Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death, on 17 July 2006, of the Hon. Dr Reginald John David Turnbull, a senator for the state of Tasmania from 1962 to 1974.

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its deep regret at the death, on 17 July 2006, of the Honourable Dr Reginald John David (Spot) Turnbull, former senator for Tasmania, and places on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Reginald John David Turnbull was born in Shanghai, China, in 1908. His family returned to Australia 10 years later, where he was educated first at Wesley College, Melbourne, and later studied medicine at the University of Melbourne. At the age of 28, Spot Turnbull, as he was widely known, opened a medical practice in Launceston, before enlisting in the Australia military force in 1942. He later served with the 2nd Australian Imperial Force and was a major with the 12th Australian Field Ambulance.

Spot Turnbull entered the Tasmanian state parliament in 1946, beginning a long and distinguished political career. He served as Labor’s Minister for Health for 11 years and subsequently as his state’s Treasurer. His achievements in Tasmania included overseeing the introduction of fluoride to town water to improve dental health—a very worthy achievement—the introduction of compulsory X-rays to help fight tuberculosis, improvements to women’s health services and encouraging the establishment of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Tasmania. In 1962, former Senator Turnbull entered the Senate to serve as Australia’s first Independent senator—a significant claim to fame in this place. He continued in this role until his retirement 12 years later, in 1974, except during the eight months from August 1969 when he led the Australia Party. He was a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Health and Welfare from 1970 to 1971 and was a parliamentary adviser on the Australian delegations to the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York in 1970 and 1971. Aside from his contribution to the Tasmanian and Commonwealth parliaments, he was a Launceston City Council alderman and served as Mayor of Launceston from 1964 to 1966. Throughout his long political career, he remained a practising GP.

I think it is fair to say that Spot Turnbull will be remembered as a politician with a commitment to helping people and, as I am reliably advised by Senator Ferris, who knew former Senator Turnbull, he was one of this Senate’s great characters. It was a life of great public service at all three levels of government—a relatively rare degree of service and achievement. On behalf of the government, I offer condolences to his wife, Nell, and his children, Shann, Hamish and Marsha.

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

On behalf of the opposition, I would like to support the motion of condolence moved by Senator Minchin following the death, on 17 July this year, of the Hon. Dr Reginald Turnbull, who I understand was better known as Spot. I inquired about the reasons, and apparently it was to do with some sort of facial spot, but it is a great Australian nickname. On behalf of all Labor senators, I would like to extend our sympathies to his widow, children, family and friends. Reginald Turnbull had a long and, dare I say it, controversial career in politics at the local, state and federal levels, including serving 12 years in the Senate as a representative of the state of Tasmania. As Senator Minchin said, interestingly he was born in Shanghai in 1908 and trained in medicine, a discipline he continued to practise throughout his long career in public life. During World War II, he served as a major with the 12th Australian Field Ambulance.

In 1946, he was elected a Labor member for the seat of Bass in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He remained in the House of Assembly for 15 years, until 1961. During his 15 years in state parliament, he served as the Minister for Health for more than 10 years and was responsible for the introduction of a variety of important health services. These included the introduction of fluoride to town water, the introduction of compulsory X-rays to fight tuberculosis and the establishment in Tasmania of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. For a time, he also served as Tasmanian Treasurer. I think it is fair to say that with his distinctive personal style he cut a highly controversial figure in the Tasmanian Labor Party and in public life more generally. After a decade in the Tasmanian cabinet and some considerable controversy, he was eventually estranged from Labor. I do not know what it is about Tasmania, but we seem to have a record of that. It is obviously a very independent group of people in Tasmania.

Nonetheless, Reginald Turnbull was regarded and is remembered as an intelligent, committed and somewhat larger-than-life individual. He was a very popular man in his home state and gave many years to public life. He was elected to the Senate as an Independent in 1961 for a term commencing in 1962 and was re-elected in 1967. From 1959 to 1967, he served as an alderman on Launceston City Council, with a period as mayor between 1964 and 1966. Thus he balanced the dual roles of Independent senator and Mayor of Launceston for two years and continued to practise medicine. I dare say he was a very busy man.

For a period of about eight months from August 1969 he was leader and sole representative in the federal parliament of the Australia Party. In the early days of the Senate standing committee system he was a member of the committee on health and welfare. As I understand it, he was also a parliamentary adviser to the Australian delegation to both the 25th and 27th sessions of the General Assembly of the UN in the early 1970s. He retired from the Senate in 1974. Despite his retirement he remained interested in politics and apparently even considered running for the seat of Bass in 1977.

Dr Turnbull was married twice. His first wife, Elizabeth Turnbull, passed away in the 1980s. He is survived by his widow, Nell, and by his three children. He was clearly a person who made an enormous contribution to public life in this country and was, obviously, a very interesting character. To his family and friends in this time of mourning I extend the sympathies of all opposition senators.

John Watson (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to be associated with this condolence motion for former Senator Spot Turnbull. Spot Turnbull was a giant of a man—as a medical doctor, as an influential mayor of Launceston, as a distinguished minister in the state Labor government—Treasurer, and Minister for Health for 10 years—and as a senator in this place for three terms. Mr Kenneth von Bibra, a friend of the late senator, described him as a ‘larger than life character’. Spot Turnbull, as he was affectionately known, had a pioneering role in so many areas. I mention the Royal Flying Doctor Service, compulsory testing for tuberculosis, water fluoridisation, pap smears and so on. The state has indeed lost a pioneer and, as I said earlier, a giant of a man. I extend to his widow, his family and his friends my sympathy as a Tasmanian senator, and I thank God for his life.

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to add a few words of tribute to the motion of condolence for the late Hon. Dr Reginald Turnbull. Spot Turnbull was one of the most significant political figures in Tasmanian politics in the second half of the 20th century. He was an MHA for Bass from 1946 until 1961, when he resigned to successfully contest a Senate election. He was a gifted physician who contributed greatly to improvements in public health. He was Australia’s second Independent senator and served in the Senate for 13 years. He had previously been a Tasmanian Minister for Health and later Treasurer in the Cosgrove and Reece Labor governments. In local government, as has been said, Dr Turnbull was a popular and effective mayor of Launceston while serving as a senator. He was once described as the ‘stormy petrel’ of Tasmanian politics, and I think that would be a label Spot would have relished. He remained interested in politics throughout his long life and attended celebrations in Melbourne to mark the Centenary of Federation in 2001. He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his parliamentary service. Following his 90th birthday, Spot indulged in a series of living wakes because he said he would not spend money on parties he could not attend.

I thank Senator Julian McGauran for representing me and the Senate at Dr Turnbull’s funeral service in the chapel at Wesley College. My condolences go to his wife, Nell, herself the daughter of the great surgeon Sir John Ramsay, and to Spot’s three children, Dr Shann Turnbull, Dr Hamish Turnbull and Marsha, Lady Grimwade. I now invite honourable senators to stand in silence to signify their support for the motion.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.