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The Hon. DUNCAN GAY (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [11.04 a.m.]: I move:
That this House records its appreciation of the Hon. John Johnson for services to the Legislative Council and the people of New South Wales, both as a member of the Legislative Council for 26 years and as President of the House for 13 years.
It is no oversight by the Government that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is moving this motion. The Government insisted on this as a way to indicate to the people of this State the high regard held for the Hon. Johno Johnson as a highly esteemed member of the Legislative Council. In fact, I asked to move this motion. I am the only member of the leadership group in the House today who served in the Legislative Council when the Hon. Johno Johnson was President, so I have a special recollection of that time.
Johno Johnson was born on 26 July 1930 at Murwillumbah in New South Wales. He left school at age 15 and commenced work in the retail industry. I acknowledge the presence of young students in the public gallery. They are about to hear a very special story, which I hope they will remember. There are people in politics—good people who try to do the right thing—who transcend the political divide and who are appreciated by those on both sides of the House. Johno Johnson married Pauline Russell on 6 January 1962, and they have two sons and two daughters. He became a delegate to the Shop Assistants Union and worked his way through the organisation to become the union's assistant secretary.
After many years in the Labor Party, Johno became honorary finance officer in the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party, and he remains heavily involved in fundraising at State and Federal levels. I think all honourable members, and probably most of the staff of the Parliament, would have been collared by Johno at some stage or other and asked, "Brother, want to buy a raffle ticket?" If he was not happy with something I had said, he would say, "Duncan!" Johno was first elected to the Legislative Council in April 1976. In his maiden speech in November of that year he spoke out against abortion and for government-funded election campaigns. I read his maiden speech just last week and again I was struck by Johno's grasp of the English language. The final paragraphs of Johno's maiden speech read:
From the nadir of despondency late last year to a new epoch from 1st May this year, our party rejoices that it has reached the Treasury benches of this State. A rich new future is assured in which not wealth nor privilege matters, after eleven years of the legislative miscellany of injustice rendered by accident or design. If we are shown to be perfidious, that perfidy deserves the vengeance of the elector … We have been given a duty of care in the strictest application for the common good that will be pursued with all vigour.
Several comments in that speech still apply today—I leave it to honourable members to work out which ones they are. In concluding his maiden speech, Johno stated:
In conclusion Mr President and honourable Members, I trust that my sojourn in this House will not at any future time be looked back upon in anger by anyone.
Johno got it right on his first day. I am sure that I will not be alone today in saying that he is a true icon of the New South Wales upper House. No-one will look back in anger on him. On Melbourne Cup day in 1978 Johno became President of the Legislative Council, which made him the youngest member ever to be elected President. President Johnson! The saying could have been, "All the way with Johno." Johno abandoned the use of ceremonial attire, preferring to preside in a suit without a wig or gown. However, unlike others, he never abandoned the other traditions of this House and he never allowed his political affiliations to interfere with his decisions from the chair. He worked hard for the Labor Party outside this Chamber, but when he was in the chair, he was impartial.
I urge all honourable members to obtain a copy of the compilation of Presidents' rulings that have been put together by the Clerks. They will quickly see that Johno made some of the best rulings in this Chamber—rulings that are still quoted today by Presidents in this place. During Johno's presidency, new Parliament House buildings were constructed and the original buildings were restored. It must have been a time of great change. I refer now to some of the thoughts that have been expressed by others about Johno. We all have our own thoughts about him. I refer to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald dated 10 January 1987, which states:
If there was a competition to name the most faceless man of the "faceless men" in charge of the State ALP, "Johno" Johnson would be a leading contender ...
As one Minister told the Herald this week: "If Johno ever stops supporting Barrie—
that is, Barrie Unsworth—
it will be the end of him as Premier ...
As one senior ALP figure put it: "If you don't get the nod from Johnno, you don't get the job."
The article then refers to Johno's raffles and it states:
The ALP picnic was held every year at Bronte Park. There was a raffle prize, a smoker's stand donated by R. M. O'Keefe—Johnny's father—a smoker's stand every year.
