Mr JOHN AQUILINA (Riverstone—Parliamentary Secretary) [11.23 a.m.]: I move:

That this House extends to Mrs Cox and family, the deep sympathy of members of the Legislative Assembly in the loss sustained by the death on 6 October 2008 of the Honourable Peter Francis Cox, a former Minister of the Crown.

I extend my sincere condolences and those of the House to Olive and the whole of the family, who are here in large numbers today, and say to them how sad and distressed we are at the passing of our friend and former member and Minister, Peter Cox. He served his community with great dignity and courage and has left a number of outstanding reforms in his name as a member of this Parliament.

One goes back to his maiden speech on having been elected as a member of Parliament in 1965, ironically the year that Jack Renshaw was defeated by Bob Askin, who became Premier. On 26 August, Peter Cox made a maiden speech that was absolutely riddled with issues that he was to pursue later in his life and thereby achieve a great number of reforms that were of extreme importance to this State. I will highlight three of them. One was the existence of credit unions, something that today we all take for granted in this State and indeed this nation. In the early 1960s, of course, credit unions were virtually unheard of in New South Wales. In his inaugural address, or maiden speech as it was called then, Peter Cox made a huge push for the establishment of credit unions in this State. He said in that speech:

I ask also for an immediate decision to implement a credit union Act; for representation of all interested bodies on the credit union advisory committee that this representation adequately include the New South Wales Credit Union League whose advocate, Mr Stan Arneil, was forced to resign following his secondment as credit union development officer, a position which he no longer holds. I ask also that honourable members examine the plan for the development of the movement in New South Wales which was never submitted to the previous Government by the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, and that this Parliament make every effort to raise the living standards of the people of New South Wales by giving them the opportunity to accept the credit union movement, as was demonstrated by the Labor Government's practical support of the movement.

Another issue he raised, which he was to return to later, particularly when he took up his ministerial post, was fair pay for public transport employees. In his maiden speech he referred to the 60,000 employees who operated the Government's buses and trains and made a huge push for their pay to be at least given parity with the pay of similar employees in Victoria and South Australia. It is hard to believe that New South Wales public transport employees at that time were being paid less than the bus and train employees of Victoria and South Australia. The third issue, which also related to transport, was that he hit out at the rising fares on private buses at that time. He mentioned quite a number of the bus companies and bus routes in his speech and indicated how their fares had gone up substantially and were not in keeping with the fares on public transport.

Later, as Minister for Transport, he was able to substantially expand the public transport system throughout the State. I think he will go down in history as arguably the greatest transport Minister this State has seen to date. If one goes back to Peter's early life one sees a man of great commitment, in some ways following in parallel the life of another colleague we spoke about here today, Mick Clough. Peter Cox joined the Labor Party a year after Mick Clough did, in 1949, during that great Ben Chifley period. Prior to that he had joined the motor traffic department in 1942, which is the origin of his great love and commitment to transport as Minister for Transport.

In 1943 Peter joined the 2/10th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force and saw action in Borneo—an issue about which he did not speak much. Nonetheless, it is important to note that he served his country in the theatre of war. On this day it is important to honour and recognise that he was a good Catholic and that he played sport for various Catholic Youth Organisation [CYO] teams. These days I do not think too many people would remember or be aware of the Catholic Youth Organisation. I well remember that my first date was at a Catholic Youth Organisation dance in the days when it was an important institution. Peter played cricket, tennis, golf, and rugby league for various CYO teams.

As a member of the CYO rugby league team, Peter occasionally locked horns with rival CYO team member Jack Ferguson, who later became Deputy Premier of this State. In some ways both Peter and Jack were on the same side of politics, albeit from different factions, and it appears as though they also supported different teams. It is important to comment on these things as they highlight the colour and character of a man who had so much to contribute and to offer to this State. In 1981, when I first became a member of Parliament, Peter Cox was already a prominent member of the Wran ministry, having been elected as a Minister in the early days. Just after the 1976 election he was the third most senior Minister and, when in opposition, he made a tremendous impact. I attended Peter's funeral—a matter about which I will comment later.

Milton Morris, a former Liberal Minister for Transport in the Askin days, asked me whether I would give him a lift to Peter's funeral. I agreed to do so because I knew that he and Peter had been good friends. On the way to the funeral he said to me, "When I was Minister for Transport I lived in fear of Peter Cox." Prior to Peter's election to Parliament he had worked in the transport department and he knew every corridor, where everything was kept and where every note was filed. Milton Morris said that Peter elevated the leaking of documents to a new art form—an art form that had not previously existed. He said Peter did well with the leaking of information and, when in opposition, he was a good combatant. Peter thoroughly deserved his elevation to Minister for Transport upon the election of the Labor Government.

As I said earlier, I attended Peter Cox's wonderful funeral service at which we heard eulogies from young Jack Townend, John Cox, Peter's son, and Ron Mulock, a former Deputy Premier and Peter's close friend. In his eulogy Ron Mulock also made reference to Peter Cox leaking information, thus making the life of the then Minister for Transport extremely difficult. Peter Cox, as Minister for Transport, substantially expanded this State's public transport system. I said earlier that Mick Clough had played a mentoring role, and that applied equally to Peter Cox. In 1981, after I was elected to this Parliament and the new Cabinet was formed, Peter organised a party and summoned the 13 newly elected Labor members to his room to have a few drinks and a quiet discussion. That was the first occasion on which I had a decent conversation with him.

In February 1986 I was elected to the Wran Cabinet and Peter again asked me to come to see him in his room, where we had a long, private conversation. Peter gave me some good advice, which I took, and it greatly increased my respect for the man and his work. I was fortunate to have served with Peter Cox. I think I am the only remaining person in this House who served with Peter Cox in the Wran and Unsworth cabinets. Members would be aware that in 1988 Peter and his friend Ron Mulock retired from Parliament. I referred earlier to John Cox's eulogy at his father's funeral, in which he made mention of something that many members knew about but never mentioned. It is appropriate for me to raise that issue today.

