DEATH OF THE HONOURABLE WALLACE TELFORD JOHN MURRAY, A FORMER DEPUTY PREMIER AND MINISTER OF THE CROWN
Page: 10537
Mr BOB CARR (Maroubra—Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Citizenship) [7.30 p.m.]: I move:
That this House extends to Mrs Murray and family the deep sympathy of members of the Legislative Assembly in the loss sustained by the death on 15 July 2004 of the Hon. Wallace Telford John Murray, a former Deputy Premier and Minister of the Crown.
He was Wal—always Wal. He was never Wallace, but plain Wal. Wal to his friends, Wal to his colleagues, Wal to his opponents—a name that spoke of decency, of warmth and humour, of humility and honest-to-goodness values. I am told there were nicknames as well: the Barwon Bomber, the Man Mountain of Moree, the Colossus of Roads. Wal Murray was the first to laugh at them. He was a big man in every way: big in heart, big in spirit. And somehow his size was a badge of honour. When the National Party issued official profiles of its members in the new ministry in 1988, they said of Wal Murray:
His huge frame has become a symbol of Coalition strength in this country.
His home and his heart were in the north-west plains and the towns he knew so well—Moree, Narrabri, Lightning Ridge and Walgett. It was in Moree that he was born, and in Moree that he died. I think people would believe he had a close, instinctive affinity with the voters he represented—a swifter and surer access to the hearts of country people. After all, he was one of them—a farmer—and he lived through all the hardships farmers experience. In his maiden speech in this House, his first thoughts were for the farmers and townsfolk who had suffered in the disastrous floods of 1976, the year of his election. He said then:
It is impossible to put a price on human hardship, loss of confidence, or the will of the people to crawl up out of the mud and rebuild what has been continuously damaged over the years.
As a young man Wal Murray had knocked around for years as a jackaroo before settling down to a bank job. In 1954 he married Daphne Allen, a post-war arrival who had come to Australia from England. In 1957 they settled on the Murray family farm. His political instincts, his party loyalties, were already formed. I will keep my comments here brief, because I want to hear the stories of those who knew him so much better than I did. I understand he was driven into politics by a number of factors, first and foremost of which was a hostility to the politics of someone who is one of the heroes of this side of the House—Gough Whitlam. I am told it was Gough Whitlam who kindled Wal Murray's first stirrings of political fervour. I imagine Gough would be proud to think that he had been a catalyst, if not a mentor, in Wal's political career. In an obituary he wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald, Gerard Noonan records that the best speeches Wal ever made—at least by his own estimation—were "anti-Gough tirades delivered to uncomprehending farm animals while riding around a paddock on his horse".
Wal's rise through his party's ranks was rapid. He first experienced ministerial office in 1988, when he became Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development and Minister for Public Works in the first Greiner ministry. His finest days were, without doubt, those in which he provided support for the economic reform agenda of Nick Greiner. It is hard to imagine a lot of the restructuring and the fiscal reform of government in those years proceeding had it not been for the rock-solid support that Wal Murray was able to deliver to that aspect of Coalition policy. It was clear to us that the relationship between Wal Murray and Nick Greiner was a very close one, founded in mutual trust and a deep, common sense of a Coalition view of politics and political priority in New South Wales. Wal's capacity for work, his loyalty and his integrity would be nominated by those who got to know him well as being among his foremost qualities. It was probably impossible to dislike Wal Murray; there was a lot of genuine affection flowing towards him from outside the House.
Wal Murray was passionate about public works, roads in particular. I am sure that at budget committee meetings of the Coalition in those years he was able to present a powerful case for getting a greater slice of government revenue for what he regarded as fundamental priorities for New South Wales, especially country New South Wales: works, roads, and development. But at heart he was a country man, in the highest sense a local man. Members who will speak in this tribute tonight will refer to the depth and spread of his local interests.
I want to record one thing I regret when we were in Opposition. Being in Opposition drives one to desperation at times. From time to time Michael Knight took over the waste watch committee. He assisted in getting out a brochure showing a picture of Wal with a tape measure around his middle with the slogan "Help us cut government waste—cut the fat in government". Unfortunately, it got through the system, and I heard that Wal had been hurt by it. I simply place on record my regret that it slipped through the editorial process. We should not have been reduced to such an obvious attempt at humour, especially if it ran any risk that Wal might have been hurt by it. From the Labor side of politics we extend our sincere condolences to the Murray family, and to Wal's colleagues. Wal captured the heartiness of his political view when he said in his final speech:
More than ever, there is a need to maintain this as the best State in the best nation in the world.
Wal Murray acquired his deep-felt patriotism out there on the western plains. That was his corner of this wide, brown land, which he served so notably. We will remember Wal Murray with affection. To Daphne, his wife, and to his daughters, Paula and Katrina, and their families, I extend our deepest sympathy.
Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [7.38 p.m.]: Country New South Wales is a far better place for the life of the Hon. Wallace Telford John Murray, AO. Wal was a big man, both in frame and in spirit. His booming voice resonated equally strongly in this Chamber as it did in the many country halls he visited during his illustrious career. Wal epitomised the strength of The Nationals and what our great political party has and can achieve in rural, regional and coastal New South Wales. Wal's entire adult life was devoted to equalling up the ledger for country New South Wales. He fought tirelessly for a better deal for the bush. Country and city communities are still reaping the rewards of his work today. A champion of infrastructure in New South Wales, from the Anzac Bridge in Sydney to the highly successful 3 x 3 road funding program and many other initiatives and infrastructure projects, Wal left his mark on this State. As he told the Land in 1993:
Unless you have got good roads the bush can't function, economically or socially.
He was a key player in the electrification of western New South Wales. Wal Murray also introduced the just terms legislation, guaranteeing for the first time the right of property owners to receive fair and just compensation if their land was resumed. During Wal's time as Deputy Premier, Minister for Public Works, and Minister for Roads and State Development between 1988 and 1993 he was a strong advocate for regional development, infrastructure and quality services for country communities. He had an excellent record of decentralisation, with Roads and Traffic Authority offices and the Department of Agriculture being moved out of Sydney under his leadership.
Wal took a great interest in water management across the State and was responsible for the decision to pipe bores in western New South Wales. His achievements are many and will no doubt be further explored by those members who had the privilege of serving in this Parliament with Wal. No doubt tonight we will also hear some fairly amusing anecdotes. Wal was a man with a great sense of humour and there are many occasions and instances which bring a smile to those who remember him fondly. Wal's opinion and advice were always well-respected, especially around the Cabinet table. He will always be remembered for his resolute loyalty to his family, his electorate, his party and the people of rural and regional New South Wales. The unlikely, but strong, political partnership of Wal and Liberal Premier Nick Greiner was highly successful and paid great dividends for country people. Nick Greiner recently said of Wal:
He did a superb job in helping get the Coalition elected in 1988 and was a huge help in getting the radical reform program through.
Born in 1931, Wal was a boarder at Scots College here in Sydney between 1938 and 1949. He jackarooed on his family property near Moree for two years after leaving school before joining the Bank of New South Wales for five years at Collarenebri, where he was fortunate enough to meet Daphne. A Sunday Telegraph article succinctly described the pairing of Wal and Daph in part. It said:
In many ways Wal has found in Daph a kindred spirit. They are of sturdy stock and don't like to shirk responsibility, let alone shy away from blister-raising tasks.
From the bank Wal returned to farm the family property. Wal and Daph married in 1954. Wal was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1976 as the member for Barwon, geographically one of the largest in the State. He followed Geoff Crawford, who had been a member of Parliament for 26 years. Wal told the Sun Herald in 1986 that he "fell into" politics, crediting Gough Whitlam, being the villain, as the Premier said earlier, and Leon Punch, being the hero, as influential forces. Wal told the same paper:
Being in Opposition is the most debilitating occupation anyone could wish for. You see so many things that should and could be done but can do little about it.
I, for one, must agree with him on that score. Prior to his entry into politics Wal was actively involved in National Country Party affairs in a variety of local and regional organisations, including local government, community sporting groups and farming and water use groups. He was also a keen cricketer and tennis player and later took up bowls. A former Nationals member of Parliament and schoolmate of Wal's, Ralph Hunt, remembered Wal as "one of the best fast bowlers in the GPS circuit".
Wal and his family moved to live in Moree in 1981 after resolving to sell the farm, given the major demands of both farming and politics, and to devote himself full-time to his parliamentary duties. Between 1976 and 1978 he was the National Country Party spokesman on Finance and Federal Affairs. He was Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries between 1978 and 1984. He was also a shadow Minister for Local Government and Roads. Wal became Leader of The Nationals in 1985 and served in that capacity until 1993. In 1993 Wal announced that he would step down as Leader and Deputy Premier. It is really an object study in how to step down gracefully in politics when one is at the top, and in how to hand over the baton to one's successors both in leadership and in representing an electorate. The then Premier John Fahey said of Wal, upon his announcement:
He has an enormous ability to get to the bottom of any issue, to see it simply and not in the complexities that many others see in most issues, and to come out with some plain talk which is invariably very close to the mark of what the result should be.
A Daily Telegraph Mirror editorial in 1993 stated:
In the bearpit of the Parliament, Mr Murray's blunt bush dependability was a major asset for the Government and in his role as unshakable defender of Coalition philosophies, he will be difficult to replace.
In his farewell speech to this Chamber in 1994 Wal told his colleagues that he had had a "rather charmed life" in politics. He said:
To enter the political scene as a backbencher in Opposition and then progress not many years later to be shadow spokesman for agriculture, then Deputy Leader and Leader of the Party in Opposition, then Leader of the Party and Deputy Premier and Minister in Government; and then sit once more as a backbencher, but this time in government, one can only be satisfied to have turned the full wheel of politics. It has been a very interesting 19 years.
He told a Sydney newspaper in 1989 that two of his greatest influences and role models were Henry VIII and Winston Churchill. Like both, he spoke his mind and stood up for what he believed. Former Federal National Party Leader Ian Sinclair recently described Wal as "a big man with a heart and a character to match" who stood up for the causes in which he believed. And a long-time friend of Wal's, Moree farmer John Seery, summed it up pretty well on the ABC's Country Hour on 16 July when he said:
Wal was a real visionary and people listened to him.
One thing you had to admire about the man was that he was a true politician. He visited towns and the villages and listened to the small problems and he listened to the big problems and he tackled them all, with vigour.
I don't think you could have got a better representative for the North West.
He was the size of two men and he worked as hard as two men.
