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Death of the Honourable Laurie John (Jack) Ferguson, Ao, A Former Deputy Premier of New South Wales

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Speakers - Acting-Speaker (Mr Paul Lynch); Carr Mr Bob; Brogden Mr John; Refshauge Dr Andrew; Souris Mr George; Yeadon Mr Kim; Ashton Mr Alan; Armstrong Mr Ian; Mills Mr John; Rozzoli Mr Kevin; Whelan Mr Paul; Hunter Mr Jeff; Lo Po' Mrs Faye; Perry Mrs Barbara; Lynch Mr Paul; Deputy-Speaker
Business - Condolence


    DEATH OF THE HONOURABLE LAURIE JOHN (JACK) FERGUSON, AO, A FORMER DEPUTY PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Page: 5544


    Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Lynch): Before I call the Premier I take this opportunity to acknowledge the presence in the gallery of Mary Ferguson, Deborah Ferguson, Jenny Smith, Merryn Lynch, Sarah Smith and Anita Smith.

    Mr CARR (Maroubra-Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Citizenship) [4.30 p.m.]: I move:
        That this House extends to Mrs Ferguson and family the deep sympathy of members of the Legislative Assembly in the loss sustained by the death on 17 September 2002 of the Honourable Laurie John (Jack) Ferguson, a former Deputy Premier and Minister of the Crown.
    In his tribute to Jack Ferguson at St Patrick's, Guildford, on Monday, the Hon. Neville Wran referred to some of my words in my tribute when we heard the news of Jack's death last week. I had said that without Jack Ferguson Neville Wran would never have become leader of the Labor Party in New South Wales in 1973; as a result, all the following would not have happened-the Wranslides and the 12 years of Labor Government in the 1970s and 1980s. And, as Neville Wran said at the funeral, all that was absolutely true. But, as the former Premier said, those words hardly begin to tell the story not only of their great partnership between 1973 and 1984 but of Jack Ferguson's contribution to the Labor Party and to the people of this State. Nor does the formal recital of his parliamentary service, which I now place on the record of this House.

    The Hon. Laurie John Ferguson was born in Zetland, Sydney, on 4 September 1925. He was member for Merrylands from 1959 to 1962, for Fairfield from 1962 to 1968 and again for Merrylands from 1968 until his retirement in 1984. He was Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 3 December 1973 to 10 February 1984. He was Deputy Premier from 14 May 1976 to 10 February 1984. Throughout that period he was Minister for Public Works and Minister for Ports. Between May 1976 and February 1977 he was also Minister for Housing. He was Acting Premier for lengthy periods in 1980 and 1983.

    Within that bare outline there is a story of rich personal achievement-rich and deep in his family life, his political and personal beliefs, enhanced by a lifetime of self-education; rich and deep in his knowledge and understanding of his fellow Australians, his fellow workers in his union, in his party and in this Parliament. Jack Ferguson was in every way a big man-a big laugh, a big heart, a big mind. Everything that Jack became as a man and as a politician grew from the roots of his childhood. He grew up in the Merrylands area, Granville and Guildford, during the Depression. For the Ferguson family, as for thousands upon thousands of others, eviction and privation were real and constant threats. He saw the soul-destroying effect of long-term unemployment on proud and decent men like his father. He had to leave school at the earliest legal age of 13. His meagre earnings helped sustain the family, which his mother somehow held together.

    During World War II Jack Ferguson saw active service as an army gunman in New Guinea and Borneo. The Chifley Government's post-war retraining programs enabled him to enrol in a technical college course and qualify as a bricklayer. He remained grateful for that all his life-and proud of his skills all his life. In the months before his marriage to Mary Ellen Bett in 1951 he built a house in Guildford with his own hands. They lived in that house all their married life of 51 years. There they brought up their five children: Laurie, Martin, Deborah, Andrew and Jennifer. The door of the house was always open to his constituents. He represented them in this place faithfully for a quarter of a century. To him, as he said, his parliamentary salary was "a fortune, not a bloody wage".

    In his maiden speech in 1959, Jack spoke of those burgeoning suburbs in the south and west that were developing without sewerage, decent roads or footpaths. He called for better planning and cheaper housing. Seventeen years later, as Minister for Public Works, Jack loved nothing better than to open new hospitals, schools, public housing and roads in the areas of greatest need. He never forgot the working people he was elected to represent. He was their stubborn, unyielding advocate in the party, the Parliament and the Government.

    Both the speakers at the service on Monday-Neville Wran and Jack's eldest son, Laurie- made special mention of Jack's extraordinary range of depth of reading and knowledge. Both his parents and his sister Hilary instilled a respect for learning and ideas far beyond the norm for a family in their harsh circumstances. It never left him. He was the strongest advocate in this House of public libraries. And he used them. Laurie Ferguson told how he remained the most demanding customer of the Guildford Public Library, which he himself secured for the area. It was his Cabinet initiative that provided the extensions to the State Library, formerly the parliamentary tennis courts, which he had no compunction in acquiring. He devoured history, ancient and modern. He came, saw and conquered the Caesars. He worked through the whole six volumes of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. So he embodied the tradition of self-educated working people that is part of this Parliament's history and the Labor Party's history.

    Rodney Cavalier, one of our former colleagues, whom Jack Ferguson inspired and guided, recalls the occasion of the great battle in caucus and at conference over the admission of Legislative Councillors to the Labor Caucus. Jack was adamantly against it-he had a lot of wisdom! The "stampeding hordes", he called them. This brought him into direct conflict with head office-not a novel or unusual position for Jack Ferguson-and, reluctantly, and unusually, with Neville Wran. I said "unusually", but I meant uniquely. That was the first and only public confrontation between them. But, as Neville Wran said on Monday, it was by no means for the first and only time in private. In taking his stand, Jack told the conference:
        I know that we of the Left are crossing the Rubicon.
    As Rodney Cavalier tells it, Jack said to him:
        Comrade, what do people do at university? I've got all the university graduates coming up to me and asking what was the Rubicon. Don't they read history?
    Needless to say, Jack gave his children the opportunities for higher education which he had been denied. Jack could echo with understanding the well-known and great words of Ben Chifley. Chifley said:
        I would give a million pounds for Bob Menzies' education.
    That is an echo of a time when to have been working class meant one was born to be denied access to completing secondary school, let alone going on to university. So it is a reminder of that time. I remember Rodney Cavalier saying to me on one occasion that it is a great thing when you have a manual worker, a bricklayer, as Deputy Premier of New South Wales. That is part of Jack Ferguson's significance. I remember him as being unfailingly polite. With a mate, I had cross words with him as we went into or came out of one of those June long weekend party conferences. We sort of snarled at one another. Jack came up an hour later and said, "Sorry about that, sorry." We apologised for being excited by the factional battles of the moment, with the smell of sulphur in the air.

    I remember him at the policy speech at Randwick at the start of the 1973 election campaign. Jack joked that Labor's chances were so bleak that he was going to spend the campaign chasing postal votes. He was very candid. I am flattered by one thing he said about me. I have to censor his remark and delete one word. I was greatly flattered when I had this related to me, I think by Peter Crawford. Peter said, "Jack Ferguson referred to you. He said, 'Keating, Brereton, Carr-what a [expletive deleted] trio.' " I was greatly honoured that that would come into his mind.

    In my misbegotten youth I worked as a journalist for the Bulletin and I wanted some background on the inside workings of the Wran Government. Jack was kind enough to give me an hour to discuss things, on a Saturday morning during the 1978 election campaign in his office. He candidly discussed with me, off the record, the character of the Government and of the bloke he served, Neville Wran. Then he went off, to use his words, "to press some flesh for Rodney" in Cavalier's electorate, called Gladesville at the time.