It is not commonly known, except by Peter's close friends, that during the early 1980s he succumbed to alcoholism—a matter of great distress to all those who knew him personally. It took the courage of a number of his very close friends—people who were older than me—to address that issue. To do him justice, Peter took it on the chin and took the steps required to make amends. For many years Peter was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I say, because I know that this has been mentioned previously, that prior to his death it was his wish that this matter be made public. Through his work with Alcoholics Anonymous he corrected his life and provided leadership and inspiration for many others. It is important to recognise and to make mention of that because it shows what an outstanding character Peter Cox was.

Peter dedicated his life to politics, his family, his friends and people less fortunate than many of us. In retirement Peter dedicated his time to various causes. When he, Olive and his family moved to Manly, they worked with a number of charities, in particular, the Northern Beaches Refugee Sanctuary, of which he was a founding member. Peter dedicated his time to helping refugees from war-torn parts of the world, in particular, Africa, and helped to settle them in Australia. Peter was a unique individual who made outstanding and unique contributions to the State, his family, his constituents, and those who had the honour and the privilege of knowing him and working alongside him.

Other speakers have said that Peter was a loving husband and father, and a man who was committed to his community, his constituents, this Parliament and his electorate of Auburn, which he loved and for which he worked extremely hard. Peter was much loved in his community and was returned on many successive occasions as the member for that area. Peter was also a good Catholic, a person recognised and celebrated in the Catholic Church for his great commitment. It is not commonly known that Peter was a Papal Knight and a member of the Order of Australia. I place on the record of this House Peter's contribution to the Catholic Church. Once again, to Olive and to all his family, his friends and everyone who had the privilege and honour of knowing Peter Cox, I offer our sincere condolences. May he rest in peace. His legacy, memory and the great reforms he initiated and implemented in this place will live on when most of us are gone.

Mrs JILLIAN SKINNER (North Shore—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [11.39 a.m.]: On behalf of the Coalition and as Deputy Leader of the Opposition I am pleased to endorse this condolence motion moved by the Government. Unfortunately, the Leader of the Opposition, Barry O'Farrell, is attending a funeral today. As has been said already, Peter Francis Cox had a very long and illustrious career in this Parliament during which he made many contributions. He has been noted as one of the best—if not the best—transport Ministers of this State. He was first elected the member for Auburn in 1965 and served until 1988. During that period he spent several years as the shadow Minister for Transport. Following the election of the Labor Government he served as Minister for Transport, Minister for Highways, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Industry and Small Business, Minister for Energy and Technology, Minister for Public Works, and Minister Assisting the Premier while also representing the people of Auburn. As some members have said already, Peter Cox was regarded as a great transport Minister, and he was a credit not only to his family, but also to those he represented and who supported him.

After his death the Sydney Morning Herald on 13 October pointed out that he was one of seven children and attended Marist Brothers at Lidcombe when the family moved to Auburn. He was born at Bathurst. The connection of this condolence motion with current issues is ironic. Obviously, his family were battlers during the Depression. Peter's father supported the family by making funeral vases and sending the children out to sell them. Peter Cox was employed in the motor traffic department, to which the member for Riverstone referred. Having served in the bureaucracy before being elected to this place, I fully appreciate that connections—which we do not talk about very much in Opposition, but which stand us in good stead at times—are terribly important in understanding how this place works, how governments work and what needs to be done. The member for Riverstone referred also to Peter Cox's maiden speech, which I also have read. It is a fascinating speech that refers to a number of issues that he obviously held to be extremely important. In reference to the credit union movement he said:

A credit union is a self-help organization of people with a common bond, based on character and ability to pay from their income.

How important those notions are in this current climate when we hear so much about people getting themselves into trouble and borrowing so much money that they are unable to meet the loan repayments. Peter Cox pointed out that credit union movements had existed since 1849 after starting in Europe. This point struck home because one of the most interesting papers I have read about the rise of democracy referred to what happened in Italy. The north and south of Italy were being compared and reference was made to the common factors of that part of the country where democracy had developed fastest and was the strongest. Three things were considered important. One was soccer, because it brought those communities together; another was watch towers, where the community banded together to watch out for invading troops and look after each other; and the third was credit unions, because they enabled people to join forces, get their resources together and do things individually that perhaps they might not otherwise have been able to do.

He referred also to his interest and time in the railways union, and to the transport dispute at the time. Later in his speech he referred to some things that I think are important in today's climate. He spoke about the need for transparency of figures, amounts of money raised in fares, proper consultation, proper investigation and road safety. Despite these issues being raised in 1976 when Peter Cox first entered this Parliament, they are equally important today. Any number of members of Parliament today could make a speech commenting on the same issues. As has been said also, Peter Cox was a very good Catholic. He was educated at the Marist Brothers College at Lidcombe and was involved in a number of community activities, many with the Catholic Church. He served in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force [AIF] during the Second World War from 1943 to 1945 in Borneo. My father served in Borneo during the same time; it would be interesting to know if they came across each other—sadly, we will never know.

His background in the Australian Labor Party [ALP] has been well described. He joined the ALP in 1949. He won preselection for Auburn at age 39 and entered the Legislative Assembly in 1965 when, ironically, Jack Renshaw lost power. He became the Opposition spokesman for transport in 1968. He exploited the links with unions to put pressure on Ministers, including a previously mentioned Minister for Transport, Milton Morris, who, by the way, has said that despite being a sparring partner with Peter Cox, he claimed to be the second best transport Minister. I do not know who he considered to be the first best! It is an interesting point. Peter Cox set up a task force to examine the western rail line before the Granville train crash in January 1977, an event that those of us old enough to remember do so distinctly. It was a tragic event with a death toll totalling 83. On hearing the news Peter Cox was quoted as saying, "Granville must teach every government a lesson that neglect of the public transport system should never again be allowed to happen"—an important comment about which we all should take note.