To conclude, Wal made an enormous contribution to country and city New South Wales and he will be truly missed. At 72 he was too young to be lost but his legacy will live on for many generations. I regret that I did not have the privilege to serve in this Parliament with Wal Murray. However, I did know him through the National Party and over that time I formed an enormous respect for Wal. I am honoured to follow in his footsteps as Leader of this great party.
Sadly, Wal's family could not attend the Parliament tonight for this condolence motion, due in part to Daphne's inability to travel the long distance from Moree as a result of a recent injury. In a typically humble fashion, Daphne's wish was that the condolence motion should proceed in her absence so that it was not held up. Similarly, Daphne declined a State funeral because Wal had expressed a wish that his funeral should not inconvenience those attending. I must acknowledge the graciousness of the Premier who agreed to a State funeral even though this honour is not automatically extended to former Deputy Premiers. My condolences and those of the entire Nationals team go to Wal's wife Daphne, his daughters, Paula and Katrina, and to Katrina's husband, Greg, and grandchildren Robbie and Belinda.
Mr JOHN BROGDEN (Pittwater—Leader of the Opposition) [7.48 p.m.]: In July there was a great gathering of the Liberal and Nationals clan to farewell Wal Murray. Wal's funeral was a very personal, family service, not a political service. In that sense, although there were some of the trappings of a formal funeral, those of us who attended felt we were made part of the family for the day. We gathered to farewell Wal Murray and to thank him for his great contribution to public service in New South Wales. I have a view that the most tribal of the political parties in New South Wales is not the Labor Party but The Nationals, and I mean that in the most positive sense.
At Wal Murray's funeral I was most touched by the speeches by his daughters. There is no doubt that the children of people in politics either love it or hate it. It was clear from the way Paula and Katrina spoke that the highlight of Wal Murray's political career for them was the day he announced his resignation and came back home. Clearly, that was the feeling of the family; as much as they were enormously proud of the significant contribution he made to the National Party, to the Coalition, to the Parliament of New South Wales but, most particularly, to the people of New South Wales, he was their father first and foremost and to have him back home after 1995 were clearly their happiest days.
Before I go further, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of Ray Chappell, former member for Northern Tablelands, and Ian Causley, former member for Clarence and now Federal member for Page, both of whom were colleagues of Wal Murray and who have joined us here this evening, along with a number of Wal's former staff—I note mostly the women, the loyal women from Wal Murray's offices. I recall them very well.
If there is one great contribution for which Wal Murray was responsible and should be remembered—and it is a significant contribution in the annals of the State of New South Wales—it is the just terms legislation. It is hard to imagine today the concept of governments actually requiring people to sell their land on unfair terms and at an unfair price. It was one of the significant issues on which the National Party and Liberal Party campaigned in the run-up to government in 1988 and one of the greatest deliveries of a political commitment by Wal Murray. As I said, it is hard to imagine governments requiring the purchase of land at an unfair price, but it did happen. However, Wal Murray made sure that it did not happen from that period forward—a significant achievement!
Wal was probably one of the last, if not the last great Public Works Ministers. In the modern administration of government the Public Works portfolio is nowhere near as significant as it used to be. In the old days nothing happened without the Public Works Minister signing off, and Wal was one of the great Public Works Ministers, if not the last. He served two complete periods in Parliament—the Wran-Unsworth years and then the Greiner-Fahey years. Much has been said of the enormously close relationship that he and Nick Greiner shared—a very unlikely relationship in many ways but, in the sense that opposites often attract, a very close relationship and undoubtedly a pivotal relationship in ensuring that the Greiner-Murray Government came to power in 1988.
Wal Murray made a significant contribution to politics in this Parliament and around country New South Wales. To me, as a young staffer here during much of the Greiner-Fahey years, he was, as everyone has described, large in stature and large in character. I recall one incident on a parliamentary sitting day when I was working as a staffer for Ted Pickering, who was then the Minister for Police. There was a Cabinet meeting. Ian Armstrong will recall those crazy, short-notice Wednesday morning Cabinet meetings. Ted Pickering came back to his office, and as he did so he grabbed the hand of his private secretary, and his hand was very clammy. He said to Lydia, "There is something wrong with me. I'm feeling very ill and this jacket doesn't fit me. It's enormous". Wal Murray burst through the door with this tiny jacket and said, "Ted." He then handed one jacket over, took the other one back and walked out quite happily.
He was a phenomenally loyal deputy to Nick Greiner and there is no doubt that the demise of Nick Greiner by the Labor-Independent control of the House at that point was probably a signal to Wal to move on as well. It hit him hard; it hurt him to see that happen to Nick Greiner, a man he was obviously proud to have as a leader, and he made the decision to move on. He did not cause a by-election but saw out his term. As his daughter said at the funeral, he hated by-elections, so he saw out his term to the very end. The gathering of Nick Greiner, John Fahey and many of his former colleagues, right back to Matt Singleton, who turned up to honour him, was enormously significant. It is interesting to look at some of the things that Wal Murray left on the public record. In his last speech in the House, on 2 December 1994, he recounted the day he was elected to Parliament on 1 May 1976. He said:
On 1 May 1976 I left home to do a tour of the electorate. When I walked out the door of my home I said to Daphne, "We'll get two votes anyway." She looked me up and down and said, "Don't bet on it."
Nick Greiner spoke very fondly of Wal Murray, and the Leader of The Nationals quoted this in part earlier. Nick Greiner described him as "the perfect lieutenant". He said:
He did a superb job in helping to get the Coalition elected in 1988 and was a huge help in getting the radical reform program through. It's fair to say that when he was first chosen I was a bit sceptical, as he presented as a very country sort of bloke, but I soon found he tended to go with what was best for the State rather than take a knee-jerk, traditional country view.
That can be very fairly said. No doubt other people will be better briefed with stories about how Wal brought the National Party to consider a Liberal Party decision, not always an easy task but a source of one of the obvious tensions that have to be managed between two parties in coalition, one with a traditional country base—more so then than now—and one with a stronger city base. The relationship between Wal and Nick will be remembered as one of the greatest Premier and Deputy Premier teams this State has ever seen. He had a very successful political career, measured by the portfolios he had and his achieving leadership of his party while relatively new to the Parliament. It was very interesting and special to be in attendance at his funeral and to see that it was not the public Wal Murray who was celebrated but the private Wal Murray. His daughters obviously loved him dearly, although it was clear from the funeral service that he had been more ill than we had known.
That his family gathered at his funeral and so many people gathered from all around the State, having travelled from far and wide to pay tribute to this great man, this champion of country New South Wales, this champion of the National Party, this champion of farmers in New South Wales, was a strong indication of the high esteem in which this man, who came into politics with respect and who left with greater respect, was held. As the Leader of The Nationals said, there is no doubt that country New South Wales is a better place for Wal Murray having been a member of this Parliament and Deputy Premier of New South Wales.
Mr IAN ARMSTRONG (Lachlan) [7.58 p.m.]: I join with the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of The Nationals and all members in expressing my deepest sympathy, and that of my wife, to Wal Murray's family: his wife, Daphne, his daughters, Paula and Katrina, his grandchildren, Belinda and Robert, and his son-in-law, Greg. It is always a loss to lose a family member; it is always a loss to lose a friend. We have lost a great man who served this State so well over the years. As has been said by previous speakers, who have given a good account of Wal's history in this place, Wal came here in 1976. I looked up his maiden speech today, and although there are many extracts I would like to recount, there is one in particular that I would like to mention. I am sure honourable members are familiar with the painting of her Majesty the Queen with Wal Murray standing beside her, which is located between the foyer and the lifts of Parliament House. Bearing in mind that Wal Murray succeeded Geoff Crawford as the member for Barwon, in his maiden speech in 1976 Wal said:
Geoff Crawford and I hold one great principle in common—the principle of democratic government, under which the government of this nation is based on the constitutional monarchy, with the monarch represented in the federal sphere by the Governor-General and in the States by the State Governors. The rejection by the Premier of New South Wales of the Governor-General in this State is a rejection of the principles of democratic government operating under a constitutional monarchy. The Governor-General is an integral part of the system, and so is the Premier of a State. Because of the Premier's position and the fact that he has accepted the law as his profession, involving the swearing of an oath to maintain the law, one would expect him to accept the system. By rejecting the Governor-General he is rejecting law and order. If a man is elected under a system, I suggest that he is bound to accept and uphold that system. If he is unwilling to do this, he should have told the people before they made their choice at the election.
I think that shows that Wal Murray was a monarchist, by any stretch of the imagination. It also means that he was a loyalist; he was absolutely loyal to his country and to his own beliefs. I extend my apologies to Daphne, to whom I spoke the night before last. I guessed that she had some angst about whether she should come down to Sydney. However, as the previous speaker said, she is not necessarily in good health, and she will have her knee operated on towards the end of the week. Wal Murray was quite a simple man in many ways. It was easy to see what his values were and where they started. They started with his enormous love for his wife and his two daughters. He had a wonderful love of people in general. He also loved sport, particularly cricket. He enjoyed people but he did not suffer fools easily. He liked doing figures, because he was an ex-bank johnny. He spent four years in the Collarenebri branch of the then Bank of New South Wales.
One would be debating a road or something else with Wal and he would pull an old notebook out of his pocket and start to do the figures. He was a human calculator. He loved to produce the figures, and he could do it very well indeed. Every mental trip that Wal started always had a well thought out destination. He was never one of those people who made plans by simply throwing out something to see what happened. He always knew where he was going. When he started every trip, both mental and physical, he knew his destination; he had thought it out well before he started. He was a planner and an achiever.
Of course, Wal had a difficult life in many ways. While mention has been made of his early days at school and so on, I shall add a little more. Wal's mother died when he was a mere boy, some five years of age. At the age of seven he was packed off to Scots College at Bellevue Hill, just before World War II. Scots College virtually reared him; he spent the next 11 years there. It was pretty tough because in those days when he went home a couple of times a year to Moree, where his aunty and his father lived, it was something like a 14-hour train trip in the Moree Mail. That was fairly rugged. It has not changed much since then, but that is beside the point. As has been said, despite being reared by Scots College—I was chuffed to see some of his schoolboy friends at his funeral at Moree the other day, a fitting testimony to the man—Wal was good at tennis and, in particular, cricket, a sport that he followed after he left school.