    I cannot pretend I knew Jack well. He went out in the 1984 election, so I was here for only a few months while he was in this Parliament. But it is a great measure of his qualities that so many people were able to speak so fondly of him, pre-eminently Rodney Cavalier-who, of course, has already written I think 50,000 or 60,000 words of a biography of Jack-but so many others as well. My contemporaries in the other faction of the New South Wales Australia Labor Party at the time hugely esteemed him. Jack was to them an iconic figure, an inspiring figure, a source of ideas and perspective and a view of Labor history. They would quote the great flashes of commonsense that Jack was able to deliver.

    There are a few parallels here, a few echoes. We think of the echo in Ben Chifley, the engine driver who became Prime Minister, and Jack Ferguson, the bricklayer who became Deputy Premier. We think of the Curtin-Chifley partnership, of the Wran-Ferguson partnership-so important-of these Labor giants who never forsook their people or their cause, despite all their achievements and successes in the service of the people of Australia and New South Wales. We must remember that the changes in our society-the new opportunities, the new standards, the new aspirations-that have overtaken their times, reflect their work, their vision for a better, fairer country. In knowing Jack Ferguson, we know a whole generation of Australian men and women. Our knowledge of him, our familiarity with him and his character give us a feel for a generation of Labor men and women now passing from our midst of which Jack Ferguson was such a splendid representative.

    Mr BROGDEN (Pittwater-Leader of the Opposition) [4.45 p.m.]: I second the motion moved by the Premier offering condolences to the family of Jack Ferguson in the presence, in the gallery today, of his widow and members of his family. In particular I mention members of his family Laurie, Martin, Andrew, Deborah and Jenny and their extended families. As honourable members know, Laurie was a member of this House before going on to become a member of the Federal Opposition frontbench. Martin, who was President of the ACTU from 1992 1995, is also a frontbench member of the Australia Labor Party in Canberra. Andrew is the Secretary of the building division of his father's old union, the renamed CFMEU, which I hasten to add is my brother's trade union.

    All three, might I add, attended an excellent school, St Patrick's College, Strathfield, my old school. I am told that things changed-as they obviously did-after they left, indeed to such an extent that the school could produce a Liberal leader today. Jack's daughters Deborah and Jenny are both schoolteachers. When I asked the honourable member for Liverpool whether the family would be happy for members of the Opposition to attend the funeral, I started by saying, "I do not understand the workings of the Left of the ALP. Are you a Ferguson person?" He said, "Yes. I married one of them."

    Mrs Lo Po: One of the girls!

    Mr BROGDEN: I did not need to say that, Faye! It is quite significant that the honourable member for Liverpool, the son-in-law of Jack Ferguson, was the Acting-Speaker occupying the chair when the motion was moved. I also note the presence in the gallery today of the Hon. Paul O'Grady, a former member of the upper House.

    Jack Ferguson was born on 4 September 1925 at Zetland. He worked as a farmhand, textile worker and builders labourer, and joined the Australian Imperial Forces, serving from 1942 to 1946. He was an aldermen and Deputy Mayor of Parramatta, before coming into the Parliament as the member for Fairfield in March 1959. He worked as an organiser for the Building Workers Industrial Union before his election as the member for Merrylands. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly from March 1959 to May 1984, variously as the member for Merrylands and member for Fairfield. Most notably, he was the Deputy Premier from 1976 to 1984, and his portfolios included Public Works, Ports and Housing. He was Acting Premier on a number of occasions, including when then Premier Wran stood down for the royal commission in 1983.

    As someone who never met Jack Ferguson, and who certainly did not serve in this Parliament in the period that he served, it would be somewhat inappropriate for me to make comments about Jack Ferguson. But I would like to invoke the words of others in paying tribute to him. The man who described Jack Ferguson as his only real friend in politics-Neville Wran-said that Jack had "buckets of common decency", an accolade that any member leaving this place would like to have intact. Stephen Loosley said:
        He was a pivotal figure, along with John Ducker, in elevating Wran to the Labor leadership-and a major contributor to Labor's success.
    Jack Ferguson was self-educated and, according to Loosley, the most well-read man he met in the Labor Party, including among his readings the classics from Shaw to Shakespeare and the history of Imperial Rome. His respect for education was evident in the encouragement that he and his wife gave all five children to gain a university education. Mike Steketee-Milton Cockburn wrote in "Wran-an unauthorised biography", which was published in 1986, that Jack Ferguson symbolised an uncomplicated, idealistic socialism. Ferguson and Wran had a close friendship-a relationship not predicted at the beginning of their association. Cockburn went on to state that Jack Ferguson played the largest part in finding the numbers in caucus for Wran to become Premier. Wran himself picked up the votes of only a handful of right-wingers. Ferguson came to play a critical, complementary role to Wran. They were an unlikely combination.

    Ferguson was gruff, romantic enough still to believe in the working class struggle, a heavy drinker and a smoker. Wran was the well-healed, well-dressed lawyer, happy to have left the working class behind him, pragmatic to a fault, cultured and much more eclectic in his choice of social companionship. Cockburn further stated that Ferguson's lack of personal ambition added stability to a Wran-led Labor Party, both in opposition and in government. Ferguson was the person called in to settle down Wran when, as one ministerial colleague put it, "Wran had thrown a turn." The quote that symbolises much of what I have heard and read about Jack Ferguson was mentioned by the Premier; that is, he said of his then $80,000 parliamentary salary that it was not a wage but a "bloody fortune".

    In his Address-in-Reply maiden speech in 1959 Jack Ferguson focused on the issues of the day-the shortage of housing, the high price of land, industrial safety, the right to strike and the Cumberland County Council planning scheme. The Coalition joins with the Premier and honourable members of this House in expressing to the members of the Ferguson family here today, and those not able to be here, the condolences of our side of politics and recognise a man who served this State and his party in a great manner.

    Dr REFSHAUGE (Marrickville-Deputy Premier, Minister for Planning, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister for Housing) [4.52 p.m.]: I speak with great sadness at the death of Jack Ferguson, this State's Deputy Premier from 1976 to 1984. This is the passing of an era. The death of a figure in history like Jack is an immense loss. He was a fighter from the working class, he fought for the working class, and he never forgot his origins. He came from a different time and place, so the events of his life are not those one could seek to replicate. However, his life was an inspiration-an inspiration for others to emulate his commitment, his passion, his struggle and his fight for social justice.

    Somehow we seem to take for granted that people who are living links with history, who are legendary and who were present at moments that shaped our national destiny will always be here. Yet, despite his importance, Jack retained his humility and perspective. The pomp and circumstances of his place in history did not distract him. It is not surprising that by request there was no State funeral for him. His funeral was held in the church in which he was married-St Patricks, Guildford. Jack was a lion of the Left. He is appropriately credited with much of the success of Neville Wran's decade as Premier. When he stepped down in 1984 he did not seek to interfere.

    When I became Deputy Leader in 1988 I had to seek him out. He did not proffer advice; I had to ask him, and he gave it. Some of it I took-I have always been very grateful for it-and some of it I ignored. I regret that. However, as most of that advice was about the Australian Labor Party, and the New South Wales Right in particular, I will not reveal it now. Our moment in history is fleeting, it is brief, it is transitory. The world changes extraordinarily quickly. Jack was one of the old school. He was larger than life, a unionist, a fighter and a champion for the working class his entire life. He was born above the fire station in Zetland in 1925 and left school at the age of 13. If he had one regret, it was his lack of formal education. However, he read all his life. His appetite for reading was voracious and catholic. As we know, what we learn from lessons is no substitute for what we learn from life.