He went on to make dramatic reforms in the transport system with a number resulting in an increase in public transport. It is a shame that we do not have a similar situation today. It has been said that Peter Cox had a bit of a run-in on occasion with the unions. In 1979 the unions threatened to run a candidate against him for preselection. I believe that sort of threat has been made in the past, but perhaps not with great seriousness. According to the Sydney Morning Herald article written after his death, Peter Cox was quoted at that time saying that he "had a gutful of the unions' attitude". It is interesting to note that despite being an extremely popular member of the Labor caucus and a very strongly supported Minister he was demoted in a 1984 Cabinet reshuffle. However, he seemed to go on to have a fascinating career. He approached every appointment with great gusto and regarded them all as a challenge—something we all should emulate. Something always needs to be done when representing the people of this State, regardless of the portfolio or role we might play.

As the member for Riverstone said, it was known that Peter Cox had a problem with alcohol. But to his great credit, with the strength and support of his family, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous and was able to rehabilitate himself. I understand he set up the Holyoke Institute of Alcohol and Drug Addiction. In my previous life as the Director of the Office of Youth Affairs in the New South Wales bureaucracy I had a fair amount of contact with drug and alcohol organisations. I will say more later about funding cuts affecting those programs, which were announced in the mini-budget. Peter Cox was made an officer of the Order of Australia. He is survived by Olive and his daughters, Patricia, Helen and Kate; his sons, John and Brian; and his 14 grandchildren. I know they would all be extremely proud of the contribution that he made to this Parliament. It has been my privilege, in his memory, to support the Government's motion.

Leave granted, by consent, on the request of the member for Riverstone to continue debate on the motion until its conclusion.

Mrs BARBARA PERRY (Auburn—Minister for Local Government, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Mental Health)) [11.50 a.m.]: I am pleased to speak to the motion of condolence to honour a great man, Peter Francis Cox. As members are aware, the Auburn electorate, which I am privileged to represent, was held by the late Peter Cox, AO, from 1965 until his retirement in 1988, which also was the year his Order of Australia medal was conferred in recognition of his services to Parliament. Peter, who was a Papal Knight, died on 6 October, which is the day on which Mass was celebrated to recognise the feast of St Francis of Assisi. Peter was a railway plumber's son and a graduate of Marist Brothers in Lidcombe, as well as a veteran of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force. He served at Cowra during the Breakout and later on the front lines in Borneo, where he landed under fire. Peter was a Minister throughout the Wran and Unsworth governments. Peter was also a devoted member for Auburn and for decades a stalwart of the Australian Labor Party. His first job was being a clerk for the motor transport department in 1942.

As members have already said, Peter joined the Labor Party in 1949. Perhaps his Labor credentials were foretold. Tony Stephen's obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald states that in 1925 a neighbour named Ben Chifley drove Peter's mother, who was about to give birth, to the Bathurst hospital. I first knew Peter as the father of schoolfriends. I was in the same class as his daughter Helen. Helen, Kate and Patricia are present in the gallery. They, my three sisters, Jackie, Karen and Jennifer—who had not been thought of at that stage—and I attended the same school. Peter was ever present at Sunday services at the St John of God Catholic Church with Olive and his family. What I distinctly remember about Helen, Kate and Patricia's dad was that after church he would stand outside, wait and speak to people: he always had a good word to say. When I read on Sundays, he would always say, "I enjoyed your reading very much." Those characteristics were a sign of the man Peter was. He sought to support and encourage others. I will always remember that he would say a few words at the conclusion of Mass.

One of my earliest memories is of Olive. Olive may not remember this, but she came to my mum and dad's house one night. Kate may recall that her class had a get-together. Although I do not remember what year it was, Kate was in Jackie's class and we held the function in our backyard. Kate's mum, Olive, came over, like every other mum, to my parents' house, even though she was the wife of a Minister and parliamentarian. I remember that Kate's mum made a beautiful fruit salad for the class to share and for those who attended the function. My memory of Peter's family was that they presented as a family in the community and were part of the community. That is how Helen, Kate and Patricia's mum and dad wanted them to be—not the children of a Minister or a member of Parliament, but members of the community.

As a member of Parliament, Peter looked after Auburn with utmost care and attention. His influence as a Minister was statewide and considerable. People still talk about Peter and what he did for Auburn. Sometimes that makes me a little bit jealous, but it also makes me very proud because I am able to say that I knew Peter as well and I can say what a wonderful man he was. Peter served as the Minister for Transport, Minister for Transport and Minister for Highways, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Industry and Small Business and Minister for Energy and Technology, Minister for Public Works and Minister Assisting the Premier. He was widely respected as a no-nonsense, efficient, capable Minister with foresight and judgement.

Many of the things we have come to know and rely on as good, sound public policy, with bipartisan and universal public support, are attributable to Peter and his determination. Things that we take for granted, such as unleaded petrol and random breath testing of motorists, were introduced under Peter's watch. He was instrumental in forming the Staysafe committee in 1982, the work of which has saved countless lives. That committee is a good example of Peter's approach to governance: he was a committed Australian Labor Party man until his death, but he knew how to work with members of all parties for the benefit of the public. The Freshwater-class ferries for the Circular Quay to Manly route are the result of his decision as the Minister for Transport in the 1970s. He also brought the first bendy buses to Sydney.