Wal played zone cricket at home, and I think he was the captain of the Collarenebri Colts at one stage. He became the drum major for the Scots College band. One can see him standing there, a very tall lad—I understand that he was quite thin in those days—with a bearskin on his head and a mace. I guess that was the start of his leadership. I suspect he was a leader in the making at that point. That probably was the start of his becoming one of the best political leaders of the then Country Party and now National Party we have seen in this State since 1919. For all the accolades for Wal, what did he do? What did he do in politics and in this place? What did he do after the Coalition came to government in 1988? Honourable members have heard about the economic reforms and the just terms legislation. Just look around this city. The Anzac bridge was built during Wal Murray's time as Minister for Roads and Minister for Public Works.
Wal Murray also introduced the 3 x 3 road program—the 3¢ per litre over three years tax, which did more for the roads in New South Wales than any other action in recent memory and probably in the past 40 years. We made a mistake with that, though, which Wal acknowledged after a couple of drinks one night. We should have made it 5¢ per litre over five years. Think how much better still the roads would have been! I am sure Wal would agree that it is a pity we do not have some arrangement like that now. Wal decentralised the Roads and Traffic Authority. That was not easy because in those days the bureaucracy did not like being decentralised. But Wal, with his charm, firmness and excellent planning capacity, managed to achieve that significant decentralisation of a very bureaucratic department.
As for water and sewerage to towns and villages, one of Wal's favourite subjects was potable water—water that people could drink. When we came to government in 1988 there was something like a 13-year works backlog so that many towns and villages did not have adequate water and in many cases they did not have any public water and/or sewerage. Under Wal Murray's leadership as Minister for Public Works, in about four years, that was reduced to a 10-year backlog. He did that by extracting more money from the Treasurer, who at that time was Nick Greiner, and Treasury. Again, he made up his mind that he would do it, and he just went out and did it. He provided enormous benefits to people living in villages and towns such as Quandialla and Bribbaree, just to name a couple. The traffic lighting system that we will all go through tonight as we go home was brought in under Wal's leadership. With the departments, Wal developed Sydney's traffic lighting system. Wal and departmental officers then sold the system to Argentina, to South America and to China.
Wal Murray had many mixed successes. It has already been mentioned that he was responsible for the electrification of outback New South Wales. That had been sought for years, but Wal just did it. Every other day in this House we talk about what we will do about helping the environment and how it needs more attention. Wal did not talk about it too much; he just did it. The piping of the bores was one of the best environmental moves in management of water in Western New South Wales. Prior to Wal Murray's work, many thousands of kilometres of bore drains ran across the plains in the west. At artesian bores the water would come to the surface naturally and erupt into a drain, and off it would snake across the plains. The kangaroos and so on would not only drink the water but bog up the drains, which would be full of weeds. For every litre of water that left the bore and travelled 30 kilometres down the track, probably 10 litres were lost. But Wal piped the water and saved a lot of money and a bit of water. He also restored the balance in terms of fauna in particular, with the escalation in numbers of kangaroos, wallabies and other animals.
I shall tell one little story that probably has not been widely chronicled. The finish of the Olympics in Athens reminded me of the very start of the Sydney Olympics. I can still remember this vividly. We had just come into government; Wal was the Minister for Public Works and I was the Minister for Agriculture. The Minister for Agriculture was responsible for the Royal Agricultural Society [RAS], which ran the Royal Easter Show, and Wal was responsible for the showground at Paddington, where Fox Studio is now located. Representatives of the show society, the RAS, had been to see me to tell me that the society was in trouble; it had lost a lot of money on the previous two shows because of the condition of the showground. In many ways, the water and electricity systems were beyond repair. We commissioned a study, which found that under occupational health and safety, and fire regulations the showground society was probably at fault in many areas.
As Minister for Public Works, Wal received that report and had a talk to Nick Greiner. At the same time we realised that the Homebush site, which in those days was a saleyard for animals and a meat distribution centre, had outlived its usefulness and its facilities had run down. One morning Wal came to my office and said, "Ian, how about we move the show out to Homebush?" That was the start of that process. We went through the process and the opportunity then arose to bid for the Olympic Games. Of course, we had a place to put them—Homebush! Wal Murray steered that through Cabinet and the bureaucracy, until the principle was established that we could bid for the Olympics and we could build an Olympic site at Homebush. That is not very well recorded, but I still have records to support it. Wal Murray's influence on the infrastructure of New South Wales and our hosting the Olympic Games is far greater than the records indicate.
Reference has been made to some press articles regarding Wal Murray and the ICAC inquiry. Several writers have said that probably finished Wal Murray. I say that is dead wrong. It hurt Wal Murray, it annoyed Wal Murray, and it was an extraordinarily unfair accusation that Wal Murray faced. He was dragged before ICAC for doing no more than what Ministers and members here do every other day; that is, represent their constituency and seek to put forward to Ministers the case for their constituents. The words he said to the bureaucracy that led to his appearing before ICAC were, "Stop stuffing around." Wal Murray said to Ian Causley, who was the Minister at the time, "Stop stuffing around." That is what opened the whole ICAC inquiry. It was a travesty of justice, but in hindsight I suppose it pointed out the weaknesses in the ICAC system. I regretted that: I believed that a number of members had been unfairly vilified, and Wal Murray was one of them.
It is fair to say that Wal was a big man. He ate big. There are many stories about that; I could talk for half an hour. One night we were in the dining room, and Col Fisher, the member for Upper Hunter, was sitting on one side of Wal and it might have been Jack Boyd, the member for Byron, was sitting on his other side. One of the items on the menu was lamb cutlets. A serving consisted of three cutlets and vegetables. As was Wal's wont from time to time, he said, " I will have the lamb cutlets, but make it a double helping." The meal arrived and was consumed. Col Fisher, who also had a mind for figures, looked at Wal's plate and said, "Wal, how many cutlets did you order?" Wal said, "A double helping." Col said, "How many would that be?" Wal said, "That would be six." Col said, "How come you only have five bones on the plate?" "Oh, gee," Wal said, "one of the bones must have disappeared in the eating."
He not only ate big, he thought big. He had a charm for both men and women. When new members came into the party room he would say to them, "This is the only room you will go into in your life where everybody's ego is bigger than yours when you walked in." Yet he was an extremely modest man in all ways. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know him, work with him or associate with him are the richer for the experience, because of his modesty and his simple tastes. Wal was the personality we would all like our families to be. If we were drawing a model person—somebody we thought was a good, nice, honest person, an ambitious and proud person—we would draw somebody like Wal Murray. Wal believed in the principles of Christianity, decency and honesty. He was small of ego and large of vision. This Parliament and this State are the richer for his presence. Once again, I extend my sympathy to his family and particularly to his staff who have come here tonight, and his former colleagues, Mr Ray Chappell, a former Minister, and Mr Ian Causley, a former Minister.
Mr IAN SLACK-SMITH (Barwon) [8.14 p.m.]: I support the motion of condolence on the death of Wallace Telford Murray, former member for Barwon. I speak as Wal's successor. He left a huge stamp on the electorate of Barwon as well as on all of New South Wales. I first met Wal many years ago, when a beautiful young lady, just off the boat from England, got a job as a governess teaching my cousins Robert, David, Margaret and Bill Slack-Smith at their parents' property, "Clareview" at Rowena. It did not take long before news of Daphne's arrival in the area reached the ears of a long, skinny, lanky, bank johnny at Collarenebri. That is when I first met Wal.
As we all know, they married and had two lovely daughters. In the years before he entered politics Wal and Daphne formed a perfect team. Wal was always the public figure, championing rural lands protection boards—or pasture protection boards as they were then—and a shire councillor. He was a devastating fast bowler for Garah, and Andrew Fraser bears the bruises to prove it. He was the public figure and Daphne was the full stop, the home base, the support when Wal returned. It was not long after that that Wal entered the main game of politics, the New South Wales State Parliament. I am proud to say that during Wal's preselection I was active as secretary of the Wee Waa branch of the Country Party, as it was in those days. It was a tough, hard campaign for preselection, it was very close. There were some outstanding candidates. I take a certain pride in knowing that it was the Wee Waa branch that got Wal over the line. Subsequently he became member for Barwon.
While Daphne was the great support at home, in his electorate office he had an extraordinary young lady called Toni Hunt. Toni was the backbone for Wal in the electorate office. She protected him; she wrote his speeches and told him what to do. I know exactly how Wal Murray felt, because Pam Callachor, in my office, does exactly the same for me. Wal was very lucky in having two ladies in his life—Daphne, who loved him, and Toni, who protected him. Both showed extraordinary loyalty to the future Deputy Premier of New South Wales.
Wal came to the seat of Barwon in September 1976, when the community was ravaged by floods. When he retired in 1995 the electorate was ravaged by a drought so serious that people referred to it as the worst drought in 200 years. When Wal passed away we were having the worst drought in 200 years, the drought we are still suffering from. Barwon is, and was then, the greatest agricultural electorate in New South Wales. It contributes more than $9 billion annually to the economy, and employs more than 122,000 people. Wal Murray was arguably one of the staunchest and most resolute advocates for agriculture in New South Wales. As a former member and Leader of the National Party, his strength of purpose and unquestioning integrity set a very high standard indeed.
In 1976, in his maiden speech as the newly elected member, he said, "Water is the future of the Barwon electorate." How little did he know how visionary those words were. Wal was right 28 years ago. We all know that what was then a fledgling cotton industry is a multimillion dollar industry and agriculture is a multibillion dollar industry. Wal described Barwon as the "shopping basket for the nation," and so it remains today. Water is the future of Barwon, and Wal was always a champion for water reform in New South Wales. Federal Minister John Anderson secured the future of water use and the recognition of water rights for our farmers, which will benefit the electorate of Barwon for decades to come. Wal and John did not see eye to eye on some occasions. Despite their differences, they were both true visionaries, they were both dedicated to agriculture and they were both staunch representatives of rural New South Wales. In 1976 Wal Murray felt the pressures being placed upon farmers and made it his primary goal to fight on their behalf. He said, and hark these words because the situation has not changed much:
Primary producers are sick of fighting to protect themselves—
And to protect what they already have—
They are tired of having their produce mutilated and destroyed. They are sick of being persecuted.
