Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this condolence motion for former South Australian senator Alex Gallacher. I begin by expressing my sympathy and condolences to Alex's family. In particular, I offer my sympathies to Alex's wife, Paola; his daughter, Caroline; his son, Ian; and his stepsons, Terry and Frank. My condolences also go to his daughter-in-law, Seonaid; grandsons, Connor, Lachlan and Jari; and his granddaughter, Mia. Alex, sadly, passed away earlier this year after a long battle with lung cancer. I know he is greatly missed by his family and friends. He'll certainly be missed in this place for all of the reasons previous speakers have mentioned.

Alex was born on 1 January 1954 in New Cumnock in Scotland. He was a New Year's Day baby. Alex's family moved to Australia in 1966. After leaving school he worked as a labourer and truck driver. He ended up getting a job as a ramp service operator with TAA, as it was known then. Alex joined the Transport Workers Union in 1975. That was the start of many years of passionate and dedicated service fighting for the rights and conditions of transport workers in Australia. Senator Sterle very humorously went through some occasions of his work during that time. Alex held the positions of industrial officer, organiser and state secretary in the TWU's South Australian and Northern Territory branch. Later he served as the federal vice-president and president.

I joined the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association in 1976, not that long ago, a year after Alex joined the Transport Workers Union. We shared many years working in and leading the two strongest unions in South Australia. We developed strong ties and a close working relationship between our unions. Those close ties delivered better pay and conditions for retail and Transport Workers Union members in South Australia. They also helped to deliver 31 years of stable, centrist Labor state governments in South Australia between 1975 and 2018. It was a great privilege working closely with Alex, the labour movement and the Labor Party in South Australia for many years. I know our state will be better off for his efforts.

In 1988 Alex joined the Labor Party and he joined the Right faction of the Labor Party. That's 'right' as in 'Right' and 'right' as in 'correct'. After we helped him win an election for the position of state secretary, my very good friend David Feeney, a former senator in this place, came over from Melbourne to run the campaign, and it was one of those great union election campaigns.

Alex served as a delegate at both state council and ALP national conference and he won preselection for the Senate spot on Labor's South Australian Senate ticket prior to the 2010 federal election. He replaced his very good friend Annette Hurley and he was very close to her husband, Bob. Bob used to do all the computer work for the Transport Workers Union in South Australia.

Alex was elected to an initial term, beginning on 1 July 2011, and re-elected in the 2016 and 2019 federal elections. Throughout his working life, Alex remained committed to advocating for a safer workplace with better conditions and fair pay for those working in the Australian transport industry. In his maiden speech, Alex listed transport, road safety and superannuation as his three priority interests, and he pursued those issues throughout his time in the parliament, which I will talk more about later.

In that first speech, Alex also raised his concerns over the impact of the carbon tax on road transport and called for self-employed drivers to be compensated for any negative impacts. He later warned against the ALP becoming a captive to the new green agenda. The need to find a balance between action on climate change and the jobs of Australian workers was something he understood from the start.

Alex was a tireless, hardworking contributor to the parliamentary work schedule. You often hear people lament the fact that question time gets all the attention while all the real work is done through the parliamentary committees. Alex contributed as much to that important work as anyone. I won't list all of his committee work, because Alex really was one of the hardest workers through the committee system that this place has seen. We would be here for a very long time if I was to list all of his service, but I'll mention a few to remind everyone just how hard he worked and the scope of his contributions.

In 2015, Alex chaired the Select Committee on the Recent Allegations relating to Conditions and Circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru. He also twice chaired the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, between 2014 and 2019, and was chair of the Economics References Committee from June 2020 to May 2021. In addition, Alex served as deputy chair of several committees, including the Economics Legislation Committee. Alex was very diligent in his committee roles and was a respected and even-handed chair.

I think it would be true to say that one of the committee roles he was most proud of was his involvement in the two joint select committees on road safety. As I mentioned earlier, Alex remained committed to delivering safe workplaces and better working conditions for transport workers. Through his work on the road safety committee, Alex continued to pursue improved road safety not just for transport workers but for all Australians. Alex was deputy chair of the second Joint Select Committee on Road Safety from June 2020 until November 2020. I want to highlight that because I think it perfectly illustrates Alex's commitment to his responsibility as an elected representative in the Australian parliament.

Despite the obvious challenges presented by his illness, Alex continued to contribute to our nation's parliament. He followed through on things he'd committed to, even when things got very tough. He continued to contribute to debate via video link, even when his poor health and the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for him to get here in person. Alex's work ethic stands as a reminder that we're all privileged to be in this place and we have a responsibility to work tirelessly in the interests of the Australians who elected us and whom we represent.

Down to earth, hardworking and dedicated to what he believed in, Alex Gallacher was a great fighter for the rights and conditions of transport workers. Alex passionately pursued the interests of South Australians in the federal parliament and never forgot his working-class roots nor his Carlton Football Club. I again offer my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. He'll be sadly missed.