    Jack worked on a poultry farm at Baulkham Hills, in a woollen mill at Parramatta and later in an asbestos factory at Homebush, mixing the asbestos with water. That job lasted less than half a year, but the result of his inhaling asbestos over even that brief time was the mesothelioma that ultimately killed him. He died on 17 September. Jack was quoted at the time he left office as saying that no-one knew anything about asbestos of asbestosis then. They were exposed to it all the time, but they did not worry that it might kill them because they could not live forever. He went on to say that it was important that something was being done about it so that what happened to him would not happen to anyone else.

    It is a tragedy that asbestos killed him, but it was not a surprise that he died from a workers' disease. Jack was a fighter from the working class. He fought his entire life for the working class and he never forgot what it was to be given a chance to improve his lot in life. At the age of 18, Jack enlisted in the Army and served as a gunner during the Second World War with the Ninth Division AIF in New Guinea, Borneo and New Britain. After he returned he took up a Commonwealth traineeship as a bricklayer. This measure of the Chifley Government allowed him and many other returned servicemen to change their lives. He never forgot it, and he joined the Australian Labor Party in 1946.

    Ken Booth, Wran's Treasurer, got a fine brick barbecue built in his backyard in the Hunter and the bricks were laid by Jack. Ken was a man whom Jack always held in exceptionally high regard. He respected his talent and abilities as well as his personal qualities. Jack called him "Bushy Tail" because he was as cunning as a fox. They knew about people's problems. They had no electorate offices, so constituents came to their homes to talk about their problems. Mary, like other political wives, was like a local member, listening to people's stories when Jack was not in. Jack and Ken knew the value of people helping each other. There were plenty of good times. I am told that when Ken visited Jack in St Vincent's Hospital after his heart attack they immediately went to the chapel for a swig of scotch.

    Jack knew his values and was unapologetic for pursuing them. He rose through the ranks as a union organiser with the Building Workers Industrial Union. He served six years on Parramatta Council, including one as Deputy Mayor. He was elected in 1959 to the seat of Merrylands and, although the name of the electorate was changed, he remained the local member until he stepped down in 1984. He was a fighter from the working class, he fought for the working class, and he rose to the rank of Deputy Premier. In that position he worked quietly behind the scenes as well. He understood what it was to be deputy-to have a good working relationship with the leader. They also had a great friendship built on mutual respect.

    According to a ministerial colleague, the relationship between Jack and Neville was one of life's joys to watch. Neville has said he loved Jack more than life itself and that he could not have done it without him. That was true: Without Jack, Wran would never have been Premier. Together, the political chemistry worked. They displayed a microscopic attention to detail, like giving Tempe and Randwick new fleets of Mercedes buses because they had to look after the people who needed it most, and helped create the Wran era. Jack was absolutely trusted and did long stints as Acting Premier during the Street royal commission and when Wran had suspected throat cancer. Wran said himself that he never had to look over his own shoulder for the sharp political cutlery because Jack did that for him.

    Jack lived almost his entire life in Guildford. He built a house for himself and his bride, Mary Ellen Bett, next to his mother's house. He loved his garden and spent many hours in it. He grew up in the days when it mattered what class a person came from. It mattered who one fought for. He was a fighter from the working class, he fought for the working class, and he never backed away from the hard fights. One of the hardest tasks of his public life was the closing of the Newcastle State Dockyard. Orders for shipbuilding had dried up and there was no reasonable alternative. The dockyard had to close and hundreds of workers would lose their jobs. He went there to tell them himself. He did not send a minion, he did not send a letter: he faced the men himself. For a committed unionist and champion of the working class, it was a bitter task. However, he did it in his characteristic manner. He told them straight and honestly. Although they knew they had lost their jobs, those workers at the dockyard applauded his courage and decency because he faced them. It was the hardest thing he had to do as a politician.

    At another time he fronted a shed filled with striking railway workers who had been out on strike for some time. He outlined the Government's position and talked them into going back to work. He did it in person. Jack believed in preserving history. As Minister for Public Works he preserved heritage-not just of public institutions, but also the heritage of workers. There is no doubt that Macquarie Street, the Government Mint, Hyde Park Barracks, and Parliament House would not have been the same if Jack had not intervened. He insisted that an upgrade to the precinct would be sympathetic and preserve as much of the original buildings as possible. He brought out master stonemasons from Italy to teach local tradespeople, including two women, skills which were no longer commonplace here.

    For the opening celebration of the refurbished Barracks and the Mint, Jack invited all the brickies and others who had worked on the site and acknowledged them in his speech. In the early eighties that was very unusual-in fact, it was extraordinary. The row of workers cottages in Philip Street near Governor Macquarie Tower and the wooden bridge across Darling Harbour would not be here today without his intervention. These are tangible examples of Wran's vision and Jack Ferguson's practicality.

    Jack is survived by his wife, Mary, and children, Laurie, Martin, Deborah, Andrew and Jenny, and his grandchildren. His son-in-law, Paul Lynch, is a member of this Chamber. Jack took delight in the fact that all his children continued the fight to help people through the union movement and the Australian Labor Party and in other ways, and respected that some chose to lead more private lives. With his passing, an era is over. But he has left a legacy for this State, for working people, and for many people who now serve in public life. He was a role model because he never forgot what, or whom, he was fighting for.

    When I worked as a doctor in Wilcannia in the early 1980s there was only one tap with running water for about 100 people who lived in a place called The Mallee. The water was not filtered: It came straight from the river; it was filthy. The senior nurse at Wilcannia and I filled bottles of water from this single tap-the water supply for families, women, children and babies-and we sent one bottle to every Government Minister, pleading for help. Jack kept that bottle of turgid water on his desk where he could see it every day until he signed off on clean water for The Mallee. For that and much more I want to say, "Jack, thank you".

    Mr SOURIS (Upper Hunter-Leader of the National Party) [5.01 p.m.]: I join with the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Premier and subsequent speakers in paying tribute to the late Laurie John (Jack) Ferguson, one of the great pillars of the Labor Party in the seventies and eighties. Jack Ferguson had been gone from this place for four years when I was first elected to Parliament, but his reputation as a Labor Party legend was still very much in place. His parliamentary career spanned nearly 25 years, during which time he rose to become Deputy Premier, Minister for Public Works and Minister for Ports, Minister for Housing and, at times, Acting Premier in the absence of Neville Wran. Neville Wran respected Jack Ferguson as a valued deputy and a formidable force in politics, as has already been said. He was the enforcer in the duo.

    As has been amply demonstrated, Jack Ferguson came from humble beginnings and was totally committed to the principles of the Labor Party and the working man. What may not be widely known is that Jack had many friends in the old Country Party and had links through his wife and his wife's family with active members of the Country Party. For this information I am indebted to a former Minister in the Wran Government, Rodney Cavalier, who appears to have done the rounds in the past week. He has a highly developed sense of history in regard to the inter-party associations, whatever the political expanse between the individuals. I had a conversation with him earlier this week.

    Jack Ferguson very much valued his friendship with the Country Party's Jim Brown, the honourable member for Raleigh and then Oxley. Both were members of the class of 1959. They served together on the timber committee, as Jim always called it. I am told that their affection for each other was obvious to anyone who observed them together. In 1951 Jack married Mary Ellen Bett. Present at their wedding was, among others, Doug Dickson, MP, the Country Party member for Temora from 1938 to 1960. He was present by reason of his close personal friendship with Donald Bett, the father of the bride. Mr Bett had been the secretary of the Dirnaseer Branch of the Country Party.