Now 28 years later our farmers again find themselves under attack from a barrage of anti-farmer legislation, from misinformed, irresponsible, ratbag environmental activists and bureaucrats and from crippling red tape, making the farmers' jobs all but impossible. But perhaps all those years ago Wal Murray was pre-emptive in his maiden speech when he suggested that farmers have a right to strike. He said:
No-one would dispute that we all have the right to strike. However if the rural industry in this country were to go on strike it would be a strike everyone would regret
Australia was built on the back of agriculture. Today it enjoys a reputation as a world leader because of agriculture. The only way Australia will remain a world leader is if the agriculture industry has the unequivocal support of all three tiers of government working in unity to pave the way forward. That does not happen at present. Wal Murray was a passionate man who called a spade a spade. He subscribed to the great principle of a democratic government based on the constitutional monarchy. He was a champion of the little people and was proud to be their voice. The honourable member for Lachlan referred to his various achievements: the Anzac bridge, 3x3 road funding, piping and capping bores and the Homebush Bay development. I believe the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act was his greatest achievement for all the people of New South Wales. In 1976 in his maiden speech he said:
Our community faces a situation of many people preferring to dictate rather than to assist. There is a desire at large to force a way of life upon the community rather than to attempt to influence the community to improve itself. There is a desire to kill initiative rather than reward it.
He was right. Wal Murray said:
What is the point in breaking down one area to build up another? Natural assets and the future are correlated.
Please listen to those words. Wal Murray was a statesman, a leader, and a true friend to me and my family. To Daph, Katrina, Greg, Paula, Robert and Belinda, our thoughts are with you at this time. Wal Murray, rest in peace.
Mr BRYCE GAUDRY (Newcastle—Parliamentary Secretary) [8.23 p.m.]: I join with the Premier, the leaders of The Nationals and the Liberal Party and members of the House in reflecting on the enormous contribution of Wallace Telford John Murray to this place. The tribal affiliations of The Nationals are so close in many ways to those of the Labor Party, though we are diametrically opposed in many policy areas. Members of the House could not be but impressed with the contribution of Wal Murray as the Leader of the National Party and Deputy Premier. When I came here in 1991 Wal Murray was a formidable man, big in size and big in approach.
I recall very early in my parliamentary career differing with Wal Murray quite strongly on a restructuring within the public sector, which impacted on 14 jobs in my electorate. I wrote in perhaps somewhat intemperate language, as someone new to the Parliament, to the Deputy Premier at the time castigating him on the action that was being taken to remove those 14 men from employment. He trounced me up and down both within and without the Parliament. But he was a big man in many ways because beyond that he extended a friendly and open approach in his relationship with me as a member.
As members opposite have said, his introduction in the Parliament of the just terms compensation legislation had a profound impact on people in the country who had lost areas of property because, in many cases, of the needs of government or industry. The Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act was very important legislation. Present today in the House are the Hon. Ian Causley and the Hon. Ray Chappell, and former staff members of Wal Murray. Their presence is an indication of both the affection in which he was held and the loyalty he engendered within his staff.
The Premier in his contribution made clear the impact of Wal Murray. I recall sitting opposite him. Not only was his impact in size and demeanour, he actually impacted on the seats in the House. At one stage some work had to be done to reconstitute one of the pews on which he sat. He was a big man in so many ways and a man proud and strong in standing up for his community. Some years ago when I was involved in the north-west of the State, a bypass was contemplated for Moree. That was another time when Wal Murray and John Anderson differed very strongly about the future benefits for the town of Moree. Wal Murray was not prepared to cavil at taking on his Federal colleague on that particular issue. He was a man dedicated to his community, to country people and to the tribal allegiance within the National Party. I join with colleagues on both sides of the House in remembering a big man who made a contribution to the public life of New south Wales and, as so eloquently put by his colleagues opposite, who had a great sense of love for his family. To his wife, Daphne, his daughters, Paula and Katrina, their partners and family, I extend my condolences.
Mr JOHN PRICE (Maitland) [8.28 p.m.]: I wish to briefly say a few words about Wal Murray, a man whom I learned to respect and who, as far as I was concerned, was an absolute gentleman in this place. It was my role to shadow Wal Murray in the Public Works portfolio between 1988 and 1991. Do not ask me how you shadow Wal Murray. You used to stand in the shadow of Wal Murray. He passed only one piece of legislation during that time, which was very frustrating for a young and aspiring shadow Minister, who ultimately failed anyway. How does one argue against the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act? It was the right Act at the right time by the right man, and he had his heart in it. There was no way anyone could seriously argue any defect with that legislation, which I am sure we are all grateful exists today.
I always thought Wal was pretty good on the computer. I often saw him at the computer in the Deputy Speaker's room and I thought, "This bloke is terrific." But one night I poked my head into the room and saw that he was playing poker, and I thought, "Well, there is a chance for me yet." But Wal did not offer to teach me computer poker, he just kept playing. I recall another time when I was with my wife at the front of Parliament House. Wal came jogging past in sandshoes and shorts. Again I thought, "Well, there is a chance for me" because he told me only the day before that both his brothers had died in their late fifties from serious heart problems. For Wal that was not only a sign of extreme courage, but one bordering on high risk. But Wal was resolute in whatever he did, whether playing poker, dealing with his community, or dealing with a shadow Minister—and they were tough times.
The last time I saw Wal was in February last year, in New Zealand, where I was on holiday and he was on a bus trip, walking with the aid of a stick, clearly not all that well. That demonstrated to me that Wal was still a special person, because he stood out from the crowd, and not just through his bulk, which one could not miss. Wal always had a presence, one that by and large engendered respect from all sides. He was a good guy to work with and he had a sense of humour and a great laugh. Vale, Wal, you made a great contribution. Your memorial is here.
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Deputy Leader of The Nationals) [8.31 p.m.]: I join with other members in extending my condolences to Wal's wife, Daphne, their children, Paula and Katrina, their son-in-law, Greg, and, indeed, the whole Murray family. Recently, together with other members, I attended Wal's funeral in Moree, which was a tribute to Wal Murray the man and the high regard in which he was held as both a politician and a family man. I acknowledge the presence in the House of Ian Causley and Ray Chappell and members of staff who served with Wal Murray. I acknowledge in particular the presence of Margie and Bryce Osmond. Bryce gave a wonderful eulogy at Wal's funeral, a wonderful tribute to Wal, and captured the man very well.
I first met Wal Murray in June 1987 in Ballina, at my final preselection meeting. I had heard about Wal but I had never met him. I was very green to politics in those days and my first impression was that he was a big man: big in height, big in bulk and, as I was to learn later, big in heart. I publicly acknowledge Wal's and Daphne's contribution in assisting me as a new candidate running for public office, and subsequently with my election. Morag and I owe Wal and Daphne a debt of gratitude for their support in those early years, particularly the first 12 months during the campaign. They understood exactly how a candidate became an elected member.
Wal certainly was not the sort of guy who made many promises, and he certainly did not make promises that he did not intend to keep. He made two promises on my behalf: one for a 24-hour police station in Ballina, which was sorely needed, and the other was to build the Ballina cutting, a section of the Bruxner Highway between Alstonville and Ballina. They were the two big issues in my electorate, and Wal said he could provide them. And true to his word, within three months of the change of government in March 1988, Ballina had the 24-hour police station and within 18 months we had the Ballina cutting. That was the sort of guy Wal Murray was. If he gave a commitment to do something, he did it.
I worked as Wal's Parliamentary Secretary some 12 months later. He was an interesting boss and seemed to have a fairly easygoing management style, and he was very fond of post-it stickers. Earlier the honourable member for Lachlan told us how one post-it sticker was directed to the then Minister for Lands, Ian Causley, telling him to stop stuffing around. Later that was to become important evidence in the ICAC inquiry. Wal was fond of giving direct messages, and that was good for those who worked for him. He was a popular boss in a happy office. I had never worked in a political or ministerial office before and it was very encouraging to see how Wal, through his leadership skills, was able to make that office run efficiently. The fact that people who served with him so many years ago are here tonight is testimony to that.
I remember Wal hosting many get-togethers in Parliament House, something we do not seem to have anymore. They were good times and Wal really enjoyed seeing people enjoy themselves. That is how I describe Wal: he did not seem to go overboard himself but he loved to see other people enjoy themselves. I have many delightful memories of something that happened that I cannot put on the public record. I recall one awards night when we all received different awards. I think I got the Bic Biro award for signing more ministerials than anyone else. I think I had Roads and Transport and there were 25,000 letters in each portfolio each year, which was enough to give one writer's cramp. There was a tremendous sense of camaraderie in those days. Wal and Daphne were instrumental in bringing the team together, which was quite important. I know the staff certainly appreciated the coconut ice and the cakes that Daphne sent down with Wal when he came to Sydney for a parliamentary sitting week.
Wal was very pro-country, a conservative politician, but he was not afraid to oppose a trendy view if he thought it lacked substance. Wal was a sceptic when it came to global warming, and I do not know whether he changed his mind on that later. He certainly called a spade a spade on many trendy environmental issues that he saw as quite destructive to intelligent farm management. He understood not only farmers and farming but also townsfolk, and he presented the same friendly approach to everyone he met, whether governors, heads of State, road workers, or shopkeepers. He was always a smiling, friendly Wal with his hand out. He was a big man, an imposing man, but a friendly man.
There was a soft side to Wal that I saw a few times. The time I remember most, as do my colleagues who served with me, was those terrible days when Nick Greiner was forced to resign, and Wal took that very hard. He and Nick were very close. Wal and Nick had forged a wonderful friendship, a political alliance that was to the benefit of the State. Wal knew that Nick was what the State needed, and we all knew that Nick was what the State needed. Unfortunately, because of circumstances, we were going to lose a great Premier. That really struck Wal hard and I will never forget the support that Wal and the National team gave to Nick Greiner during those dying hours of his premiership. We were very keen to make sure that he stayed on. Wal, in particular, was a very emotional person. Notwithstanding that he was a good friend of Nick Greiner, he thought an injustice was being done. Indeed, the same thing applied to the people who went through the ICAC inquiry, including myself.
Wal was upset because people were being done an injustice. Wal was also very keen to lend a helping hand. I remember when he retired from government and I became the shadow Minister for water, he said, "Don, water is one of the most complex issues you will ever deal with. I feel a bit sorry for you getting that portfolio. However, there are two things you have to remember: first, you can allocate only what is available, and, second, you have to allocate it fairly." He meant one should allocate it between farmers fairly and between farmers and the environment fairly. It was a simple but a good policy. Wal was good at distilling complex issues, but he did not trivialise them.
