want to put on record my personal appreciation for George’s efforts in this place. When I was first elected to the Senate George helped me immensely with the workings of both the Senate and its committees. George leaves us with not only a fine personal history of achievement but also perhaps one of the finest political attainments one can gain as a member of the labour movement—that of striking a blow for working people at the ballot box, the very reason that the Labor Party was founded.

I also would like to make some remarks about Senator Kirk. They may not be as extensive as my comments about Senator Campbell because, unfortunately, I did not get to know her as well as I got to know George. Senator Kirk could always be relied upon, whether it was in the Senate caucus, in the committees or just as a colleague around the tracks. She was always a great support in the Senate. I found her to be warm-hearted and someone who worked hard both for her constituents and for our party. Linda was committed and was strong in fighting for our common ideals, and I thank her for her support. I found Linda always to be approachable, sensible and understanding. She was a valued part of our number. I wish Linda well for the future, and I am sure she will continue her active work in supporting and strengthening the labour movement.