DEATH OF MR JAMES ANDERSON, MEMBER FOR LONDONDERRY
Page: 132
Mr CARR (Maroubra—Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Citizenship) [4.22 p.m.]: I move:
(1) That this House desires to place on record its sense of the loss this State has sustained by the death on 22 March 2003 of James (Jim) Anderson, member for Londonderry.
(2) That the Speaker convey to the family the deep sympathy of members of the Legislative Assembly in the loss sustained.
(3) That, as a mark of respect, this House do now adjourn until tomorrow at 10.00 a.m.
Polling day is a sacrament for those of us involved in the political craft. There is no day like it. You have invested a huge amount of your personal capacity; you do not have another reserve tank left. You know that your supporters will be moving down the dawn's early light to work in schools and church halls, and your posters will be put up. You are grateful for all of that. You are looking forward to an exhausting day touring the booths. It was after Jim Anderson had set things up that he returned home to have a cup of tea, at the start of such a day, and suddenly died. All of us who got the news that morning were terribly saddened, and all of us thought as one of his widow, Kathleen, and his family.
I have vivid memories of Jim. I remember him, perhaps during his first year in the House, taking me aside in the corridor and saying, "I didn't like what you said at the last caucus meeting, when you said you had nothing to report on and you would not detain the caucus. And then you sat down." I will not attempt to replicate his beautiful accent—it was a pleasure to hear—but he said, "I think you should give us a report." I apologised; I said that I did not think there had been big events in the past week. He said, "You are duty bound. You should give us at report." I said, "All right". As Labor members know, even if a caucus meeting is short and routine I give a report. That is the kind of bloke Jim was. He was altogether supportive of me, encouraging and a loyalist, but he had a sense of what was right and appropriate.
I remember Jim taking me on a trip around his electorate one day. He convened a meeting with primary school captains in his electorate. The meeting was not convened by anyone else. I remember having a chat with a school captain from one school. I said, "This thing about crossing the Blue Mountains, you know that we can no longer refer to Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth as being the first people to cross the Blue Mountains." The school captain—a little boy as bright as one can imagine—said, "That's right. They were only the first people to record that they had crossed the Blue Mountains." I will never forget that story because it suggests that primary school youngsters now have the correct notion in their heads about the reality of this continent before 1788. Jim organised the meeting; it was the Premier meeting school captains from his area.
On another occasion Jim took me to a senior citizens gathering at a youth centre. He had bought the flowers and he had paid for the cake and the afternoon tea. He knew everyone by name. He was an absolutely hands-on local member; he was involved in and engaged with all the life of his community. There is a bit in his career and his personal history that suggests why that should be the case. Jim came from Belfast; he had a harsh upbringing on the Falls Road. Newly married, he left at the age of 23 for a future in Sydney. I understand that he had experienced unemployment, and I remember that that weighed heavily with him. He kept seeing me about the fact that there were insufficient jobs for the youngsters at the schools in his electorate and about the need for development in his area. I visited a factory with him, which was important. Until I learnt a bit more about Jim I did not realise that it arose from an experience of unemployment.
Was it not ironic that Jim represented the seat of Londonderry? Londonderry was represented by an Ulsterman of Catholic faith. Jim's funeral, in which the honourable member for Mount Druitt played a prominent role, was a great Labor funeral. To have Father Colbourne, the son of the legendary State secretary of the Australian Labor Party, Bill Colbourne, officiating at the funeral was a great thing. Father Colbourne said that he had been quietly thrilled on election night when he heard me dedicating Labor's victory to the Anderson family. Jim's funeral was a great Labor send-off with a strong Irish flavour. It was a symbol of the esteem in which this traditional Labor member was held. Jim focussed very much on education. He had an instrumental role in developing the Nirimba education precinct. His work as a member of the board of the Western Sydney Institute of TAFE was very real, and his rapport with the teachers and the youngsters at the gathering of school captains was instantly clear to me.
I want to establish five scholarships that will stand as an enduring memorial to Jim—not a memorial of stones or bronze but a memorial of the gift of education. I propose five scholarships, each worth $5,000, for a student undertaking formal full-time study at either the University of Western Sydney or a TAFE New South Wales college. Those eligible to apply will be higher school certificate students attending government high schools or campuses in the Blacktown local government area or the Londonderry electorate—the people that Jim fought for, young people who will honour Jim's memory by taking up the educational opportunities for which he fought so hard. A local parent who knew Jim wrote to me a few days after he died. She listed some of the small things he had done for people in the electorate, then added:
Mr Anderson had an open invitation to our school communities, school councils, P & C, ladies auxiliary meetings, presentation days, special assemblies, fetes, fundraisers, discos, Anzac days, science quests, education week, open days. He was always there.
He was always there—that was our Jim. It was inevitable that a man such as Jim, in Western Sydney and with his background, would gravitate to the Labor Party. Condolence is what this motion is about, and that is our chief emotion as we think of him. We think of him so vividly that he could be here on the benches with us, with a cheeky comment or two, a characteristic smile and his wisdom delivered in that lovely winning Irish accent. We share the sorrow with Jim's widow, Kath, his children, Rhona and Robert, and all those who held him in respect and affection. I meant it when I dedicated the election victory to him at Randwick Labor Club. There is something more because when hope and faith and charity like Jim's are as scarce on this earth as they seem to be it is appropriate to give thanks for the few—too few—inspiring years we had with Jim Anderson, whose ardour and humour, whose beguiling Celtic voice, and whose indomitable faith are sorely lost and will be long missed. In this House and everywhere this quiet man of the people left his gracious, indelible touch. The election victory was dedicated to him. We wish him goodbye and think of his family and say, "God rest you."
Mr BROGDEN (Pittwater—Leader of the Opposition) [4.32 p.m.]: On behalf of the Opposition I join with the Government in extending to the family of Jim Anderson, the former member for Londonderry and before that St Marys, our condolences. I note the presence in the gallery of members of the Anderson family. It is a rare occurrence—I struggle to use the word "unique"—that a member would pass away on election day. As a Catholic—I am sure Mrs Anderson will understand this—I refer to the unique concept of purgatory that members of Parliament experience on election day. From the time the booths open until they close it is our purgatory on earth. Jim did not experience that last purgatory on earth. From my dealings with him and his dealings with members of the Opposition in this House, we know that he will go straight past purgatory and to heaven. Jim's death was obviously a shock not only to his family but to the people of the Londonderry electorate. I was shocked to hear of his death early that morning. That morning I took the opportunity to extend the Coalition's condolences and to reflect on his good humour and on his smile as he sat on the Government benches as Deputy Government Whip. As I was able to say to Mrs Anderson just prior to this motion being moved today, none of us had a bad word to say about him. Today is an example of where politics are put aside and humanity is brought to the fore.
Mr Souris: Absolutely.
Mr BROGDEN: As my colleague and friend the honourable member for Upper Hunter agrees, none of us had a bad word to say about Jim—in fact, most of us had a good word for him. He was clearly a child of the Labor Party, although he was born in Northern Ireland. He served with great pride as a mayor of Blacktown and then moved to State Parliament. It is often the case that when we reflect on a member in this House we rarely know them, or we know them not through their parliamentary service but many years after they have left Parliament.
We often reflect on a member's maiden speech. Jim commenced his maiden speech in November 1995 in not only what I regard to be a unique fashion but in a gentlemanly fashion. He started by thanking the people of St Mary's—bear in mind this was at the commencement of a Labor Government after the defeat of a Liberal-National Government that had enjoyed office for seven years; a very close election. His first tribute was to John Fahey, Ray Chappell, Chris Downy, George Souris, Jim Longley, Virginia Chadwick, Robert Webster and Anne Cohen for visiting his electorate while he was the mayor of Blacktown. It was quite remarkable to read the gentlemanly manner in which he commenced his time in Parliament. He carried that through to the very end.
In his maiden speech he talked about a matter that I understand was very dear to his heart: unemployment. Jim came to Australia from Northern Ireland at a time when unemployment was massive—beyond any understanding of an Australian today, let alone at that time. He finished his maiden speech in a beautiful manner. After highlighting his wishes for the people of his electorate, his wishes for the people of the State, his commitment to serving them, and his thanks to the rank and file members of the Labor Party who stood on those booths for him in that previous election, he offered some beautiful words to his family. He said:
Last, I offer my sincere appreciation to my family: to my son, Robert, who is always there when I need him, and to my daughter, Rhona, likewise. There is an old Irish saying that behind every good man there is a better woman. In my case that is quite true because without my wife, Kathleen, I would have achieved nothing. Her support in my every endeavour has been absolute. No-one has worked harder, longer and more effectively than Kathleen Anderson. To Kathleen I am deeply indebted, more than I could ever acknowledge.
That acknowledgement is made today in a public sense on behalf of the people of New South Wales. I note that the honourable member for Mount Druitt, a very close friend of the late Jim Anderson, spoke at his funeral. Mr Anderson mentioned his friendship with the honourable member for Mount Druitt during his maiden speech. If there is any one member of this House upon whom Mr Anderson's passing fell the heaviest it is Richard Amery. We on this side understand that. We on this side make lots of jokes and lots of political play about Labor mates, but theirs was truly a strong and genuine mateship.
Most of the opportunities Opposition members had to interact with Jim were across the Chamber and in the committee process. The usual interaction between the Opposition and the Government with Jim Anderson was always courteous, respectful and friendly. He knew that we were all here to serve the community. I cannot speak on this matter authoritatively, but I imagine that he was someone who was elected primarily to serve the community not his own ambitions. Indeed, I imagine that the job of Government Deputy Whip—or possibly Government Whip—would have been the pinnacle of his ambitions. He served his party well, he served his people well and he served his family well.
Dr REFSHAUGE (Marrickville—Deputy Premier, Minister for Education and Training, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) [4.38 p.m.]: Jim Anderson was one of life's true gentlemen, and we will certainly miss him. He lived his life deeply involved with people and the community he lived in. He lived his life true to Labor philosophy and practices. His death was shocking to us all—it was certainly unexpected. His death was tragic as it happened when he was only 59. I suppose there is a certain dignity in dying doing something you love. Jim was getting ready for his campaign workers on polling day.
That Jim did not get to celebrate Labor's resounding victory is sad—he worked hard for it. He worked hard for his electorate and for a great Labor victory. Jim and his wife, Kathleen, had been out together letterboxing in the days before the election. They were obviously a close family. I express my deep condolences to his wife of more than 30 years, to his daughter, Rhona, to his son, Robert, and to his grandchildren, Kiara and Adam, on their great loss. I am sure that many honourable members will talk in detail about Jim's biography and his achievements, but I would like to mention a few that meant something to me. Jim's Irishness was a constant fascination to us all. He loved it, he lived it. He came to Australia in 1966, but his ties with Ireland—particularly the Republican movement—were strong. The Sinn Fein chief negotiator during the peace process and the current British member for Mid Ulster, Martin McGuiness, sent an important message to Jim's funeral. He said:
His sudden death has come as a shock to us all. It will be greeted with great sadness throughout the Republican community in Ireland. Jim's politics were not just from the heart but from his experience of growing up in West Belfast and working life. I wish to pay tribute to Jim, a man who lived a life dedicated to the core principles of social justice, civil rights and Irish unity.
Jim was one of the most popular mayors of Blacktown before his election to the seat of St Marys in 1995. As the Premier said, it is an irony that after the redistribution in 1995 Jim's seat was renamed Londonderry. I want to talk about some of the experiences I had with Jim. He would often see me about the ADI development at St Marys. It was a contentious issue—whether it should all be a park or whether it should be developed. Jim had the clear view that we could have both. He needed to be able to do everything he could to ensure jobs in the area. He would regularly have in his mind or bring to me the latest unemployment figures in that area. He would ask where people would get jobs. They had to go out of the area for jobs. He was keen to get jobs in that area. He also knew the beauty of the area and realised he could get a very large park as part of the development. He knew that with good negotiation he would get better transport routes so that when he did get development in the area it would not be bereft of transport, as was so often the case with developments of the past.
On another occasion he was fighting for one of his other passions, which happened to be in my bailiwick at the time: housing. He was constantly on my tail about the department needing to do better. I remember him talking about the need for more money for maintenance in his area. He had been receiving the standard letters drafted by the department and dutifully signed by the Minister. It was not what Jim wanted the Labor response to be, so he rang me and said we had to get out there and have a look. We organised to see some of the houses that needed maintenance and decided to go to a vacant one first. The department's officers expected us to look at it from the outside; they had not been to it recently. Jim said, "Come on in and have a look." On the way in we saw a neighbour, who said hello and then scuttled off. We thought he might have been shy of the local member. As we came out very rapidly we realised why the neighbour had run away: the place was infested with fleas and the neighbour had run off to get insecticide from his home and was spraying us down. Jim was hands-on and understood the practical realities. It was not a matter of talking about it to get the message through—he would take you to see what was going on.
I refer to another example involving the housing portfolio. He said that a Department of Housing house needed to be repainted on the inside. He was informed that the department was happy to pay for the paint if the tenant would do the work. The department had not checked—the tenant was aged 94! Of course, that had not escaped Jim's attention. That incident led to an accelerated improvement program, a change of government policy, a program that would actually fix the problems he was identifying. He did not accept that that was the way it would be; he got in there and made the changes. He was always happy. He was always an optimistic person. He enthused me that we are in this job to make the changes, to get the benefits for the people we represent, and we have to be positive and bring people along. It is a very good lesson for us all to remember—that you can make those changes if you look at what is going on and bring the bureaucracy and the Ministers along with you. Obviously, he should be here with us. In many ways we know that he is here with us. I miss him enormously. He would always give me good advice and it was always worthwhile having a chat with him. We will miss him enormously. Goodbye, Jim.
Mr STONER (Oxley—Leader of the National Party) [4.45 p.m.]: On behalf of the National Party I offer our condolences to the family and friends of James Anderson, the Labor Party member for Londonderry who so tragically died on the morning of the 22 March election. It was a measure of the man that both sides of politics held James Anderson in high esteem, as was evidenced by the blend of mourners who attended his funeral at St Aidan's Church at Rooty Hill. I came to know Jim Anderson quite well during the previous term of Parliament in his role as Deputy Government Whip while I was Deputy National Party Whip. Whips should work together in the interests of the good functioning of Parliament. Jim Anderson was always more than willing to do this, and this made for the smooth running of votes, speaking orders and the like. Jim was a gentleman who will be sorely missed in this place.
