Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its deep regret at the death, on 17 November 2019, of Benjamin Charles Humphreys AM, former Member of the House of Representatives, Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister assisting the Minister for Northern Australia in the Hawke and Keating governments, places on record its appreciation for his service to the Parliament and the nation, and tenders its sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

When Ben Humphreys was first elected to represent the people of the Queensland seat of Griffith in 1977, I'm advised that he thought he would only last for one term. That he retired from parliament almost 20 years later, in 1996, was testament to his hard work, dedication and commitment to the people of his electorate and, indeed, Australia. In that time, the Labor Party member for Griffith served as a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments. He was Minister for Veterans' Affairs for six years and also spent 10 months as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Northern Australia.

Ben Humphreys was born in Brisbane in 1934. He grew up in the riverside suburb of Bulimba in the thirties and forties. After marrying Beryl, they settled in the Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne, where they raised five children. He worked as a mechanic and also travelled and worked extensively across rural Queensland and the Northern Territory as a salesman, where he became affectionately known as 'the bushman's friend'.

Ben Humphreys' path to the Australian Labor Party, and ultimately parliament, started with his involvement in the union movement. He was a member of the Amalgamated Metal Workers and Shipwrights Union and from 1965 to 1966 was the branch secretary of the Amalgamated Engineering Union. In his famous speech to parliament, Ben Humphreys told the House, when he was elected to parliament in 1977, that he had never been to Canberra before and had never been to Parliament House, and he thought all would be rosy with all the great members of the Labor Party being 'as one'. I quoted him there and I continue to quote. He said: 'My baptism of fire was my first caucus meeting.'

Following Gough Whitlam's resignation as Labor leader after the 1977 election, Ben Humphreys backed Lionel Bowen in the ballot against Bill Hayden, which he freely admitted did not go down well in Queensland at the time. After Bowen's loss to Hayden, Ben was recruited to the New South Wales Right faction by Doug McClelland and John Johnston. Ben said that, while there was a lot of hard work done behind the scenes to get him into the New South Wales Right, it was not hard for him to stay, because 'I found them to be a very decent group of people, even though we hear some stories from time to time.' He went on to say, 'But you do not want to believe all the stories you hear around Parliament House,' which I suggest to colleagues is very sage advice indeed!

Apart from his ministerial positions, Ben Humphreys was the Deputy Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1983 and Government Whip from 1983 to 1987. He worked hard during his six years as Minister for Veterans' Affairs, seeing it as his duty to do his very best for our veteran community. His connection to and understanding of veterans came partly through his own military service. As a 19-year-old he completed National Service in the Navy from 1953 to 1954 with the Fleet Air Arm. He was also in the Navy Reserves from 1954 to 1961.

His eldest sister married an American soldier after World War II, and his nephew was a medic in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Ben Humphreys told parliament that his nephew had told him stories of the realities of treating wounded soldiers on the battlefield. As the second-longest-serving Minister for Veterans' Affairs he was a particularly strong advocate for Vietnam veterans, encouraging all Australians to honour and commemorate their service. He acknowledged that there were mixed feelings in Australia during the Vietnam war, but was adamant that Vietnam veterans were entitled to the respect and admiration of their fellow Australians for the way they did their duty and the sacrifices they made for their country. Ben Humphreys strongly supported the 1987 national 'Welcome Home' parade of Vietnam veterans of Australia and urged all Australians to support the event.

In 1990, he travelled with a group of World War I veterans to Gallipoli for the 75th anniversary of Anzac Day and was deeply moved by the anniversary event. Speaking in parliament on his return, he said:

… having travelled the full distance with those Gallipoli and World War I veterans, I will never know another 10 such days. I can say that by observing and getting close to those men I have broadened my understanding of my own character and what it means to be an Australian.

After leaving parliament, Ben Humphreys maintained close contact with Australia's South Pacific neighbours, and in August 2001 he was part of a Commonwealth observer group sent to oversee the 2001 election in Fiji. He also served on the board of the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.

Tributes have flowed since Benjamin Humphreys's passing. Invariably he's been described as a people's politician with strong values and as someone who possessed a sense of decency and authenticity. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who replaced Ben Humphreys as Labor's candidate for Griffith after his retirement, said he was a mentor for how to be a good local MP. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said:

… Ben was a kind, gentle and good man. He began life as a local mechanic and saw every person he met as his equal. He would go out of his way to help people in need.

Further:

Without Ben, I could never have later become Prime Minister of Australia.

On behalf of the Australian government, I offer our sincere condolences to Ben Humphreys's family: to his wife, Beryl, and their children, Sharon, Jude, Brenda, Ben and Jason, as well as their grandchildren, Beth, Hannah, Amy, Claire, Hunter and Lola. May Ben Humphreys rest in peace.