    Mr Bett's grandchild, Laurie-who is now the honourable member for Reid in the Federal Parliament-has as one of his most treasured possessions a dodger from 1928 for a dance and euchre party at the Dirnaseer Hall in aid of the Country Party which was issued by Donald F. Bett, Secretary. The Bett family home, Romani, was part of the soldier settlement scheme. Lieutenant Colonel the Honourable Michael Frederick Bruxner, DSO, the United Country Party member for Northern Tablelands in the 1920s, and Hughie Main, the Progressive Country Party member for Cootamundra and then Temora in the same period, had been dinner guests at the family home. Jack's wife, Mary, often stayed in Guildford because her maternal grandparents, the Barretts, had a fine mansion on the right side of the tracks.

    Jack and Mary met and fell in love. When Jack's courtship of Mary had reached an advanced stage he sought the formal approval of the father of his hoped-for bride. In the 1940s formalities still applied, certainly at Dirnaseer. Jack received an invitation to stay at Romani. He arrived at the farm a few days after Mary. He took an instant liking to Mr Bett and the feeling was reciprocated. It was the year of a very late harvest. The young Jack Ferguson readily assisted the family in bringing in the wheat. It was then that Jack Ferguson of Guildford met the expectations of Mr and Mrs Donald Bett of Dirnaseer.

    Jack Ferguson enjoyed travelling to country New South Wales. In the days before mobile phones Jack was unreachable for many hours at a time because he used a motor vehicle to take him almost anywhere in New South Wales. I can certainly relate to that. Jack Ferguson is properly celebrated for his pride in his background and his unashamed association with working people. For that reason, he recognised and respected anyone who put in an honest day's work, whatever their vocation. He related well to farmers and people on the land. On behalf of the National Party I extend our sympathies to the Ferguson family-the family of a bricklayer who became Deputy Premier.

    Mr YEADON (Granville-Minister for Information Technology, Minister for Energy, Minister for Forestry, and Minister for Western Sydney) [5.05 p.m.]: I pay respect and tribute to Laurie John Ferguson-better known as Jack Ferguson-who passed away last week after a battle with mesothelioma which he contracted as a building worker early in his life. I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of his wife, Mary, and members of his family. Jack was a comrade, soldier, bricklayer, building union organiser, and devoted father and husband. He was a Labor man of principle and vision who kept the Labor light burning. For the past 13 years I have had the privilege of being his local member. Jack was born in Zetland above a fire station in 1925, as has been mentioned. He was the first child of World War I Scottish emigrant and Communist Party member John Ferguson and his Irish wife, Mary Ellen. He attended Granville Convent and later the Marist Brothers school in Parramatta and left school at the age of 13.

    One of Jack's greatest attributes in my eyes was his ability to educate himself. The only person who could be compared with him, but who does not even come close to reaching him, would be Jack Mundy. I had extraordinary admiration for Jack's ability to educate himself and to continue his self-education throughout his life. His dedication to education as a tool of liberation was constant. Jack's work through the Guildford Returned Soldiers School of Arts gained him an operational mandate to hold educational forums in Western Sydney. That is just one practical demonstration of his conviction that the working class should be able to access expanded educational and life opportunities throughout their lives.

    Jack remained completely dedicated to the Guildford Returned Soldiers School of Arts. He was a School of Arts trustee until the day he died. On a number of occasions he spoke to me about the importance of ensuring the perpetuation of the School of Arts. I place on the public record my commitment to doing all I can to ensure that the School of Arts carries on to fulfil the function that Jack Ferguson believed it should have. I have the great privilege of being referred to as the inaugural Minister for Western Sydney in this place, but honourable members should make no mistake: The real inaugural advocate for Western Sydney was Jack Ferguson. His vision was unapologetically laid out in his maiden speech in this place over 40 years ago in which he stated:
        We must ensure that all the things needed to make a happy community are provided. In the great sprawl that makes the county of Cumberland, many districts are without sewage, decent roads and footpaths ... The workers go to work with the sun in their eyes and come home with the sun in their eyes. The Government must continue with its policy of slum clearance and high-density housing.

    Jack worked as an advocate for Western Sydney and for his community throughout his political life. This week we have heard many of Jack's terrific sayings. One of the most poignant memories for me was when Jack said on one occasion that the people of eastern and northern Sydney regarded the people of Western Sydney as the hewers of their wood and the carters of their water. Unfortunately, that view still persists in many quarters. Jack Ferguson was a champion, a man who went out of his way to change that view. He did much to bring about a greater recognition of, and the provision of services to, the people of Western Sydney. I knew of Jack Ferguson for many years but I only really knew him in the latter part of his life when he was ill with a debilitating sickness.

    I had an opportunity to speak with Jack on a number of occasions. I had always held Jack Ferguson in awe. He was a great man and a man of extraordinary stature. Often in life when one meets the stuff of legends they do not live up to one's expectations. For me the extraordinary thing with Jack Ferguson was that he went beyond my expectations; he was greater than the legend. The thing that struck me most about Jack was his extraordinary humility. I remember speaking to him on one occasion when he indicated to me that he was able to use the title "the honourable" as a result of his service as a Minister of this State. However, he said to me that it was an absurd proposition. Why would he want the title "the honourable"? He knew he was honourable and that was all that mattered. In addition, every other honest, decent working man was honourable as well, and he did not stand above them. What extraordinary humility!

    He also spoke to me about the absurdity of his name being on the Ferguson Building in Parramatta. He thought that it was most amusing that a building would be named after him. I was flabbergasted at his humility, given his contribution to this State and to public life. He wanted none of these monuments and none of that recognition. He wanted no function in his honour or anything like that in the local area. Jack Ferguson was a great man. If we sought his monument we had only to look around us at St Patrick's Church at Guildford on Monday. His monument was the gathering of the local community-ordinary men and women-who came to pay their final farewell to their champion, Jack Ferguson. They poured into that church in extraordinary numbers-a monument that Jack Ferguson would duly accept.

    They came not only to say their final farewells to their champion but also to honour and console his widow, Mary, a partner in all his endeavours throughout their 51-year partnership. As Father Bridge said on Monday, it was standard fare in the community. If anyone had a problem they would go and see Jack and Mary. Even though Jack was suffering from an illness over the last few years, Mary continued with his work. I pay honour to you, Mary, for your contribution to Jack's life and to our local community. My partner Jennifer and I held Jack in such high esteem and regard that we named our youngest son Jack. To you Mary, to Laurie, Martin, Deborah, Andrew and Jenny, and your extended families, I offer you our deepest sympathy and condolences. It gives me great pride to join with you in celebrating an extraordinary and great life.

    Mr ASHTON (East Hills) [5.14 p.m.]: After joining the Panania branch of the Australian Labor Party in mid-1971 I proudly announced that fact at a tutorial in government studies at the University of Sydney. A large fellow student and I got involved in a discussion about Labor politics. I could tell that he knew much more than I did about the topic. He introduced himself as Laurie Ferguson. As we continued to talk he casually informed me, with no emphasis on the words that he spoke, that his father, Jack, was the Labor member for Merrylands in the New South Wales State Parliament. My involvement with the Ferguson family of ALP members and supporters had begun. I am proud to say that it remains today, and it is stronger than ever.

    With Jack Ferguson's passing last week the ALP clan gathered on Monday to farewell him at St Patrick's Catholic Church at Guildford. In keeping with the family's and, I am sure, Jack's wishes, there was no State funeral, yet for those of us who attended the service at the church it was the most sincere non-State funeral one could imagine, with over 1,500 people attending the service in the heartland of Jack's former home suburb of Guildford. I am sure that I was not the only one to observe that it was probably the first time such a large funeral was held in the Labor and working class heartland that Jack had always represented.

    Jack Ferguson had been a labourer, a factory worker, a World War II veteran and then a bricklayer. He then became an organiser with the Building Workers Industrial Union and, as many people would know, later he was a life member of that union. He served as an alderman on Parramatta Council and he was also Deputy Mayor of Parramatta Council. Jack will be remembered as a man who entered Parliament in 1959 not to help himself but to help others. I remember hearing a story once-I think the Premier referred to it earlier-that on occasions Jack was embarrassed when he realised what salary he would receive as a member of Parliament and what salary he would receive later as Deputy Premier compared to what he earned when he worked so hard as a bricklayer.