Jim Anderson was elected to Parliament in 1995 as a member of the first Carr Government. Prior to his election he was the mayor of Blacktown for some four years and, as such, had occasion to work with a number of then Coalition Government members, including former Premier John Fahey, and former Ministers the Hon. Ray Chappell, the Hon. Chris Downy, the Hon. George Souris, the Hon. Jim Longley, the Hon. Virginia Chadwick, the Hon. Robert Webster and the Hon. Anne Cohen. Clearly, Jim Anderson was not without contacts in the period of the Coalition Government prior to 1995. As attested to by the Premier and the Deputy Premier, Jim Anderson was very much a hands-on local politician. He was constantly concerned about unemployment and its destructive impact on the community, particularly youth. Because St Marys is in the seat of Londonderry Jim Anderson had direct contact with the problem,— unemployment in his area traditionally being among the highest in the State. It was an issue on which Jim and I saw very much eye to eye, my electorate of Oxley also having high unemployment and associated social problems. I know that Jim was a man of principle and that he had a genuine commitment to try to solve those problems. In this place and in his electorate of Londonderry he worked tirelessly to alleviate the problem. Parliament and the people of Londonderry will sorely miss Jim Anderson.
Mr AMERY (Mount Druitt) [4.48 p.m.]: I join the Premier, the Deputy Premier, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the National Party and all other members who will speak to the condolence motion. I express my deepest sympathy and that of my wife, Marie, to Kathleen, Rhona, Kevin, the children and to Robert on the loss of Jim Anderson—a tragedy that has been spoken about many times. I had the honour of delivering a eulogy to Jim at his funeral service at St Aidan's Catholic Church just days after his sudden death in the early hours of the morning of election day. On behalf of the Anderson family I thank the many members of Parliament for their attendance at Jim's funeral. I am sure that if the family had the opportunity to speak in this Chamber they would express appreciation for the incredible turnout of parliamentarians from both sides of the House at the service as well as to the many people employed within Parliament—the staff, the Clerks, members of the Parliamentary Library and Hansard. We saw just about everybody. It was incredible that virtually everyone in the building had moved to Rooty Hill for a few short hours to pay their respects to Jim Anderson. It meant a lot to Kath and the family, and also to the local community. I do not think the local community had ever seen a funeral of that size and significance.
Thinking of that funeral service—and, of course, of Jim and Kath's life in Australia, which I have probably done on most days since then—one cannot but appreciate the country in which we live, and the one to which a young couple by the name of Kathleen and James Anderson first came in 1966. Amid all the sadness surrounding Jim's sudden death, and the dramatic way that it has changed the life of the Anderson family, there is a wonderful story: about a young couple who meet and marry in Ireland on 19 February 1966 and a little over two weeks later head off to Australia to start a new life.
They obtain employment, build a home, and raise a family. This is in a place where the political system enables Jim and people like him, by simply joining the branch of a political party—in Jim's case the Australian Labor Party—to later be elected to the local council, to become the mayor of a city and subsequently to be elected to the State Parliament on two occasions, representing the two State seats of St Marys and Londonderry. Jim and Kath, as a team, achieved that. Jim was proud to have done that as a family.
Sadly, what Jim did not know was how well he was regarded by so many people. From time to time he would have seen perhaps an appreciative letter or card or heard an approving comment. But without being able to see into the future, I am sure Jim could not have imagined that his funeral service would demonstrate that he was regarded with such kindness and affection. Could he ever have imagined as he headed to Australia that his community would turn out in such large numbers at his funeral and that the crowd would include the State Premier, nearly all Labor members of the Parliament, Independent members and members of the Opposition? I noted Barry O'Farrell, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, prominent among those at the service, together with a host of dignitaries, including the Consul General of Jim's native country. Indeed, I want to acknowledge the attendance of the Consul General of Ireland, Anne Webster, at the funeral service.
Sometimes, after our conversations—and there were many of them—I would feel guilty that I jibed him about different things. But I am sure that if I had ever related to Jim all of the things I have just said and added something like, "If anything ever happened to you, Jim, the Premier would dedicate a historic election day victory to your memory, and the Liberal Party Opposition would not contest the by-election for your seat, stating among the reasons for its decision its respect for Jim Anderson," he would have told me, "Get away with you!" I am sure he would have laughed and scoffed in disbelief. Well, Jim, if you are listening, all of that happened—and deservedly so.
Although the Sinn Fein letter read at the funeral makes me think I am uninformed about some of Jim's earlier politics, to my knowledge his Australian political path started in 1978, when he came to know Tony Johnson, my predecessor in this place, through the local church—the church in which his service was held. Tony encouraged Jim to join the local branch of the Labor Party. I know many members of the House do similar things from time to time. I was the branch secretary when Jim came to his first meeting, on 12 May 1978, at the Rooty Hill Senior Citizen's Hall. It is still held there, by the way, for those who are interested! He just wanted to have a look. I recall him signing the attendance book as just a visitor. But he must have been happy with what happened on that evening because we saw him turn up again at the next meeting, on 9 June, and lodge his membership application. At the following meeting, on 14 July, in the true traditions of the rules of the Labor Party, Jim was accepted as a member of the party and issued with his ticket. I hope members of the party who similarly encourage people to become members would not regard it as novel that Jim joined the party by just attending meetings and signing attendance books at them. But Jim did just that. Those were the good old days!
For the record, Jim was a regular attender, often being up on his feet and moving motions on a variety of issues and putting questions to local elected people who attended branch meetings and gave reports. In the early days they included John Armitage, the Federal member for Chifley; Tony Johnson, who, as I have already mentioned, was the member for both Mount Druitt and Riverstone; Ron Mulock, who a little later became Deputy Premier and represented the seat of St Marys; and of course Jim Lynch, a councillor and later mayor of Blacktown council. Still later, the list would include people like Roger Price, who spoke at the church service, and, of course, myself.
Jim's involvement in party affairs expanded. He became the Secretary of the Chifley Federal Electorate Council and Senior Vice-President of our own Rooty Hill branch. It was no surprise to anyone when Jim was selected as the Labor candidate for ward 4 of the Blacktown City Council, resulting in his election to that council in 1987. He applied himself to the job of local councillor—as members today have already indicated—in the same manner as he did as a State member. Like everything else, he did it with great gusto. In 1991 it was a great day for everybody when he became the mayor of the City of Blacktown.
In the lead-up to the 1995 general election a number of issues that arose, which I will not talk about here, led to the need to select a new Labor candidate for the seat of St Marys, a neighbouring seat. Only two branches of the Mount Druitt electorate were composite with the St Mary's electorate, namely Mount Druitt and Mount Druitt North. We all encouraged Jim to run, although he was to some extent seeking election to a seat outside his own area. Most of the seat was outside even the local government area of Blacktown. In a rank and file ballot, Jim won easily, and was elected to the Parliament at the 1995 general election.
When making notes for the church eulogy, I found that time frames do not allow you to say everything. Today, a larger number of speakers will have a chance to paint perhaps a broader picture of Jim Anderson. I have been impressed with what has been said here so far today. At the church I was able to talk about Jim and Kathleen as a team. Whether it was fighting the BHP steel mill, or their prowess on the dance floor, which I acknowledge again today, they were a formidable team, complementing each other no matter what task they undertook.
I could recount yet again many of our conversations or the issues in which we were both interested, including our highly charged march into this place, with nearly all the Caucus under police guard during that volatile day of protest about workers compensation reform. But I have already referred to that, and will not go into the detail of it here today. Rather, I would like to add a few new glimpses into Jim's life. For one, he loved sport. I note that in a job application he said:
Sport is very important to me. In the past I have actively participated in soccer, tennis, squash, golf and athletics.
He mentioned that he had held administrative positions in the Rooty Hill Tennis Club, the squash club and Rooty Hill RSL Youth Club for periods of up to 10 years. Kathleen recently showed me a newspaper photo taken in 1960 of Jim kneeling in the front row of a soccer team. It was titled "Patrick Sarsfield G.A.C. Senior Football Champs 1960". Jim looked every bit like his son Robert. The article explained to me his interest in the game of soccer—or football as it is called in Ireland and Britain. In the English league he followed Nottingham Forest. I do not know why a lad from Belfast would support Nottingham Forest! That was always the subject of some banter, although he did not really disagree with me when I suggested that it probably stemmed from a childhood interest in another rebel called Robin Hood. I think that could be very close to the truth. The Irish are always backing the rebels!
I will miss the banter that we shared from day to day. For example, when Nottingham Forest played my team, Burnley, one of us would ring the other and give him a bit of a stir, whichever side won. I do the same to the honourable member for Port Stephens, who follows Arsenal. In a different vein, I was campaigning at Hillston for the honourable member for Murray-Darling when I received a call on my mobile phone from Jim Anderson. He said, "Have you heard any results?" I said, "How would I get football results from England in the Western Division?" He said, "Burnley just defeated premiership side Fulham in an FA Cup fourth round." Jim had no interest in that game, but he knew that I would be happy about the result and he took the time out from his busy schedule to ring me in the far-western part of New South Wales to tell me. That is the sort of bloke he was.
Everyone has a skeleton in the cupboard, something they want to hide. I was never game to publicly do this to Jim, but I will do it today. When he first came to Australia, through his workmates he became interested in rugby league. Unfortunately, his workmates did not do him any favours. He was obviously in bad company because he became a Manly supporter. As he was a new arrival to Australia he did not realise the implications of being a Western Sydney resident and supporting Manly. However, he did come to realise that dark side of his personality. At one of my annual dinners news came through that Parramatta had defeated Manly—always a result worthy of mention and note. I could not help myself. I went to the microphone, interrupted proceedings, gave the result and ended, I thought good-humouredly, with commiserations to Jim Anderson, who was sitting in the audience. The next day he admonished me most severely. He was very upset and concerned that I did that in front of 300 people. I said, "What's the problem? You're a very proud Manly supporter." He said, "Yes, but I don’t want anyone around here to know it." He was certainly more open about his support of Nottingham Forest.
Finally in relation to sport, Jim joined the hardest and toughest game of all when he became a member of the Parliamentary Bowls Club. I can indicate to the new members of the House that it is no place for wimps. Jim and Kath attended the bowls carnival every year, but, because of his commitments, I could not get Jim to play regularly throughout the year. This lack of practice sometimes had an effect on his form. Members of the bowls group know of my pleas to play more often between carnivals—not just to improve their form but, more seriously, for relaxation, some mild exercise and the opportunity to meet different people around their constituencies.
Doug Shedden, a former member of this House, likes me to tell this story. From time to time I was terribly rude to Jim. After one game of bowls, in front of a group of people sitting around a table, I said to Jim, "I think the reason Jim has some problems with bowls is because, coming from Belfast, it is probably the only round object he has ever thrown that did not have a fuse in it." When a letter from Sinn Fein was read out at the funeral, I felt nervous about that particular joke. I was very pleased to stand with Jim when we collected the trophy in the Best Rink category at the bowls carnival in Adelaide in January this year. He was the lead bowler. Modesty prevents me from telling the House who was the skipper of the team.
Between the banter, the laughs and the good times, I could not but be impressed with the calibre of Jim Anderson and his dedication to his family and his origins. He did not even drink. Someone once told me that Jim was the only Irishman who did not sing and drink. I do not know the full story but I understand that at the age of 12 Jim gave a commitment to his father that he would never touch the stuff, and he never did. I know that Kath, like all of us, enjoys a small glass of Baileys Irish Cream from time to time, but even at a celebration or when proposing a toast Jim would never touch a drop of alcohol, maintaining the commitment he gave to his father at the age of 12. That says a great deal about the fellow. As to his commitment to his job, there was no-one better on the ground as a local member. Other speakers have spoken about that and I will not repeat what they have said.
Jim worked on too many projects for me to mention here. Some of them have already been referred to: the steel mill, the senior high school, Chifley College, the University of Western Sydney, and Mount Druitt courthouse, which will be established during this term of government. Jim has fingerprints on all of them. There was no issue too small for him to take up and no project too big for him to tackle. In conclusion, I will quote another friend I met in this place called Bob Harrison, a former member for Kiama. Bob was a philosophical fellow about politics. He said that in politics you make false friends and true enemies. I am not one to claim that Bob Harrison would ever be wrong, but if Jim Anderson did not prove him wrong, he was certainly an exception to the rule. Jim was a great friend of many of us here, myself included.
Mr O’FARRELL (Ku-ring-gai—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [5.05 p.m.]: I join with all members of the House in this condolence motion for Jim Anderson. On election day, like all candidates across the State, I toured the polling places in my electorate. I started at Pymble Public School, which was opened by the Australian Labor Party in the 1940s, when my leader rang me to tell me that Jim Anderson had died. I was sitting here thinking about that day. It is the only booth where I cannot recall the party workers I met. I remember going in and buying a raffle ticket from the Scouts, but I have no idea who was handing out the how-to-vote cards for me, such was the shock of hearing the news and the shock that was evident in the voice of the Leader of the Opposition, who that day went on to pay tribute to Jim Anderson.
Jim and I were elected to this place in the same year and we had dealings inside and outside this Chamber. In particular, we met most frequently at functions with the Australian-Irish community. I particularly want to acknowledge the Lansdowne Club, which is an Australian-Irish business community based in Sydney. I was introduced to the club by former "Senator", Bryan Vaughan, and Liberal Uupper House Deputy Leader, the Hon. John Ryan, and I continue to be members. The Lansdowne Club is most famous amongst its business network for its annual St. Patrick's Day luncheon. I can indicate to the honourable member for Mount Druitt that it was not until his contribution today that I realised that Jim had attended those luncheons, which were normally over by 2 o'clock—that is, 2 a.m.—and, unlike the rest of us, had not touched a drop of alcohol.
In the traditions of the Irish and the Lansdowne Club, the St. Patrick's Day luncheon this year was held on Friday 14 March, not Monday 17 March. Jim and his wife were present. Peter Brennan, a constituent of mine and president of the Lansdowne Club, was present at the funeral at St Aidans. He emailed me to say that he was shocked and stunned by the news of Jim’s death and that he always found him to be a wonderful human being. I do not know anyone in this place who would disagree with that. I promised Peter Brennan and his wife that I would acknowledge the regret of the Lansdowne Club at Jim's passing and its appreciation of his efforts and consistent attendance at the many functions they had organised.
I joined the Hon. John Ryan and the Federal member for Lindsay, Jackie Kelly, at St Aidans for Jim's funeral. On my drive to Rooty Hill I wondered whether it would be an Irish funeral or a Labor funeral. After I took my place, picked up the order of service and saw the name of the priest presiding, I realised I was in for a Labor funeral. Even a Tory like me understands the antecedents of Pat Colbourne and his father's interesting history with the New South Wales Labor Party during those difficult times of Jack Lang's involvement with that great party in this place.
