Parliamentary Library Officer David Clune

Mr BARRY O'FARRELL (Ku-ring-gai—Leader of the Opposition) [5.35 p.m.]: The conclusion of Decision and deliberation: the Parliament of New South Wales, 1985-2003, says:

As in society at large, the business of this Parliament develops by compromise and negotiation, by a process in which conflicts are resolved on the basis of shared underlying assumptions and values. The process may seem too untidy to some, too uncertain to others. From a positive standpoint, the case for Parliament can always be overstated. Nonetheless, at the highest level in this polity, the Parliament of New South Wales is the forum that encapsulates and expresses the pluralistic, creative and all too human endeavour that goes by the name of politics.

I pay tribute to one of Parliament's most valuable and faithful officers. I am not talking about a Speaker, Premier or some other elected representative, nor am I speaking about a long-serving Chamber officer who has helped guide proceedings for decades. Instead I pay tribute to one whose work rarely attracts the limelight focused on the rest of us; someone who, throughout a 35-year career here, has supported the work of members on behalf of those we represent and—more importantly, in my view—has worked to ensure that our parliamentary system and its history are better understood by the wider community and succeeding generations.

David Clune began his career in the Parliamentary Library on 2 December 1974, when Bob Askin was Premier, Neville Wran was Opposition Leader and Jim Cameron was Speaker of this place. During his distinguished career his service has spanned the terms of nine Premiers, six Speakers, four Clerks of the Legislative Assembly and far too many Leaders of the Opposition. David Clune deserves to be proud of his career in the Parliamentary Library and the New South Wales Parliament. Arriving here freshly minted with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney and a Diploma in Librarianship from the University of New South Wales, David's first decade was spent dealing with newspapers and reference services for members. He was the Parliament's first media librarian and introduced its well-used media monitoring service.

During his second decade here, David Clune served as senior librarian, heading the library's information resource unit where, amongst other advances, David helped introduce new technology to assist library staff and members alike. Along the way, David managed to find time to further his academic studies. In 1982 he earned a Master of Arts from the Department of Government at the University of Sydney, studying the 1941 election from a rural perspective. David followed up in 1991 with a PhD focused on the longevity of government referencing Labor's rule from 1941 to 1965. It is clear from these studies and other writings that David has a soft spot for Bill McKell, a Labor Premier who combined a commitment to principle, down-to-earth decency and deft political skills to advance the interests of the State—the type of old-style Labor so evidently absent from the modern politics of this State. In 1994 David became Manager, Research Services—a position he continues to hold to this day.

In all these roles, like his colleagues across the library's various sections on level 6, David has worked to assist members with their varied requests from the routine through to the rhetorical. Like one of my predecessors, I have found David a great source of parliamentary anecdotes. Overwhelmingly these vignettes of our parliamentary history have been fascinating and well received, but I confess on occasion decorum prevented the public recounting of a ribald nineteenth century anecdote that had tickled his fancy and mine. I pay particular tribute to David's work on the history of this place. It was this work that brought me into closer contact with this remarkable man, who has a passion for the New South Wales Parliament and what makes its tick. Along with his colleagues and, at times, co-conspirators Michael Hogan and Ken Turner, David has contributed to a body of work on this place, the people who have served here and the electoral battles that have been waged for 153 years of which we can all be proud. They range from his contributions to publications such as the Australian Journal of Politics and History through to books such as Decisions and Deliberations, the official unofficial history of this Parliament from 1856 to 2003, which he co-authored with Gareth Griffith.

I had the honour of seeing David in action during our membership of the Committee on the Sesquicentenary of Responsible Government in New South Wales 1856-2006. Without any disrespect to any other members of the committee, especially its chairman and our friend in common Rodney Cavalier, David was the general in command. Whether drawing on his experience to ensure the commissioned projects possessed the desired integrity, scope and quality, his expertise in helping to steer the committee's work through the labyrinthine bureaucracy or his diplomacy in handling the egos and personalities of those involved in the project, David Clune's efforts were central to its success. The success of that project should be regarded as one of David's many achievements during his 3½ decades of service to the people of New South Wales through the Parliamentary Library.