Aside from his ministerial career, he did the hard yards in western Sydney. He was a branch secretary for 12 years, secretary of the Auburn State Executive Committee for 10 years, and president of the Blaxland Federal Executive Committee for eight years. At various times he was a member of the St Joseph's Hospital Board and served for 24 years, a member of the Catholic Necropolis Trust, Rookwood, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport, a member of the Lidcombe Returned Servicemen's League and the Auburn Returned Servicemen's League, and a member of the Catholic Club, which is now Dooley's, at Lidcombe. He enjoyed a lengthy, well-deserved and active retirement in Manly, where he was a member and then chair—which is not surprising—of the Manly Catholic Social Justice Group.

Peter made a genuine difference to the lives of the poor and unfortunate. Directly because of his work asylum seekers were rescued from rejection and deportation, were subsequently cared for in the community and provided with ongoing support. It is the mark of Peter as a man and of his family that instead of flowers, donations were invited to support refugees in the community. Peter Cox never lost touch with Auburn and the values of its residents. Remarkably, today Auburn has one of the highest intakes of refugees in Australia. Dad was present at Peter's funeral because I was not able to attend, which was very sad because I really wanted to be there. Dad told me later that night, "Peter's funeral was beautiful, Barbara. It was a tribute to a wonderful man." Peter Cox was truly loved and highly regarded in the Auburn community. Today I convey the condolences of the Auburn community as well as my condolences and those of my family to Olive, Patricia, Helen, Kate, John, Brian and Peter, and Olive's beautiful 14 grandchildren of whom Peter was so proud. I thank Peter for his work, his love, his faith and his commitment to community. We learned a lot from him and we valued him. May he rest in peace.

Mr CHRIS HARTCHER (Terrigal) [11.58 a.m.]: I place on the record my tribute to Peter Cox. He was a former Minister for Transport in the Wran Government but, more importantly, he was a very fine man. I became acquainted with Peter through his great friend Mr Thomas Murphy, who was a member for Concord and who had attended the Marist Brothers school with my father. Although Peter was somewhat younger than Thomas Murphy, he attended Marist Brothers at Lidcombe. Peter left the Parliament before I came into it, and therefore I never knew him as a politician. My predecessor, Tim Moore, appointed Peter as the chairman of the bicentennial trust that administers Bicentennial Park. When I became the Minister for the Environment in 1992 I got to know him and I found him to be a very fine man. He was very encouraging to me. I remember once he took me aside after I had done a press conference and said to me, "Chris, when you make these comments at press conferences always work on the basis that you don't actually know, you've only been told. Always be careful to say, 'I am advised by my department' or 'I am advised by officers of my department'. If you say it is a fact and it turns out to be wrong, you are the one who will cop it." That was very sound advice.

On another occasion Peter said to me, "You will be asked to represent the Premier at many functions. Some you like, some you won't like, but if you are going to do your job you'll have to get out there and represent the Premier." I think I was complaining to him about some function I was being forced to attend. Peter said, "You wanted this job, you've got it. Mate"—he was very friendly—"you've got to live up to it." He represented in every sense that great strain of the Irish community in Australia who, through education and the public sector, sought to advance from being a low socioeconomic group to a well-educated and well-advanced socioeconomic group. He faced a great deal of sectarianism, as all people of Irish extraction did in the 1920s and 1930s, and he saw, as so many people did in those days, the Labor Party and the trade union movement as the vehicle for upward mobility in a personal sense but, more significantly, as a vehicle for achieving social justice in our society.

As previous speakers, including the member for Riverstone and his successor in the Auburn electorate, Mrs Perry, have said, Peter had a deep sense of compassion and a deep commitment to social justice. When his term as chairman of the bicentennial trust expired I said to John Fahey, "I'd like to reappoint him. He does a good job. He's a fine person." John Fahey said, "He was a Labor Minister and I know Tim Moore appointed him, but maybe we should be looking at someone else." I said, "John, he's regional president of the St Vincent de Paul Society." And John said—this was a mark of John Fahey—"Fine, reappoint him." There was to be no argument. Peter had the highest commendation. He spent his entire life in service to his family, his political party, his faith and his community. He was humble in his own way—I know he was a humble person—the exemplar of everything we would wish members of Parliament and Ministers of the Crown to be. To his wife and family I extend my sincere condolences. I know that Peter will rest in peace. He is the sort of man who would certainly go to heaven. I share with all other members in saying: Vale, Peter Francis Cox. May you rest in peace.

Mr RICHARD AMERY (Mount Druitt) [12.03 p.m.]: I join all members in passing on my words of support and condolence to Peter Cox's family, and share the sympathies going out to Olive, who is in the gallery, and the members of his wonderful family. There is an old saying: we learn more about someone when we attend their funeral. While I thought I knew much about Peter Cox, I learned much more about him when I attended his funeral service on 13 October at the Mary Immaculate Church in Manly. I think many other members, including Peter's contemporaries, certainly learned a lot that day. I was sitting behind a number of former Ministers and I saw the shocked look on the faces of Terry Sheahan and Mike Cleary when Peter's son, John, read out, for example, Peter's war service and Army service. Peter never spoke about that to me, and few members of this House knew much about it.

Labor historians, when doing any research on Peter Cox, should start with the eulogies given at the service, particularly those given by Peter's son, John, and also by our former Deputy Premier, Ron Mulock, who is in the gallery today with his wife Des. They did Peter and the family proud, and made a major contribution to Labor history at the same time. I was proud of them. Any readings of this debate today should be complemented by those contributions at Peter's funeral. Peter Cox was a member of Parliament from 1965 to 1988. When he was selected as the Labor candidate for the Auburn electorate, Jack Renshaw was the Premier and Bob Askin was the Leader of the Opposition. Labor had been in power since 1941, and Peter's election coincided with the defeat of that Government and the start of an 11-year period of Coalition Government.