At the ALP conference, they used to raffle every year a rug—10 cents a ticket—and the rug was always obtained by the secretary of the Textile Workers' Union—
I do not know from where—
who would get a donation from one of the textile manufacturers.
I set up in opposition to embarrass them into doing something different. I raffled a big gallon bottle of Scotch whisky and we made more in one raffle than they had made in 20 years.
Of course all honourable members would be aware of Johno's famous raffles of wine, whisky, et cetera, and they would know that Johno does not drink. The article continues:
Every appointee within the ALP head office and every new Labor MP is also given a welcome by Johnno which is a laying-down of the law and an introduction to politics and theology rolled into one.
He offers frank political and personal advice at the same time, summing up the appointee. Some young single men come out of the morning tea with Mr President feeling that they have an imperative to marry while others feel they have been admitted to a seminary rather than a political party.
John Johnson's religious beliefs are evident and genuine but he does not discriminate against those who are of a different religion or no religion at all. He heads a Parliamentary prayer group in his office, welcoming members of all faiths and all parties. It is not a cynical exploitation but it is another one of the bridges Johnno builds between diverse groups.
In 1988, as a new member of Parliament, I recall that when the note came around for the prayer group meetings we were all summoned by our Whips and given a warning. We were told that he might be a nice man and that he might be doing the right thing, but some of our members had a habit, once under the spell of this nice man, of revealing all. So we had to be careful when we attended his prayer group meetings.
The Hon. John Jobling: He was very good at it.
The Hon. DUNCAN GAY: He was very good at it. The Australian of 14 May 1988 has an article written by Stephen Loosley, who at that stage was the Federal Labor Vice-President. The article was written at a time when there was jostling about who was to be the next Legislative Council President—whether Johno would remain President or whether Max Willis would be appointed by the new Government. The first paragraph states:
The President of the NSW Legislative Council "Johnno" Johnson is the most rare person in public life. He is a public figure who is about politics.
Hear! Hear! The article continues:
This is as true in a party political sense as it is in internal ALP terms. He stands above partisanship and above Labor factionalism.
For Johnno is not only a respected figure within the ALP; he is a respected figure within the ranks of the Liberal and National Parties.
It is not often that I agree with Stephen Loosley, but he got that right. Johno also has a rare wit. Sometimes it can be fairly cutting, as a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald dated 4 July 1991, which is headed "The jobs to go", reveals:
SIR: Could I, through your columns, recommend to the Premier the first 20 to go, listed below, and thus save the 12,480 other public servants due for the Greiner-Murray axe.
All may be reached at Parliament House, Sydney. Hand delivered notices should be sent, thus saving postage.
The Hon. N. F. Greiner, the Hon. E. P. Pickering, the Hon. P. E. J. Collins, the Hon. B. E. Baird, the Hon. J. Fahey ...
The list goes on, and the letter was signed, "Hon. John Johnson, Parliament House, Sydney." In conclusion, I will quote from an article in the Bulletin dated 24 April this year, which was written by Laurie Oakes, who has been around politics for a long time. Someone as respected as Laurie Oakes certainly has a feeling for politics. This article, which sums up Johno Johnson so well, should be part of this motion. The article states:
On the same day that 31-year-old Stott Despoja won the Democrat leadership ballot, 70-year-old Johnno Johnson announced his decision to retire from the NSW Legislative Council. Johnno—no-one calls him anything else—is a legend in the NSW ALP, but his reputation and influence spread well outside that state. He is a prominent member of the NSW Right but, unlike most of the key figures in that faction, does not cultivate an image as a hard man. Johnno is better known for good works—among them, mentoring budding young Labor politicians, which is what makes him relevant to the discussion sparked by Stott Despoja's elevation.
With more than 50 years of Labor Party membership under his belt—25 of them in the state Upper House—Johnno is very definitely an old-timer. But for as long as anyone can remember, he has shouldered the responsibility of bringing on the next generation. Some of Labor's biggest names over the years were spotted and encouraged by Johnno when they still suffered from acne. NSW Premier Bob Carr, ALP general secretary Eric Roozendaal are just two of the current crop who owe a lot to Johnno's patronage and tutelage. Their successors will also have reason to thank him. As a Labor powerbroker said after Johnno's retirement announcement: "There will be people that he has identified through Young Labor that Carr and Roozendaal don't even know exist at the moment. He is a nurturer of people coming through.