Wal was also keen on cricket. Towards the end of his career, when he was a backbencher, if the cricket was on he could always provide an up-to-date match score. I remember occasions coming into the Chamber before question time and telling Wal a test score or him telling me. Honourable members will remember that Wal would rattle the coins in his pockets when speaking in this Chamber. Even though he was a good parliamentary performer, I think he felt self-conscious. Of course, he did not notice the noise and it never occurred to him to remove the coins.
[Interruption]
It might have been his worry beads. I will not repeat the stories about the lamb cutlets and Daphne asking why he was sure they had two votes when they came out of the polling booth. However, I will add to the list of achievements identified by the honourable member for Lachlan. The Basic Flying Training School at Tamworth was his initiative after he became Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Works, and other honourable members have referred to the "just terms" legislation. As the honourable member for Lachlan said, many of Wal's achievements are not on the statute books. He was a very good Deputy Premier of the State and a very good Leader of The Nationals. He was a genuine country person, a good bloke, and a straight shooter. He gave a great deal to his family, his electorate, this State, and the nation.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS (Upper Hunter) [8.42 p.m.]: I am proud to have this opportunity to speak to the condolence motion for the late Wal Murray. I acknowledge the contributions of previous speakers and the presence of two of Wal's former ministerial colleagues, the Hon. Ian Causley and the Hon. Ray Chappell. It is also a great pleasure to see so many of Wal's former staff members, led by Bryce Osmond, his former chief of staff, who gave such a wonderful eulogy at the funeral. It has been said already, but I will repeat that it is an indication of his popularity, his warmth, and his sincerity that after so many years his staff still feel so strongly and caringly about him. That regard shows on their faces tonight. I first met Wal Murray at a Local Government Association annual conference held in Wollongong, of all places.
Mr David Campbell: A great part of the country.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS: Yes. In fact, I think Minister Campbell may have been on the council at the time; it was in the late 1980s.
Mr David Campbell: It was 1984.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS: I was there as a Singleton councillor. One person giving a presentation had a tough job. Wal Murray was in the Labor heartland representing the Coalition as the shadow Minister for Roads. He was stoically giving a speech about the future direction of a Coalition Government, which as it turned out was some four years away. Wal's greatest political achievement, in co-operation with his friend Nick Greiner and the Liberal Party, was the great 1988 election landslide. That was the start of the wonderful partnership that honourable members have referred to between Wal and Nick. It was no wonder in those last days of the Greiner premiership, particularly at the last Cabinet meeting, that there were emotional scenes, even tears, when it became clear that both the partnership and the premiership were rapidly coming to an end.
One of the most difficult tasks following the landslide and the euphoria that it generated would have been confronting the financial situation the Coalition inherited and the massive 1988 property crash, which resulted in stamp duty revenue being halved within a year. During that year New South Wales was also placed on a credit watch and our triple-A credit rating was under threat. They were icon items for an incoming Conservative Government. Confronting those huge issues so early in Government would have brought the reality of running the State crashing starkly into focus. New members could not comprehend the situation in the initial days. We recognised the enormity of the issue, but not the reality of dealing with it.
The Leader of the Opposition quoted the very fine obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald by Mr Gerard Noonan. Another wonderful tribute was written by Mr Malcolm Farr, who said, "Wal Murray got on well with just about everyone." That characterised the man and his time in office. When confronting those issues on coming to Government and being the Deputy Premier and a Minister in such a vital and difficult portfolio I can imagine how easy it would have been to climb into the stratosphere and forget about the ordinary people in the world beneath. I clearly remember that Wal did not succumb to that terrible trap as others have. As honourable members have said, Wal Murray's legislative achievements include the "just terms" legislation, the 3 x 3 roads program, the Anzac Bridge, and the Basic Flying Training School at Tamworth. I will add one other achievement: the Xplorer trains that now ply the route between Sydney, Armidale and Moree. They are very much a result of his involvement and influence.
I have a few stories to tell about Wal Murray, and I hope I will be forgiven if could be considered a little blue. Wal always had a great turn of phrase and offered good advice. When I first met him I was contemplating preselection, and he gave me a piece of advice that I have relayed to every prospective candidate who has approached me since. He advised me to visit every delegate in his or her home. He said that if I did that I would probably be the only one to do so and I would undoubtedly win preselection. I did and it proved to be very telling and good advice.
As I said earlier, I repeated that advice to every candidate who expressed such an interest. Wal gave me another good piece of advice relating to my eating habits. When I showed a propensity for eating as well as he could, he said to me, "You had better watch out, you had better stop doing that because you will end up looking like me." On one occasion I had the privilege of hosting to dinner some lovely girls who were participating in the Miss Australia contest. Wal Murray was speaking in the Chamber when I escorted the girls into the gallery. Later I said to him, "Wal, did you notice me leading in those beautiful girls? Did you see them all lined up in the gallery? Did you see me leading them in like a rooster?" He said, "If you were a rooster you would have followed them in."
All members who know me would be aware of what I think about flying, and flying in small aeroplanes. I once had to go with Wal Murray on a flight in a small Cessna aircraft. Wal got on board, back end first as he always did, and shuffled into position on a seat. There were only two rows of seats. The engine of the plane had not been started but the plane tilted back and went down on its tail. I do not think I need to complete the story. Imagine how I felt after that about getting on board any aircraft that was carrying Wal Murray! I had serious doubts that we would take wing that day, but we did. I suppose I got on board then because I was young and silly, but now I would never get on board such an aircraft. I have lasting and fond memories of that event.
The funeral that was held in Moree was a wonderful and fitting tribute to Wal. It was a pleasure to see so many former colleagues from the Liberal Party. The Hon. Tony Kelly represented the Labor Party at the funeral. I thank all those from the Liberal Party who made the occasion such a good one: Nick and Kathryn Greiner, John Fahey, John and Lucy Brogden, Ted and Elaine Pickering, Andrew Humpherson, the Hon. Patricia Forsythe and all those I have missed. I also thank Wal's former colleagues from the National Party: Garry and Libby West, Ray Chappell, Matt Singleton and Bill Baxter, a serving member in the Victorian Parliament.
While I did not serve with these people in the years leading up to the landslide victory in 1988, it was good to see Ian Kortlang and Ken Hooper, a large number of members of The Nationals from the upper and lower Houses and a large contingent of former staffers. It was a pleasure to see what unfolded at Wal Murray's funeral. From my observations, Wal Murray entered politics humbly. Physically he was an ample man but emotionally he was a generous man. He was a generous man as leader of his party. He left a legacy of gentlemanly behaviour in this place. He was a staunch constitutional monarchist and a great builder. He left politics humbly, once again on the backbench.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL (Keira—Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Illawarra, and Minister for Small Business) [8.53 p.m.]: I did not have the opportunity or the privilege of serving in this place with Wal Murray, but I want to join in this debate and extend my condolences to his family, his colleagues and his former members of staff. I come from a political party that is somewhat tribal, so I am aware that Wal's death would have left a large hole in The Nationals. The honourable member for Upper Hunter referred earlier to a local government conference in Wollongong. That conference took place in 1984 when I was an employee of the city council. I was running around in the background like a madman trying to help to organise that conference. In 1987 I was elected to council and in 1991 I was elected Lord Mayor.
I am reminded of the one occasion on which I met Wal Murray. On many nights I had invited him into my lounge room as I turned on the television to watch the news and he was featured on it. However, I met him when he came to my electorate to open a stretch of road known as the Northern Distributor. Since the 1940s that road had been a line on a map in an area in which I lived and grew up and which I now represent. Wal came to open a stretch of that road—a road that has not yet been completed but a road that the Government is committed to completing. But that is another story. I remember meeting and being introduced to a booming, beaming, big bloke who was extremely jovial and who wanted to listen to what I had to say.
I am not sure whether I should admit this, but on that occasion I learned something from a member of the National Party: When a member of Parliament goes into an electorate he or she should listen to people rather than talk to them. I believe that Wal Murray listened to a number of things that I said on behalf of the community that I represented at that time as Lord Mayor of Wollongong. That stretch of the Northern Distributor to which I referred remains unbuilt. In my term as local member for Keira I have been working on plans and negotiating with the Roads and Traffic Authority and with local residents.
One of the local residents whose property needs to be acquired because of the route taken by the Northern Distributor talked to me about the problems with which he had been confronted. He referred to the just terms compensation legislation and said, "Wal Murray introduced that legislation." That is one of the things that stuck in my mind. I take part briefly in this debate to acknowledge that I learned something from Wal Murray. I am sure that his family, his colleagues and his party are mourning his passing. From what I have heard there is no doubt that the State should be mourning his passing. He made a great contribution as a human being, as a Minister and as Deputy Premier.
Mr BARRY O'FARRELL (Ku-ring-gai—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [8.56 p.m.]: In a profile that was written about Wal Murray shortly after he became Deputy Premier someone described as a senior Liberal adviser—I suspect it was Ken Hooper—said "People underestimate Wal and that's the way he likes it." This evening, after listening to contributions from members on both sides of the House, I realise that Wal Murray may well have been underestimated, but what cannot and should not be underestimated is the impact that he made on this Chamber and on this State.
In many ways Wal Murray was fortunate to become leader of his party, having lost the deputy leadership by a vote a year before to the honourable member for Lachlan—who spoke very generously about his former leader this evening—and then a year later being elected leader of the National Party after the retirement of Leon Punch. I suspect that the case of the honourable member for Lachlan was not helped by the fact that senior Liberals were running around briefing members of the press that Ian Armstrong was the Liberals' candidate because he would offer a more middle-of-the-road approach to the Coalition. Ian has been trying to live down that reputation ever since.
It was an interesting start to Wal's leadership because no doubt Leon Punch, in his last days, escaped the clutches of Bryce Osmond and presented the suggestion that perhaps the Liberal and National parties ought to merge. That was something with which the new leader had to deal. Wal, in his inimitable style, quickly scotched the suggestion and always argued that the Liberals should stick to the city and leave the country to the National Party. At the time he argued that if the members of the National Party went to the city they would lose their identity. I think he was right. Whilst the Liberals never followed his recipe, under Wal Murray there is no doubt that the National Party thrived.
As is often the case in arranged marriages—or so I am led to believe—the relationship between Nick Greiner and Wal Murray commenced warily with a bit of distrust. I was reading another profile of Wal shortly after he became leader in which a Pallamallawa local was quoted. I am one of the few people in this House other than members of The Nationals who has been to Pallamallawa. I went there to open a bridge when Wal was the local member. I have to say that I never had such a terrific morning tea, which no doubt contributed to the weight problems that I have had over the years. I could only sympathise with the continuing battle that Wal had with his weight. Shortly after Wal was elected as leader one of the Pallamallawa locals was quoted as saying, "Greiner is clever but Wal has great commonsense, and that is what the bush needs most." Clearly that was part of his recipe for success.