I have not been to many funerals for members from either side of politics at which tributes were given not just by personal friends but also by a neighbouring State member, the local Federal member and someone on behalf of the local Labor branches. It was a great tribute to Jim. Father Pat also gave Jim a wonderful tribute. I will remember his comments that Jim was a little man, but he was not small. He talked about his courage and his conviction, and the respect with which he was held in the community. We often talk about our political opponents in this place. Thankfully, when the more sensible ones of us leave this Chamber, we have a drink with those so-called political opponents. Often one’s political opponents are found on one’s own side of the House. But I can say without fear of contradiction that Jim Anderson had no enemies or opponents in this place. How could you be opposed to a person who always greeted you so warmly wherever you met him, whatever the time, whatever the place and whatever the circumstance? The first reading in the service held for Jim at St Aidans was from the second letter to Timothy, which said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." There could be no truer eulogy for Jim Anderson.
Mr KNOWLES (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, and Minister for Natural Resources) [5.10 p.m.]: Kathleen, Rhona, Robert and family, as I was sitting here waiting to speak I was thinking that this will be only the second time that I will have spoken in a condolence debate. The first time was for another Irishman, Tony Doyle, a dear friend. I often think that one’s feelings on such occasions are best kept private, but I know Kathleen that for you and Jimmy and the family, your kids and grandkids, this time is an important part of your family's journey. There is no coincidence in the dedication by the Premier on election night of Labor's victory and his announcement today of five scholarships for young kids in Western Sydney. Both those very grand and proper gestures are opportunities for people whom Jim and so many of us seek to represent: working-class families from Western Sydney, who benefit under Labor governments. That is why we are here and that is what we fundamentally believe in: providing an opportunity for those who seek it through education and not privilege.
As I was listening to Richard Amery and others eulogise about Jim's involvement with young people and his Herculean efforts for the University of Western Sydney I realised that Jim would appreciate the scholarships as much as anything as recognition of his commitment to the Australian Labor Party and its representation of people from working-class backgrounds. In every sense Jim's victory is his struggle from Northern Ireland into this Chamber, where many of us still scratch our heads and wonder how we ended up here; how did we get to this point where we, among our community, are chosen to represent and seek to do good things? All of us no doubt recall the twinkle in Jim’s eye, his Irish lilt, his sparkle and humour, and equally his dogged determination to get things done, always for the right reasons.
I remember four things about Jim that will remain with me. The first was his commitment to the young ones, to give them a chance to learn and grow. One night he dragged me into a seminar he had organised for Young Labor members from Western Sydney to talk to them about my background, how I had joined the Labor Party when I was 14 and that I had to lie about my age to join. Later, I realised that I was part of the George Paciullo stack, but that is another story for the annals of the Liverpool South Branch of the Labor Party. I will not go into that today.
Second was Jim’s commitment to getting things done for his community. As a Minister I was well aware of his determination to pursue issues. Anyone who received representations from Jimmy Anderson would understand how fair dinkum he was. He was well researched with a thorough understanding of the issues and a determination never to leave without a commitment to an improvement one step along the way.
Third was his determination to get you to attend a function that he wanted you to attend. I remember the night I was slated to be at the Gaels club, one of Jim's stomping grounds in Richard Amery's electorate. It was the night that either Lucy or Hamish, one of my two kids, was born. But I still had to front up and give my speech. Until Richard mentioned it this evening, I did not realise that Jimmy did not touch a drink. But I can say that Maurie O'Sullivan, who was sitting next to Jimmy that night, certainly did. I remember having to leave very quickly to get from Richard's electorate to Liverpool Hospital for the birth of one of my children. I can assure members that you would not have wanted not to front up at an event at which Jimmy Anderson expected you!
The fourth matter is not about Jim, but it was for Jim. Again, I suspect Maurie O'Sullivan was involved. Those of us who were at St Aidans will always remember the feeling of our hair standing up on the back of our necks when we heard "Three cheers for Jimmy Anderson!" Only someone with an Irish brogue could replicate that call. It will stay with us forever. I suspect that all of us liked Jimmy Anderson, and in this place that is unusual. We all liked Jimmy Anderson and we still do, but now we have to get used to his not being here. We will remember him.
Mr RICHARDSON (The Hills) [5.17 p.m.]: I join with other members in paying tribute to Jim Anderson, a fellow member of Parliament from north-western Sydney. My relationship with Jim goes back to when I was first elected to this place. He was Mayor of Blacktown at the time and I had some considerable dealings with him, although he was on the other side of Windsor Road out of Baulkham Hills Shire. Whenever I had dealings with him he was always straightforward and courteous, despite the fact that he came not just from the other side of Windsor Road, but from the other side of the political fence. He struck me as being such a conscientious and compassionate man that I was not at all surprised when, in 1994, he became the endorsed Labor candidate for St Marys. In 1995 he won that seat handsomely with almost 70 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.
Jim was lucky to have been first elected in March 1995 when the Carr Government first came to power. He never had to sit on this side of the House and he never had to endure the barbs and insults of Opposition. Those members on the Government side of the House who have spent some time in Opposition would understand what I mean. In his inaugural speech he spoke about unemployment in his electorate, which was then running at an extraordinarily high 18 per cent. That percentage has come down quite considerably in the past few years. He was passionate about the topic and spoke about it on many occasions during his eight years in this House. Jim was particularly concerned about youth unemployment, which, as he said in his inaugural speech, was running at an extraordinary 30 per cent in his electorate.
We have heard about Jim's interest in education, but he was passionate about youth in general. I was enormously impressed when, in 1999, he organised a mini drug summit of student representative councils [SRC] from schools in his electorate. I guess that members of the SRC of schools would be the kids you would least expect to be involved in illicit drug use, but he felt strongly enough about it and the young people in his electorate that he brought them together to work out some local solutions for the problem in his electorate. To give you an idea of his focus on youth, on several occasions he arranged for groups of special needs children to visit Australia's Wonderland. From all reports I gather that they had a wow of a time. Indeed, those actions were clearly the initiative of an uncommon and caring individual.
Another popular theme pursued by Jim—it has also been an interest of mine—was the upgrade of Windsor Road. Jim and I discussed the issue on many occasions and debated it in this Chamber. We did not see eye to eye on what was needed or about the Government's then commitment to the upgrade. However, once again, Jim was unfailingly calm in his demeanour and always measured and courteous in his approach. That was Jim to a T.
As Deputy Government Whip in this place—a position I am sure Jim won because of his popularity with the caucus—there were times when Jim’s patience must have been sorely tried, but we would never have known that from his phlegmatic demeanour. I can still see him with George Thompson, pen poised, counting the numbers during hundreds of divisions. Sometimes those divisions seemed interminable because one member or another had not turned up. I must admit that I did see the occasional furrow on Jim's brow at those times.
As honourable members on this side of the Chamber have said, Jim was always quick to smile. He would greet members of the Opposition by name and was always quick to display the politeness that appeared to be a natural extension of his gentle Northern Irish brogue. I suspect that his voice was raised more than once when in 1998 the number of seats in this place was reduced from 99 to 93. One of the seats abolished was St Marys. Newspaper articles of the day give an idea of the bitter struggle that went on within the Australian Labor Party as the game of musical seats was played out in Western Sydney. Ultimately, Jim emerged victorious and in a seat that could have been tailor made for him. It has been said before, but at the time I remarked, that it was ironic that he should occupy the seat of Londonderry. A parallel would be someone like Taffy Llewellyn or Rhodri Jones occupying the seat of Swansea or Menai. Certainly, the rest of us cannot claim the same degree of ownership of our electorates. I hesitate to suggest who might take over the seat of The Hills.
I first heard the news of Jim's death on 22 March as I was preparing to leave home to do the rounds of my booths. I caught only the tail end of the news and did not hear who had died, only that it was a candidate for Londonderry, and that that would mean a by-election would be held for the seat. At 11 a.m. I heard that it was the sitting member, Jim Anderson, who had died, and that was a considerable shock. Election campaigning is one of the most stressful activities that anyone can engage in—a time when one eats all the wrong foods, sleeps only a few hours a night and lives on adrenalin. All members understand what I am talking about. In fact, I suspect that only those who have been candidates understand the demands. I assume that that extraordinary level of stress ultimately proved to be Jim's nemesis.
I extend to his wife, Kathleen, his daughter, Rhona, and his son, Robert, my sincere condolences. As has been said, Jim will be sorely missed.
Mr SCULLY (Smithfield—Minister for Roads, and Minister for Housing) [5.24 p.m.]: Condolence motions are very sad occasions, but they also present an opportunity for members to express their affection for a member who has passed away, particularly one who has passed away in office. Jim Anderson's death is a tragic blow to his family, the Australian Labor Party, his colleagues and the people of Londonderry. His death on election day was a great shock to us all.
People have correctly stated that Jim was everyone's friend, and I endorse that wholeheartedly. He was affable and hardworking, cheerful and effective, friendly and professional. Richard Amery referred to the many discussions that he had about Belfast with his former driver, Andrew Donaghey. Members may not be aware that Andrew is the younger brother of my driver, Joel Donaghey, who, of course, also hails from Belfast. Richard recounted some of the experiences that Jim had in Belfast. Often when enjoying a bit of down time, Ministers chat with their drivers. I have asked Joel what life was like for him as a young fellow in Belfast. His responses suggest that Jim's chats with Richard must have been very interesting.
I travelled around the electorate on occasion with Jim, Richard Amery, Charlie Lowles and Alan Pendleton. I would ask Richard who was the best mayor of Blacktown. Members may recall that the Speaker is a former Mayor of Blacktown. I am sure he will not mind hearing that Jim Anderson would immediately respond to my question, "I was!" I told him that I hoped he had told John Aquilina that, and he replied that he was sure the honourable member would concur. Richard and I would leave him, Alan Pendleton and Charlie Lowles to their argument. It was always amusing.
Jim was a very effective Mayor of Blacktown as well as an effective local member. He attended meetings, participated in delegations, presented petitions, and requested Ministers to visit his community. He was tireless in this work for his constituents. Like most Ministers, I visited his electorate and did everything I could to answer his inquiries on behalf of his community. Jim deserves all the credit going his way. He has left a great legacy to his community. A few weeks ago I was in his electorate at his invitation to see some locally built railway equipment. His pride in the company concerned and the skills of its work force was extraordinary. The majority of the company's employees did not live in his electorate, and it is tempting as a member of Parliament to concentrate on the residential sections of one's electorate rather than the industrial sections. However, Jim took great pride in the company's work and he wanted to ensure that his constituents knew that it had the skill and capacity to produce high-quality technical equipment.
Jim Anderson took his role very seriously. In more recent times he was Deputy Government Whip. He was always smiling, and we will sorely miss him and his terrific accent. Of us all, Richard will take Jim’s death the hardest given that he knew Jim better and was closer to him than other members were. I extend my condolences to Jim's family. We have the highest respect and regard for him. He leaves a very strong legacy of achievement. People will be able to look back and say, "Jim Anderson made a difference; he added value and he left the place better for having been here."
Mr MERTON (Baulkham Hills) [5.27 p.m.]: I am privileged to speak in this condolence motion for our late friend and colleague James Anderson. As a member for Western Sydney, and having been born and bred in the western suburbs—at Wentworthville and in the Parramatta area—I believe there is something unique about Western Sydney and the members who represent it. I do not think that any of the local members in this Chamber would be an exception. Jim Anderson was no different; in fact, he was a beacon on the hill as far as loyalty, commitment and integrity were concerned. He was a fair dinkum, Aussie-Irish person. He always had a smile and was good for a joke. In the last Parliament I was the coalition spokesperson for Western Sydney and in that capacity I attended many functions in the region. Jim was always at those functions. It did not matter where they were held or how many people attended, Jim was always on hand representing the Australian Labor Party and his community. That was the measure of the man.
Jim Anderson was a man who stood for family, community and party, and I think those last three words express it all. He was first elected in 1995 as the member for St Marys. Following the 1999 redistribution the Carr Labor team was elected after seven years of a Coalition Government, and Jim became the member for Londonderry. Having said all those things about Jim, I should also add that he was no shrinking violet but, rather, a man of guts and integrity who would not necessarily call a spade a spade. He had a unique mixture of humility, kindness and compassion yet he could put his message across.
Earlier this evening I referred to Jim's inaugural speech, in which he made some interesting observations. He was concerned about the tragedy of unemployment that existed in western Sydney during the 1990s. Unemployment anywhere is a problem, but in the western part of Sydney there were some very dark and bleak days of despair. He referred also to the Mamre project and the way in which it had been disbanded. Jim stated:
However, given the contentious issues arising during the last few weeks about funding for this project, and watching the Maroubra mauler, alias the Premier, tear into the Opposition every day on contentious subjects, it is like the slaughter of the Holy innocents revisited, which is not a pretty sight for anyone—and as I am a devout coward—
I would not agree with that, but that is what he said at the time—
—I decided to handle the subject another way.
He certainly had a unique turn of expression which enabled him to get his message across. I think the expression "Maroubra mauler" is the most interesting—one which the conservative side of politics would not necessarily accept, but no doubt many other members of the community would. That extract reflects Jim's sense of purpose and commitment, and the humourous and non-malicious manner in which he went about his activities. It was a mark of Jim's integrity that there was no malice in him. He was fair dinkum, sincere, and did his job well. During his inaugural speech he also referred to the support that people had given him in his endeavours to win election. It is almost ironic that he said:
In preparation for election day, I had a number of volunteers turning up at my home every morning looking for work, so I had no difficulty in staffing my campaign office and organising working bees to make up sandwich boards and street posters. For their efforts, I thank my State electorate conference committee.
Of course, it was election day this year when he was summoned to a higher calling.
We should all pause to consider the enormous pressures that each member of Parliament faces on election day. The Premier and other honourable members who have preceded me in speaking to this condolence motion have said that members work for some weeks prior to election day. We work not only for some weeks but right throughout the four years of our term. It all culminates on election day and the reality is that members of Parliament know that they could blow it, to use a colloquial expression, on that one day if things do not go the right way. When members leave their homes early on election day they are full of apprehension—almost fear and trepidation—because they do not know what is around the corner. No-one knows.