That, as much as anything, sums up the man and his faith in young people from all parties. Over the years young people on my staff have certainly respected Johno and they have benefited from his wisdom. Johno, thank you for your friendship. You are a mate in the true sense of the word and not in the limited Australian Labor Party sense of the word. I have appreciated my time with you and I wish you a happy time out of this place. You certainly deserve it.
The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA (Special Minister of State, Minister for Industrial Relations, Assistant Treasurer, Minister Assisting the Premier on Public Sector Management, and Minister Assisting the Premier for the Central Coast) [11.19 a.m.]: On behalf of the Government the Leader of the Government made a de facto contribution to debate last week. I wish to place on record a tribute to a member who is known and respected by everybody in this Chamber and by many people outside this Chamber. Firstly, I express my appreciation and gratitude to the Opposition for moving this motion. It is a perfect illustration of the high esteem in which all members of this Parliament hold our colleague. Johno Johnson has become one of the most respected members of this Parliament. I have been lucky to know him both in Parliament and in my previous life as an official of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party, and before that as a party activist and union official. I have been through some tough times with Johno. I do not want to go into any details, but we have been through some tough times, even recently. Johno was my counsellor and adviser through some difficult times in the ALP organisation.
The Hon. Patricia Forsythe: Last week?
The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: Those times include the Labor Centenary House issue and ALP campaigning and fundraising, which had relatively slim pickings eight or nine years ago compared with today. Some honourable members referred to the events of last week. Johno was a tower of strength during what was for many of us a harrowing week. Today, hopefully, we can appreciate last week's events in a bipartisan sense. The Hon. Johno Johnson has been one of the most respected Presidents in this House—respected by politicians and parliamentary staff. We all know that Johno became a father figure in this Parliament, and remains so now. People from all sides and factions of politics have sought Johno's advice and help. Johno's guidance and friendship has never stopped at party, factional or even State boundaries. Johno has usually been able to oblige whether people wanted help on a personal problem or a political dilemma or they just wanted a prize for a raffle.
One reason for Johno's popularity is that he has always had a good sense of humour and a unique turn of phrase. We have all experienced some of them. Johno often says things like, "If you don't know, don't guess." He has said that to me quite a few times. An even better one for all of us to think about from time to time is, "Rules are made for the guidance of wise men and the observance of fools." Johno was a tireless worker, finding time to help with many charities and fundraising activities. He is intensely proud of his Celtic roots. He is a proud Irish Australian and has probably forgotten more about Irish history than I will ever know. Amongst awards bestowed on him, I understand he received the great honour of Irish Australian of the Year in 1987. From my close observation of well over 25 years, his life has been founded on four firm pillars: his Catholic faith, his family and, as an extension of that, the Labor Party, and the vocational part, this Parliament.
Some have described Johno as Labor's pope and have claimed that he has served the party with the zeal of a Jesuit. One of the first of the contradictions that I relate about Johno is that he is a very open person but he is also a man of honourable discretion. He could tell us that, in fact, the real Labor pope was his namesake, Jackie Johnson from the Transport Workers Union. I am sure that one day he will be prepared to tell many people about such things. Johno was born in Murwillumbah, which should entitle him to honorary life membership of Country Labor. He worked in the retail industry before becoming an official with the Shop Assistants Union and later became Assistant Secretary. Early in his career he became active in the Labor Party, and he was appointed Young Labor President in 1961. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1976 and served as its President from 1978 to 1991. As the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Duncan Gay, said, Johno's role in this place has been unique. Let me say that Johno's role in the Labor Party is unique as well.