    Peter Black, the honourable member for Murray-Darling, remembers that in the late 1970s Jack, as Minister for Public Works, laid the foundation stone at the new government offices to be built in Broken Hill. Jack mixed his own mud, which is what my father, who was also a bricklayer, would have called it. He mixed the cement, the water and the sand with a trowel and laid the first foundation stone. Jack would not have needed minders to tell him how to mix the cement; it is something that he would have done himself. Political history can be interpreted in many ways. But it is universally accepted that the Wran Government, which was elected in May 1976, would never have come about if the original plan of John Ducker, New South Wales boss of the ALP organisational wing at that time, had not been implemented.

    He approached Jack Ferguson, as a senior member of the minor and ignored Left group of the ALP caucus, and asked him to support Neville Wran as the new ALP leader after the 1973 election. There is no doubt, as Neville Wran generously conceded on Monday, that Jack probably saw Neville as a bit of silvertail, but he knew that Labor's best chance at victory lay with Neville Wran. Jack's instincts were correct. Wran won in 1976 and Jack Ferguson became Deputy Premier. The Wran-Ferguson model no doubt has been successfully followed by the Carr-Refshauge Government since 1995. The years 1976 to 1984 were New South Wales Labor's halcyon years with many social, economic, environmental, health and, importantly, electoral changes, being introduced in New South Wales.

    Jack also acted as Premier during some difficult times, for example, when Neville Wran was ill and in 1984 when a royal commission was inquiring into Neville's alleged involvement in some football incident. The Sydney Morning Herald-no friend of Labor-reported that incident every day during the time that Jack was Acting Premier. Jack did as great a job then as Acting Premier as he did as Deputy Premier. Jack's status as Deputy Premier and leader of the Left was highlighted when he chose to retire in early 1984. The internal stability of the Wran Government was undermined and there was no obvious choice to replace him. As Neville Wran admitted, even a Balmain boy can cry when his best mate dies. I could not sum up Jack Ferguson's contribution to public life in New South Wales any better than that.

    I offer my sincere condolences and those of my wife, Linda, to Jack's wife, Mary, to my great mates Laurie, Martin and Andrew, to Deborah and Jennifer and their partners and children, including the honourable member for Liverpool, Paul Lynch, and their extensive and extended family on the sad loss of a great Labor and true working-class man. It is sad for any member of Parliament to speak to the condolence motion when he knew the man and knows the Ferguson family so well. My final tribute to Jack's memory is that my ability to stand here as the member for East Hills and make this speech is due in no small part to the loyal support I have received from Jack Ferguson's family and supporters since 1971. Farewell Jack.

    Mr ARMSTRONG (Lachlan) [5.20 p.m.]: As the member for Lachlan, I join the Premier, the Deputy Premier, the Leader the Opposition, the Leader of the National Party and others in expressing my sympathy to the Ferguson family on the loss of their father, grandfather and husband, Jack Ferguson. I first came to this place in 1981. As others have chronicled, Jack Ferguson was then Deputy Premier. However, I knew him before that-not well, I must say-because I was on the New South Wales Development Corporation for some years under the Wran Government and from time to time I used to meet Jack and other Ministers at functions and so on. Indeed, I think I received a couple of briefings from Jack Ferguson as well. I have no doubt that Jack's parliamentary record and his life have been well chronicled by previous speakers, but I would like to place on record my thoughts on Jack Ferguson. Firstly, I make the point that he rose to the second highest office in this State. From memory, fewer than 35 people have done that in the history of this State. Jack is to be commended for that. It was a position he fulfilled with great dignity in his own way.

    As other members have said, Jack Ferguson was a relatively humble man; he was an ordinary man, a man of the people. He sought to be nothing other than what he was. But he took that persona into the second highest position in this State. The office has been considerably enriched for his presence and the way he served his Government and the State. I suppose most of us would like to leave our profession and our life better than when we came into it. Jack Ferguson, simply because of his demeanour-which really reflects his intelligence-certainly is a memorable and important part of the history of this State. He is an example to every one of us, as ordinary people-the majority of us are ordinary people, with ordinary intelligence and ordinary education-that we can do it. That is one of the best tributes I can pay to Jack Ferguson.

    As a young man coming to this place I was pretty brash, and I must say Jack did not take too many prisoners. If you tangled with him in this Chamber, you got a fairly gruff response and you were quickly put in your place. But, boy, he was a great educator for young fellows like me. I recall that late one evening in this House I engaged in a fairly torrid debate with Jack Ferguson-indeed, Kevin Stewart also became embroiled in it. After the debate, as I stepped out through the doors of the Chamber, Kevin Stewart came over to me and said, "Young fellow, you'll learn." Jack simply said, "Give him time, Kevin." I remember that occasion very favourably. Jack Ferguson's sons have succeeded him in leadership roles within government and the trade union movement, and also as leaders in their communities, and they are to be admired for that. Nothing makes a father more proud than seeing his sons, daughters and grandchildren do well. I would like to think I can appreciate the pride Jack must have felt in having such a successful family-and there is no doubt that they are successful.

    I pay respect to the life of Jack Ferguson. I once again reinforce that I remember him as a major contributor, someone who expected not one cent more than he got out of life. Probably his expectations were completely fulfilled. He was a man who, to my way of thinking, always seemed very comfortable in his own environment and in the company of others. The greatest tribute I can pay to any person is that they live their life, they are happy, and they are remembered for being decent, hard-working, sincere people who contributed to the society in which they lived.

    Mr MILLS (Wallsend) [5.25 p.m.]: On behalf of Jack Ferguson's many admirers and friends in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley I would like to present our condolences and sympathies to Mary, Deb and Jen, to son-in-law Paul, to Laurie, Martin and Andrew, who are not here today, and to the grand-daughters and family who are here today. Those condolences and sympathies are sincere because Jack was quite well known in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. The Deputy Premier referred to the closure of the dockyard in Newcastle. I would put it this way. What Jack Ferguson showed there was the courage it took to be a good leader, because it takes courage to do the hard things like telling people you are going to let them down, and that is what he had to do. Nevertheless, Jack had that courage.

    I was introduced to Jack by my predecessor, Ken Booth. The Deputy Premier provided the nickname "Bushy Tail". I had not heard that nickname to describe my predecessor. However, I know that Ken had a brotherly love for Jack, and I know that that love and respect was reciprocated by Jack. Ken was a greatly admired political figure in the Hunter Valley, and in my younger days he was my mentor. I therefore met Jack, and I learned of the respect we had for him. He was a leader of the clan within the Labor Party that we call the Left. I am not quite sure what he thought of the complicated, old name of "Combined Unions and Branches Steering Committee", which is what we called the Left for many years.

    Mr Lynch: He probably invented it.

    Mr MILLS: As the honourable member for Liverpool said, he probably invented it. That is possible; it is a euphemism. Nevertheless, that described a significant part of the Labor family, which was rooted in militant progressive trade union action that was designed to protect the health, safety and jobs of workers, and to improve the lives of workers and their families. The model of political success of Jack Ferguson, the leader and the man, was the joint leadership he had with Neville Wran, the blended right-wing, left-wing leadership that was not valued as highly as it should have been until after Jack retired from Parliament. The Left split over the succession, so the right took on the Deputy Premiership. I believe that then weakened the leadership; certainly Labor lost the next election. The model was no accident; it was carefully thought through. But after that loss in 1988, the New South Wales ALP returned to the successful model of balanced left-right leadership with Andrew Refshauge as deputy leader and Bob Carr as leader. Of course, that leadership team continues to demonstrate success.