Politics is a very volatile business. Most members believe that, having won their seat once, they should retain it. Nevertheless, there is uncertainty, and the pressures that would have been felt by Jim Anderson—indeed, by all honourable members—were enormous. It is regrettable that it was probably that pressure that pushed him over the edge. Members of the public simply do not appreciate that election day and the lead-up to the election are quite traumatic experiences. People do not realise the pressures that members of Parliament endure during the lead-up to an election and throughout the day-to-day business during their term. Being a member of Parliament is a calling or a commitment; it is not a job. I have no doubt that that was the philosophy that motivated Jim Anderson.
He served on the Blacktown City Council from 1987 to 1995 and was Mayor from 1991 to 1995—a role also performed by you, Mr Speaker. If I recall correctly, you were the youngest Mayor of Blacktown. Both you and Jim served the community well. One should appreciate the great community in Blacktown. It is a great place. It is an area of diverse multicultural communities, and the people who live there are fair dinkum; they are interested in their families and their community. All those values were reflected in the efforts and commitment of Jim Anderson. Alex Mitchell wrote of his amusement when, following a redistribution, Jim, a devout Catholic, represented the electorate of Londonderry—the name given by Protestant Ulstermen to the predominantly Catholic city of Derry. Jim acquitted himself well in Londonderry and won with a resounding victory at the 1999 election. Jim was a true family man. His life revolved around his family. He stated in his inaugural speech:
I could go on for some considerable time thanking people, and I do thank all the people who worked for me but it would be remiss for me not to mention the support that I received from my colleague Richard Amery, the member for Mount Druitt and Minister for Agriculture... Last I offer my sincere appreciation to my family; to my son, Robert, who is always there when I need him, and to my daughter, Rhona, likewise—
I know that this has already been referred to, but it should be said again—
There is an old Irish saying that behind every good men there is a better woman. In my case that is quite true because without my wife, Kathleen, I would have achieved nothing. Her support in my every endeavour has been absolute. No-one has worked harder, longer and more effectively than Kathleen Anderson. To Kathleen I am deeply indebted, more than I could ever acknowledge.
That is indicative of a man who was perfectly honest and frank, a man who showed love and affection for his wife and family, who had supported him for so long. Jim Anderson has left this Chamber, but his commitment, dedication and concern for his calling will continue forever in the hearts of many thousands of Western Sydney people who would be privileged to say, "I knew Jim Anderson. He was a true friend."
There is something about the Labor Party and the commitment of its members, and there is something about the tradition of the Labor Party, that even an observer from the conservative side of politics must acknowledge. I recently had the sad experience of visiting my late father-in-law in hospital. He had been a Salvation Army officer for many years. I married a girl from Lithgow so I thought that all the signs that my wife's father voted for the Australian Labor Party would be evident, but I was never told. When that 88-year-old man was in hospital, wearing an oxygen mask, a member of his family said, "I don’t know whether Dad is really quite with it." So I decided to ask him some questions. He responded well to three questions and I thought that was pretty good. For the next question I looked directly at him, despite the oxygen mask, and I said, "Lang was wrong." As quick as a flash he said, "Lang was right!" That great Labor tradition never dies, and it will continue as long as people who have the same beliefs as Jim Anderson are members of this Chamber. Members of Parliament, we honour our late colleague, Jim Anderson MP: in God's care.
Mr STEWART (Bankstown) [5.38 p.m.]: I join my colleagues in paying tribute to a very special person—a great friend, a great person and a great member of this Parliament, Jim Anderson. I offer my condolences to Jim's family. I listened to the comments made by the honourable member for Mount Druitt and reflected upon some of the comments he made about the experiences he shared with Jim. I knew Jim for approximately 12 years. Honourable members and guests will probably be able to tell from my physique that I mainly got to know Jim through participation in the parliamentary bowls team. This is the first time I have admitted publicly that I, too, am a member of the parliamentary bowls team.
I often had occasion to deal with Jim through our regular bowls exercises and the intensity of programs that were put in place to meet the standards that Richard required. Certainly in pre-match training, which usually involved having a couple of schooners while Jim had his usual Coke or diet squash, we got to know each other very well. I recall that my very first bowls experience was with Jim. At the time, as always, Jim offered advice. He said to me, "Son, I think you're meant to bowl underarm." I heeded his advice, which helped to correct my bowls stroke. We had some great times during our bowls days, which gave us an opportunity to break away from the routine and intensity of this House and to really get to know each other as friends.
As has been said, Jim was a true gentleman, someone whom everyone had kind words to say about, because that is the only way you could describe him. When the grumpy old men in this Parliament got a front-page run, Jim Anderson's name was initially on that list. But I think the papers were too embarrassed to say that Jim could be a grumpy person, because he was never like that. He endeared himself to everyone, including the media, which never had a bad word to say about him. Early in my political career I was struggling to survive as a local member of Parliament, and Jim offered me some advice. He said, "In front of you is the Opposition and behind you is the enemy." I guess in some ways I experienced that as I developed my political career and made my stamp within the Labor Party.
At the time I had to recruit members, because Jim told me, "Son, if you're going to stay in this show, you're going to have to match what they're doing." So I hastily went out and recruited 240 members into the Labor Party in about a week and a half. I thought that was pretty good. When I came back Jim asked, "How many has the other bloke got?" I said, "About 460." He said, "You're halfway there." Of course, it has become the infamous Lakemba day branch—which never got a charter, so it never became a branch. But I certainly had Jim instructing me in the background, coaching me and revving me up. In retrospect I can tell you that if it was not for that exercise I would not be here today. Jim was always able to add that vibrant tenacity: he egged you on, you listened, and you did it.
About 2½ years ago Jim and his wife, Kathleen, my family and I undertook a trip to Egypt with the Speaker. I hasten to say that we paid for ourselves—and Jim was also keen to make that point. We had a great time over a couple of weeks. We enjoyed the sights of such an ancient culture, and had some interesting times. Wherever we went we were chased by hawkers. As soon as we got out of the bus, 30 or 40 people would flock around us and try to sell us anything from their mum to a pyramid. We had to try to work our way around that. While we were trying to walk away from these people and get back onto the bus to get away from the intensity of the situation, Jim Anderson made friends with them all. Within five minutes they were scratching their heads, wondering, "What's this all about? We're supposed to be selling something." I recall Jim sitting down with these hawkers one day and having a drink of water with them because he felt sorry for them standing out in the sun. That is the bloke we are talking about today. His spirit, his vibrancy and his personality engendered people to see the good in others, and to see the good in themselves as well.
Another interesting anecdote made its way into Column 8. I refer to the famous rat with the gold tooth. Diane Beamer looks away with a smile as I say that, because she recalls the momentum that it caused in the Parliament. I managed to find somewhere a big, ugly rubber toy rat. I brought it into the Parliament because I thought there may have been a hidden metaphor in this rat somewhere, although we could not quite work out how. Jim asked if he could borrow it for one night, and he diligently brought it back the next day. He had painted one tooth gold—as we all know, Jim was very diligent; he would not miss painting the edges—and it became famous as the rat with the gold tooth. It was symbolic of the sorts of pressures that we as members of Parliament might endure in this unusual job. There it stood symbolically on a shelf in the Government Whip's room.
One dark morning we all arrived early to take on our role here, and discovered that the rat with the gold tooth was missing. No-one could work out how that could have happened, but it was clear that our rat with the gold tooth had been stolen. Jim decided to take the case to Column 8. And sure enough, Column 8 ran a story on the rat with the gold tooth: what happened, why did it happen, whom did it represent, and was it on CCTV? That did the trick, because by next morning when we all arrived, the rat with the gold tooth was back on the shelf. I am very pleased to say in Jim's fond memory that we still have that rat. It is packed away at the moment, but I think we should bring it out just for Jim.
The following is a true story. One night recently I had a dream about Jim—as I guess a few of us are doing, trying to come to grips with the fact that he has now gone. In the dream, as usual Jim was chastising me—in a friendly way, but shaking the finger. I cannot remember why he was chastising me, because you do not remember the substance of a dream. The very next day I received a call from Ray Hadley on national radio. Ray Hadley asked me if I was Mohammed Mustafa Khalid and not Tony Stewart, and went through a rendition of who I really was. As we know, I am Tony Stewart, not Mohammed Mustafa Khalid. I am very proud to be Tony Stewart, having been born Anthony Paul Stewart. Having said that, it was Jim's shaking finger that I should have paid attention to: something was about to happen. The bugger is still watching me and sending me messages.
Like everyone else, I was extremely shocked to hear about Jim's death. It was Diane Beamer who rang me at 8 o'clock in the morning. At first I thought it was a wicked joke, but tragically it was not. The last time I spoke to Jim was the day before he died—the day before the election. I rang him in the afternoon and wished him all the best for his election victory and an historic third-term Labor Government, which has now come to fruition. But, of course, God chose a very different course for Jim, dramatically bringing home to all of us our vulnerability to fate and the need to live our earthly life to the full—and Jim did that.
Jim's death, like the death of my father some years ago, became a test of my faith. I could not help but think that Jim's time had come prematurely, unfairly, and that Jim's family and friends had been cheated because a good husband, a good father, a good friend and a good community representative had been lost forever, before his time. But in trying to make sense of this and upon reflection, I now know and understand that in Jim's relatively short innings he achieved a hell of a lot—in fact, more than most men will ever achieve in their lives.
In this context, perhaps his death has not cheated us. In the seventeenth century Jean de la Tontaine said, "Death does not take the wise man by surprise; he is always prepared to leave." In every way Jim Anderson, despite his early roll call, was prepared to meet his maker, and left behind a tremendous legacy. Jim has left his family, his friends, his local community, the Labor Party and this Parliament with a fine legacy of achievement that leaves a framework and foundation that we are all proud of. In conclusion, I would like to quote from an Eric Bogle song. I used to try to play a little bit of guitar. Late at night I used to play a few Irish ballads for Jim and others. Eric Bogle's words remind me of an occasion when Jim and I were sitting on a boat on the Nile River, cruising along with the wind in our faces, an occasion which I remember fondly. Eric Bogle wrote:
But to every sailor, comes time to drop anchor
Haul in the sails, and make the lines fast
You deep water dreamer, your journey is over
You're safe in the harbour at last.
Mr BARTLETT (Port Stephens) [5.49 p.m.]: To be sure, to be sure, I think Jim was a grand fellow, with that little impish twinkle in his eye. I add my condolences to the family. In his position as Deputy Whip Jim was one of the first regular contacts that a new member has with the running of the Parliament. I always found Jim approachable and friendly, and he gave good advice. He was always there to say, "That was a good speech, John," and pat me on the back. I asked Jim, "Why Deputy Whip?" He was the only person who told me he liked to listen to everyone's speeches. He liked to sit in the House and listen to what people had to say; he much preferred to be in the House than in his room on the twelfth floor. Jim enjoyed the dynamics of the business of the House and he was part of the smooth running of the Fifty-second Parliament. When the Leader of the House would change the program at the last minute, Jim would step in to ensure it ran smoothly.
Jim and I had lots in common. We were both immigrants, Jim from Londonderry and me from Hammersmith, London. We followed English soccer and both had a local government background; both old, grey mayors. We both did well in this country. Jim spoke forcefully for his electorate and was very proud of his community. He became an integral part of the development and fabric of that society. Jim liked to travel. As chairman of the Port Stephens Sister Cities Committee I regularly co-ordinate cultural visits to overseas sister cities. I told Jim that going to Japan was the best cultural tour we had ever arranged, and he showed a lot of interest. I told Jim we were going to Japan in April 2002 and asked him whether he would like to come. I liked Jim, he never mucked me around. He said, "I will ask Kathleen and let you know." The next time I saw Jim, he said, "We are coming; when do you want the money?"
Jim and Kath fitted seamlessly into the tour, with one or two exceptions. In that two weeks a firm friendship was formed. Jim said to me, "I will stay in the background, but if you want me to do anything, just let me know." However, it was hard for Jim to stay in the background. Today, as I have listened to other members, I thought, "What a wonderful celebration of Jim's life; what a wonderful matrix is appearing." Jim suffered from sleep apnoea, so we took his machine with us around Japan. As Richard Amery said, bombs and Jim seemed to go together—the machine looked like a bomb. No Japanese airport security guard had ever seen a sleep apnoea machine and, in all honesty, it looked like a bomb: it was in a tight black case and had tubes with caps and electric leads protruding. Each time we went through airport security the machine had to be taken from its case and inspected. I wondered, if someone were to be arrested, who would it be? As the tour guide, that would have caused me a lot of problems, because I did not speak Japanese.
When the tour first reached Japan the instructions were quite simple: I got the passports and the Shinkasen tickets and booked for the 25 or 30 people on the tour. The travel agent spoke English so I obtained tickets for the rest of the trip. I told our group there were only two rules: first, if someone was not on the train when it left I would not have time to make other bookings, so enjoy Japan and I would see them at the airport when we fly back; and, second, when we got to Tokyo station, stick together, because we have to go a long way through the underground system. When the train from Tateyama pulled into the terminal at Tokyo station we had to go up about five escalators and through 1½ kilometres of tunnel.
The train pulled into the station, I gathered everyone together, and we set off in single file. That very busy station is used by millions of people a year, everyone walking in single file. Half way through the journey a call came from Kath down the back, "We've lost Jim." It was a bit difficult to stop half way up the escalator so we continued to the top and gathered together. I told everyone to stay together and I went back to find Jim. I backtracked half a kilometre but could not find him. I turned around to go back to the group and every time I came to an intersection there were five different ways to go. I did not know what to do. Apparently Jim had decided that the leader of the single file was moving a bit too slowly, but as the pace was set by an 83-year-old lady on our tour, we had to walk relatively slowly.
Jim had pulled out of the line and headed off in the general direction of our destination. That was fine, but no-one in our group saw him go. Jim had reached an intersection about 100 or 200 metres down the corridor and realised that no-one else was with him. I will set the scene: Jim was standing in a major intersection of the Tokyo underground railway station, facing towards Shinkasen. A Japanese gentleman walked up to him and asked, "Are you Jim? A whole lot of people back there are looking for you." Maybe that sort of thing happened to Jim frequently. Jim turned around and came back to us. Family dynamics then came into play. Jim was put in his place by Kath and then back in the line, and the tour continued. That is one of my most vivid memories of Jim. I learnt something about Jim that day: he could be good, but not for long. He was a grand mate and I will miss him.