In the turbulence of party politics, Johno developed a great level of trust from all comers. Many aspiring young politicians and young party activists have sought advice from him. Many of those are present day leaders who owe their role to encouragement from Johno. Yet Johno was very much not someone simply behind the scenes. For many years he has been a member of the Australian Labor Party, New South Wales Branch, administrative committee. Even as a member of Parliament he has been a member of that committee. Johno chose the most tedious and difficult tasks at every election. I think I am right in saying that he is, and has been for some time, the only current member of the administrative committee to have also served on the old central executive. That is a unique achievement to span two generations of Labor Party history, and he did it comprehensively.
Literally as long as I can remember, which is nearly 30 years, Johno has always been the person who organises the distribution of campaign material to electorates. While it is of less concern to me, I am sure that Eric Roozendaal and the team at Sussex Street office of the Labor Party hope that he does not give that job away too soon. I am sure that many election secrets and tricks of the trade have not yet been passed on. Not only is this is an onerous task, testing one's patience, but also it is a job that few want. It is typical of Johno's devotion to the Labor Party that he has continued to do this job over a long time with a great deal of excellence. As already mentioned, Johno excels in fundraising. Johno made the word "raffle" synonymous with the ALP. "Where two or more are gathered in my name, run a raffle", he would say.
As delegates are about to enter an ALP function or conference Johno will meet them with the words "Brother, I do not believe that you have bought one of these yet." At the Country Labor conference, for example, with Johno at the helm, he would hold a raffle when delegates arrived for each session, another when they left after each session and one big raffle at dinner that night. Johno trained generations of Labor Party activists on how to sell raffle tickets, how to offer the best deal and how to get the best return. He also extended this advice to charities.
Every year the New South Wales ALP holds its annual conference at Sydney Town Hall. Those lucky enough to attend this oldest political gathering in the country will know Johno's role. He has not often made speeches at this gathering. I am sure he has made more, but I can recall two speeches. One of those speeches would be one of the two best contributions I have heard at what is a great forum for political speechmaking. He was not there to make speeches. I would like to say he was not there to lobby delegates, but he did a fair bit of that. He was not there to meet dignitaries or talk to businesspeople or other visitors. He was there to organise and run the canteen. He followed the Napoleonic dictum that a great army marches on its stomach. Running the canteen for a conference of almost 1,000 delegates is not easy. The ALP found that out in the one year when Johno did not do it. Apparently, he had a disagreement with the then State Secretary, who shall remain nameless.
The Hon. Charlie Lynn: A leftie, no doubt.
The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: No, he wasn't a leftie.
The Hon. John Jobling: Was it you?
The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: No, it wasn't me. Johno left the running of the canteen to his critics. The consequences were ugly for the State Secretary, and Johno has run it ever since. It was not beneath the dignity of the President of the Legislative Council to undertake that task. This shows Johno's humble approach to his duties. Anyone who has ever visited Johno's office may realise that he is a bit of a hoarder. When I worked with him at the ALP office in the Trades Hall, Johno had at least three storerooms in which a cornucopia of delights was hidden away. All sorts of bargains from sales and auctions were stored there for future raffles, trivia nights and the like. What great prizes they made in monster raffles and at trivia nights. Staff who worked for the New South Wales ALP in the early 1990s developed a permanent aversion to Salada biscuits after Johno donated two years supply of these weight-watching delights.
The Hon. Michael Gallacher: You obviously didn't.
The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: I did not develop an aversion. For a number of years Johno conducted major statewide raffles for the party. Despite his position and title, Johno was all the time very much a rank-and-file worker for the party. The Labor Party has always been proud of its history. To many of us Johno is a great and important link in this chain. He has rubbed shoulders with many of the great political figures in State, Federal and international politics. He has countless yarns and anecdotes to tell. It is an understatement to say that Johno will be very much missed.
It might surprise people to hear that Johno was not unanimously supported to become President of this House. I have to tell a small tale that involves three other esteemed colleagues who are no longer with us. It relates to the suggestion that the Hon. Kathleen Anderson, a former Government Whip in this place, might become President. She was a wonderful lady and no doubt a good candidate for the position but her concern was that Johno would not take the right approach to the dignity of the office of President. In the course of lobbying to her advantage she was heard to remark, "You couldn't have Johno up there. His idea of entertaining in the presidential dining room would be getting Keith Challenger and Keith Whatman in the President's dining room for tea and scones." At that time Keith Challenger was a great organiser with the Electrical Trades Union and Keith Whatman was a notorious Labor-supporting businessman and a wrecker by trade. Of course, early in his term as President Johno took great delight in leaving his door wide open so Kath could walk past and see him having morning tea with Keith Challenger and Keith Whatman, two of his great mates, making sure she was aware that that was exactly what he intended to do with the office.