I thank the organisational wings of the National and Liberal parties for the great relationship forged between Nick Greiner and Wal Murray. Thanks to the antics and ambitions of our respective parties' central council and State executives, the two men soon realised they had to take charge and lead the Coalition, both the parliamentary and organisational wings, if they were to win in 1988. I know from a Liberal perspective that the Liberal State organisation used to be furious about the way in which Nick Greiner took control, and I know it was reciprocated on both sides. Both men had simply had enough of the antics between the parties, which kept leading them down blind alleys and getting negative publicity for them. They were determined to win in 1988, and they did.
There were stoushes with each party organisation, but more importantly these episodes forged a bond between the two men that laid the basis for the enormous trust that aided them when the Greiner-Murray Government was elected in 1988. It is a recipe for success that I believe will be repeated in 2007. I do not agree with the Minister's comment that there is a hole in The Nationals. I can see in the relationship between John Brogden and Andrew Stoner echoes of the Greiner-Murray partnership, and long may it continue and grow, and be successful.
I have another reason to be grateful to Wal Murray. Before working as a ministerial adviser in this place, I worked for the then Federal Leader of the Opposition, John Howard. John Howard should have become Prime Minister of this country in 1987. The reason that he did not was that his ambitions were thwarted by a peanut farmer and Premier of Queensland. The "Joh for Canberra" push saw the Federal Coalition split on the eve of the 1987 election, and it threatened the Coalition structures, both Federal and State, here in New South Wales. While some in the National Party, including Federal and State members of Parliament, dithered and prevaricated, Wal was clear: there was no room in New South Wales for the "Joh for Canberra" movement. The New South Wales Coalition survived, and a year later it won office.
I probably should not be telling this story, but as the member for Ku-ring-gai I now feel qualified to do so. Within 12 months of becoming Premier, Wal made headlines by arguing that young people who swore should be charged and, indeed, even locked up. Wal was one of those who, like me, believed that public officeholders ought to do everything they can to raise the standard of language. I say "Hear! Hear!" to that.
Mr David Campbell: Don't mention Ray Hadley, please!
Mr BARRY O'FARRELL: I was not thinking of Ray Hadley. As has been said previously, Wal was a gentleman. He had a certain bearing, and he was determined to use public office and public institutions to raise standards, and not simply to accept the deterioration in standards we have seen, which means that all sorts of words are now commonplace in our communities. Given what went on last week, I say "Hear! Hear!" to Wal Murray.
I worked as an adviser in the Greiner-Murray Government and I have three particular memories from that period. That Government sought to reform the railway system in this State. Despite the rewriting of history by the former Minister for Transport, those reforms led to real improvements in rail transport across this State: the introduction of additional XPT services, including XPT sleeper services for the first time, and, as the honourable member for Upper Hunter said, the introduction of Xplorers and other diesel rolling stock to Canberra, the South Coast, the north-west, Maitland and the Hunter Valley. None of those improvements could have occurred without the rail reform program pursued by Bruce Baird. As every member of The Nationals knows, that rail reform program could not have proceeded were it not for the strong support of Wal Murray. It was one of many cases of Wal putting public interest ahead of sectional interest when he was convinced that benefits would flow.
My second memory from that period is that in 1989 this State witnessed two terrible bus accidents, one at Grafton involving a bus and semitrailer in which 20 people were killed, and another at Kempsey involving two buses in which 35 people were killed and 20 were injured. The second accident happened in the early hours of the morning after the staff Christmas party held by the Minister for Transport, Bruce Baird. Having got to bed late, I was woken early to be told about the accident and the arrangements to get Bruce and Wal to the site. We flew to the site by helicopter. I cannot, and will not ever, forget the sight of 35 covered bodies lined up beside the Pacific Highway at Clybucca.
I also will not forget Wal's emotional reaction at the site, and then his amazing stoicism as he wandered the highway to talk to the residents. As the honourable member for Oxley knows well, the homes along the highway there are not very close together. Notwithstanding that, Wal simply charged up to the residents, who were the first people at the scene of the accident, to talk to them and listen to what they had seen. It was an horrific bus accident. Wal showed great compassion to those residents and the emergency workers who attended the scene. As I drive along that stretch of the Pacific Highway, I cannot do so without recalling Wal's action and his compassion, and also his determination that changes should occur to ensure that such events do not happen again.
Wal led the charge for duplication of the Pacific Highway from Sydney to the Queensland border, a call that successive Federal and State governments have pursued. He backed the decisions to drop the speed limit for trucks and buses in New South Wales to 100 kilometres per hour and to introduce tachographs. The New South Wales Government made those decisions on its own, outside the Council of Australian Governments process, despite enormous concerns expressed by industry, and national and other State governments. Those decisions would not have been made if Wal Murray had not remained the solid rock in ensuring the improvement of passenger safety on the Pacific Highway.
In such close proximity to the Athens Olympics, it should be acknowledged that without Wal's support there would not have been a Sydney 2000 Olympics. Both Nick Greiner and Wal Murray were sceptics about bidding for the 2000 Games. They gave to Bruce Baird—someone they thought was an economic rationalist and a fellow sceptic—the task of chairing a feasibility committee into that process. But again, after much analysis and testing of Bruce Baird's report, both were convinced that Sydney should have a go. It would not have happened if Wal Murray had objected. While he is an unlikely sporting hero, despite his bowls, tennis and cricket background, Wal Murray deserves to be remembered as one of the progenitors of the greatest Olympics ever.
There are many achievements to which Wal Murray can lay claim. We have heard about some of them this evening. The Minister has been generous enough to talk about the Northern Distributor in Wollongong. I do not know whether the people who live in the Blue Mountains understand that Wal Murray committed an incoming Coalition government, for the first time ever, to $12 million worth of paving of unsealed roads in the Blue Mountains. As Bruce Baird's chief of staff, for the first 18 months the most difficult task I had was ensuring that the Roads and Traffic Authority delivered on that promise. Certainly it secured Barry Morris's re-election, and it would have continued to secure that re-election given the real benefits that were being delivered in areas that were not traditional National Party areas but in which Wal had seen the need and responded, as he always did.
There is another measure I will always use to judge Ministers, and I used to judge Wal Murray this way: by the staff he surrounded himself with. Wal's team was first class. They forged a great relationship with the very different characters that made up Bruce Baird's ministerial team, and we had some terrific times together. I want to acknowledge all of them in the Chamber this evening: Bryce Osmond, who has been acknowledged by most members in this debate; Di McDougal; Sara Pantzer; Jenny Thompson; Melinda Shaw, as she then was; Paula Tardy; and Warren Pavey in absentia, who, as Wal's driver, was as important in that office as Bryce or anyone else. On the basis of a survey I conducted outside this Chamber, I also include Margy Osmond, who was associated by a number of arrangements and who continues to conduct surveys for the State Chamber of Commerce.
The drinks afternoons that Wal held in the offices on the thirtieth floor of the State Office Block were amongst the great memories of my period as a ministerial staffer. As the honourable member for Ballina said, they were a close-knit team. I recall Mrs Murray supplying coconut ice when Wal would come down to Sydney on Mondays. As I discovered over dinner this evening, when Paula Tardy joined the team as a receptionist, having returned from the United States where she had worked as a beautician, she started to earn a bit of pocket money by doing the nails of some of the girls in the office. Paula complained to Mrs Murray about the quality of the cotton balls available in Australia. Apparently, in the United States you can get a large variety of cotton balls. These are matters that male members of this House would not understand. Apparently, the cotton balls in America range from 100 per cent cotton all the way through to synthetic—and probably even non-dairy cotton balls. The next week that Wal was in Sydney he delivered a garbage bag—which Daphne had directed him to pick up from the local cotton gin—that was full of natural cotton balls that Paula then used when doing the nails of her friends in the office.
My all-time favourite story about Wal involves Sara Pantzer, who was the proud owner of a yellow Datsun 120Y. Sara has never spent a lot of money on her cars; most of it has gone into property investments—and I am sure that she is paying a lot more tax these days under Michael Egan than she did under the Greiner-Murray Government. One night Sara gave Wal Murray a lift home. Now 120Ys are not big cars and I can appreciate—as I am sure the Minister can—the difficulty that some of us have getting in and out of them. Sara pulled up and Wal took off his seatbelt and leaned towards her. Sara naturally thought that because this was very much a family office in which there were great relationships Wal was going to kiss her. She reciprocated by giving him a kiss on the cheek and only then realised that Wal was levering himself out of the car. No doubt Wal did not tell his wife that he had been kissed by his policy advisor—and no doubt there was some touch of embarrassment. But I have always enjoyed that story. I must say that Bruce Baird's policy advisors never kissed him.
The Bruce Baird-Wal Murray relationship was a terrific one because both men were tall individuals who carried different weights and had different approaches to exercise—one exercised and one did not. When health checks were introduced Ministers and members would go next door to Sydney Hospital for a check-up. I remember Bruce coming back from his first health check. He had wandered over with Wal, who had come out with no adverse reports about anything. But Bruce, who exercised daily and watched his weight, had come out with adverse reports about high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He simply could not believe what he had heard, having walked in and left with Wal. All credit to Bruce Baird that he continues to exercise to this day.
Finally, I associate my wife, Rosemary, and her father, Bruce Cowan, with these comments. Bruce served with Wal in this Chamber for seven years and he had the utmost respect for the job that Wal did as leader. I think Wal was Bruce's ideal National Party leader. I am sure, Bryce, that Bruce was a terrific fan of Leon's, but he was an even greater fan of Wal's. Rosemary, like most other female staffers, had a real soft spot for Wal. He was courteous, friendly and, in the best biblical tradition, treated others as he hoped to be treated himself. As someone said this evening, Wal was the perfect gentleman—which meant that he was terrific for women to be around.
I respected the man, particularly his departure. Wal stepped down from being Deputy Premier and a Minister and sat on the backbench for a number of years because he did not believe in by-elections. As a former party director, I wholeheartedly endorse that view and I hope one day, many years hence, I am able to emulate him. I think it was a great display of the character of the man that he was prepared to sit in the Chamber and discover the joys of playing patience on the computer and the early virtues of cable television and overseas cricket broadcasts. I was away when Wal died and when I returned I wrote to his wife and daughters to indicate that they should be proud of his contribution to the State. Perhaps Wal was underestimated and perhaps he liked to be, but none of us should ever underestimate his contribution to this State.