Fittingly, in 2001, David was appointed New South Wales Parliamentary Historian. I pay tribute to David today because next month he will take leave to finalise another project—a book on the State's Governors, to be published as part of our celebration of one of its greatest: Lachlan Macquarie. David will then take an early retirement. It is a decision that many people in and around this place and beyond regret. It is a decision I regret and, were I able to advance the clock by 18 months, it is a decision I would take steps to try to prevent. As one who knows his work well said to me:

David is an unheralded jewel of the New South Wales Parliament, a not unimportant part of the fabric that gave the Parliament its character.

Just as I miss my conversations with Andrew Tink, a former member for Epping, so too will I miss my chats with David Clune. I will miss his insights, his humour, his patience and his service. On behalf of my Liberal-Nationals colleagues past and present, and on behalf of David's many friends and colleagues in this place and beyond, I place on the public record our thanks for all his efforts on behalf of the people and the Parliament of New South Wales. I make two final requests. By agreement with the Leader of the House, I seek leave to have a list of David Clune's publications incorporated into Hansard. Finally, I ask you to consider offering the title of New South Wales Parliamentary Historian Emeritus to this noble servant of the State.

Leave granted.

'The State Labor Party's Electoral Record in Rural New South Wales 1904-1981' in Labour History, No. 47, November 1984.

'The NSW Election of 1941' in Australian Journal of Politics and History, Vol. 30, No. 3, 1984.

'NSW Labor in the 1950s: the Cahill Government 1952-1956' III Traditions for Reform in NSW: Labor history essays, Pluto Press, 1987.

'The McKell Style of Government' in Easson, M, ed., McKell, Allen and Unwin, 1988.

'Parliamentary and Extra Parliamentary Labor: New South Wales 1941-1965' in Labour History, No. 62, May 1992.

'The Legislative Assembly of New South Wales 1941-1991' in Legislative Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 1992.

'From McKell to McGirr' in Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol. 79, Pts l and 2, 1993.

'The Decline and Fall of the Labor Government in New South Wales 1959-1965' in Australian Journal of Politics and History, Vol. 39, No. 3, 1993.

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne University Press, 'QS Spedding', Vol. 12,1990; 'JJ Cahill', Vol. 13, 1993; 'AG Enticknap', Vol. 14, 1996; 'J McGirr', Vol. 15, 2000; 'WF Sheahan' and 'FE Stewart', Vol. 16, 2002; 'WR Colbourne', Supplement 1540-1980, 2005; 'JT Kane', Vol. 17, 2007; 'A Landa', and 'JB Renshaw', Vol. 18, forthcoming.

Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, 'JG Arkins', 'J Dunn', 'D Grant', Vol. 2, Melbourne University Press, 2004; 'J Arnold', 'JA Mulvihill', 'J Ormonde', Vol. 3, University of New South Wales Press, 2009.

'New South Wales Political Chronicle', Australian Journal of Politics and History, July-December 1996 to January-June 2002 (twelve chronicles).

Editor with Michael Hogan of The People's Choice; electoral politics in twentieth century NSW, Parliament of New South Wales and University of Sydney, 2001, 3 vols. Author of chapters '1941', '1947', '1953', '1959' and with Ken Turner '1973'.

'Back to the Future? The November 2001 Federal Election' III Australasian Parliamentary Review, Vol. 17, No. 1, Autumn 2002.

'Bob Carr: the unexpected colossus' in Wanna, J, and Williams, P, eds., Yes, Premier: Labor leadership in Australia's States and Territories, University of New South Wales Press, 2005.

'Howard at the Crossroads? The October 2004 Federal Election' in Australasian Parliamentary Review, Vol. 20, No. 1, Autumn 2005.