Peter came into this House and went straight onto the Opposition benches, with all the challenges that came with it. For people of my generation, many of who joined the Labor Party during the Whitlam era or just after it, Peter Cox was a big name in Labor politics. From the time he was first elected to Parliament, he was the public face of Labor's transport policy, first in Opposition from about 1968 and later in the first Wran Government. During the early 1970s I started getting interested in politics, especially Labor politics. Like most young people of the time, I was taken in by the presence of the Federal Labor leader and later Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. About this time Labor lost the 1973 State election, and this new chap named Neville Wran came on the scene. A lot of focus started to go to the State party and hopes were riding high that we might have a chance at the next election.

While Federal issues dominated, I noted on the evening news the conservative-looking shadow Minister standing on railway stations and railway tracks while talking about upgrading the rail system. That chap was Peter Cox. While much credit must to go to Neville Wran as Labor leader for the 1976 result, I believe that not enough credit was given to Peter Cox for delivering us that win. Indeed, my predecessor in the Mount Druitt electorate, and a former member for Riverstone, Tony Johnson, said that Peter Cox was the main reason we won that election. Whatever the history, we should all acknowledge that, without Peter's work on transport policy and, importantly, his ability to explain it, Labor would not have won that election.

Among track upgrades and the like, Peter promised a 20 per cent drop in fares. What would Treasury say today if our transport Minister said that the best way to get things going would be to drop fares by 20 per cent? Peter promised a $5 billion, five-year program to upgrade the service, and he delivered on those promises in government. By the time I came into this place Peter Cox was among a group of highly respected senior Ministers. I do not know whether it was the rank structure, but Peter and many other senior Ministers of the time, particularly the Premier and the Deputy Premier, overawed me. I was sworn in on 1 November 1983. I sat up the back on my first day, and later moved to sit just behind where the Premier always sits.

There they all were. In addition to newer Ministers—I have already mentioned Cleary and Sheahan—there was Ron Mulock, Pat Hills, Eric Bedford, Kevin Stewart, Don Day, Lyn Gordon, Jack Ferguson, Neville Wran and Peter Cox. What a team! Imagine a new member of Parliament being confronted by that! Peter's parliamentary record and ministerial career have been spoken of in many quarters and I will not go into them at length. Unlike his long-term friends, I never had much to do with him outside the Parliament, certainly in those early days. We would chat while on the way to divisions or at the dinner table. I would watch him handle himself professionally in the Parliament, answering questions and batting back interjections from the Opposition. As an observer, I must say he did it without any stress.

We now know from John's eulogy that Peter privately battled an alcohol problem, but I saw no evidence of that. That was probably another of Peter's strengths. For some reason he started to give me more time during parliamentary sittings. During a division he would sit alongside me as the Whips counted us. He would say something to me like, "That was a good speech you made today" on whatever subject I spoke on that day. At other times he would say, "Keep going the way you are, you are doing all right." At first I thought he was just having a lend of me, but I soon realised that he was giving me much encouragement. I recall him laughing at me when I looked so embarrassed when he predicted that one day I would be a Minister in this House. I felt he was being very fatherly.

I was an overzealous new member and one day in caucus he saved me from myself. The Besco battery factory at Seven Hills had closed down. The closure had received a lot of publicity and I, being a new Labor member for the area with Labor ideals, decided that I would move in caucus that the Government buy the factory and run it as a government-owned enterprise. All fired up, I moved the motion in caucus, which was seconded by Judith Walker, MLC. We put up a good old show, citing the plight of the workers, and the need for the Government to buy the factory and run it. I even suggested we could sell batteries at a cheaper rate and supply them to the Government car fleet. It all sounded great. When Judith Walker finished her supporting speech Neville Wran leaned across the table towards Peter Cox and said in his raspy voice, "We're not going to be stuck with running some bloody battery factory, are we?" I always remember those words.

When Peter Cox stood up everyone stopped talking and listened. Rather than just crush me with a vote of the caucus Peter congratulated me on raising such an important matter and said that our arguments had a lot of merit. He asked if we would agree to have the matter referred to some committee in his portfolio of Small Business. I agreed, as did Judith. After all, none other than Peter Cox said the issue had merit and it would be given serious consideration. On the way out of caucus he put his hand on my shoulder and he assured me that he would follow up this matter. Peter, if you are listening, I am still waiting for the response from that committee—something like the correspondence committee of caucus. I understand they are still waiting for a response to Jack Lang's Lang Plan.

Peter was one of the first to wish me well when I became a Minister. I later had dealings with him on issues involving the Catholic Cemetery Necropolis Trust at Rookwood. He was so professional, always referring to me as "Minister" when we were in the company of officials of the trust. His style encouraged people to try their best for whatever he wanted on behalf on whomever he was representing. I could talk all day about Peter Cox. The participation of his family, particularly his grandchildren, in his funeral made it an especially moving experience. Today a eulogy was delivered about Mick Clough. I recognise that Nobito Sugimoto, Mick's son-in-law, represented the Clough family at Peter's funeral, which was a who's who of the Labor movement and the Catholic Church. I close not with my words but with those of Ron Mulock, whose eulogy was also memorable. The Parliamentary Library should have a copy of the eulogies, as they are a major contribution to the memory of Peter Cox and Labor history. Ron Mulock caused a few eyes to moisten when he said, in part:

I have lost a very good and special friend who was a loving husband, much loved father and father-in-law and special "Poppy" to his grandchildren.

Our last 'phone call ended this way. I said: "I'll come and see you soon, Pete". Peter responds: "Don't worry—get yourself well. You've been a good friend, Ron."

