Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

That is an interesting background that I did not know about. From 1965 until directly before his election to parliament in 1975, he held the position of Director of Television for TVQ in Brisbane. As a Brisbane media personality, David could boast that his face was the very first on Brisbane's Channel 0, appearing on screen as the network's first newsreader. I am sure he used his excellent broadcasting skills and voice to mount a successful campaign for the House of Representatives in 1975, as the Liberal candidate for Bowman, a seat he won and held until the Hawke government was elected in 1983.

After his electoral defeat, David Jull took up the position of Deputy Manager of the Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation. His passion for travel continued throughout his parliamentary career, and I know he gave many a parliamentarian advice on destina­tions and travel packages, to their delight. I think at times it was a full-time job for him. People used to say to me: 'If you want to know how to get somewhere and want the cheapest ticket, go and ask David. Buy him a cup of coffee and he'll save you a thousand bucks.' I know many colleagues from both sides of the parliament used to take his advice. I think some of them went on some pretty exotic routes at times. But he always made himself available to provide that advice across the parliament.

It was only a short time later, at the 1984 election, that he was re-elected to the parlia­ment as the member for Fadden, a seat he continued to hold until his retirement at the 2007 election. He was elected 11 times, which is an astonishing record for any parlia­mentarian and beats Sir James Killen's record for service in the House of Represen­tatives. At a time when the average time of service in the parliament has been reducing, it is truly a remarkable record.

After serving as a member of the shadow ministry from 1989 to 1994, he was appointed to the first Howard government ministry as Minister for Administrative Serv­ices in March 1996, serving until September 1997. He resigned as a minister in 1997, following allegations made regarding his role in overseeing parliamentary allowances. His contribution to the parliament continued, though, and he was a big contributor to the committees of the parliament. He served for a decade as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO and later as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelli­gence and Security, where he presided during its important inquiry into the perform­ance of the Australian intelligence services in relation to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction during 2003-04.

I had the pleasure of being on a delegation which he led to Indonesia in 2003. It was a delegation that included Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja and my former leader Kim Beazley. It was very well led by David Jull. His affability and ability to get on with people and to provide a sense of team within the delegation did him proud. We had a very successful delegation, and that in part was a reflection of his style and inclusiveness. I very much enjoyed his company, although I think he had a couple of bad habits that probably did not contribute to good health. Ill health during his time in parliament obviously was an issue. It was with great relief and joy that he overcame cancer, after being diagnosed in 2005. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, it is a matter of deep regret that, after 30 years in public life, his retirement was obviously far too short, just four years.

David Jull is very fondly remembered by members of this parliament on both sides of the chamber. On behalf of the government, I offer condolences to his family and to his many friends in this parliament.