It is fair to say that there is hardly a person in the Labor Party who does not know Johno, and few have anything but praise and respect for him. Fewer people know his wife, Pauline, but she has been the tower of strength in what has been a very active and arduous public life. On behalf of Parliament, the Labor Party and Johno's friends in the Labor Party I thank Pauline for all her support for Johno over the years and wish her all the very best as Johno enters a new phase of his career. Johno and Pauline's children—Andrew, Michael, Monica and Naomi—grew up as many children of political activists, coming to meetings and going to various events that Johno was organising. They too have been a strength to Johno throughout his career.
The high esteem in which Johno is held is also shown by the messages of goodwill he is receiving from political colleagues. I cannot imagine Johno in retirement. I know he is leaving this place, but I am sure it will not be a real retirement. I do not think he will retire from all the jobs he does that cause us to think so highly of him. Another contradiction in terms is that Johno is one of the most patient people I know and is also one of the most impatient people I know. I say that in a genuine sense. Johno will never give up on anybody. I have seen him endure great emotionally harrowing experiences trying to help people who have got themselves into trouble with everything from drugs to money to all sorts of personal difficulties. He will never give up on anyone who needs his help. By the same token—and I know this is so because I have been a bit foolish sometimes when he has been around—he does not suffer fools lightly. He has an acidic tongue if you do something foolish. In the end you know it is because he has your interests at heart.
Another important, critical contradiction in Johno—and I think the final contradiction—but one of the things that makes him as a politician is that he is old style in his attitude to leaders and leadership. He is respectful of leaders, as everyone knows. He is a great organisation person. He is respectful of the positions of Labor Council secretary, ALP president and Labor Council president. He is thrilled at the knowledge that people like Paul Keating and Bob Carr, who could at times be described as proteges of Johno's, have occupied the highest offices of this land. He is respectful in public but, if you make a mistake, in private Johno is very good at pulling people back into line. He makes sure they know their real place and know how to be humble, but gives them the respect in office that they deserve.
Johno, in your maiden speech you hoped that no-one would look back in anger at your sojourn in this House. I concur with the Hon. Duncan Gay who said that that wish has certainly been fulfilled. Thank you, Johno.
The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER (Leader of the Opposition) [11.34 a.m.]: Johno. That one word describes a man who has served 25 years in his Chamber, a parliamentary colleague who greeted most with the singular leveller—a leveller used to Prime Ministers, lawyers, shop assistants and blue-collar workers—the welcoming tag of "Brother". During the past 25 years Johno has seen significant changes in this House, including how we as parliamentarians are appointed to our jobs. When he entered this House in 1976 members were appointed by Parliament. It was not until 1978 that the popular election of members commenced. Just two years after his appointment Johno was elected the youngest ever president of this House, a position he proudly retained until 1991.
During this time Johno did something I am sure not many of us in this Chamber today would dream of doing. Following Neville Wran's resignation as Premier, Johno was offered a Cabinet spot, including the position of Leader of the Government in this House. Despite this seemingly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he turned down the promotion. Instead, he continued his quest to raise funds and support for the Labor Party. In 1987 it was reported that he had raised more than $5 million for the party. Like all honourable members in this Chamber, I would be very interested to know what that figure has now reached.
Members on this side were always pleased to hear that Johno Johnson was in committee or attending some meeting. The longer the better, we believed, because that meant there was less time for him to raise more funds to fight us at elections. His famous raffles and auctions in the parliamentary dining room are part of historic record. The days leading up to one of those fund-raising events would see all manner of prizes and auction items floating around, and the morning-after speculation would start about how much he had raised. Not long after I entered Parliament in 1996 I got a peek inside his room. I first thought this bloke liked a serious drink, and I had literally seen crime scenes that were tidier. My first thoughts could not be further from the truth. It would be accurate to say that any political party would be overjoyed to have a member with his fantastic ability to raise money.
