Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death, on 21 May 2018, of Donald Scott Jessop, a senator for the state of South Australia from 1971 to 1987 and a member of the House of Representatives for the division of Grey, South Australia, from 1966 to 1969.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its deep sorrow at the death, on 21 May 2018, of Donald Jessop, former Senator for South Australia, places on record its gratitude for his service to the Parliament, and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Fiercely independent and committed to his home state of South Australia, former Senator Donald Jessop's unique personal background and keen policy interest ensured that he made a big mark during his time in the parliament. Born on 21 June 1927 in Unley, South Australia, to Lindsay and Margaret Jessop, Donald was educated in Unley High School before pursuing optometry at the University of Adelaide, where he secured his formal qualification in 1949. In April of that same year he married Barbara Maughan, beginning what would be 69 years of marriage that brought three children, Meredith, Lynne and Michael, followed by an impressive extended family.

Donald's first years spent practising took him throughout regional South Australia, including postings at Port Pirie and Jamestown. In 1955, he set up his own practice in Port Augusta and, notably, founded the first Royal Flying Doctor Service optical clinic, becoming the well-renowned 'flying optometrist'. This furthered what would be a life-long passion for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and medical care throughout remote and regional Australia. Donald's professional profile and community mindset led him to become a prominent member of his local community, taking on roles as a Justice of the Peace and channelling his energy into the Apex volunteer service clubs. Such was his dedication to the Apex cause that he would later become a life member of its association in recognition of his extended service.

His strong support among locals helped his election to the Port Augusta City Council in 1960, a role that he fulfilled until 1969. Donald joined the Liberal Party after settling in Port Augusta and often self-identified as a reluctant politician. Contesting the 1966 federal election, he faced a daunting challenge. Grey had been in Labor hands since 1943. Undeterred, Donald traversed the sprawling electorate, which then accounted for some 84 per cent of South Australia's landmass, in a small plane lent to him by a friend and won the seat off the back of an impressive 7.8 per cent swing. Despite working hard as the member for Grey, Donald was unsuccessful in seeking re-election at the subsequent federal election, in 1969. However, his departure from the political scene was short-lived and he was elected to the Senate at the 1970 federal election—the same year as Sir John Carrick—formally commencing his term on 1 July 1971.

In Donald's maiden speech as the member for Grey, he had been quick to note that he was a new hand, and, as such, focused on those issues that were most relevant to his electorate. By contrast, his first speech in this chamber, delivered only a few years later, struck a very different tone. As a senator, Donald wasted no time in laying out his policy vision, which included his concerns about the plight of the South Australian wine industry, for which he was a reliable advocate. He also used his new platform to champion the efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, calling for greater public resourcing of its good work and that of medical centres across remote and regional Australia.

Over the years that followed, Donald was dutiful in the service of his state and never shied away from sharing his honest thoughts on matters affecting South Australia. He also took up a number of causes, including his fierce advocacy for Australia's national highways and railways. Notably, he pushed for upgrades to the Eyre and Stuart highways as well as for the construction of the Tarcoola-Alice Springs rail line, which was established during his time in the Senate.

Taking to the pages of The Canberra Times, in November 1978 Donald penned an article titled 'The satisfactions of serving on a Senate committee', in which he identified the committee process as being the most satisfying aspect of his work. Donald's active record within the committee system speaks to that conviction, and he used it to pursue a range of policy priorities. In particular, he relished his service as chairman of the Standing Committee on Science and the Environment between 1976 and 1983, which allowed him to indulge his keen interest in science policy. Among many Senate committee roles, he also served as the inaugural chairman of the Standing Committee on Appropriations and Staffing between 1982 and 1987.

Donald's parliamentary service reached its end with his defeat at the 1987 federal election. By that time he had made a name as a unique parliamentarian, known for his fierce independence of mind. It says something of the seriousness with which he took his position that, following his departure from the Senate, fellow senator for South Australia Grant Chapman spoke of him as 'a stout defender of the Senate's constitutional role'.

While Donald returned to optometry in the years that followed, his political interest was undimmed and he often posted letters to the editor of The Advertiser. Outside the walls of this place, Donald's other lifelong passions remained: Australian rules football, tennis, swimming, choral music and, of course, his large and loving family. To former Senator Donald Jessop's wife, Barbara, their children, Meredith, Lynne and Michael, their 11 grandchildren and their 17 great-grandchildren: on behalf of the Australia government and the Senate, I offer my sincerest condolences.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the opposition to acknowledge the passing of former senator and member of the House Donald Scott Jessop, who passed away on 21 May 2018 at the age of 90. I begin by conveying the opposition's condolences to his family and his friends.