Mr LYNCH (Liverpool) [5.56 p.m.]: I add my condolences to those extended by other members of this House to Jim's family. As with many here I was horrified on the day of the election to be told of Jim's death. I remember putting the finishing touches to a polling booth at Liverpool West when I was rung by Damian O'Connor at about 7.30 that morning to tell me what had happened, because he knew I was a mate of Jim. I knew Jim before he was elected to this place; we met when he served on Blacktown council and I was serving on Liverpool council, through our mutual involvement in the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils [WSROC]. Jim was fairly influential in my becoming and remaining the Chair of WSROC. I was always very grateful to him for that because I could see no personal political benefit accruing to him from his support of me. Indeed, I could imagine a degree of difficulty for him through some of the people who would normally support him and oppose me. I had a degree of regard, respect, and friendship for him dating from that early time.
However, today I do not want to talk about WSROC; I want to record a tribute to Jim on behalf of those who support the aims and principles of Irish republicanism. I have been asked to do that particularly by Paddy Gorman and other members of Australian Aid for Ireland [AAI], a pro-republican group in Australia. Paddy and a number of members of AAI attended Jim's funeral and were all deeply saddened by his death. Jim was quite an important part of a number of AAI activities. In early 1999 he was present at the AAI function for Gerry Adams that was held at Randwick. I was master of ceremonies that night and I remember having some fun at Jim's expense. The function was held before the State election of 1999. At the function I pointed out that Jim was, quite appropriately, the sitting member for St Marys, but that fairly soon he would be contesting the forthcoming State election as the endorsed Labor candidate for the electoral district of Londonderry.
That was probably the only time in Jim's life that he was hissed by an audience of Irish Australians. Honour was quickly restored when it was pointed out that the Australian Labor Party had made an application to the State Electoral Office to rename the seat of Londonderry as Derry. Jim was then cheered. It is worth making the point that a number of members of this place have insisted on referring to Jim as the member for Derry rather than the member for Londonderry. Certainly when I have been in the Chair I always called him the member for Derry. After the 1999 election Jim and I co-hosted a number of functions for Sinn Fein visitors to Sydney. They included Cionnatih O Suilleabhain from Clonakilty Urban District Council in June 2000, and Martin McGuiness in December 2000. Martin was then Minister for Education in the powersharing executive, and a member of the Stormont Assembly, an abstentionist member of Parliament in the House of Commons.
Subsequently Jim and I co-hosted a function in this place with Mitchell McLachlan, the Chairman of Sinn Fein and also a member of the Stormont Assembly.He has been involved in a host of other AAI activities. As recently as September last year he co-hosted a fundraising function, with me, to help send some human rights reservists to Bogota to witness the trial processes being imposed on three Irishmen by the Colombian government and the military and their American advisers. Another function I remember well that he attended, which was not organised by the AAI but had a contribution from them, was last year's Easter service at Waverley Cemetery, at the grave of Michael Dwyer. Probably inappropriately at the time, I remember interrupting Jim's very enthusiastic rendition of Faith of Our Fathers because I wanted to introduce him to the Mayor of Waverley—currently the honourable member for Coogee—who had just arrived. It is worth noting that at this Easter service this year quite a number of people mentioned with sadness the passing of Jim.
Of all the functions Jim was involved in with the AAI, I believe that the one he most enjoyed co-hosting, and the one he got the most satisfaction from, was the one held for Jim Neeson. Jimmy Neeson has a whole lot of claims to fame: amongst other things he runs Belfast's Black Taxis. Jim Anderson seemed to develop a real bond with Jim Neeson. When I was in Ireland last year I noted that the first person Jim Neeson asked me about was Jim Anderson and how was he doing. I remember Jim Neeson showering particularly effusive but very deserved praise on Jim Anderson when we were talking to Alex Maskey, the Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Belfast.
Andrew Refshauge referred to a tribute to Jim Anderson that Martin McGuinness, who is a member of the House of Commons and is also Sinn Fein's chief negotiator in the peace process, delivered at Jim's funeral. Martin said:
It is with deep sadness that we learnt of the death of our friend and comrade Jim Anderson MP. His sudden death has come as a shock to all of us and will be greeted with great sadness and regret throughout the Republican community in Ireland.
On behalf of the Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle (National Executive), I extend our deepest sympathy to Jim's family, his wife Kathleen, son Robert, daughter Rhona, son-in-law Kevin and grandchildren Adam and Kiara.
I wish to pay tribute to Jim, a man who lived a life dedicated to the core principles of social justice, civil rights and Irish Unity.
If one thing stands out about Jim it's that he knew his own mind and he wasn't afraid to speak it. That is because Jim's politics were not just from the heart but from his raw experience growing up in West Belfast and his working life. He wasn't just a voice—he was an activist.
Jim embodied the true meaning of Republicanism. He dedicated his life not only to campaigning for justice for the people of Londonderry in NSW but also extended that quest for justice to Ireland.
Jim's support for Australian Aid for Ireland, his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and its implementation contributed decisively to the Peace Process in Ireland. In fact, it is because of the risks which Jim and others were willing to take for peace that we have a Peace Process in Ireland today.
Jim Anderson will be missed but his strength, dedication and energy will live on in all those who commit themselves to living his ideals.
The politics of Ireland are probably always seen more simply, and certainly more safely, from Australia than they are for those who actually have to live in Belfast. Jim has spoken to me about some of the things that he and his family endured. Some of them are a lot more complicated than simply Orange versus Republican violence. That sort of environment inevitably breeds all sorts of complications. The one view that Jim had about it, though, was that he was happy to support anyone who was pursuing the Peace Process in English-occupied Ireland. For that I am delighted to be able to pay tribute to him, particularly on behalf of Australian Aid for Ireland. Over and above all that, of course, Jim was a particularly good bloke and there are not that many people in this place who can really be regarded as genuinely good blokes. Jimmy really was, and he will be sadly missed.
Ms ANDREWS (Peats) [6.03 p.m.]: I can say unequivocally that our beloved late colleague, the honourable member for Londonderry, Jim Anderson, was a person for whom members on both sides of the House had the utmost respect. Jim was not only a person of great depth but also a compassionate and understanding person. He was endowed with a very good sense of humour, which was just as well because that equipped him quite well to cope with all those Irish jokes—some of them quite cruel, I believe—which are bandied around everywhere. Possessed of a cheerful disposition and with all his other admirable characteristics it was indeed a pleasure to have known Jim Anderson.
On the eve of the recent elections I was preparing for what became a victory party at the Everglades Country Club at Woy Woy and I received a call on my mobile—which I had turned on for a change—and it was Jim Anderson. We had quite a nice conversation: Jim told me what had occurred during his campaign in the electorate of Londonderry and I told him what had gone on in Peats, and we wished one another well. Then of course it was with great sadness that I heard the next morning of Jim's untimely death. Jim's sudden passing was a very hard blow to his family, friends and parliamentary colleagues. But, knowing that Jim was Labor through and through, he would have been delighted with the outcome of those elections. It was a very moving tribute when the Premier dedicated Labor's victory to the memory of our late colleague Jim Anderson. I am sure the Premier's announcement that five scholarships will be awarded in Jim's memory would have delighted our late colleague.
Jim Anderson and I were elected to this House on the same day in 1995. We were allocated adjoining offices on the ninth floor. We served together on a number of parliamentary and caucus committees, and Jim always made a positive contribution to the work of all those committees. It therefore came as no surprise when Jim was appointed to the rather taxing task of Deputy Government Whip at the commencement of Labor's second term of office. Jim was a very approachable person and in his capacity as Deputy Whip he would go out of his way to assist members not only on this side of the House but also on the other side of the House in carrying out their parliamentary duties. The former member for Rockdale and former Government Whip, George Thompson, and Jim Anderson were, I believe, a formidable and competent combination. I believe we were most fortunate to be the beneficiaries of their services to this House during the last Parliament.
Following the 1999 elections, Jim and I moved offices from the ninth floor to the twelfth floor, and again we had adjoining offices. From time to time Jim would put his head in through the open door of my office and ask if I had the kettle on. We would then sit down over a cup of tea and discuss matters of State importance, or sometimes we would talk about that wonderful game of bowls. I can thank Jim Anderson for the fact that I ever took to the bowling greens at all. Some of my parliamentary colleagues might lament the fact that I did make that decision, but I must say that I never regretted it. Jim told me that if I joined the club I would certainly enjoy myself, and I must admit that I do. I thought Jim was quite a good bowler. We were both encouraged by our parliamentary colleague the honourable member for Mount Druitt, the Hon. Richard Amery, to play more frequently. I understand that Jim was doing exactly that until he was sadly and so suddenly taken from us.
Over the years my sister Clare has had the opportunity to meet and chat with Jim and his good wife, Kathleen, on a number of social occasions. These interactions have always been very pleasant. I know that Clare was as shocked and upset as I was when we heard the terrible news of Jim's passing. At Jim's final farewell on 27 March at St Aidans Church at Rooty Hill there were in attendance virtually hundreds of Jim's constituents from all walks of life. They had come to pay their last respects to their hard-working and popular local member. Outside the church I had the opportunity to speak with the captains and vice captains of Richmond High School and one of their teachers who had accompanied them. They all spoke glowingly of Jim's support for their school and I know they were very shocked at his sudden death. I could well understand that, as Jim was a great advocate of improving education opportunities in his electorate, whether at the primary, secondary, tertiary or technical level.
Jim was also a persistent and strong campaigner for the creation of more jobs in the western part of Sydney as he believed that it was a person's basic individual right to secure gainful employment. Jim was in every respect a very good and honourable person whom I unashamedly say I miss very much, but I know full well that he will be long and fondly remembered. I cannot imagine how much Jim is being missed by his loyal partner throughout the greater portion of his life, his widow Kathleen, his daughter Rhona, his son-in-law Kevin Brady and their two young children, and his son Robert. I extend to all of them my deepest sympathy. May Jim now rest in peace.
Mr GAUDRY (Newcastle—Parliamentary Secretary) [6.10 p.m.]: I join all honourable members in this House in honouring the memory of our colleague Jim Anderson and I convey my condolences to his wife Kathleen, his son Robert and his daughter Rhona and her family. Jim was a good man. We heard tonight from other honourable members how good Jim Anderson was to constituents in his electorate of Londonderry. As my colleague the honourable member for Peats said earlier, Jim Anderson, as Deputy Whip, formed a tremendous team with George Thompson. They were committed to ensuring that all honourable members were treated fairly. Jim Anderson and George Thompson dealt compassionately with all the problems with which they were presented. Jim would always listen to people's problems. He was quick to assist anyone who had acted fairly and responsibly in this House.
I remember clearly the open morning teas that Jim and George held in their rooms. They were always ready to give advice, to welcome people and to give them a break from the rigours of day-to-day life in this Parliament. It has been said that Jim had a strong commitment to social justice, which was clearly demonstrated. He had a strong commitment to his Irish heritage and to people in his electorate who were disadvantaged. As has been said by many honourable members in this condolence motion, Jim was aware of the high levels of unemployment in western Sydney and he sought a solution to that problem. I recall discussing with him the positive outcomes in my electorate as a result of the Building Better Cities Program. Jim did not take that on faith—although he had a lot of faith, as has been clearly demonstrated. He talked to me about it and he then arranged to visit Newcastle. Even though I was not in Newcastle at the time he obtained a full briefing about the operations of that program. I am sure he would have been wondering how to bring those benefits to his community.
Jim was a good, fair and hard-working man who was well respected in his community and in this Parliament. I, other members of this Parliament and all those members of his community who attended the church service at Rooty Hill said farewell to a man who was greatly respected. One could not have heard a better tribute to Jim than the Irish blessing that was delivered at the end of his service. All the things that are referred to in that blessing were deeply embedded in the day-to-day life of Jim Anderson. The blessing states:
May the road rise to meet you
And the wind be at your back
And the Lord uphold you
Always in the hollow of his hand
In the hollow of his hand.
Faith be yours; Hope be yours;
Love be yours, Peace be yours;
Joy be yours, Strength be yours.
May God bless you.
May He keep you forever.
I say to Kathleen and her family: May God keep Jim forever. We give thanks for the tremendous service that Jim gave to this Parliament.
Mr McGRANE (Dubbo) [6.15 p.m.]: I, like all honourable members in this place, offer my condolences to Kathleen and her family. I endorse the sentiments that have been expressed in the last 1½ hours about what a great guy Jim was. Jim Anderson played three roles. I knew Jim when he was Mayor of Blacktown and I was Mayor of the city of Dubbo. We had a lot in common and we were trying to achieve the same sorts of things for our cities. I also knew Jim as Deputy Whip in this Parliament. Independent members in this place, who do not tend to receive help from many people, need some sort of advice. I was always able to obtain that advice from Jim Anderson. He helped me to resolve problems, he gave me advice and he told me where to go. Jim Anderson did not have to do that for Independent members of Parliament, but he did. As Opposition members said earlier, he treated Opposition members in the same way as he treated members of his own party.
I was re-elected on 22 March because of the advice that Jim gave me during my last four years in this Parliament. Honourable members would be aware that I won the seat of Dubbo with a margin of 14 votes—the smallest margin in Australia. This time around I won the seat of Dubbo with a margin of nearly 4,000 votes. When I won the seat with a margin of only 14 votes I needed to obtain some advice. I said to Jim, "I need to run again. Will you help me?" He said, "Tony, look after the bread and butter issues in your electorate. The most important thing in your electorate is your constituents. Maintain your philosophy about this place, where you want to go and what you want to do, but look after your constituents. Always attend functions to which you are invited, even though only 10 or 15 people are present. Those 10 or 15 people are just as important as a gathering of 200 people." I took Jim's advice. It is a tribute to Jim that this time round I had such a large increase in my vote.
As has been said, Jim was a compassionate and fair man. He could see logic in any situation. I also knew Jim when he was deputy chair of the Select Committee on Salinity. Under the chairmanship of the honourable member for Wentworthville, the nine members of the committee travelled extensively. Salinity is a major problem facing New South Wales and Australia. There were never any disputes about where we should be going and what we should be recommending, due to the chairmanship of the honourable member for Wentworthville and the efforts of Jim. Jim and I attended most committee hearings. Other members of the committee who had a number of commitments could not attend all the meetings. I formed a close friendship with Jim because of our work on that committee. One of the great experiences of my life was being offered a trip to America and the United Kingdom with Jim as the leader of a group of three—two members of Parliament and one staff member.
I got to know Jim well after travelling with him for 17 days to other parts of the world. I became aware of his philosophy tof life. He told me about the difficulties he had experienced early in his life in Ireland and then when he migrated to Australia. As honourable members are aware, Jim overcame all those difficulties. He was a great achiever. Jim, who migrated to Australia from Ireland, became Mayor of Blacktown, one of the major councils in New South Wales. He then became a member of Parliament and held several positions in this Parliament. Jim certainly achieved many things in a very short period.