    Clearly, the model is based on something that Jack Ferguson knew well: teamwork and unity. I got a Labor Party badge fairly soon after I joined the party in 1965. The badge was an oval shape and it had on it, "Unity of Labor Is the Hope of the World". I know that is something we carry in our hearts. After the events leading up to and through 1988, some of us were saying, "Unity of Labor is the hope of Labor." Nevertheless, the longer view is that unity of Labor is the hope of the world. That is at the heart of my political beliefs, and it is at the heart of my respect for the leadership that Jack Ferguson gave to New South Wales Labor. Jack's legend will long be remembered. From me and from others in the Hunter, who had great respect for him, and on behalf of Paul O'Grady, who also had a great love of Jack and who is in the gallery and cannot speak today, I offer the family best wishes for the future. I hope you have the same happy memories of Jack that we do.

    Mr ROZZOLI (Hawkesbury) [5.29 p.m.]: I join in this condolence motion to the late Jack Ferguson, for whom I had high personal regard. I spent quite a lot of time in the House with Jack and I got to know him quite well, in a way that I find we do not get to know one another so well these days. The camaraderie that existed in the House at that time often transcended much more easily the political divide than it does today. Although we fought ferociously in the House on issues, when we left the House and in the more relaxing moments we had the opportunity to get to know people in much greater depth than we do today. I was privileged to be one of those from our side of politics who got to know Jack Ferguson quite well. I developed a rapport with Jack as a result of his wonderful love of reading and literature. He had a prodigious knowledge of English literature and he loved to talk about it. It is something we shared, and many times we talked about those sorts of things-matters far removed from politics.

    Jack Ferguson came to my electorate a number of times. Jack was regarded by members of the local Labor Party with a level of awe that was quite outstanding. When he came to public functions in my electorate many members of the Labor Party who were present were so in awe of Jack that they found it difficult to talk to him. As a result, my wife and I, as the local member, entertained Jack and Mary during much of the evening. That was fortuitous, because Jack and I loved talking about books. Carol was also a great reader and she loved talking with Mary. So we developed the sort of friendship that transcended whatever political differences we had. I am baring my soul a little here, but I had a rapport with Jack because-as I have said before on a condolence motion for another member of the Labor Party with whom I developed a considerable rapport-we were here for reasons that are not necessarily separated by the political divide.

    If you really care about communities, if you really care about people, it does not matter that you come from one side of politics or the other-it matters that you care about people. That is what brings you together. During the years that I have been in this Chamber I have developed a number of very strong associations with members of the Labor Party, but they generally tend to come from the Left rather than the Right. It was on that basis that I forged a considerable bond and friendship with Jack. He really did fight for the people. He fought for the battlers, and I respected him for that. I could often see where he was coming from. I never really had any great differences with him in the Chamber. He was never responsible for portfolios involved in conflict. The Public Works portfolio is one of those great portfolios where, provided one manages it reasonably well, one does not get into a lot of trouble in the Chamber. It was a good portfolio for a Deputy Premier and a prominent figure in the party to work from. It gave him the capacity to devote time to building bridges within parties, which is very important.

    I say in all sincerity to both sides of the House that that is something we are not getting right at the moment. There is an attitude in politics today where people are putting their personal ambitions, their personal agendas, ahead of working for the community. We are currently seeing that across nearly every political party in Australia. That is why political parties come under so much criticism-they are failing the community in many respects. In Jack Ferguson's era political parties were conscious of the need to reach out to the community, to work for the community and to keep in touch with the community. Through a number of people I was associated with who were closely associated with Jack Ferguson, I knew that of all the things one could say about Jack he kept very close contact with his grassroots people. That is what keeps one's feet on the ground, keeps one's perspective in place and makes one a good, sometimes a great, parliamentarian.

    As I have said in this House before, I distinguish between parliamentarians and politicians. Politicians are in every walk of life and sometimes people are much more political than we are in the calling they follow. We are obviously politicians, but if we manage to get ourselves up to the greater heights of what we do we become parliamentarians rather than politicians. The greatest thing I can say about Jack Ferguson is that he was a good, perhaps even a great, parliamentarian. That is the greatest honour I can pay him. I extend my sincere condolences to Mary. I extend my condolences to Laurie, with whom I served in this Parliament. I do not know the other members of the family personally, but in a general sense my condolences are extended to them. I have very fond memories of Jack Ferguson.

    Mr WHELAN (Strathfield-Parliamentary Secretary) [5.36 p.m.]: I offer my condolences to the Ferguson family on what is a very sad day for everybody here. I was elected on 1 May 1976. It was a proud day. To see Neville and Jack and the new Cabinet sworn in was a great achievement. Honourable members have talked about Jack being a bricklayer. Everybody should acknowledge what Jack did for the ALP. He provided the foundations for Neville. Even in opposition, when he worked with Ducker, he recognised the talents Wran had and, in an audacious way, was able to get Wran out of the upper House and into the lower House. Wran's first speech in this Chamber was as Premier of New South Wales. Jack had the foresight to pick a good candidate. He must have been a miracle worker, because the Right overwhelmingly had the numbers. To this day, no-one knows how he did it.

    Laurie Kelly's name is on the wall of this Chamber because he is a former Speaker. This would not happen in the Left, but in the Right they gave you a ticket when you walked in and you showed it. In the 1 May 1976 ballot I voted for Vince Durick. The Right overwhelmingly had the numbers but somehow, when counted, the result was 25 all. Michael Maher, the former member for Drummoyne, had a hat-he always wore a hat-and the ballot papers were placed in it. Laurie Kelly won. Jack laid a lot of foundations in the party. Neville is quoted as saying that he could never have been Premier, the great Premier he was, without Jack. And the truth is that he never could have been. If Neville was a great Premier, Jack was the best Premier the State never had. He provided the backup for Neville at all times.

    I was a member of Cabinet in 1981 and 1984. Every time there was a problem, Neville would say, "Here, Jack, here is a problem. Solve it." And he did. For example, he solved the problem with respect to rainforests. We could not get the legislation through. Don Day and Lin Gordon were involved. There was competition between timber, forests and the environment. Jack was able to negotiate the deal and it went through. One of the finest decisions made by the Wran Government at that time related to rainforests, an everlasting decision for the benefit of the people of Australia. Jack was responsible for it. He was a very tough man. People might remember the Lotto incident. We had a little scrape about where the money from Lotto would go. I was a raw-boned recruit who came in here full of zealotry and political philosophy but no acumen. I decided that I would oppose the then Wran Government in giving the Lotto contract to Murdoch. The matter went to the State conference; there was a ballot and all sorts of horrible things happened.

    Jack Renshaw was the Treasurer at the time. Following the State conference, I marshalled the numbers in the Treasurer's caucus subcommittee and rolled the Treasurer. I was full of vim and vigour. I thought, "How good is this?" I got the numbers, I rolled the Treasurer and I won. While I was walking into the old caucus room Jack sidled up to me and said, "You might have won the first round but you are not going to win any more for a long time." And he was absolutely right. Honourable members will not be surprised if I tell them that the Treasurer's subcommittee never met again. It had one meeting, and I think I still have the minutes-but they served no useful purpose. The foundation Jack created for the Labor Party should never be forgotten. To his family, deep sympathy from all the Whelans.