Don Jessop described himself as 'a reluctant politician'. Yet the flying optometrist from Port Augusta would become first a local councillor, then a member of the House of Representatives and finally a senator. When faced with significant policy decisions, he didn't always follow the party line. On a number of issues, he was probably ahead of his time. His political approach was grounded in strong personal faith and values, which endured throughout his life. He grew up in the suburbs in the southern part of Adelaide, and attended Mitcham Primary School and Unley High School—a feature he shared with former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. However, I suspect that's where the similarity ends. Sport was a great metronome between the seasons throughout his life, of tennis in summer and footy in winter, and he was a lifelong supporter, and later vice-president, of the local Sturt footy club.

Taking up university study in optometry led Mr Jessop to practise in country South Australia—in Port Pirie and Jamestown—and for two years in Broken Hill. In 1955 he decided to open his own practice in Port Augusta. It was in this city, which is known as 'the crossroads of Australia', that Don Jessop first became involved in politics. Having been nurtured in the ways of the Liberal Party by his parents, who were members of the party's forerunners, he joined himself in his first year in what was then a pretty working-class town and built up the local branch. He was elected to local council in 1960, but midway through the period he won his first election to a more substantial political office: that of a federal parliamentarian.

At the 1966 House of Representatives election there were no rivals when Don Jessop accepted an invitation from the Liberal Party to be preselected as its candidate for Grey. The seat, which includes the industrial heartland around the 'iron triangle' at the top of the Spencer Gulf, in the form of the cities of Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Whyalla, had been held by Labor since 1943. However, to the surprise of all, he won with a 7.8 per cent swing handing him a three per cent margin. History could have been different had his Labor opponent been an alternative one. In its obituary, the Port Pirie Recorder suggested Mr Jessop might have had a rival for the seat in the form of future Prime Minister Bob Hawke, had the latter not delivered his nomination form a day late. After commending the efforts of the former Labor member in his first speech, Mr Jessop sought to put Grey on the map—one of his colleagues having apparently asked where in Victoria it was located.

In the three years as the member for what is still one of the larger seats in Australia, Don Jessop took up issues which would return throughout his parliamentary career. He campaigned for the expansion of resource development in outback South Australia, seeing that there was great potential for mineral and gas resource development. His electorate contained a cross-section of primary and secondary industry, from lead smelting, shipbuilding and steelmaking to vast agricultural and pastoral holdings. Perhaps in a sign of the times, Mr Jessop also campaigned for improved radio reception for his constituents. Well served throughout his time in politics by a wonderful sense of humour, he once delighted in explaining to a Texan that Grey was actually bigger than the Lone Star State. His tenure in Grey was the only break in Labor's then 50-year hold on the electorate, which ultimately ended in 1993.

Defeat in 1969 brought only a brief interlude to his parliamentary career. He was successful in obtaining preselection for the second position on the Liberal Party Senate ticket, going on to win the election in 1970. He would be re-elected a further five times. Amongst the matters he took up as a senator were reform of social security, superannuation and taxation. In particular, he campaigned for changes to the excise on wine and advocated for improved transport corridors for agricultural and industrial products as well as a growing tourism industry.

In 1973 he first warned of the dangers identified by scientists of the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and championed nuclear power as an ostensibly clean alternative power source to coal. One of his greatest policy contributions concerned the Murray River, a policy area of continuing and paramount importance to those of us from South Australia. So, in a fortnight when the Senate will debate the Water Amendment Bill, we should recall his advocacy for a national water authority. Senator Jessop also used his position as member and Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Science and the Environment to pursue this and other ideas. One of Mr Jessop's enduring contributions was to the select committee that recommended a separate appropriations bill on parliamentary appropriations and led to the establishment of the Standing Committee on Appropriations and Staffing.

Don Jessop was always an independent decision-maker. He crossed the floor of the Senate 27 times during his career representing South Australia. I understand that places him seventh on the all-time list. Along with one of those above him on that list, Senator Alan Missen, he opposed the deferral of supply in the party room in 1975. He didn't agree that the necessary reprehensible circumstances existed, and he publicly canvassed voting against the rejection of supply. This was an act of political bravery at a time when the nation found itself at a constitutional crossroads and a government commanding a majority in the House of Representatives was derailed by the actions of its opponents in the Senate. After his dismissal as Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam acknowledged Mr Jessop as the only Liberal who cared to write to him.

Mr Jessop successfully opposed the abolition of pensioner funeral benefits by his own Fraser government. He was also a vote against the same government when it came to the establishment of the Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee in 1991, of which he was in favour. Don Jessop was also key to the inclusion of eye examinations in health benefits available under the original Medibank, and, no doubt, his professional experience and authority was of assistance in this regard.

It might not necessarily have been for these reasons that Mr Jessop failed to secure re-endorsement on the Liberal Party ticket for the 1987 election, although they may have contributed. He told The Age that his tendency to always tell the party leader what he thought they should know rather than what they wanted to hear may have worked against him. Contesting the 1987 double dissolution election as an independent Liberal, Mr Jessop secured over 25,000 first preference votes, and his scrutineers reported a large number of informal below-the-line votes. Perhaps, if the 2016 Electoral Act changes had been in place, he could well have been re-elected.