With Gareth Griffith, Decision and Deliberation: the Parliament of New South Wales, 1856-2003, Federation Press, 2006.

Editor with Ken Turner of The Premiers of NSW, 1856-2005, 2 vols, Federation Press, 2006. Author of chapters' SA Donaldson', 'CG Wade', 'GW Fuller' and 'JJ Cahill'

'Elections, policy and politics: an overview' in Bramston T, ed., The Wran Era, Federation Press, 2006. 19.

'Michael Maher: a good local Member' and 'Reg Downing: a safe pair of hands' in Turner, K, and Hogan, M, eds., The Worldly Art of Politics, Federation Press, 2006.

With Gareth Griffith, 'Arena v. Nader and the waiver of parliamentary privilege' ip Winterton, G, ed., State Constitutional Landmarks, Federation Press, 2006.

Editor with Eamonn Clifford and Antony Green of Electoral Atlas of NSW, 18562006, New South Wales Department of Lands, 2006.

Editor with Ken Turner of Writing Party History: papers from a seminar held at Parliament House, Sydney, May 2006, New South Wales Parliament, 2007.

'1858 and 1859' in Hogan, M, Muir, L, and Golder, H, eds., The People's Choice: electoral politics in colonial NSW, Federation Press, 2007.

'New South Wales Premiers' in Galligan, B, and Roberts, W, eds., Oxford Companion to Australian Politics, OUP, 2007

'Morris' Minor Miracle: the March 2007 New South Wales Election' in Australasian Parliamentary Review, Vol. 22, No. 2, Spring 2007.

Mr JOHN AQUILINA (Riverstone—Parliamentary Secretary) [5.40 p.m.]: It saddens me to respond to the Leader of the Opposition's glowing tribute to David Clune. Only a couple of hours ago I became aware of the fact that David Clune is retiring. I was shocked and saddened by the news, and I emailed him to express my feelings about his retirement. Having heard comments made around the Chamber today and having listened to the tribute of the Leader of the Opposition, it is obvious that many members will be shocked and saddened also.

David Clune is an institution in this place. He has been here for almost 35 years. The Leader of the Opposition has detailed the breadth and extent of his works, which are amazing. What came to the fore in his work was his contribution to the sesquicentenary committee, during which time I had the honour and the privilege to be the Speaker of the House. His contributions not only will hold the Parliament in good stead but will be part of the rich historical fibre of this State and nation. We owe him much in that regard. As the Leader of the Opposition stated, David is retiring early so that he can work on a book. I understand that he, along with Associate Professor Ken Turner, is going to be working on the chapter of the Governor's book that deals with her Excellency Marie Bashir.

I am pleased to say that David Clune is undertaking another project. On my recommendation, the Premier appointed him to the Macquarie 2010 Bicentenary Celebration Committee, of which I am chairman. He is already doing outstanding work in that regard. Along with Professor Jill Roe and Associate Professor Ken Turner, he has formed an historic subcommittee of that committee to document and help research the work of Lachlan Macquarie to ensure that we make it a very fitting celebration next year. I am sorry to see David Clune go. He will be a great loss to this Parliament and a great loss to New South Wales in terms of his contribution to this Parliament. I know many, many people—current and past members from all sides of the House as well as the Independents—will pay him huge respect for the work he has done and continues to do.

The SPEAKER: As Speaker of the House I join with the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the House in congratulating David Clune on his remarkable contribution to this place and to history because of person he is. He is passionate—and I can assure the House that it is a passion—in delivering the wonderful publications and the anecdotes that many members have referred to. Next Tuesday 30 June at 10.00 a.m. in the Parkes Room a morning tea will be held to honour and celebrate David's contribution. I look forward to looking very favourably at the requests that have been made today. I cannot think of a more worthy person to be honoured in this way by this Parliament. I congratulate David Clune on an outstanding contribution.