Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the Labor Party and the opposition to contribute to the condolence motion in honour of former senator Donald James Grimes, a former minister in the Hawke government and a proud public servant in this place. It's important that we take this time to reflect on Senator Grimes and the many significant, indelible contributions he made to our nation. He was a man of immense drive, pragmatism and integrity who was determined to correct injustice and inequality wherever he saw it. He would play a crucial role in the development and implementation of one of the most significant public policies in our nation's history.

The seeds of that success can be found in his childhood, where a lifelong commitment to social justice was forged. Senator Grimes was born in Albury, New South Wales, in 1937. With his mother dying at an early age, Don grew up in a single-parent, working-class family. His father, a fitter and turner with New South Wales railways, became a significant influence on Don and helped to shape his world view, one dominated by a sense of egalitarianism. Another aspect of his childhood would also have a profound effect on the young Don Grimes and begin a true love for the business of this place. There was a lack of books in the family home, but one of the few publications available was the parliament's Hansard, as the Leader of the Government in the Senate said in his remarks. Don was an avid reader, and his passion for politics and the issues of the day flourished from the records of debate in this great chamber. It served as a tremendous foreshadowing: his enlightening and impassioned speeches would go on to be transcribed in newer editions of his old favourite book.

In particular, Senator Grimes is remembered for his contributions which sought to amplify the voices of minority groups and shine a light on issues which were often overlooked. These contributions were often informed by Senator Grimes's early career in the field of medicine, one that exposed him to many stories too often ignored. Senator Grimes undertook his clinical training at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, followed by an internship at Royal Hobart Hospital and a stint in London. This whirlwind tour as a young GP showed Senator Grimes the contradictions of our society. His time at Royal Hobart Hospital contrasted starkly with his time at North Shore. In Hobart, he encountered patients far less fortunate than those he'd treated in Sydney. The Royal Hobart gave him a front-row seat to the devastating effects of poverty, domestic violence and illegal abortions.

Later, in London, he became acutely aware of the separation of classes in the United Kingdom, an awareness that inspired him to join the British Labour Party. This gave him exposure to the workings of European social democracies and helped him envisage a fairer and more equal Australia. These experiences had a profound impact on Senator Grimes, and he would later return to Tasmania and join the Australian Labor Party in the late 1960s, in part inspired by activism surrounding the ongoing Vietnam War. It would be the start of a political career which would culminate in his 13-year tenure as a senator for Tasmania.

When he came to this place, it was only fitting that one of the main priorities that he set out in his first speech was health care—specifically, the need for a national health insurance scheme. It would be an off-the-cuff remark—not just his commitment to health care but his entire speech. He had had little notice, less than 24 hours, to prepare his remarks, and even those hastily prepared notes were taken away from him by Attorney-General Lionel Murphy, who said that Grimes would perform far better on his feet. He was right. The new senator used his pulpit to decry the resistance by conservatives to change and reform, saying that it was a response to be expected from those of advantage and privilege. Senator Grimes concluded by saying, 'People should have the freedom and the opportunity to realise their reasonable ambitions without being exploited by others or indeed without exploiting others.' It was an impassioned start by a senator who would fight throughout his career for justice and equality.

In only his first few months as a senator, Don bravely and passionately participated in the debates over the Whitlam government's two Medibank bills: the Health Insurance Bill and the Health Insurance Commission Bill. Using his experience as a general practitioner, he challenged arguments that the bills amounted to communism, conscription and fascism, and asserted that health care was a core element of social security and thus should be funded by progressive taxation. He continued this fight for a universal healthcare system throughout the entirety of his career. Eventually, as Minister for Social Security and, later, Minister for Community Services under Prime Minister Hawke, he would see the program come to life under the name we now know it as: Medicare.

There are few public institutions more beloved in this nation than Medicare. Our public healthcare system is the envy of many in the world, and it stands as one of the greatest public policy achievements by an Australian government in our history. It took a number of tremendous individuals to create Medicare, and Senator Grimes was one of the very best. We owe him a great deal. His finest hour is now a right enjoyed by all Australians, and there is no more fitting legacy for a person like Don than the little green card in our wallets.

Senator Grimes was a passionate advocate for many other issues, and he was always more than willing to speak up on divisive topics and raise the voices of minorities in this country. Senator Grimes was instrumental in the Hawke government's effective and informed response to the AIDS crisis during the early 1980s. He answered the first question to parliament on AIDS, in May 1983, and advocated in the cabinet that the issue justified a fast, science based policy response free from politics. Given the stigma around the issue at the time, this further demonstrated the high premium he placed on the dignity of all Australians.

This trait was also shown in Senator Grimes's tireless work in the disability sector. In 1983, Don established the Disability Advisory Council of Australia. The council allowed people with a disability to do what he had been doing for them for so many years. He provided an avenue for people with a disability to directly advise the government on policies which affected their lives and their community. Perhaps his most significant achievement, alongside Medicare, in this space was the enactment of the Disability Services Act of 1986. By challenging the long-held views of professionals and peak bodies, he was able to advocate for a system which linked government funding to specific goals for clients who had a disability. In doing so, he believed he had given people with a disability 'a proper recognition of their rights and dignity and opportunity for the fullest possible participation in the community'.

Given his passionate advocacy across a range of controversial issues, you would imagine that Senator Grimes had many detractors in this place. But, in fact, it was quite the opposite. It speaks volumes of his character that Don was well liked by many of his colleagues right across the chamber. Senator Michael Tate dubbed him 'the quiet revolutionary' for his contribution to social policy, and his cabinet colleague Neal Blewett considered Senator Grimes to be the architect of much of Labor's social reform agenda. Senator Rosemary Crowley said that he was numbered amongst 'the very strong feminists' of her acquaintances, while Senator Susan Ryan acknowledged his 'enormously effective new programs' for the disadvantaged and the provision of 40,000 new childcare places, stating: 'He has done all of those things without great fuss, without pomposity or high-flown rhetoric. He is kind, decent, humane.'

After politics, Senator Grimes's sense of community and his willingness to stand up and speak for the disadvantaged took him all over the world, where he continued to advocate for change for all. He would serve as an ambassador to the Netherlands and chair a World Health Organization committee on AIDS in prisons. He would also serve on the Australian National Council on AIDS, work as a director of oncology in Kuala Lumpur and serve as a principal adviser to the health minister of Bahrain.

It was a life well lived, and one thoroughly decent and of great service to our nation. It was all part of his central ethos, a sentiment best summed up by this quote from his valedictory speech. Senator Don Grimes said that we should always strive for a 'more loving and caring society'. This is a core tenet of the philosophy of our party, and we seek to carry on Don's work and his legacy in this chamber today. My thoughts are with Senator Grimes's children, Roger, Jan, Jenny, Sally and Ben. I hope they are tremendously proud of their father's accomplishments, as we in this chamber are today.