I, too, suffer from sleep apnoea. Jim and I were dependent on our machines. We had considerable problems with our hand luggage because the equipment is delicate and we did not want them to malfunction while we were overseas. Security is stricter in America than in Australia and even though searches were supposed to be random, inevitably Jim and I were searched a second time. We endured all that and became very close. It may sound a little Irish but Jim was a great Irishman, a great mate and a great Aussie bloke. We will certainly miss Jim Anderson.
Ms BEAMER (Mulgoa—Minister for Juvenile Justice, Minister for Western Sydney, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning (Planning Administration)) [6.21 p.m.]: I would like to join my colleagues in paying my respects to Jim Anderson and expressing condolences to his wife, Kath, and to Rhona and Robert. All those who knew Jim remember him as the man with sparkling eyes and a never-ending smile. I do not know whether Jim's children would agree that he never had a cross word and perhaps would be reminded of times when he was not as even-tempered, but in the halls of Parliament I cannot imagine anyone who had ever seen Jim with anything other than what can only be described as a cheeky face and a wonderful accent. He will be incredibly sadly missed around here.
After the 1995 election we had adjoining electorates and worked closely together on similar issues. After the 1999 election and the redistribution I took over the St Marys part of Jim's electorate. Jim Anderson would have done more than any member of Parliament could possibly have done for that area. Everywhere I went he was known. Jim had done something for every community group I visited. Whether I visited the local St Marys High School, the school for children with disabilities, the newly opened hydrotherapy pool or any other facility, he had done something. He has helped so many people in the Londonderry electorate that his family will never hear from all of them. He had an unbelievable capacity to work and an enduring commitment to his electorate.
Jim used to refer to the saying "Always dance with the lady who brought you." For Jim, that meant being committed to those things that he held true to himself. They were his community, his faith and his family; the things he was most proud of and considered in every decision he ever made. It was a real challenge to take over St Marys from Jim because he had made a name for himself within that community—something I had to try to live up to.
I would also like to pay tribute to his branch members who, on the day of the election, continued to hand out how-to-vote cards for the seat of Londonderry. It was difficult because nobody talked about how the election was going; they were grieving. I thought it was magnificent that all Jim's branch members decided to remain at their posts and in doing so ensured that a tenth seat was secured for the Labor Party in the upper House. They honoured Jim with their courage and commitment. Jim has also been honoured by the Premier, and deservedly so. I express my heartfelt sympathy to Jim's family. Jim was a great mate to everybody in this House and he will be very sadly missed.
Ms MEGARRITY (Menai) [6.26 p.m.]: Many members tonight have used the word "gentleman". Indeed, Jim Anderson was a gentle man in every sense of that word. I could not hope to improve upon Richard Amery's deeply touching eulogy and his comments today. I endorse the comments of every speaker. However, I wish to share with Jim's family and the House the impact that Jim had on me as the newly elected member for Menai in 1999. Unlike some of the members currently experiencing their first week in this place, I did not make my inaugural speech in my first week. I confess my head was still spinning with so many new faces, names and procedures to learn. I do not think Jim and I had any one-on-one conversations that week.
In my second week the historic Drug Summit was held. It was primarily conducted in the other place, the Legislative Council. New members of Parliament were afforded the opportunity to speak in that forum without compromising their yet-to-be-made inaugural speeches in this Chamber. I clearly remember approaching the podium with a sense of nervousness and uncertainty about the task before me. I looked up at the large gathering, and the person who went out of his way to catch my eye and to give me his undivided and supportive attention was Jim. During the course of my speech I looked around the room, as one is supposed to, but I kept looking back to Jim for that unswerving support to get me through.
In fact, during my first year there were a couple of occasions, usually after a parliamentary recess, when the prospect of standing up in a debate in this place, which is often called the bear pit, can be a little daunting, to say the least. Without fail Jim managed to sense that trepidation and would pointedly ask, "And why aren't you getting up on this one?" I would give the excuse that I had a meeting to attend or something to do, I was feeling a bit rusty and was not confident about the topic. He would manage to say just the right thing to reassure me and, as others have pointed out, I knew that he was not going to take no for an answer. When I did get up he would stay in the Chamber and listen to what I had to say. Jim was someone you could count on.
I also recall a rather lively occasion when I saw the usually quiet Jim in full swing. It was a gathering in honour of Richard Amery's fiftieth birthday. It opened my eyes. Jim and I had a dance—I hope you do not mind, Kathleen—and there was a singalong to some of Richard's Elvis Presley favourites. Indeed, we were even humming the tunes the next day. I was surprised to hear someone say that Jim did not sing, but in true Jim style I remember him saying, "I wonder if you can sing, Alison"; in other words, he had me singing. I do not know now whether he actually sang but I thought he did. The news of Jim's passing on the morning of 22 March hit me well and truly for six. At the first polling booth I attended on the day someone who had not heard the sad news assumed I was concerned about my electoral prospects in my marginal seat. Of course, I was not thinking about that at all. We were all in a state of shock.
I returned to my car, sat down and thought, "What would Jim say to me in this situation?" I knew that he would have said, "Get on with it, young lady." So I did. We had a great win, which I know would have pleased Jim immensely. In addition to thinking of Jim's family that day, I thought also of Jan Clifford in the Whip's office. I knew that Jim, in his capacity as Deputy Whip, worked closely with Jan and they shared a real friendship. I do not need to tell Jim's family that this place has very long sitting hours, and Jan and Jim would often have to sit it out long after many of us had left—with permission, of course. I therefore asked Jan whether she would like me to convey something on her behalf. However, rather than paraphrasing her sentiments, I will quote the few lines that she gave me. Jan wrote:
Very few people are lucky enough to have the combined qualities of a positive, energetic and nurturing nature. To me Jim had these qualities and much more in large doses. We shared with others many sitting nights in the Whip's office discussing world events & our families.
Not that we solved any of those world event problems.
Listening to Jim talk of his family it was obvious that they meant everything to him. He was so proud of Kathleen's plays and her lead roles.
Jan concluded:
I know that I will not be the only one to miss Jim's good company in the 53rd Parliament sitting nights to come.
For my part, since the resumption of Parliament, I, like so many of us, have walked the halls or entered the members' dining room half expecting to see Jim there. Late in the evening when I receive a very welcome telephone call it will not be Jim saying—almost in code—"If you don't have any business to keep you here …" and implying that I could go. The sad fact is that we were not ready to let Jim go. To Kathleen, the entire Anderson family, friends and the communities of the Londonderry electorate I offer my family's sincere condolences. I include the condolences of my parents-in-law, Rita and Bert Megarrity, who live in Rooty Hill. They knew Jim and were very sad to hear of his untimely passing. It is obvious from everything we have heard so far—and everything that we are going to hear, judging from the number of members who wish to speak to this motion—that although Jim is gone, he is certainly not forgotten. May he rest in peace.
Mrs PERRY (Auburn) [6.31 p.m.]: I take this opportunity to pay a personal tribute to the life of one of our dearest colleagues, Jim Anderson. I remember the first time that I met him: I was a new member stumbling around a new world, trying to find my bearings and to make the many adjustments that I am all too familiar with now. And there was Jim, grinning as he did, full of light, laughter and that special kind of Irish humour that does wonders for the soul. Always at hand to guide, instruct and remind, Jim helped me to find my feet and, when I did, I discovered that they always led me back to him for he became a friend, a mentor and a kindly figure who, despite his youthfulness, represented somewhat of a father to me.
Jim was a humble man made great not only by his lifetime of outstanding service and accomplishment but, more importantly, by his genuine desire to serve, inspire and enrich the lives of the many who had no way of repaying him. The greatness of a person is measured in the ordinariness of everyday living not, as myth, movie and common opinion would have it, in the fleeting moments of struggle and glory. Jim was indeed great for he needed no spotlight, no incentive or promise of future glory to be the man he was: thoughtful, kind and selfless right down to his very smallest and seemingly insignificant acts and habits. He was this man to all, as testified by the Daily Telegraph article published on 28 March entitled "Both sides mourn loved MP".
It goes without saying that Jim's death was untimely, unexpected and deeply saddening. But let us remember that death serves as a reminder of our own mortality and of the fact that we are subject to the same external forces as other people. In honour of Jim it would also be fitting to reflect upon his life as an inspiration and a challenge to our own. Let us also keep in mind that behind all the speeches and media grabs is an individual with family and friends. And Jim had more than his fair share of these. I extend my heartfelt sympathy to the Anderson family—to Jim's wife, Kathleen, and children, Rhona and Robert—and to all others close to him. We cannot begin to imagine what you are going through. I am reminded of the words of Jack Lemmon, who once said, "Death ends a life; not a relationship." Many of us here shared relationships with Jim. While Jim has departed this world, the relationships that we shared with him will continue to live on in our hearts and in our memories. He will be sadly missed.
Mr PAGE (Ballina—Deputy Leader of the National Party) [6.35 p.m.]: I would like to express my condolences to Jim's wife, Kathleen, and to his son, Robert, and his daughter, Rhona. Like all of us, I was very saddened and shocked to learn of Jim's death on election day. Jim was a sitting member and parliamentary colleague and his passing is a stark reminder to us all of the fragility and uncertainty of life. I got to know Jim reasonably well when we served together on the Select Committee on Salinity. Jim was Deputy Chairman and, when called upon to do so, chaired committee meetings with great competence. He was a very active and conscientious committee member who always asked penetrating questions and wanted to know the details about any issue that he thought important. While his questioning was keen and incisive, it was always polite, thus reflecting the gentleman that Jim was.
Even though Jim's electorate was situated in Western Sydney he had a real interest in, and knowledge of, natural resource management. The salinity committee travelled quite often to other States to see how things were done there and Jim was always very interesting company on such trips. Whether we were travelling by plane on a long trip to Perth or riding in a bus, Jim's conversation was always very interesting. He had a wide knowledge of a variety of subjects—everything from aircraft engines to sport, politics and people. I found Jim interesting to talk to because he was unpredictable—one never quite knew what was around the corner. What was predictable about Jim was that he was a real gentleman, as all honourable members have said. I think the thing that I will remember most about Jim is his fundamental decency, his practical hands-on approach to things, his sense of social justice and his compassion. I did not know Jim as well as many members in this Chamber but I knew him well enough to know that, as we say in Australia, he was a bloody good bloke.
Ms ALLAN (Wentworthville) [6.37 p.m.]: Mr Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as Speaker. It is probably at times such as this that you appreciate fully the constraints that your position places upon you. You will not have the opportunity to speak directly to this condolence motion but, as a former member for Blacktown, a former mayor of Blacktown and a close working colleague of Jim Anderson over many years, I am sure that your feelings run even deeper than those of other members who have made their contributions. I first met Jim and Kathleen Anderson when I became the member for Blacktown and Jim was mayor of Blacktown. I met both of them at the air services hall in Blacktown—which is where the Blacktown branch of the Labor Party met, and probably continues to meet, on Sunday mornings.
Distinguished people such as Richard Amery, Roger Price, John Aquilina, Jim Anderson, other councillors from Blacktown City Council and I would attend meetings regularly to report to an extremely demanding Blacktown branch about what had been happening in events in local politics and other political realms in the previous month. I always found Jim Anderson to be very friendly, which was probably a little surprising as I was landed on the Blacktown branch—I was not necessarily its first choice as local member.
Nevertheless, I developed a close working relationship with Jim, and I reiterate the comments made already today about what a great mayor of Blacktown he was and what a wonderful lady mayoress Kathleen was. Kathleen, I have admired you for many years and you played a brilliant role as lady mayoress of Blacktown. Jim was my colleague in this place since 1995. Certain occasions in this Parliament make us feel inadequate, and this is one of them. When we look collectively all the wonderful qualities of Jim Anderson, as we have done over the past few hours, we must look at ourselves and see where we are wanting, because it reminds us of our inadequacies. It certainly reminds me of my inadequacies. It is always good for people in politics to be aware of that.
As has already been said, Jim was hard-working, diligent and a great advocate for Western Sydney. The honourable member for Baulkham Hills' comments about representatives from Western Sydney were spot on, because every member of Western Sydney with whom I am familiar and with whom I have worked over many, many years had those same qualities. Jim was an outstanding advocate for Western Sydney. The Minister for Juvenile Justice, Minister for Western Sydney, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning (Planning Administration) and the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, and Minister for Natural Resources, mentioned the sorts of issues in which Jim was actively involved. He was totally committed to his community, and he was an advocate for Western Sydney in the realms of this Parliament, where sometimes Western Sydney does not get the voice it should—that is, the Parliament, the caucus and the ministry.
I was most impressed when Jim Anderson went into caucus meetings and asked penetrating questions of Ministers. I thought, "This guy won't last very long." But of course he did, and he was widely respected. Earlier this afternoon the Premier reiterated the strong impact that Jim's words of criticism had on him. More recently as Cchair of the salinity committee I worked very closely with Jim as the Ddeputy-Cchair. It is hard to imagine the honourable member for Dubbo and Jim Anderson, with their respective sleep apnoea machines, travelling around the United States of America and Europe but they did it. The research officer who attended them on that trip, Christina Thomas, appreciated Jim's company. The salinity committee secretariat wishes to place on record its sincerity and appreciation for all the hard work that Jim Anderson did as the Ddeputy-Cchair.
We have said that Jim was diligent, and we have heard that he was full of advice. I received advice from Jim and I did not always take it—perhaps I should have. There were occasions when I did take his advice, and I appreciated his advice and the manner in which it was offered. Jim was an acute observer of this place and the members of it. Although we like to think of ourselves as astute political creatures, we are not all equally observant about what happens in this place. Jim was one of the few members who regularly observed what was going on here and how we behaved towards each other. Perhaps we are seeing the product of that when we hear the honourable member for Menai, the honourable member for Auburn and the honourable member for Port Stephens talk about the help and direct assistance that Jim gave them.
Jim was an acute observer—the fact that he was sober all the time may have contributed to that. Nevertheless, he was an acute observer of what happened in this place, and he was always prepared to come forward and tell us the results of those observations. Sometimes, perhaps we did not like to hear them. Jim was also an active participant, as has already been described in great detail. He was totally devoted to his family. We heard a lot about Jim's family in this place. We did not have to know Jim very well to hear about his family. Although I do not know Robert and Rhona and the children personally, I must admit that we heard about the family. We heard about Kathleen's annual trips to Ireland. He was so proud of you, Kathleen. You know that. At one stage perhaps you may have planned a political career as well. He would have been equally proud if that attempt had been successful. Nevertheless, you two went on and had an enriched life despite that.