    Mr HUNTER (Lake Macquarie) [5.41 p.m.]: I join my colleagues in offering condolences to the family of Jack Ferguson. I also offer the condolences of the Hunter family, in particular my parents, Merv and Betty Hunter. I was elected to Parliament in 1991; by that time Jack had long left the Parliament. However, I had the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions prior to entering Parliament and a few times after I came here. My father was elected to Parliament in 1969 and served in the Parliament as the member for Lake Macquarie for 22 years. Much of that time was served with Jack Ferguson. Dad has given me some background notes on his relationship with Jack. Dad told me that he first met Jack when they attended Labor State conferences in the 1960s, and they became good mates. Being from the Left, they both supported the militant industrial workers. In those days Dad attended the conference as an AEU delegate, and later as a State Electorate Council delegate. Jack always ensured that he was well versed in the way to vote. Dad told me that meetings were held in the old hairdressers' union office, where Jack was a regular attendee.

    Jack Ferguson came to Lake Macquarie and doorknocked and letterboxed as soon as my father was preselected, and my father certainly appreciated that. The Sydney boys, as Dad called them, stayed at Wangi Wangi during the campaign. Jack and his wife, Mary, and family also spent many holidays in the Booth family weekender at Wangi Wangi. Dad said he recalls that Jack showed his bricklaying skills by building a brick barbecue at the Booth family home. The late Ken Booth and Dad arranged a program in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie to introduce Neville Wran with a luncheon of parliamentarians. That was to give Jack the opportunity to convince those MPs to support Neville in the ballot to become leader of the New South Wales parliamentary Labor Party. Of course, he succeeded in doing so when Neville narrowly won the ballot. Dad recalls that Jack made many rousing speeches to power workers at the old Wangi Wangi power station and to coalminers in the local area. Dad told me that Jack was responsible for the construction of new police stations and schools in the Lake Macquarie electorate, and he will certainly be remembered. The local people of Lake Macquarie appreciate what Jack did for our city.

    The last time I remember seeing Jack Ferguson was a few years ago at the State Labor Party conference. He was in deep conversation with my father at the time. I thought to myself, "Are they discussing the old days and old political stories, or are they just comparing the new crop of politicians with the ones of their time?" Jack and my father continued to attend State conferences because they had the Labor Party at heart and they wanted to continue to participate although they had retired from Parliament. To Mary, Laurie, Martin, Andrew, Deb and Jennifer, a close-knit family, again I offer the condolences of the Hunter family. In particular my Mum and Dad have asked me to send their love to your family. Jack Ferguson was a great man. He was held in high regard by the people of New South Wales. We will miss him. He will always be remembered.

    Mrs LO PO' (Penrith) [5.44 p.m.]: People will wonder why I am speaking in this debate but I spoke to Jack Ferguson once. Back in the 1960s we were doorknocking one Sunday morning. It was amazing-I can remember Jack being there, but I cannot remember who the candidate was. As we do, Jack took one side of the street and I took the other side. At the time I was young and enthusiastic. At the end of the street I said to Jack, "This is fantastic! All the people I have doorknocked will join the Labor Party." Jack said, "Listen, kid. Wait until they turn up at the branch." And Jack was right-they never did turn up. An early lesson I learnt was: what you see is not what you get. Jack was very impressive. He was not well dressed when he went doorknocking. When people go doorknocking on Sunday morning they do not put on a tuxedo, but there was something charismatic about Jack. That is the only time I spoke to Jack Ferguson.

    I remember the next time Jack had an influence. John Laws talks about the ballot for the deputy premiership in 1974. There were three candidates: Frank Walker, Terry Sheahan and Ron Mulock. Ron Mulock won the ballot and he was my boss for six years. I want Jack's family to know that Ron Mulock held Jack Ferguson, his predecessor, in the greatest esteem. We inherited his office where he had gorgeous photographs of public works. I do not know if the photographs are still there, but they are simply beautiful. Jack Ferguson was the benchmark of deputy premiers, and Ron Mulock spoke fondly of him. Some years ago I was in a group of people who were talking about the way people are seduced by the trappings of office and material things. Throughout the conversation people referred to Jack Ferguson as being the standout in the Labor Party who was never seduced by materialism. People at the table were wondering about the fact that he could have had certain things but he shunned them all to stay in his working class.

    The Premier said that Jack Ferguson could be likened to Ben Chifley, and I have noted that as well. As Ben Chifley was of the working class, did not get an education and educated himself, so did Jack. Jack reminded me of the miners in the coalfields who did not get an education but spent their nights reading and playing musical instruments to better themselves. Politicians think that they live wonderful lives and that they will leave their fingerprints on everything. None of us does that. There are a couple of exceptions. Jack Ferguson has left his fingerprints on this State. My condolences to the family.

    Mrs PERRY (Auburn) [5.48 p.m.]: I am privileged to be participating in a debate honouring a man whose legacy merits a special place in our hearts, minds and aspirations. I did not know Jack personally but I want to say a few words to the family. Jack Ferguson, Deputy Premier, Minister for Public Works, Minister for Housing and member for Merrylands, was a great politician. He was a man of superior political acumen, tenacity and wisdom. Perhaps that is no better illustrated than by the words of his long-time friend, former Premier Neville Wran. In his eulogy Neville said:
        If my premiership was worth anything it was largely due to the great political instincts of Jack Ferguson.

    From all accounts, Jack had so much more than great political instincts. He possessed rare humility and a greatness of soul. He was a man of unyielding integrity in a world which erodes that of so many. He was a reluctant hero, adverse to the spotlight and a leader devoid of the trappings of the ego. Jack was grounded in a solid history of outstanding service to his country, family and fellow men. He grew up in the Depression and left school at the age of 13 to support his family. He fought in World War II and returned home to acquire a practical trade, that of a bricklayer, and to shortly after build his own home and raise a family. Jack was self-taught, he read widely, prolifically and passionately abandoning himself to pursuits centred on the interests of the common man. He became involved in the Building Workers Industrial Union and eventually local government. His foray into State politics began at a time when the Left needed a man that they could trust to run the seat of Merrylands and thus Jack found himself, almost by accident or default, installed as its member.

    Jack's destiny was carrying him along. Much has been written about Jack's illustrious relationship with Neville Wran and the Left, particularly during the period 1973 to 1984 when he served as Wran's deputy. Suffice it to say that Jack was an invaluable presence, indispensable in fact, in keeping the party cohesive, focused and congenial in its relationships with the unions. As Minister for Public Works, Jack took to his portfolio with gusto, heart and an intelligence that, infused with his characteristic vision and passion for the environment, saw a flood of projects undertaken including coastal walks, upgrading of public barbecue and picnic facilities, the construction of deep water sewage outlets designed to take pollution away from city beaches, and the restoration of buildings through the revival of the art of stonemasonry, which the Deputy Premier referred to.

    Examples of that stonemasonry are located close by, such as the State Library and the Hyde Park Barracks. Jack passed away, as we know, on 17 September, after having succumbed to a condition believed to have developed as a consequence of having worked with asbestos in his earlier years. Although I did not know Jack, nor necessarily fall in line with his political views, I feel it entirely appropriate and proper to pay tribute to the magnificence of his life and dedication to the Labor Party and to the people of New South Wales. From my observation his dedication has inspired his whole family who, like their father, are committed to the Labor movement and the Labor Party.

    I offer my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his wife, Mary, his daughters Deborah and Jenny, and his sons Laurie-who is present today and is the Federal Member for Reid, which takes in my electorate of Auburn-Martin and Andrew, and to my parliamentary colleague, Paul Lynch, his son-in-law. I offer my condolences to the many members of the party who grew to love him over his three decades of magnanimous service.

    Mr LYNCH (Liverpool) [5.53 p.m.]: Originally I was a little diffident about participating in this debate. This debate is about the legend, Jack Ferguson, the leader of the parliamentary left, the Deputy Premier, the long-serving member of this place. I did not know him in that capacity. He had left this place well before I arrived. I knew him because more than 17 years ago I had the great good fortune, and some would say good sense, to marry his eldest daughter, Deb. I got to know Jack because he was my wife's father, my daughter Merryn's grandfather. That is a very different person, not a lesser or worse person, just a different person, and there are family and private memories that are really not for discussion in this place.