I say: "You've always been a good friend to me, Pete—see you soon mate. God bless"

Peter will be missed by them and many other people.

Ron was referring to his staff, Olive, the grandchildren and the family generally. He continued:

Peter, you have finished your work here. May you rest in a peace you have earned and fully deserve.

It was a great tribute by a parliamentary colleague Ron Mulock. It is a sad occasion when the likes of Peter Cox passes on. I thank the House for allowing me to make this contribution.

Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [12.16 p.m.]: I offer my sympathy and the prayers of the electorate of Lismore to Mrs Cox and her family. Sadly, I did not have an association with the late Peter Cox but one of my constituents, Mike Donnolley, was a former press secretary. He has asked me to record a few thoughts that related to the electorate of Lismore. The late Jack Hurley and Alan Brown were founders of Brown and Hurley, a major truck distributor and major Kenworth specialist on the eastern seaboard. Jack was a founding member and president of the Lions Club at Kyogle, one of the first 10 clubs in Australia. The Lions Club and the district of Kyogle built what they call the Lions Road which is a short cut from Kyogle across the mountain into the back of Beaudesert. It was built with great community support led by the late Jack Hurley and the Lions Club.

Jack wanted funds for the Lions Road, but he could not get support from the government of the day. He contacted Don Day, the member for Clarence, who brought Harry Jensen and Peter Cox to Kyogle prior to the 1976 election. Mike told me they doorknocked in the Grafton and Casino areas. Peter would tell a funny story about his experience in Casino: a blue heeler chased him out of an old Queenslander house, of which there are many. I do not know who owned the blue heeler, but there was probably a good National Party supporter there too. The late Jack Hurley had received a bit of a run around from the government of the day and he suggested that Don Day get Harry Jensen and Peter Cox up to the border. When they came up and inspected the proposed Lions Road, Jack was going to put the bite on them.

Harry promised $30,000 and when Labor got elected he fulfilled that promise. In the 1978 campaign Peter was giving a speech from the back of a truck in Lismore when the former editor of the Northern Star, Cliff Murray said "Why don't you give some more money to the Lions Road?" Peter kicked in a further $30,000. This story appears on pages 61-64 of Jack Hurley's book, the Lions Road, of copy of which I should send to the family. The book refers to the contribution of the late Peter Cox to the Lions Road. Mike said that if Peter ever had to travel to the Clarence, Tweed Heads, Lismore or Brisbane he preferred to travel by train.

In those days they had the luxury of putting cars on trains; no doubt they had a travel pass that entitled them to a first-class sleeper. He put the LTD vehicle on the train—there were no Hondas in those days—and it was taken off at either Murwillumbah or Casino. They would then drive north to wherever they were going. Sadly, that cannot be done now because there is no service to Murwillumbah. They would travel on the Lions Road if they were going to Brisbane and on those occasions Peter Cox would give a commentary about what the late Jack Hurley and the Kyogle Lions Club achieved with his support. He was proud of his contribution to the Lions Road. Mike says:

Peter was also a great railwayman, which also has historical links with the Kyogle area and the northern rivers. I have no doubt that he would have fought tooth and nail to protect the Casino to Murwillumbah line and now would have been very actively promoting some visionary plan to incorporate the Northern Rivers into the Queensland rail system.

Earlier today in the condolence motion for Mick Clough members recognised that Ben Chifley lived near the Cox family. Mike Donnolley told me that Peter Cox was born in Bathurst and that Ben Chifley drove Peter's mother to hospital on the day Peter was born. Peter had family connections in Gulgong and Young. Mike wrote:

When I travelled with him to the bush, we'd invariably find the Catholic solicitor in any big town was a distant relative. He was good mates with Country Party members like Wal Murray, Jack Boyd and Sir Charles Cutler. He spoke of them as men you could have a fierce yet substantial debate with in the Chamber and then have a beer with later on. I doubt if there's too much of that with the earnest young joggers and number crunchers of today. It was interesting to observe that mourners at his funeral in Manly on Monday included Nick Greiner, John Brogden and Milton Morris.

Earlier the member for Riverstone referred to Milton Morris. In verification of the words of the member for Riverstone, Mike Donnelley wrote:

Milton Morris (whose life Pete made a misery when he was an extremely effective shadow minister from 1968 until 1976)—

What has been said today encompasses the calibre of Peter Cox, and reinforces his dedication and commitment to this State. On behalf of the Lismore electorate and this side of the House, I offer our prayers and thoughts. May he rest in peace.

Mr PAUL GIBSON (Blacktown) [12.21 p.m.]: It gives me great pleasure to contribute to the condolence motion for Peter Francis Cox. I extend my condolences to Mrs Cox, the family, and to Des and Ron Mulock. I did not know Peter Cox very well for a long time, but I had some association with him that I have never forgotten. As was said earlier, Peter was born in Bathurst. I came from Young. I remember Peter saying, "You can always pick country people". When I walk down Martin Place, nine times out of 10 I can pick out the country people. Peter would say, "We can pick country people for sure". I think Peter's dad, Edwin, worked for Ben Chifley—but I may be corrected on that—and they were neighbours. I first met Peter when I was standing for the seat of The Hills in 1975. That was probably the safest Liberal seat in New South Wales in those days.

It was very hard to get a shadow Minister to join me in my campaign, and I was standing against Max Ruddock. One day during my campaign there was an accident on Windsor Road, near Baulkham Hills Central Primary School, which was the school four of my children attended. A little girl was run over. I rang Peter and said, "What can we do about this?" Peter was in Opposition at the time, and he replied, "Look, there is a lot we can do about it. Leave it with me. What is the reaction of the people there at the moment?" I replied, "In the morning a few of us will be on Windsor Road as lollypop people helping the children safely cross the road to school".

