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

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its deep regret at the death, on 12 March 2012, of the Honourable Francis John Walker, QC, former minister and member for Robertson, and places on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

It is my privilege today to lead this condolence motion to mark the very significant contribution of our Labor colleague who served as a senior minister at both the state and federal level. Frank Walker was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for nearly six years, from 1990 to 1996, and was a minister in the Keating government. I had the honour of serving with him in the last three-year period of the Keating government and was always very impressed by his ability and his passion for the labour cause and for social justice. He was a very impressive contributor to the Labor caucus and to the ministry of that time. Prior to entering federal politics Frank served in Neville Wran's government and made history as the state of New South Wales' youngest Attorney-General and as the first minister in New South Wales to hold the Aboriginal affairs portfolio. His contribution to public life was remarkable and spanned more than four decades. He was a determined and fearless campaigner with strong convictions whose reputation as a reformer and a passionate advocate for the underdog was well known. The unorthodox upbringing that coloured Frank's early years was perhaps less well known. The first born of two sons, Frank was born on 7 July 1942 in Sydney. The family lived in a Housing Commission home in Coogee until 1948, when they were forced to move overseas because Frank's father, a member of the Communist Party of Australia, was blacklisted and unable to work in Australia. Frank and his brother spent their formative years in Papua New Guinea, living and learning alongside indigenous children in coastal villages while their father supported the family, salvaging and melting metals and alloys from World War II aircraft he found in the surrounding jungle. The boys were raised as Catholic. While their mother took care of their religious upbringing, their father taught them how to read and also broadened their education to include the world of politics.

Frank was 12 when the family returned to Australia and settled on the New South Wales mid-North coast. It was here, in 1950s Australia, at the age of 13, that he staged his first political act. He sat with segregated Aboriginals at the Sawtell picture theatre, in the process drawing the attention of the local constabulary and making himself an outcast in the community.

He attended Coffs Harbour High School before studying law part time at the University of Sydney. He completed a law degree in 1964 and a Master of Laws in 1969. He married his first wife, Marilyn Duff, an accountant, in 1963, and the marriage ended in 1992. Through his university years, Frank continued to speak out against racial segregation. He joined Charles Perkins on the Freedom Ride to Moree in 1965 and five years later was propelled into politics on the back of his engagement in Indigenous issues. He was an articled clerk from 1960 to 1965, a solicitor from 1965 to 1976, a barrister from 1976 to 1988 and appointed as Queen's Counsel in 1981.

Frank joined the Australian Labor Party in 1960 at 18 years of age and held various branch and electorate positions, including as president of the Canterbury-Bankstown and Barton Young Labor associations. Frank was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for nearly 18 years from 1970 to 1988 and was quick to carve out a career as a vocal backbencher. As the member for Georges River during the Wran and Unsworth New South Wales state governments, he held several key ministerial positions. At 34 years of age, as I said earlier, he was the youngest person to be appointed as the New South Wales Attorney-General, a position he held for seven years. He was also Minister for Youth and Community Services, Minister for Justice, Minister for Housing, Minister for the Arts and the first New South Wales minister appointed to the new ministry of Aboriginal affairs.

Following that long state career, Frank entered federal politics in 1990. In March 1993 he became both Special Minister of State and Vice-President of the Executive Council. He was promoted to Minister for Administrative Services in March 1994, a position that he held until the 1996 federal election. Frank Walker was an active participant in the affairs of the parliament. He attended the 85th Inter-Parliamentary Conference in the Republic of Korea in 1991 and undertook official visits to Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the United States. He served on a number of committees.

In 1996 he married Pamela Buchanan, a public servant. After politics, Frank continued a distinguished career by serving as a judge on the Compensation Court of New South Wales from 1997 to 2003, and from 2004 to 2006 he was a judge of the Dust Diseases Tribunal and of the District Court of New South Wales.

Having had two sons who suffered from schizophrenia, Frank had a long association with the Schizophrenia Fellowship of New South Wales and served as president of the fellowship from 1998. Sadly, Frank's two sons, Michael and Sean, took their own lives within two years of each other. Frank stepped down last December from his role as President of the Schizophrenia Fellowship but remained a member of the fellowship until his death. I met with Frank last November when he wanted to speak to me about issues of disability employment and mental health. He retained a very strong commitment to assisting people with mental health issues in seeking employment and broader support. He brought a passion to that subject even in his last days.

From the time Frank joined the Labor Party at age 18, he worked tirelessly for those who struggled, whether in the early movements in support of Indigenous rights, in the cause for law reform or in promoting housing and social justice. On top of this, he was a leader who worked to support people with mental illness. His own battle with cancer saw his passing on 12 June this year. He is a great loss to the Australian Labor Party but had a remarkable Labor career. On behalf of the government, I offer my condolences to his wife, Pamela, his family and his friends.