    Despite that, I think there are probably some things that I can usefully say. I first met Jack when I was doing some legal work for him. That was through Laurie, who is here today. I first saw Jack, physically, at the great Australian Labor Party annual conference rules dispute in about 1979. I was there as a very young, new member of the party. The Right was up to its usual tricks and outrages, although this time it was even more outrageous than usual. In that regard I cite the comments of the Premier, earlier today, that it was through that rules debate that the upper House came into the caucus.

    The really interesting thing was that Jack led the fight, from the conference floor, and adopted a public position different from that of Neville Wran. There is no doubting the very close relationship, an incredibly effective relationship, that those two had, but one would never want to suggest that Jack was anything other than a more than equal partner in the relationship. For me, the really significant thing about Jack's political career was that he was a socialist, a word that has not been used in this debate so far. He actually believed in the party's objective, it was not just something that was on a card that he carried around in his pocket. He was actually committed to traditional, socialist values. That says a great deal that is very positive about him. I will change that: rather it says something not so positive about a lot of other politicians.

    I remember when Jack was made a life member of the Australian Labor Party, once again at the party's annual conference. A number of people were being made life members and he spoke on behalf of all of them. He made the point that he joined the Labor Party because of Chifley, because the banks were going to be nationalised. For him, being on the Left was not just a badge of convenience but something he fundamentally believed in, about the sort of society that he wanted this country to become. That is why something like the nationalisation of the banks was critical to him. He conceded that has had a lot to do with how the rest of society operated. I add that in his typical style, in accepting his life membership and commenting that nationalisation of the banks was one of the things that persuaded him to join the party, he was less than happy that Labor governments have been privatising banks and other public assets.

    He made similar comments that are probably too fruity to quote here about what we have done with workers compensation. There is a plethora of stories that one could tell about Jack. Apart from a commitment to a grand vision about where society should go and what he thought the world should be, there was another side to Jack. In the late 1980s I remember travelling in a truck that he was driving down Hoxton Park Road, Liverpool. We were actually cleaning some rubbish out of a house that Deb and I had just purchased. I could not drive the truck, I did not have a licence, but Jack did. That was back in the days when people were actually prepared to get into a vehicle driven by Jack. His family knows exactly what I mean by that-that poor Honda!

    I was on Liverpool council at that time and as we were driving along we were talking about some of the things I was trying to do in Liverpool. Jack made the comment that one of the greatest satisfactions he had had in his political career was not when he was a member of this place, but when he was on Parramatta Council, because he could see the concrete and the bricks and all the things done as a direct result of his actions, particularly those needed in the area that he represented. The point about that was his absolute understanding about doing the very basic things to make the life of people better. That is not to suggest that he had a myopic view and forgot the broad picture. His great strength was that he understood both; he had the broad picture, and he knew that had to be translated into things happening on the ground. He understood that without the broad picture those things could not be done on the ground.

    In another time and place one would talk about that as reconciling theory and practice. It is about understanding the broad philosophy and actually going out and doing something usefully. People have talked about the great pride Jack had in being a bricklayer and there is no doubt about that. He said some very terrible things to my wife when we decided to render our house and cover-up what was to Jack perfectly serviceable brickwork. There is absolutely no doubting his commitment to the profession. There has been a lot of talk about the breadth of his reading. Laurie referred to that in the eulogy at the church, and lots of people have talked about it here. From my personal dealings with him I have no doubt about the extraordinary breadth of his reading and how incredibly perceptive he was in the judgments he formed.

    One particular judgment that I cannot resist getting on the record was his absolutely correct view that Bob Carr was quite wrong when he suggested that the greatest contemporary American crime writer is James Ellroy. Jack was absolutely right when he said that it is James Lee Burke, to whose books he introduced me. There is no doubt that Jack was right and Bob Carr was wrong about that. Of course not all of Jack's judgments were absolutely perfect. I remember once he committed the egregious error of referring to Michael Collins as "just the leader of a murder gang". Even Jack, occasionally, got it wrong.

    I remember the first conversation of any depth that I had with Jack-at about the time that I was marrying Deb. The conversation was not, as one might imagine, "Are you going to look after my daughter?" The conversation was a very strict injunction, from him to me, to make sure I did something useful with my life and read the greatest historian of all time, Fernand Braudel. Jack went into shock when I told him I had actually read Braudel-in fact I had read more of it than Jack had. Shock turned to outrage when I then described a series of historians I thought were more impressive than Braudell, including people like Thompson and Hobsbawm and, for good measure, suggested they were more ideologically sound than Jack's choice. It is a really interesting comment that that is the sort of conversation he wanted to have. That is the sort of thing that concerned him, and that he was so committed to.

    He is, of course, renowned for some of his scathing judgments and some of his comments made around the town at various times. The descriptions he gave of Wran getting the numbers consisted largely of him telling John Ducker to "butt out and stop mucking it up"; that it was all going along quite nicely if only John Ducker would leave it alone. I think that is probably the correct history of it. I remember his description of one of his caucus colleagues, whom he described as "having the smell about him of all the burning faggots of the Spanish Inquisition". For obvious reasons, I will not identify that member. But that gives a sense of the passion in Jack's politics. I apologise to sister Pauline if that is a problem.

    There are two other things I should say. One of the other great stories about Jack that has been related to me plenty of times included his comments about the Herald, when he got up and was most concerned that the Herald had said something favourable about him. He had been told at his father's knee that the Herald was the instrument used by the ruling class to give its instructions to their political representatives. It is worth making the point that the Herald had their revenge. Jack had a whole series of illnesses. The one thing he did not suffer from, despite what the front page of the Herald said, was mesothelioma. Jenny is still scratching her head about why the Herald described her as an active ALP member. Deb denies she is an active ALP member, but she is returning officer of the local branch, which counts as an active member-and a very important member, in my view.

    The only other thing I want to say is to address a little bit of the imbalance of some of the media commentary. If you just read the papers you would think there are only three children-Laurie, Martin and Andrew. I do not underestimate the importance of the contributions of Laurie, Martin and Andrew, or the importance of Jack. But there is another side to that equation. All will understand why I quite often say that the Ferguson women are better than the Ferguson men. Mary, Jenny and Deb are just as important, in my view, as any of the other family members. They are all very important people, all of the family. We cannot possibly underestimate the role and significance of Mary. I know enough about the family to know that it is Mary who has held it together, and that Mary really has been the centre of that family. Jack was a very important, a very powerful, a very impressive man. But Mary was just as important in all of it as Jack ever was. Whilst Jack is gone, we are all delighted that Mary is still here.

    Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Before I put the question, may I add my own sincere condolences to Mary and all other members of Jack's family in the gallery today. I would briefly comment on the speech of the Deputy Premier. I was at the State Dockyard as a public servant when Jack addressed the crowd. That is the only time I have heard 800 men applaud their executioner. It was a quite spectacular speech, well delivered and extremely well received, as the Deputy Premier said. On a happier note, I remember very well my daughter being thrilled to present the flower girls to Mary when the floating dock "Mullimbimba" was named by her at that time.

    May I also say a few words on behalf of the officers of the House who do not have a voice in this Chamber. They too wish to convey their condolences. I am sure that, in particular, Jack's contemporaries, former Clerks the late Ivor Vidler and Doug Wheeler, who served for many years with Jack, would wish that their names be associated with this motion.

    Members and officers of the House stood in their places.

    Motion agreed to.
    The House adjourned at 6.05 p.m.
    ______________


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