Peter said, "That is a good idea; that is a good start". When I went to Windsor Road at 7.30 a.m. the next day to help the kids cross the road, I was tapped on the shoulder by a man who said, "I can see the problem out here now". I turned around, and it was Peter Cox. Peter worked with us on the crossing for about an hour that morning. Not only that, he returned the next day without any television or newspaper reporters or photographers, to see what he could do about the problem. He went back on the following day as well. When I spoke to him he said, "Before you can criticise a problem, you have to know the problem. And then you have to find a solution to the problem". How very right he was.

Government and Opposition members often criticise; it is easy to criticise. Peter's point was that it is easy to criticise: criticism comes fairly cheap. The art of criticising is to provide a solution to the problem. Peter inspected Windsor Road and came up with a solution. That incident occurred in 1975, when I was beaten at the election in the seat of The Hills. In 1976, when Peter became Minister for Transport, one of the first things he did was to have a set of lights installed on Windsor Road. Neither the people of the area nor I have forgotten that. That is the sort of bloke he was.

Over the past few days I have been reading some information about Peter. Neville Wran, referring to the Government as a whole, but particularly to Peter Cox as the Minister for Transport, said, "If a government can get people to work on time, and get them home from work on time, they are 70 per cent certain to be re-elected". How right he was. If we could apply that to this State today we would be 70 per cent sure of being re-elected. Unfortunately, we have a few minor hiccups. Hopefully we can overcome them. I will not talk about Peter's war record because it has been covered fairly well. Peter's life was based on helping people. He never forgot where he came from.

I first met Peter in 1975, when I found out that he was a union man. He knew what the unions stood for and he knew how well the unions had treated workers over the years. He also had a great understanding of the working class, particularly for the low-wage earner. He based many of his policies on helping the low-wage earner. Peter entered Parliament in 1965, became shadow Minister for Transport in 1968, and Minister for Transport in 1976. He had eight years to learn his portfolio—what a great example that was—eight years to learn about transport. He was the best Minister for Transport simply because he knew everything about what he was doing. He knew the transport system backwards. His knowledge of his portfolio was unbelievable. A library article states:

Peter Cox had legislated for the re-organisation of the Public Transport Commission, providing the establishment of a State Rail Authority and Urban Transit Authority to operate as separate entitles from July 1980. Under his stewardship, the New South Wales Public Transport System will continue to receive adequate funds to place it on par with world systems, giving commuters the level of service they might reasonably expect in the 1980s.

If we had carried through on that philosophy then commuters would have the service they deserve in 2008. It is worth noting that after the 1976 general election it was said that, prior to the Labor Government's return to power, Peter Cox had announced a five-year, $1,000 million program to update and revitalise public transport throughout New South Wales. That program had realised a new deal for public transport and road users in both metropolitan and rural areas of the State. A second five-year program was begun to build on the solid foundations laid by the 1976 scheme. Following the Government's re-election in March 1974, Mr Cox became Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, with responsibilities for such vital areas as coalmining and power generation. When Peter finally retired, he was constantly written about, and consistently referred to as the best Minister for Transport we have had. To date, I could not disagree with that.

In 1987 Peter replaced Laurie Brereton as Minister for Public Works. Laurie had his name on a lot of buildings around the place and everywhere you looked you would see "Laurie Brereton". When Peter took over he was asked whether he would follow suit. Peter Cox's answer was simply this: "I would rather grow petunias." He really meant it. He said he would resign after the 1988 election and learn to play the piano. I do not know whether he ever learnt to play the piano—the family are saying no—but his intentions were good at the time. Peter Cox received the Order of Australia. He is survived by Olive and daughters Patricia, Helen and Kate and sons John and Brian, and 14 grandchildren. The day they buried Peter Cox they buried a true friend of the worker.

Mr ALAN ASHTON (East Hills) [12.30 p.m.]: Condolence motions are by their nature sad events but they are also an opportunity to say some very wonderful things about great men, and Peter Cox was one of those. Mick Clough, for whom we had a condolence motion earlier, was another great example. Both those gentlemen were Labor icons as far as I am concerned. I am pleased to speak in support of this condolence motion for the late Peter Cox. I offer my condolences to his family, some of whom are here in the gallery and obviously there are many other family members and friends who cannot be here today.

Peter Cox was a longstanding member for Auburn and a senior Minister in the Wran and Unsworth Labor governments. His political career in this place began on 1 May 1965, which was the day Labor lost power in New South Wales after 24 years in government. Peter's beginning in this place was at a time when we needed fresh blood and new ideas. Peter Cox retired at the March 1988 election when Labor lost office after 12 years in government. In those 23 years as the member for Auburn, Peter Cox played a vital role for the New South Wales Labor Party in opposition and in government. On 1 May 1976—notice the date—11 years later, Labor won the State election by one seat. There is no doubt that the key election issue for the 1976 election was transport, particularly the trains that allegedly served New South Wales at the time.

Peter Cox was the shadow Minister for Transport from 1968 to 1976, a long time in political terms nowadays when shadow Ministers are changed at the drop of a hat. It serves to explain the grasp Peter had on all aspects of transport issues. In 1976, Pat Rogan, my predecessor in the seat of East Hills, ran his campaign—I was his campaign director—on the transport issue. Pat campaigned heavily on the issue of the East Hills railway line service. Pat's key pamphlet that year featured a photo of him standing with one foot on the East Hills railway line, looking suitably disgusted with the then single track from Riverwood to East Hills. In the eight years that Peter Cox served as Minister of Transport we saw the East Hills line duplicated from Riverwood to East Hills and in 1986 the East Hills line was extended across the Georges River and eventually to Glenfield. Members would appreciate the great significance of that move, which greatly assisted the people of the south-west to commute to Sydney. It is easy to forget just how difficult it was in those days to get from the growing area of south-western Sydney across the Georges River, virtually only at Milperra, to get to Sydney.