Finally, we have enjoyed hearing the honourable member for Mount Druitt speak on at least two occasions about his relationship with Jim Anderson. I think we will miss not only Jim but the relationship between the honourable member for Mount Druitt and Jim, if we look at it as something of material benefit to this Parliament. Often after a late night sitting I would travel down in the lift with Jim Anderson and the honourable member for Mount Druitt. They would be going to meet the driver, carrying a bag of papers that had to be signed—I hope the Minister for Energy and Utilities, who is at the table, is working hard on that now—and travelling home together. Their friendship was one real material benefit in this place. Having listened to the honourable member for Mount Druitt speak on several occasions now, we know how much he will miss that. I think we will miss it as well. As honourable members know, we do not see such close friendships in this Parliament. It was great to see the friendship and relationship between the honourable member for Mount Druitt and Jim. We will miss seeing that, as the honourable member for Mount Druitt will miss experiencing it.
Mr BARR (Manly) [6.44 p.m.]: It is good to be back in this place after the election, but it is not good to be back in these circumstances. I did not know Jim Anderson very well. I did not know him as well as I would like to have known him, but I did know him well enough to know that he was a very fine and good person. When I came in here as an Independent member in 1999 it was a lonely place. Independent members do not get much support. They are new boys on the block, and there are all sorts of things they do not know about. Jim was always helpful to and supportive of me. After I gave a speech he would always say, "That was good" and "Well done". After my first budget speech I was with my elder son, William, when we passed Jim in the corridor. Jim said to my son, "Did you listen to what your dad said? It was good." I might say that it was not a particularly flattering speech about the Government's budget at the time.
On another occasion when I bumped into Jim he asked how I was. I said, "I just lost on the floor." He said, "Don't worry about that. Some of us are losing regularly but it happens behind closed doors. You don't see it in public. I wouldn't worry too much about it." He was always helpful and supportive. He wore his political heart on his sleeve, and it was thea big heart. It was a heart that was about old-fashioned Labor Party virtues, if I can put it that way, as opposed to the more corporatist type of Labor that seems to be evolving. In this place it was good to have someone with the values that I think we all need—values about compassion, concern for the underdog and concern for how ordinary people get on in life. It is our job as politicians in this place to do that, and Jim was an embodiment of all that. Because of that, we will all sorely miss him, no matter what side of politics we are on, because he was a very good person.
Mr MARTIN (Bathurst) [6.47 p.m.]: I shall speak briefly to the condolence motion for Jim Anderson. I say "briefly" because I know that I am simply echoing the words of other honourable members. To those of us who entered Parliament in 1999, Jim Anderson was a very wise councisellor, particularly on the Government side as Deputy Government Whip. He was always there to guide us, particularly when we got a bit frustrated with the system. It was always a good calming influence to have a yarn with Jim. I had the pleasure of knowing Jim before I came here. When Jim was the mayor of Blacktown I was the mayor of Lithgow; we had met at local government conferences and through the ALP. The greatest tribute to Jim was the number of people who attended his funeral to pay their respects and the diversity of the groups they represented—everyone from commissioners, heads of departments and Consul-Generals, to the ordinary working people Jim loved and for whom he worked so hard.
Whatever else we say about Jim Anderson, he had the common touch. He was a man of the people, and I think that drove him. He derivedmore pleasure from helping people with small problems than assisting Ministers after hours when they wanted to get away. He was a calming influence. I am conscious that Jim would have been appointed to the position I hold in this the Fifty-Tthird Parliament—that is, Government Whip—if he had not been so tragically lost on 22 March. Ironically—and this is simply by accident—the room I will be occupying in this building is 1228, which was Jim's room. That is an honour. I know that the ghost and spirit of Jim Anderson will be with me in that room over the next four years. I will draw on the inspiration that came from knowing Jim. I commend the motion to the House.
Mr ASHTON (East Hills) [6.49 p.m.]: I express my sincere condolences to the late Jim Anderson's family and friends. I was elected to this place in March 1999. As all new members quickly find out, it is not the Premier or senior Ministers of the daywhom one can call on for advice; it is the Government Whip and the Deputy Government Whip. They are the gentlemen who get you through in your first few months in this place and for the next four years. Jim Anderson excelled in the role of Deputy Whip. He always sought to help members learn the ropes. He gave me many opportunities to speak in the Chamber, and I know that he genuinely appreciated the fact that I usually took them up. I think Jim got a kick out of the fact that he recognised a trait in me, that I could speak under water, and that that could be useful in a Parliament.
Mr Martin: And cement.
Mr ASHTON: And cement. I think I might have written "cement" in my notes He recognised that I could be a useful tool for the Government against the Opposition. As the Deputy Whip, Jim's former position, I will try to find other members who can do that for the Government as well. On many occasions in the Whip's office, with many members who are present now, there were discussions ranging from football in Ireland or England to the politics of the local communities that we represent to the politics of New South Wales and, equally as often, the history, geography and the politics of Ireland. I am not Irish. My father was English, and in many ways Jim may not have appreciated that, but my wife's family is Irish. It is interesting that you can never take people out of Ireland forever. I always enjoyed the conversations about Jim's family life and background.
Another constant piece of advice Jim gave me was—I do not know from where he got it; perhaps from the honourable member for Mount Druitt—"You know son, you should come and join the Right. You probably would get on there". I have not taken up that offer but I always took it in the sense that Jim meant it: with a great degree of sincerity and a sense of humour and friendship. I never objected to hearing that suggestion from him. I know members have commented on the irony of the redistribution that resulted in Jim's electorate of St Marys being renamed Londonderry. Given Jim's background and his decision to leave Belfast, the opportunities he was given to represent the electorate of Londonderry must have been quite ironic for him. As has already been said, his obvious commitment to his new electorate resulted in his election to Blacktown City Council, where he served as a councillor and later as mayor for four years.
Like everyone in this House I was devastated when I heard that Jim passed away on the very morning of the State election. I was in the East Hills State Electorate Office on that morning when I heard the electoral officer take the phone call and say, "Don't distribute any howto vote cards for the seat of Londonderry". Everyone there assumed that the electorate office had forgotten to send out lower House ballot papers for the electorate. I asked, "What is that about?" and I was informed of Jim's tragic death. Like Alison Megarrity, the honourable member for Menai, I wasere devastated for the whole day and beyond. I know that the Premier dedicated the victory of the Labor Party to Jim. No-one hesitated when I called for a minute's silence at my own victory party. They say that if one wants a friend in politics, get a dog. But we would not still be here now speaking to this condolence motion for Jim Anderson if he hads not been a true friend and a real gentleman. As the honourable member for Wentworthville pointed out, that is rare.
A final example of Jim's belief in the people and branch members of his electorate was evident on the day the Premier launched the Labor Party campaign at Penrith. I was seated next to Barrie Unsworth, the former Premier, who was with his wife. Jim Anderson was supposed to have had the seat on the other side. Jim did not turn up for the Premier's speech, but I knew he was there. At the end of the speech I asked Jim, "Where were you? What happened?" He said, "I wasn't going to sit down there, lad, I was up the back with a whole lot of branch members I brought along." He bussed in branch members for the Premier's launch of the campaign. That typified Jim. He did not have to sit in the front row and perhaps get his picture on the television for two or three seconds; he was at the back with his branch members to help make the Labor event successful.
Jim was a gentleman in so many ways. He was a man of manners, but that did not hide his great passion and his commitment to causes and people. I will never forget a day in the dining room when Jim wanted to leave the table before the rest of us. He said, "May I be excused from the table?"and he left. I had not done that since I was a little kid, about 35 years ago. It was something that Jim always did; it is not done very much today. He was a gentleman, a man of principles. There is no doubt that the Jim's death is an untold loss to the people of Londonderry and to this Parliament. I am not able to express in words to Jim's his wife, Kath, his son Robert, his daughter Rhona and their families what the loss of Jim Anderson means. That is beyond my ability.
Mr MILLS (Wallsend) [6.55 p.m.]: It was a great shock for me when the former Government Whip, George Thompson, rang me at 8.25 a.m. on election day. The news of Jim's death was a tragic shock. I will always remember where I was. I was at Wallsend hospital polling both. I stopped my round of polling booth visits and found my wife, Trudy, at another polling booth. Luckily, we were able to reach Kathleen on the phone to express our shock and sympathy at what was a terrible time for her on that morning. As the twenty-third or twenty-fourth speaker in this debate, there is not a great deal left for me to say about many of Jim's qualities. I note that he made his inaugural speech in the budget debate in November 1995. Although we did not know it then, his final contribution to debate in this place was in November 2002 in relation to the environmental performance of Western Sydney businesses. But the speech of Jim's that I like best was a short one on 20 June 2002. In it, Jim Anderson expressed his delight at an event that he attended in Canberra on the long weekend in June last year. He went to Canberra with the Henry Lawson Players, an amateur dramatic group from his electorate, to watch them perform in the 2002 Canberra Festival of Amateur One Act Plays. He said:
I state at the outset that one of the players who performed at that festival was my wife, but that was not the only reason I attended the festival. Obviously, I was there to support a group from my electorate and to see how well they performed. It was an outstanding event.
He went on to explain many of the details of the event. He said that the group of amateur actors was supported by an outstanding club in his electorate, the Henry Lawson Club. The club provides a theatre for the players and also some financial support. He said:
At the conclusion of the weekend the adjudicators awarded prizes for the various categories of performances. I was thrilled when the Henry Lawson Players received an award for the most outstanding performance.
My wife and her colleagues were presented with a trophy for their performance.
I could hear his joy when he told the Parliament about that great and happy experience, particularly because it was in his personal life. He always brought his personal life to bear on his efforts as a member of Parliament. He congratulated his wife, Kathleen, and other people that he named for their brilliant performances. I like that speech. It was the fellowship of bowls that brought Jim and I together. Importantly, it enabled my wife, Trudy, and me to meet Kathleen and Jim away from this place. He was the left-handed right winger who was the lead bowler for New South Wales one, the team that was skippered by Minister Richard Amery. I was the right-handed left winger who was the lead bowler for New South Wales two, captained by Minister Richard Face. We both had Best Rink trophies in our cabinets. We had wonderful experiences and great journeys.
My wife, Trudy, became good friends with Kathleen. Together they did many things and went to many events. They even went shopping together, particularly in Perth. I would sometimes see the results of those shopping trips. That fellowship brought us together as great friends. Some of the best times of my life have been with Jim and Kathleen and other members of the fellowship of the New South Wales bowls team. We will certainly miss him. On behalf of Trudy and myself, I extend our condolences to Kathleen, Rhona and Robert. You can be very proud of the great contribution that your Jim made to your community, to the Labor cause and to public life in New South Wales.
Mr CAMPBELL (Keira—Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Illawarra, and Minister for Small Business) [7.00 p.m.]: Many words have been spoken in this condolence motion. If only those words could in some way turn back the clock and we did not have to have this debate, it would be tremendous. With all the words that have been said, at this stage one can only stand and echo them and give some personal reflections. Other members, particularly those now entering their second term in this place, have talked about the way Jim would give them a hand. One of the things he always did was to organise private members' statements. If you had to make a private member's statement this week he had this happy knack of giving you the opportunity to make it, because he understood how important it was. The speech the honourable member for Wallsend referred to was a private member's statement and I remember being in the Chamber when Jim made it. He also had the happy knack of getting you off the list if you needed to do something else and making you feel it was your idea that you got off to make way for someone else. I always found that Jim had the ability to make a hard decision, but he made it in a way that was palatable to everybody.
A couple of years ago my wife and I went on a private holiday to Britain. I was sitting in a pub in England—we later went to Ireland—and we started talking to some people we had not met before. We talked about who they were and where they came from, and they asked me the same things. This couple ran a small business in Rooty Hill. When they found out I was a member of Parliament they said, "Our local member is Jim Anderson," and they spoke about what a great bloke he was, what a great job he did, and how he listened, acted and worked. At the time I was struck by that and I hoped that some day people I represent would be talking to people in a pub overseas and saying exactly the same thing about me. That has been repeated time and again in this debate. I ran into those people at Jim's funeral. That is how much they thought of Jim Anderson. They are not members of the Australian Labor Party but they worked with Jim and Kath on issues relating to their local school and the steel mill campaign some years ago. We reminisced about our trip and about our memories of Jim Anderson.
The other incident I recall happened at the second meeting of the Centre Unity caucus that I attended in this place four years ago when Jim and I were elected as deputy chairs of that organisation. After that meeting Jim dragged me aside and said, "If there is ever a need for one of us to chair this meeting, you grab it, son, because it will be of advantage to you and it will be an opportunity for you." As many other members have said, he had the happy knack of giving you words of wisdom, words of encouragement, after you had made a speech in this Chamber—"That was a great speech" or "You should have done it perhaps a bit differently". He was not judgmental; he was always encouraging.
I join every other speaker in this debate in extending the condolences of myself and my family to Jim's wife and his family. As I said at the outset, if only the words of this debate could turn back the clock and Jim could be here with us. We would probably be making private members' statements instead of speaking to this motion. The number of contributions to this debate is testament to the friendship and enthusiastic encouragement that Jim gave to so many of us. I simply say: Rest in peace, Jim Anderson.
Ms SALIBA (Illawarra) [7.04 p.m.]: A lot has been said in this Chamber about Jim Anderson's commitment to his community and his willingness to always assist different groups in the community. I can testify to that. I made reference to it in my inaugural speech in 1999. I was living in Whalan, a subdivision of Mt Druitt. BHP was building a mini mill at Rooty Hill, and 132-volt powerlines ran through my backyard. They ran through the backyards of about 136 homes from St Marys through to Rooty Hill. We heard that Integral Energy—at that stage it was Prospect County Council—intended to re-energise these powerlines for the BHP mini mill, after a commitment had been given by BHP that no-one in the community would be adversely affected by the mini mill.
We decided to lobby the neighbourhood and have a public meeting. At that time Charlie Lowles and Jim were both ward councillors on Blacktown City Council. They came along and offered their assistance in our fight with the county council. The fight went on for some time and in the end the powerlines were re-energised. During that time I, along with two other people, went to Blacktown City Council and spoke to the council about the powerlines. I then met up with Richard Amery and Andy Manson, who came on board as well, and Roger Price, the Federal member. At that time Jim Anderson said to me, "Marianne, you ought to join the Labor Party. We could do with strong young women like you in the party." At that time my eldest child was only a few months old and I felt I had more than enough on my plate. I come from a good Labor background. At that time my mother was a councillor on Shellharbour City Council. Jim knew that, but I said, "No, not now." I sold my property to the county council and moved to the Illawarra.