A defender of the rights of the Senate, the late Clerk of the Senate, Harry Evans, acknowledged Mr Jessop's role in protecting this chamber's place in the bicameral system in a letter written after Mr Jessop's departure. One of his greatest contributions in the area was to parliamentary privilege. The 1980s were a time of great development in the area of privilege, culminating in the passage of the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987 and the Senate's privilege resolutions. Mr Jessop had an integral role in bringing this legislation and resolutions into fruition.

After leaving the Senate, Don Jessop first returned to his profession of optometry, practising in Adelaide and again in Port Augusta, but his political life did not end with his defeat at the 1987 election. To draw on the words of his grandson Nick in his eulogy for his grandfather, 'You can take the man out of politics but you cannot take politics out of the man.' It was a mark of the commitment Don Jessop had to public service and to public policy that he wanted to continue to contribute on the same issues that had preoccupied him during his parliamentary career. Nuclear power and the River Murray were dominant themes in his frequent letters to The Advertiser as well as to many federal and state members of parliament. To these he added some additional refrains: the end of the era of statesmanship and, especially in later years, aged care. He also produced a memoir entitled Reminiscences of a Reluctant Politician.

Family continued to be a great source of pride and joy for Mr Jessop, and he delighted in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, of which he had a total of 17. 'Pop' proudly showed them around Parliament House in Canberra and took them to lunch in Adelaide together with Nanna Barbie. He was a role model for values, wisdom, leadership and love.

Don Jessop passed away quietly just a few weeks ago after farewelling his beloved wife, Barbara. Mr Jessop's funeral, which was attended by many senior Liberal politicians and others, including a member of my staff, was held at the Malvern Uniting Church in Adelaide on a cool and breezy but clear day—Monday, 28 May 2018—in the same church in which he had married Barbara 69 years ago and in which they had worshipped together in their later life. He always attended church on Sundays in a tie and blazer, complete with his senator's pin, an indispensable accompaniment to his outfit. Officiated by member of the congregation and close friend the Reverend Neale Michael, OAM, RFD, the service honoured Mr Jessop's memory and gave praise to the God he loved. Mr Jessop had laid out detailed plans for his funeral, from its commencement with Mario Lanza's rendering of the Lord's Prayer to hymns including 'Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer' and the John Williamson accompaniment to the photo montage, the quintessential 'True Blue'. We were then and we remain reminded that Mr Jessop's Christian faith was a defining feature of his life.

Above all, Don Jessop always stood up for what he believed was right. He was a man of deep Christian faith for whom a strong moral compass was his guide throughout his political career. Whilst a reluctant politician, he loved being a senator. He was passionate about the causes in which he believed but also imbued with great love for his country and his family. So we again extend our sympathies today to Don Jessop's relatives and friends at this time, particularly his wife, Barbara; his children, Meredith, Lynne and Michael; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Very briefly I wish to acknowledge the remarks of Senator Cormann and Senator Wong in paying tribute to Donald Jessop, former member for the House of Representatives electorate of Grey in South Australia and, of course, as we've heard, long-serving Liberal senator for South Australia.

Don Jessop is no doubt an individual who would have firmly believed that success is derived through a commitment to hard work and strong values, and that is a testament to his life and to his many accomplishments. Yet equally I think it is fair to say that fate played a significant role in his life as well: the fortune—surprise—of being elected as the member for Grey in his first outing of electoral contest and then his defeat landing him here as a long-serving senator. Probably an individual who was better suited to being a senator and to serving as a senator, indeed, his contribution through that time can be seen through his many accomplishments but particularly in the principle that he brought to parliamentary democracy and his support for the unique role of this chamber in our Australian polity. His work and his contribution in developing and extending our committee system—we've heard the words about his support for the establishment of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee—and the extension of work around the acknowledgement of parliamentary privilege all ensure that the chamber we operate in today, and have the privilege and honour of operating in, is a stronger chamber. It is stronger for the contribution of the likes of Donald Jessop and Alan Missen during their era of service.

He, of course, was also a passionate and staunch representative of my home state of South Australia. He continued work that our forefathers at the time of Federation had done, as Senator Wong acknowledged, championing South Australian interests in relation to issues such as the River Murray—argued as they were at the time of the Federation conventions in the 1890s by former South Australian Premier Charles Cameron Kingston, through the contribution of senators like Donald Jessop and, indeed, through many contributions that Senator Wong and I have made during our time in this chamber today. It's a continuous stream, if you can pardon the pun, of work on such a critical issue.

Equally, he stood up for many South Australian industries, jobs and opportunities, as well as the welfare and wellbeing of so many South Australians. He had a fierce stream of independence within the way in which he represented his constituents—an independence that was testament to his character and his values, and his willingness to fight and to put their interests first.

He was a proud and loyal servant of South Australia and a great worker in many different ways for the Liberal Party through his time of service for our party. I pay tribute to his contribution and extend and add my condolences to his family and friends.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.