I was a teacher in Green Valley for many years at James Busby High School and I knew many young people that I taught who were academically gifted but could not get a job in the city because it would take them too long to get from Liverpool and beyond to the city to take up that employment and then to get home again. Unfortunately many young people were not able to take up those opportunities because public transport was lacking in south-west Sydney. I also worked with the former Labor Minister for Education, Rodney Cavalier, in 1985 and 1986 and that is when I got to know Peter reasonably well, as one does as a policy adviser moving around this place. I undertook the usual tasks of a policy adviser and I saw Peter Cox in many different committees. As far as I was concerned Peter Cox was a wise gentleman who added great stability to the Wran and Unsworth cabinets. He certainly was a much less controversial figure than Rodney Cavalier—Rodney will not mind my saying this.

Pat Rogan and his wife, Eunice, would also like me to pass on their condolences to Peter Cox's family and friends. Pat mentioned this to me a couple of weeks ago and I said that there would be no problem with my wanting to say some nice words about Peter's service. I know personally of Peter Cox's continual support for the trade union movement—the member for Blacktown has referred to that—because in 1985 my wife, Linda, was approached by the then Miscellaneous Workers Union to work as its first female industrial officer—until that stage it had never had one—on secondment from the Electricity Commission, where Linda worked. Peter Cox was then the responsible Minister as Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. This had to be approved by bureaucrats and we all know that various minutes have to go up through the system before they arrive on the Minister's desk. They all said no.

Without giving too much away, a call was made and the piece of paper arrived on Peter Cox's desk as the responsible Minister. Peter just wrote, "Yes, approved." I want to thank Peter Cox for that because his personal approval of that secondment showed that he did not believe that a secondment from the Electricity Commission to a trade union was a political offence. He was still in touch and had good relations with the union movement. That is something I think the member for Blacktown was alluding to. It does not do any harm for Labor members not to forget that the trade union movement and the Labor branches are still part of our structure. At that stage Peter Cox was a very senior Minister of the Government. In giving that approval, Peter Cox at the stroke of a pen made a few chips in the glass ceiling for women, although it was not called that in those days. It was a significant step forward.

I want to pass on my condolences to Peter Cox's family, his wife, children, grandchildren and friends, many of whom are here today and those outside this place. The member for Auburn, Minister Perry, referred to the fact that when you hold a seat for as long as Peter did you build up a massive amount of support. I guess one could argue that he picked the right time to retire from politics in 1988 because we copped a bashing. So many younger people have come into the Parliament on both sides but we always need to have these elder statesmen such as Peter Cox or Mick Clough. Members on the other side are in the same situation.

Peter Cox had knowledge of every corridor and filing cabinet as a result of all the years he worked in transport. He knew so much, as did Milton Morris. As a Minister, there is nothing worse than knowing that your shadow Minister knows just about as much and maybe even more than you do. The family members here today and the Labor Party should know that Peter Cox's legacy as a local member of Parliament and Minister, and as a man, father and grandfather, was that he really made a difference for the betterment of all people of New South Wales. Peter Cox, rest in peace.

Mr GERARD MARTIN (Bathurst) [12.37 p.m.]: I rise with pleasure to speak to this condolence motion for Peter Cox and while I will be brief, I will certainly be sincere. It is appropriate today that we are honouring two great Labor men who were very good friends. Their families have continued that friendship to this day. My first experience of Peter Cox was when I was a very young mayor of Lithgow and Neville Wran brought the Cabinet to Lithgow for a meeting. He pioneered that and I was very impressed to have all those senior Ministers there for the day. I remember Peter Cox, Kevin Stewart and a number of them being there. I gave them the keys to the mayoral office and the bar and went off to do some mayoral duties. I came back some hours later and they were still there conducting matters of government from the mayor's office.

That was my first association with those gentlemen but over the years I led a number of delegations to Peter Cox. I want to place on record one area of action. We have heard him referred to as being the best Minister for Transport New South Wales has had, and apart from Milton Morris I do not think there is any dispute about that. When Peter Cox was Minister for Energy in New South Wales we had been trying for many years to get natural gas to the Central West. Bathurst, Orange and Lithgow councils formed a lobby group that went to Canberra and saw Malcolm Fraser and John Carrick and spoke to State Ministers. It was a unique situation because the Pipeline Authority was a Federal institution, the State Government had control over prices and the Australian Gas Light Company [AGL], a semi-statutory private company, owned the gas.

It was a difficult proposition and we could never get the three parties to agree. By the coming together of two unlikely characters—Gareth Evans as the Federal Minister for Energy and Peter Cox as the State Minister—something that had dragged on for years was resolved in about five minutes as a result of the pushing and urging of Peter Cox, which resulted in tremendous benefits for the Central West. Those who were involved in that campaign still remember Peter Cox's contribution, which was the real catalyst. Peter saw a need for our area to have this valuable natural resource and he was able to cut through all the barriers and get it done quickly. As a result he always had my respect.

After I became a member of Parliament Peter and I had a couple of meals in Parliament House. He had dinner with me and spoke about renewable energy—an issue in which he had a great interest. A few months ago he rang me and spoke about the possibility of solar projects in the Bathurst region. He was involved in a number of issues and he was keen to talk to those with whom he had had an association over the years. I will always remember Peter with great respect and fondness. I extend condolences to Peter's family and friends who are present in the gallery today.

The SPEAKER: On behalf of the House I extend to Mrs Cox and her family our deepest sympathies.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.

Members and officers of the House stood in their places as a mark of respect.