I kept running into Jim at Labor conferences and different events around that time. The next thing I knew I was candidate for the electorate of Illawarra in the 1999 election. All campaigns need funding, so I invited Richard Amery to be guest speaker to a function I was having. Jim and Kathleen also came along. We had a terrific day in Oak Flats. From the time I came into this Parliament Jim was always there to lend a hand and be supportive. It did not matter what the problem was. When I came into Parliament I was fortunate enough to have the office next door to Jim. My door was always open and Jim would often pop his head in and say hello. When I had guests he would always come in and tell them what a great member they had. He never blew his own trumpet but he always liked to do it for everyone else. Jim would have been overwhelmed by the number of people who attended his funeral and by the service. It was a beautiful service; it was a celebration of Jim's life. It celebrated Jim Anderson. It was a great tribute to him.
I offer to Kathleen and the family my condolences and those of Charlie in what I know must be a very difficult time. Jim was instrumental not only in my becoming a member of this Parliament but also in my involvement with the parliamentary bowls club. We have heard a lot about the bowls club tonight. Jim encouraged me to join. In the parliamentary dining room is an honours board listing a number of people. I said to Jim, "What's that about?" He said, "That's our bowls team." I asked, "Well, how come there are no women on the board?" Jim said, "We don't have women in the bowls team." I said, "Oh, don't you! Well, I'm going to join up." He asked, "Have you bowled?" I said, "No. Never bowled a bowl in my life. But, don't worry, I'll learn." So I did. I went down to my local bowling club. None other than Rob Parella, a champion, gave me bowling lessons.
At the end of that year we bowled in Western Australia. That was my first experience with the team, and Marie and I were the first women on the team. In fact, Marie and I now have our names on the honours board because the following year, in Queensland, New South Wales won the overall championship. Team 2, my team, led by Richard Face, was the regional team, and Richard Amery's team was known as the city slickers. We won Best Rink. So, in a way, Jim was responsible for the appearance of the first women's names amongst the bowlers on the dining room honours board. He was a great supporter of the bowls club. I have already started encouraging new members to come along and bowl. I am sure that is exactly as Jim would do. Once again, I offer my condolences to the family. Memories of Jim will live on for a long time to come.
Mr HUNTER (Lake Macquarie) [7.12 p.m.]: I also extend my condolences to Kath, Robert and Rhona. My parents, Merv and Bette Hunter, have asked me to extend their condolences also. Much has been said this evening about Jim Anderson, and I can add little more. I first met Jim when he was elected to Parliament. I did not know him for as long as many other members did, but in the short time that we served here together I became very fond of him and came to admire and respect him. Like many other members, I got to know Jim more closely through our involvement with the parliamentary bowling team and the annual bowling carnivals. My parents also participate in that activity. Some of my best memories I think will be of our trip to Egypt in 2001 and of cruising down the Nile, inspecting pyramids and temples. Kath would recall the upset tummies we all suffered on that trip. I think I was the first to be laid low. I have some fantastic pictures of that trip and of us all together with Jim. Those are memories that I will always cherish.
Like John Mills, I learnt of Jim's passing on election day. I had to pull the car over and take a break. The first person I called was John Mills. He said that he had been in contact with you, Kath, and had spoken to you. I did not contact you on the day; I thought too many people would be contacting you. Jim was admired by his whole community. Today we have heard how he truly served the people in his electorate. And I know that they really cared about him, because that was evidenced by the number of people at his funeral. It was a massive event. He served his community well and will be sadly missed. I pass on my condolences and those of my family.
Mr GEORGE (Lismore) [7.15 p.m.]: Like everyone else in this place, I was shocked to learn on the day of the election of the passing of Jim Anderson. As the member for Lismore, I drove round the electorate on election day. At every polling booth I went to I was asked did I know the member who had passed away that morning. Sadly, I did. Whilst I was in opposition to Jim, he was a person I got to know and respect very quickly. I was the phantom member of the bowls team; I never turned up. He always let me know that.
I will never forget the night I was on House duty and during a debate that was taking place someone was talking about the benefits of bullbars in the country. Jim, who was sitting on the other side of the Chamber, walked over to me and said, "Are those bullbars as good as they are making out?" I said, "Yes, they are. You've got to have them." He said, "Well, I think I'll get one for the back of my vehicle as well as the front." Every time we saw each other after that we commented about bullbars.
Sadly, members of Parliament are always in a hurry. A week before the election when I was flitting through the House I said, "Hi, Jim. All the best for next week." He said, "Yes, I'll see you in a few weeks." I will never forget that. I have not had the pleasure of meeting his family, but on behalf of the electorate of Lismore, I wish them every happiness after Jim's passing. All of the tributes paid to him tonight are testimony to the high regard in which he was held by his community, his family and his friends. I pass on the sympathy of the Lismore electorate to his family, and trust that God will bless them in the future. Vale, Jim Anderson.
Mr SARTOR (Rockdale—Minister for Energy and Utilities, Minister for Science and Medical Research, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer), and Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts) [7.16 p.m.]: I speak not as one of Jim's fellow members of Parliament or as a fellow member of the Labor Party. I guess I speak as a fellow mayor who served with Jim on an Olympic mayors group. On election day, when the news came through of Jim's passing I was with George Thompson. George told me the news, and was obviously quite shocked. In fact, as we travelled to polling booths he kept repeating how shocked he was.
As we know, George was Government Whip and Jim was Deputy Government Whip, and they were a great team. If George had not retired and been here today I know he would have had a lot to say about Jim, so I feel it is appropriate that I should at least acknowledge how close they were and how shocked and sad George was. My experience with Jim was a little more remote, but I did chair an Olympic mayors group that comprised about 10 Sydney mayors whose municipalities had Olympic facilities. This was while Jim was still the mayor of Blacktown. We met fairly regularly, every one or two months, and discussed issues to do with the Olympics. Usually, it was a bit of a gripe session about the Olympic Co-ordination Authority and what we could or could not get from it.
I have to say that Jim was very patient. He would listen to what I suppose was a lot of whingeing by the mayors, but he was always very wise and to the point. He seemed able to sort out his issues with the Olympic Co-ordination Authority better than most other mayors. His contribution was highly valued. He was a very smart, wise, astute and nice man. It is obvious that he was held in very high regard. One member spoke earlier of Jim as a gentleman in the true sense of the word. He certainly was. He seemed to me to have the secrets of the universe. I never quite acquired them from him. It is a great pity that he is no longer in this Parliament, and that I too cannot gain from him as a fellow member. Vicariously, I suppose, on behalf of George Thompson and myself, I want to acknowledge the wonderful contribution that Jim made and the wonderful human being that he was.
Mr HICKEY (Cessnock—Minister for Mineral Resources) [7.19 p.m.]: As all honourable members have said, this is a very sad occasion. I offer my condolences to Kathleen, Rhona and Robert. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to know Jim, albeit for only four short years. In those four years Jim became a friend, and friends in this place are few and far between. It is difficult for members to speak on a condolence motion for a much-loved sitting member. That members have spoken in this debate for the past three hours is a tribute in itself to Jim Anderson and an indication of the high regard in which he is held in this House.
No-one could argue that Jim had a heart of gold. He was a caring and compassionate man. He was passionate about the people in his electorate and about his beliefs. In his inaugural speech Jim spoke about the high unemployment rate in the St Marys electorate, especially youth unemployment. In 1994 the unemployment rate in Jim's electorate was 18 per cent with youth unemployment running at 28 per cent. Through Jim's contributions in this House and hard work in his electorate, the unemployment rate in the Londonderry electorate is now as low as 7 per cent—and that pays homage to Jim’s hard work. As the member for the Cessnock electorate, which also suffers from high unemployment, I share Jim's concerns about the issue.
As a member of the Select Committee on Salinity, I was lucky enough to travel with Jim through the electorate of Cessnock and to Western Australia to examine salinity issues. I got to know Jim well on our travels. He was a marvellous man who could touch your soul. He described everyone as wonderful and he meant it. Other people use the same term, but they do not mean it. Jim did. On election day the people in his electorate did him proud. Despite the terrible loss of such a wonderful man, they felt so highly of Jim that they continued to staff the polling booths and hand out brochures depicting his smiling face.
I received the phone call about Jim's death from George Thompson, the former member for Rockdale, at a quarter to nine as I was travelling between the mountains in the Wollombi valley. The message was scrambled and I could not believe what George told me. I pulled over three times between Wollombi and Singleton to contact George because I did not believe that Jim had passed away. To speak to a condolence motion is the least we can do for Jim. We could build monuments to him, but he has done that for himself. I would like to finish by reading some words from a traditional Irish song, The Parting Glass:
Oh all the comrades that e’er I’ve had, they are sorry for my going away
But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise and you should not
I’ll gently rise and I’ll softly call goodnight and joy be with you all.
Mr SPEAKER (The Hon. John Joseph Aquilina): Although this is only my second day as Speaker of this Chamber, I intend to depart from precedent and use my prerogative to make some remarks from the Chair. I do this because of my long friendship with Jim Anderson over a period exceeding 20 years and because I believe it is appropriate and relevant that these comments be made. In my long experience in this Chamber, which I share with a number of other people, I cannot recall a condolence motion on which so many members have spoken and where there has been such a response and support from longstanding members and others who have been here a short time, as well as from many members of the Opposition and Independent members.
It is a great tribute to Jim Anderson that so many have had something unique to say about him. Those of us who have known Jim Anderson for a long time thought we knew a great deal about him, but I do not believe that, with the possible exception of the honourable member for Mount Druitt, any of us really knew all there was to know about him. He touched people in a special and different way, and about that there has been a great deal of testimony tonight.
Jim had a serious side to him. He cared very strongly about social issues, such as employment and education. He had a great love for his family—Kathleen, Robert, Rhona, Kevin and the grandchildren—a great love for his country and a great love for his homeland Ireland. He had a great love for his work in public life and for his constituents and also for his work with his colleagues in this Chamber. He had a unique way of greeting each and every one of us. We have heard many members speak of the way in which he greeted them. For some reason or other, and I never knew why, he always opened a conversation with me with the word "son". On occasions I did not know how to take him when he said that. Many a time I felt I was being admonished, that perhaps I had done something wrong. Then his big, broad smile would come out and I would realise that I was on a good footing.
We also know that there was the other side of Jim—a great sense of humour, a big, broad smile, his great love of sport and the work that he did in the bowling community. I know that I was being admonished whenever he spoke to me about the Parliamentary Bowling Club, of which I have been a member since 1981 but have never rolled a bowl. The honourable member for Mount Druitt also admonishes me on a regular basis about that. But Jim always used to say, "There is hope for you yet, son."
I would like to pay tribute not only to the great work that Jim has done here, which has been spoken about many times, but also to the work he did as an alderman with Blacktown council representing ward 4 and particularly for his work as the mMayor of Blacktown. During that time Blacktown went through a huge change. In recognition of his love of sport he played a huge role in developing sporting fields in the Blacktown area, which will always be a lasting testimony to Jim. He should be remembered in a specific way for the great contribution he made to sport. As the Minister for Energy and Utilities has reminded us this evening, it was largely because of the work that Jim Anderson did as the mMayor of Blacktown prior to his becoming a State member that Aquilina Reserve was secured as an Olympic venue for the Blacktown Olympic Park and will now always bear the Blacktown Olympic Park stamp. Jim worked very hard for that venue. That Blacktown achieved an Olympic venue is a great tribute to him.
Jim also had a great love for and commitment to education. I had a major involvement with him in that regard in my former capacity as the Minister for Education and Training. We have heard the Premier and other members talk about Jim's untiring work to establish a university campus at the former Nirimba naval base, which is located in my electorate. As the honourable member for Mount Druitt has indicated, Jim has left his footprints all over that project. I also refer to the work he did with the Western Sydney Institute of TAFE and the substantial expansion of the TAFE college at Mount Druitt. Further, Jim and the honourable member for Mount Druitt played a leading role in the establishment of Chifley College, a great multicampus college for the young pupils of Western Sydney.
I well recall that, when we ran into a few hiccups and had to delay the establishment of Chifley College by a couple of years, Jim would come into my office and I would get, "What are you doing about this? When are we going to get on with the job?" I took it very seriously, and it is out of a commitment to him that Chifley College was established. It will always be an example of the sterling contribution Jim Anderson made to his electorate. As has been said by others, he was always at high schools and primary schools around the electorate. We should remember his great commitment to literacy, to which the honourable member for Mount Druitt made reference at Jim's funeral. Jim's commitment to literacy and his work in primary schools while still Mayor of Blacktown before becoming the State member was very much a forerunner of the Reading Recovery Program.
We have heard about the many sides of Jim Anderson. Apart from his great contribution to his electorate and his great love of his mother country he never forgot where he came from or the values he learned as a young man before migrating to Australia. In December 2000 when Martin McGuinness, the then Minister for Education in the Power Sharing Executive and member of the Northern Ireland Assembly—both of which are now suspended—came to Australia Jim insisted that I meet with him. Martin McGuinness gave me a book entitled Nor Meekly Serve My Time, which refers to the H block struggle between 1976 and 1981, particularly the great hunger strike of 1980. In many ways the title Nor Meekly Serve My Time sums up the great contribution by Jim Anderson to his country and his homeland, Australia, his constituents, this Chamber and the many individuals he has touched.
On my behalf and on behalf of the Parliament of New South Wales, and as has been expressed already by all individuals who have spoken today, I express to Kathleen, Robert, Rhona and Kevin, and the grandchildren our sincere condolences. When I rang you, Kathleen, on the day of Jim's passing I could not get the words out. It is about the only time I can recall that I was not able to speak. Today all of us have regained our composure, but the feelings of sadness and loss are still with us. We extend to you our heartfelt and very sincere condolences in that regard. It is appropriate and common at times like this to conclude with a prayer "May he rest in peace." I think we all believe that Jim is resting in peace. I would like to implore another prayer and that is that he may continue to look down upon us with a smile that is so much indelibly burned in each of our hearts and minds. That is the way in which we will remember him.
Members and officers of the House stood in their places.
Motion agreed to.
The House adjourned at 7.34 p.m. until Thursday 1 May 2003 at 10.00 a.m.