Mr JOHN TURNER (Myall Lakes) [9.13 p.m.]: I first knew Wal as "Mr Murray". The first time I met him was just after my preselection and he came to do a run through the electorate of Myall Lakes. I had not met Wal before, and there in front of me was a very large, jovial man of whom I was in awe from the start because of his presence, because he was the leader of my party and because I was just the new boy on the block. I recall showing him around the electorate. Mr Murray and I went to Forster and attended a number of functions. Wal told me that he had to be back in Sydney, and I was looking at my watch and thinking, "We'll have to cut this a bit short." We had just left the radio station and I said, "Right, we've got to head back down to Maitland to fly back to Sydney." But Wal insisted on going to Graham Barclay Oysters. Graham Barclay is one of the biggest oyster producers in Australia and Wal was his friend—but that had nothing to do with why he wanted to go. Wal wanted to go for the oysters.
We arrived and sat down. Now one would expect them to bring out a dozen oysters but for Wal they brought out the polystyrene box, stacked high with layer upon layer of oysters, and two forks. He speared three oysters with one fork and three oysters with the other fork and started to eat. The time for the flight was getting closer and I kept pleading with Wal that we had to leave. But, no, he had to talk and eat more oysters. We soon reached the point of no return and I simply did not have the courage to tell Wal that he was not going to make his flight. So we drove back—me sitting there in fear for two hours, knowing full well that he would not catch his plane. Sure enough, his plane was gone and I got both barrels because Wal was the guest of honour at the British High Commission that night and Daphne had flown down specially to attend the function. I farewelled Wal and thought I had farewelled my preselection as he disappeared down the hill out of Maitland in a hire car. But Wal was very forgiving and here I am today. The episode was never raised again.
Wal was a legend in both his larger-than-life attitude and in the way that he managed the State of New South Wales as Deputy Premier and as Minister of the various portfolios he held. But before I go into that I will tell some more anecdotes. My colleagues have touched on a number of these subjects. They have talked about when Wal stepped down. Wal used to spend a bit of time working on the computer in my room when I was Deputy Speaker. I remember how people would come through—we now know the story—and say, "Gee, Wal is dedicated; he's stood down and he's up there working and thumping on that computer", which was right up in the corner. Every so often he would call me over and say, "I've got this solitaire down but I can't handle minesweeper; I don't know how it works." Wal was really in my office because his hips stopped him from getting to the Chamber from his office in time for divisions. So he used to stay in my room from where he could get to the Chamber easily.
The other legend about Wal was that he could shell prawns with one hand—which is no mean feat! We all know about his great desire for food. I remember the night the two of us went to the Bucketts Way Motel for dinner. Fawlty Towers could have been written about the guy who owned the motel then. Wal and I were having dinner before we had to go to a function—Wal was having his usual small meal of a plate of chips, a big steak and everything else—and the proprietor came over, sat down and starting to take chips of Wal's plate. I said, "Mate, you have got to be the gamest guy in New South Wales." But Wal was extremely patient and allowed the guy to continue to take chips from his plate. Many of us were fearful of Wal during divisions. The division bells would ring, everyone would be running late—our offices were on the eleventh floor in those days and Wal was on the tenth floor—and the lifts would be absolutely chock-a-block. Wal was notorious for running late. The lift doors would open, Wal would be there and he would have to get in. That was a pretty terrifying experience for the new arrivals, because he always made room and got in.
There is another famous story—which I will not take too far—about Wal giving a speech. He was very nervous and took a big swig from a bottle of lemon squash on a nearby counter—except it was detergent. Wal had a difficult time delivering the speech at that particular function that afternoon, and it went for some time. I also remember the other side of Wal—the straight shooter; the guy who did not muck around too much and who told it like it was. My preselection was extremely controversial, to the extent that there were meetings to have it overturned and goodness knows what else. Before the meeting I asked Wal what I should do and he said, "Earn their respect." I always remember that comment, and it was very true. Shortly afterwards I had strong words with Wal about standing a candidate in a particular seat. Of course, we had a very good policy of no three-cornered contests unless it was agreed. He simply said to me, "Do you still want to be preselected in your seat?" I said, "Yes." And he said, "Well, you'll stop talking about that"—and I did.
On another occasion I had been involved in a Federal election where there was a three-cornered contest. Nick Greiner had come in and campaigned for the Liberal candidate. Whilst there was no animosity, I thought that Nick was probably in the other camp. I commented to one of the branches that I was going to be where Nick was going to be the guest of honour. I said, "I don't get on very well with Nick." I got a telephone call four or five hours later from Wal, who said, " If you don't get on with Nick come down here, we will close the door and sort it out." I said, "There's no problem, Mr Murray, I'm sure Mr Greiner is a lovely man and we will get on very well", which we did. Wal was straight. When I was elected—all of us are hyperactive when we are elected—I rang Wal and said, "Look, you are the Minister for Public Works. Now, I have a few things in my electorate I want fixed. Can I order a hospital, a new bridge between Forster and Tuncurry and a police station?" I cannot tell you what he said—but he sorted out the processes of how one goes about that. From then on I realised where we were going.
Wal had integrity—it oozed out of him and flowed across all of us. He was my first boss because, other than for a very short time, I always worked for myself. I set my guidelines according to what Wal set for me. Wal's integrity was important. The honourable member for Upper Hunter was going to read a quote from the Daily Telegraph but, unfortunately, he did not get a chance to do so. It is a quote from Malcolm Farr. I think it is one of the loveliest things Malcolm has written. He concluded his article by saying:
He was never a crook, never corrupt and to my mind he died as fine and decent a man who ever entered New South Wales politics.
That is true of Wal Murray. He had commonsense, he was practical and he was approachable. I remember Kerry Chikarovski relating a story about when she first became a member of Parliament. She rang the various Ministers to see whether she could meet with them. She remarked that all she was getting was minders and they were making arrangements for her to meet with other minders. She rang Wal Murray, was put through and said, "Oh, Mr Murray, I just wanted to see if I could make an appointment to come and talk to you about how it all works in your portfolio and introduce myself." He said, "Well, what are you doing now?" And up she went. Wal was approachable. You could go and talk to him at any time—the door was always open.
We have talked about the leadership and the balance of Greiner and Fahey with Wal Murray. That has been one of the most unique things in the recent political history of New South Wales. That balance was just terrific—a good country-style balance. Wal was a tireless worker, as we all know. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition referred to the Clybucca tragedy and Wal's going there. I remember the Newcastle earthquake. I was at Nelson Bay when the reports were coming in about deaths. I think Wal was Acting Premier at the time. I rang his home and spoke to Daph. She said that he was up at the memorial service for the Clybucca people, and I explained what had happened in Newcastle. She was distressed and got straight through to Wal. Wal went straight from there to Newcastle. He was exposed to a lot of tragedy during his time because his portfolios, unfortunately, lent themselves to tragedy. However, he never baulked at it. He was tireless in his approach, but pragmatic enough to realise and understand the vagaries of city and country life to ensure that there was no real rivalry; that everything was a balance between what was needed and what was not needed.
We have heard about the initiatives and programs that Wal was responsible for. I do not want to go into them because they have already been discussed. However, I recall another anecdote. I remember that the people who design swimming pools came to Wal during the preparations for the Sydney Olympic Games and said, "Mr Murray, do you want a fast pool or a slow pool for the Olympic Games?" Wal said, "I just want a swimming pool. What's the difference?" They said, "Well, you can have a fast one or a slow one." He said, "I'll have a fast one." A number of world records were delivered at that pool in Sydney. I wonder how many were the result of swimming and how many were because of the foresight of Wal to order a fast pool for the Games. Daphne was always there for Wal. When Wal retired he said, "I owe that lady at home some time and I am going to give it to her." And that is what he did. He was a wise man, a friend and I am saddened by his passing. My wife used to say both when Wal was alive and after he died, "I always loved Wal." I think that is the way I feel about Wal as well.
Mr MALCOLM KERR (Cronulla) [9.24 p.m.]: I join the tribute to Wal Murray. When I came to this place in 1984 he was a senior member of the Opposition. He was always a warm, generous and positive person. He was totally unaffected. Anyone could go and speak to him at any time and raise any issue. It is pleasing to see that Ray Chappell is here, as is Ian Causley, who would remember that 1984 to 1988 period. One would think that after a landslide win in 1988 it would have been all plain sailing between 1984 and 1988. It certainly was not. There were a lot of tensions in the Coalition that were overcome by Wal Murray's generosity and courage. I think the Deputy Leader of the Opposition mentioned the Joh for Canberra push, and Ian Causley would certainly recall that period—it was a surreal period. It could have destroyed any hope of the New South Wales Coalition of getting into government. Remarkably, it strengthened the Coalition; it did not weaken it, let alone fracture it.
The courage and wisdom that Wal Murray showed provided a depth of trust and understanding between him and Nick Greiner that was instrumental in their success in government. It has been said that the just terms legislation was a landmark. I think it was a landmark and a revolution in relation to government attitude towards private property and citizens. It will be the lasting legacy of Wal Murray. As has been said tonight, he was a great builder in public works, he had innovation and he brought forward water policies. All of those things were immensely important. As I said, legislation was changed in relation to just compensation. Wal's life was a great benefit to this State. It is pleasing to see that he was so loved, not only by his family but also by the staff who are here tonight. It has been pleasing to hear what has been said by members on both sides of this Parliament. We wish his family well. We certainly share their loss.
Mr ANDREW FRASER (Coffs Harbour) [9.27 p.m.]: I feel somewhat insignificant standing here tonight reflecting on the political life of Wallace Telford John Murray. Wal was a great man. He was a great friend and a great mentor. He was a truly wise man. It is somewhat apt that tonight in August we reflect on his life in New South Wales and what he did for the people of New South Wales on the night of a blue moon—although it might have been last night—because I would say that a bloke like Wal Murray comes along once in a blue moon. I first met Wal when I went to live in Moree in the early 1970s. Wal played cricket for Garah and, as the honourable member for Barwon said, I had the misfortune of coming from a third-grade side in Newcastle to play first grade—there are two grades in Moree. Coming up against a bloke of Wal's size scared the hell out of you—I am sure Don Page would appreciate this—and you learned fairly quickly that Wal could make a ball rise off a very good length and belt you in the ribs.
