Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak tonight to remember and celebrate the life of Bill Chandler OAM, who passed away peacefully on 24 July. At his funeral on Monday, Bill was described as 'a giant in the world of planning' and a towering figure for more than half a century across the built-environment professions, with an immense impact locally, nationally and globally. Rod Duncan, a pretty significant figure himself in the planning profession, went on to say:

Bill was not a daunting or overwhelming sort of giant, but mellow, approachable and welcoming; somehow managing to make everyone feel like they were his special confidant.

A sort of Uncle Bill, with his grey beard, bulging briefcase, and grey coat; just off the train from Surrey Hills.

That's how I knew Bill. I worked with Bill in the mid-2000s, when I was a councillor at the City of Maribyrnong and chair of the Metropolitan Transport Forum, working for sustainable transport. We engaged Bill to do some research and campaigning work with us.

I've stayed in touch with Bill since then and, particularly after I was elected to the Senate, Bill made sure to stay in touch with me. He appreciated in particular being in touch with the politics of action and inaction on climate in this place. Bill sustained pressure on his federal members of parliament on humanitarian and environmental issues over many years, including as part of his local climate group, Lighter Footprints. Bill stood as an independent in the seat of Kooyong at the 2019 election, and his work in this campaign, alongside that of fellow climate independent Oliver Yates and our Greens candidate, Julian Burnside, was a significant factor in paving the way for the successful election of independent Monique Ryan at this year's election.

At Bill's funeral, Rod Duncan summarised his career:

Bill joined the Royal Australian Planning Institute in 1966, and was an officer bearer from the 1970s … His commitment to what matured into the Planning Institute of Australia extended over 56 years, only recently stepping down as Managing Editor of its monthly journal.

By 1974, in addition to his day job, Bill was lecturing a room-full of future leaders in the profession who had enrolled in Melbourne University's new Graduate Diploma program.

…   …   …

Beyond occasional formal teaching roles, Bill was a perpetual educator, through innumerable conferences, publications and conversations. He was a great communicator, and built lifelong Connections.

As a vocal advocate of social justice and equality, he was diligent in ensuring female practitioners were heard and encouraged.

…   …   …

Bill was early to recognise that Planning alone was only part of the toolkit for enriching cities and society, so he embraced allied perspectives and professions that also influence urban conditions and outcomes.

In particular, Bill was recognised as being pivotal to the development of the field of urban design in Australia. Planner John Burns said:

Australian cities owe Bill a debt. You cannot conceive how we would have got to here without him, for he was central over decades to the creation and promotion of the critically important national Urban Design dialogue: as activist, teacher, professional, communicator, mentor, catalyst, networker and organiser.

I received today, hot off the press, the latest edition of Planning News, the journal that Bill was the managing editor of for so long, which features glowing tributes to Bill Chandler. In remembering him, the journal noted that they'd been overwhelmed at the number of warm and heartfelt tributes to Bill flowing in. Bill's family have shared some of these tributes with me, many of them from some pretty luminary figures in the field of planning.

Rob Adams described Bill as 'truly a remarkable man who helped so many of us to share his wisdom. He was a tireless, optimistic and always humorous campaigner for better people places, and our cities are better as a result of Bill's life's work.' Marcus Spiller said:

In his passing, I've come to appreciate Bill as the unofficial coach of planning in Victoria; not the belligerent, carping type but rather inspiring his players with his crystal clarity on what planning stands for.

And younger planner Ben Cooke noted how many generations of planners benefited from Bill's energy, enthusiasm and experience.

At events, you always knew when Bill was in the room—centrally positioned, more often than not with a full glass of red, with planners orbiting around him, in and out of conversation.

Not surprisingly, Bill was also passionate about his local patch, Surrey Hills. He was one of the leaders of a campaign against a massive road flyover in the 1970s. He edited the Surrey Hills Neighbourhood News from its inaugural edition in 1982. He said, 'I see my life as a citizen first and an urban planner second.'

Bill's health had deteriorated in recent years with his cancer and his cancer treatment, but he continued to contribute. He's survived by his wife, Ros, and their children, Andrew, Elizabeth and Kate. I acknowledge Andrew and Audrey in the gallery tonight. (Time expired)

Senate adjourned at 17:50