Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's my pleasure tonight to rise in the adjournment debate to speak about someone in Tasmania who has made a massive contribution to Liberal politics in our state. Often we don't hear much about the people who operate in what we call the backrooms of our political operations. It is someone who is a very close friend of mine and who has made a massive contribution in our state. That's Mr Brad Stansfield, who up until recently was a significant contributor to Liberal politics in our state—

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader (Tasmania)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I liked his op-ed recently. It was really good—having a go at his former boss.

Senator Bilyk interjecting—

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

as my colleagues Senator Polley and Senator Bilyk are acknowledging now. Brad is someone who has had a lot to do with the operations of the Liberal Party in Tasmania. He's a very skilled, disciplined and well-respected individual in our state, someone who is committed to the best outcomes for our state as well—and I'll come to some of the works that Brad's been a part of over the last 15 years in the state of Tasmania.

Brad originally came from the beautiful King Island, in the north-west of our state, which I'm sure my friend and colleague Senator Colbeck is very, very familiar with. That is the place where Brad landed his first job, editing the King Island Courier. It is a wonderful publication that he edited with great vigour and a high level of thoroughness, which is a characteristic that has stayed with Brad throughout his entire career. A finger on the pulse, he was across every issue, and he was exceptional at what he did.

Following his time at the King Island Courier, Brad joined the staff of Senator Eric Abetz and was with him for a number of years before joining the office of the then Tasmanian Leader of the Opposition, Will Hodgman, whom he stayed with for a number of years, between 2010 and 2018. Brad worked exceptionally hard during a very difficult period of time. I know both Senator Bilyk and Senator Polley would have an inside view of what it's like working inside the Tasmanian political system, as I do. It is difficult in opposition. There are no resources and there are, some might say, very substandard working conditions. But Brad worked exceptionally hard with members of the party—the members of the parliamentary Liberal Party as well—in Tasmania to turn the ship around. Brad was, if you like, the mastermind, the key architect, of the plans for the 2014 state election campaign. Those who have worked with Brad know the kind of bloke he is: a problem-solver; a listener; disciplined; someone who gets what ordinary Tasmanians are thinking about, what matters to them, and is able to translate that into political strategy.

The 2014 election campaign, which I had the absolute pleasure of working for Brad on, as his deputy, was amazing. It had been 16 years of Labor government in our state, and the Labor government had been a very strong outfit, with a number of Labor premiers, so it was a tough ask. I'd been through a number of campaigns where we'd just missed out, so to clinch it the way we did in 2014 was a wonderful testament to Brad's work. We picked up an additional seat in every electorate apart from the electorate of Denison, which is a very tough one for the Liberal Party in Tasmania. Eventually, once the count was done, we'd picked up 15 of the 25 seats. The swing to the party that year was 12.23 per cent. It was a significant effort and something I think Brad should be very proud of.

Fast forward four years to 2018 and the election we've just had in our state. The Liberals again won a majority of the vote, 52.26 per cent. It is the first time in over two decades that a conservative party has won majority government for two elections in a row. It is a massive testament to Brad—and those around him—and the efforts that he made, the long hours that he contributed to the cause, supported so ably by his wife, Priscilla, and their four wonderful children.

Brad has left politics now, which is why I'm making this contribution tonight. He is part of the outside-of-politics fraternity. He's working for a firm in Hobart and he still interacts with us, but he's no longer a member of staff in any political office. So I take this opportunity, on behalf of Senator Colbeck and the other Tasmanian Liberal senators, to wish Brad well and thank him for what he did in our state. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about him and from him, probably in the Mercury newspaper in the form of columns, which sometimes we'll be happy to read and other times not. Brad, we thank you for your efforts.