Batsmen wished Wal got them out, otherwise they went home bruised. I got to know and like him then. In 1976 I had the privilege of handing out leaflets in his campaign. I was also involved in the Moree gun club. Wal had a great reputation as a farmer and man of the bush but he did not love or know much about guns. Wal was invited to open the new clay target club and facilities. He was handed a gun and told to put two shots up the spout and knock the clay out. He shot at the first clay, missed, laughed and turned around to the gathering holding the shotgun, with a bullet up the spout. I have never seen so many gun owners duck, and officials tried to grab the gun because Wal did not know about the live shot up the spout. That was one of my earliest memories of him. Little did I know that many years later I would be in Parliament under his leadership.
The next time I met him was in 1990 at a conference in Coffs Harbour following the sacking of Matt Singleton from the Ministry. Matt was Wal's great friend and that was a very hard for him. He was literally in tears. Later I found out that the tears were caused either by the loss of Matt from the Ministry—and I feel sure they were—or by the concoction mentioned by the honourable member for Myall Lakes that Wal drank prior to addressing the conference that day. I met Wal the day after winning preselection and the first thing I said to him was "What do I call you?" He said, "Wal." He sat on the bonnet of a car outside the campaign office and gave me one of his business cards. On the card—which I still have because it is a great memento of my political life—was every telephone number at which he could be contacted. He said, "I do not care what time of day or night it is, if you need something, you ring." Wal Murray stayed like that as Leader and after his retirement. Anyone could ring him about a problem and he would return the call.
After being a member of Parliament for about six or seven months I decided that it was about time that I had some recognition for working hard—I had come through a by-election and an election. My reputation was of upsetting Ministers and kicking down doors even when were in government—I do not have it these days. One night I was summoned to Wal's office. After waiting for about 15 minutes I entered his office and he closed the door. I sat down and Wal leant back, twiddled his thumbs and said, "I just want to inform you that you have upset most of the Ministers in this Cabinet." I said, "Let me know who the others are and I will soon sort them out." Wal said, "There is only one. It is me and you are doing a fairly good job at the moment." During the years Wal and I had many discussions and we knew that whoever closed his door first had the upper hand, although I tend to think I did not ever have the upper hand.
Wal's appetite has been mentioned. Wal came to Coffs Harbour in his twin engine Beechcraft Baron and before he left he said, "Can we duck down to the fishing co-operative?" I said, "Yes, certainly." I was not sure why he wanted to go there. He bought two kilos of king prawns. The next day I rang his home and Daph answered the phone and I said, "How were the king prawns?" She said, "What king prawns?" Wal had eaten two kilograms on the way back to Moree and, I assume, then sat down and had a decent meal. Another memory I have, which I mentioned to Daph the night prior to the funeral, was when Kerry and my three children visited him at his home. I told him he had a magnificent new library-sitting room on his house. He said, "Yes, it is the Herald room." I said, "Do you read the Herald in here?" He said, "No, it paid for it."
He invited us for lunch and asked the three children what they wanted. Alexander, Elizabeth and Angus¯who was knee high to a grasshopper at the time¯only wanted a piece of steak each. Wal said he would put on extra chops and sausages in case they changed their mind. He cooked lunch on the internal barbeque and there was a large tray of meat not eaten. The children were full and Wal said, "Waste not, want not," and cleaned it all up. That was typical of Wal—a big man in appetite, nature and everything else. When I first knew Wal in politics he was under enormous pressure over the purported scams that the National Party were involved in which were later proved absolutely baseless. Wal Murray real estate stories were spread but it was not the same Wal Murray.
I have at home a cartoon that was in the Daily Telegraph. It depicted Bob Carr with mud in his hand and mud dripping from his body. Wal was standing there like the Saint. The mud that was being thrown at Wal was bouncing off him and hanging from Carr. The caption was of Carr saying, "Is the mud sticking?" Someone else was saying "Yes, it is." It bounced off Wal because of his reputation. He was a man who was right in what he said. He believed in what he said and did what he believed in. No matter what was thrown at Wal during those times he came out publicly unscathed, though not unmarked. Wal also had a great sense of humour. I think the honourable member for Ballina mentioned the 1992 Wally awards that everyone in the party got. On the night of the awards Wal said, "Most of the awards I have given out tonight I had to change slightly. They were presented to me by staff, who did a good job naming them, but there was one I did not have to change." I have a copy of it on my notice board and it states:
Wally's 1992
Christmas Awards
presented to
ANDREW FRASER
for the
"Look at me now",
I'm in the shit again award.
Wal
Mr Andrew Stoner: It never changes.
Mr ANDREW FRASER: It does not change. Its dual meaning would be well remembered by Ian Causley. After 1991 Ian said to me, "All the shit is now in your electorate," and that problem still continued. If Wal Murray had been listened to, the problem would have been solved for $3 million but the scheme is now costing the people of the Coffs Harbour electorate $120 million and it is still not finished. I know Wal would not be happy with that. Wal took a lot of flak for many other honourable members and colleagues. Prior to the 1991 elections no-one wanted a toxic waste incinerator in their electorate. Jim Small was rabidly against it, in Jim's own fashion. Wal said, "If it has got to go somewhere we will say it will be in Barwon." Wal wore that for the sake of the party and the Coalition, which had never had any intention originally to put it in Barwon. He lost a lot of votes but he still won the seat. It shows the character of the man that he was prepared to sacrifice himself above any other member on that particular issue.
I refer also to the Wal Way on the North Coast when we were lobbying for a new highway in the area. I remember Wal saying that if nothing else the one thing for which he will be remembered is that his name is on more sewerage treatment plants than any other Deputy Premier in New South Wales. Only the workers see those little brass plaques but I know he opened at least two, if not three, plants in my electorate during his time as Deputy Premier. Wal never lost his great passion for helping people in the bush. Indeed, when he retired from this place he undertook considerable work as lobbyist for the Gwydir Valley Water Users Association to ensure the people got a fair deal. I know that Ian Causley and Wal had words over the water bill, but in the end those differences were resolved and they remained firm friends.
Wal was a man of great wisdom and great patience. Barry O'Farrell should beware of one of his humorous comments. When someone died, Wal would say, "There goes another skinny one." It was quite funny that on the night before his funeral Katrina showed some photos depicting Wal losing weight and we were reminded of that great saying of his. Wal was like a second father to me. He rebuked you when you deserved it and he praised you when you deserved it. He always rang you back; he never used a voice message or turned the phone off. You got Wal Murray or Daph. Even if it was 11.00 p.m. the phone would be answered: "Hello, Wal Murray." And the problem would be discussed and resolved.
As demonstrated by the presence of his staff here tonight, Wal was held in great esteem and was loved by many, no more so than by Bryce Osmond. I admired the obituary Bryce gave at Wal's funeral. How he did it I will never know. There many stories about Wal Murray that probably only Bryce can tell the way they should be told, but they should not go on the record in this Parliament this evening. There was a lot of fun in the man and I know the great relationship that existed between Bryce and Wal. Quite often when I needed my bum kicked, Bryce Osmond was sent down to do it. When Bryce spoke, Wal spoke. I wish to read one small passage from his last speech in this place, which I commend to those who have not read it, because it is significant that Wal left this to us. He said:
I recognise that political ploys will always take place, but more than ever there is a need to maintain this as the best State and the best nation in the world and for us to recognise that a political point scored is not always the best point achieved.
That typifies Wal Murray. To Daphne, the author of that great cookbook that gave Wal the girth that he had, my sincere condolences. Her support of him and of us as members will not be forgotten. To Robbie and Belinda, his grandchildren, who spoke at the funeral: great job, well done. The way Katrina and Paula spoke at the funeral was a credit both to Wal and to Daph. It was a great honour to be invited back to his house the night before the funeral with Melinda and Warren, Matt Singleton, Bill Baxter and Kerrie. To actually sit around the table and talk with close friends and relatives, reminiscing on his great humour yet acknowledging the great hole he has left, was a great privilege. His family left us with a great legacy in that his funeral was dignified. It befitted the man. As someone said, the only thing bigger than Wal Murray was his heart. Wal Murray lived respected and died regretted. Vale, Wal Murray.
Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [9.45 p.m.]: I join previous speakers in paying tribute to the late Hon. Wal Murray. Although I came into the Parliament after Wal had retired, it was clear to a new member like myself that Wal had set a high standard in the outcomes he achieved for regional New South Wales and the gentlemanly manner with which he approached all things. Firstly, I acknowledge former members and colleagues of Wal's who are present in the gallery. I refer to the former State Minister and member for Clarence, Ian Causley; the former member for Northern Tablelands and Minister for Small Business and Regional Development, the Hon. Ray Chappell; and members of the upper House who are present in the Chamber—Melinda Pavey, Jenny Gardiner and Duncan Gay. Wal will be remembered as a supporter of all things country. He had a strong affinity with farmers and representatives from all rural industries.
He was a great local member, and if the outpouring of support from his former colleagues is anything to go by, he was a competent and respected leader as well as an all-round great bloke. In recent weeks, many of the party's former members of Parliament who had served with Wal have written to me, asking that I extend their deepest sympathies in the House. I would like to read a few of these in my capacity as The Nationals Whip. Former member for Goulburn and Minister Robert Webster wrote:
I was privileged to serve under Wal Murray as National Party Leader and as Deputy Premier. I was a Minister in various portfolios. Wal always shared great leadership, demonstrated concern for country people and a capacity to hold up under pressure. He will be remembered as a supporter of much needed micro economic reform within Government, which then yielded great benefits to the State's infrastructure. Importantly Wal was tolerant, compassionate and fair. He was an outstanding countryman.
Former Minister and member for Clarence, the Hon Ian Causley, wrote to me as follows:
Dear Thomas,
Could you record on behalf of June and myself our sorrow at the passing of Wal. Our condolences go to Daph and the girls on the loss of a larger than life identity. As strong characters Wal and I often disagreed on matters but never held grudges. I am grateful Wal made me a Minister in the Greiner/Murray government. I hope I lived up to the faith he showed and delivered some results particularly in lands, forestry, irrigation, fishing and agriculture. I always respected the way Wal stood up for National Party policy with our coalition colleagues. He never left any doubt either within Cabinet or in the public arena as to where the National Party stood on issues. Wal was a great foil for Nick Greiner and I believe their achievements in NSW should be rightly recognised. Wal set out to represent the electorate of Gwydir. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and achieved the highest honour a member of the National Party can achieve in NSW. Daph, you and your family can be justly proud of your collective achievement.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Causley.