Johno is not just a stalwart of the Labor Party; he truly represents an era when the working class could identify with its elected Labor members: the last of the warriors. He is their light on the hill, a beacon that attracts young members of the Labor Party and nurtures their talents and skills. Many of these members have gone on to become significant political leaders, advisers, local councillors and members of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly.
There has been no mention this morning of Father Mac's heavenly puddings. I had not seen a great deal of them when I arrived but I am assured that in years prior to my arrival they were a significant part of Johno's repertoire during the year. They were very well used to raise funds for charity but also cunningly used to advance and educate the youth wing of the Australian Labor Party in how to deal with ordinary people as they went about the business of selling Father Mac's heavenly puddings and raising money for charity. He is credited with spotting and encouraging such well-known political names as the Premier, Bob Carr, Eric Roozendaal and Stephen Loosley. It was Stephen Loosley who summed up Johno's ability to cross the factional divide in a 1988 article fittingly entitled, "Johno Johnson: a politician who has transcended politics". In that article Stephen said:
… it is striking that a single individual can converse on equal terms with people from left, right and the centre left.
I would venture to say that he was also able to converse on such equal terms with all members of this Chamber, no matter what their political views. Following Johno's announcement that he was retiring, the regard in which he is held was again displayed when Laurie Oakes dedicated his 24 April column in the Bulletin to Johno and his dedication to the developing of new and exciting talent within the Australian Labor Party. But politics is not Johno's only love. Even though he is an extremely dedicated member of the Catholic Church, his Christian values go far beyond the church proper and for many years he was a host of the parliamentary prayer breakfast. His community dedication is further evidenced within his family life, and John and Pauline's four children, who have gone on to bless them with—I hope I am correct—eight grandchildren.
The Hon. John Johnson: Soon to be nine.
The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: My introduction to politics, as honourable members may be aware, was working as a guard outside this place and the Legislative Assembly during the very early 1980s. A mutual friend of ours, who is a former mayor of Randwick Council, talked me into coming into Parliament to see what the whole process was about. That was not only my introduction to this place but also my introduction to Johno Johnson. As honourable members have already stated, Johno Johnson conducted himself in a fair and professional way. He had all the personality traits of a drill sergeant at the Police Academy I had seen the year before. As difficult as the disappointment of the 1991 election of a new President was for him, I am sure some advice that he imparted following his re-election as President in 1988 remained with him during this personally trying time. In 1988 he spoke of his simple philosophy on life:
I make my hobby my job and my job my hobby. Happiness is that which excludes every evil and fulfils every desire. Am I happy? Inordinately!
John, Johno, brother, may your retirement make you inordinately happy.
The Hon. RON DYER [11.40 a.m.]: I welcome the opportunity to pay a relatively brief, but sincere and heartfelt, tribute to our colleague the Hon. John Johnson. Johno Johnson is a real character in every sense of the word. He is a legendary figure in the Labor Party, and a person of strong religious principle. One of my clearest memories of a statement about the Hon. John Johnson was made many years ago by the late Wal Geraghty, who was a member of this House between 1961 and 1978. Wal Geraghty was a mentor of mine, and he was well known to Johno Johnson. I have never forgotten that Wal Geraghty said to me on one occasion, "Johno Johnson is a wonderful Labor man." That was a great tribute coming from Wal Geraghty, who himself was a wonderful Labor man.
Johno Johnson is a wonderful Labor man because of his dedication to the cause in every respect: his adherence to his duties in the House, his fundraising activities through his raffles, and his attendance at every Labor conference, wherever it is, selling books, raffle tickets and chocolates. Whatever goods he comes by he sells, and applies the proceeds for the benefit of the Labor Party. Reference has been made to Johno's office upstairs, which is an amazing sight. When the Treasurer came into my office when I was a Minister he would describe it as "disgustingly tidy". Johno's office is somewhat less tidy, but full of goods that he sells for the benefit of the Labor Party. When Johno was finance officer at the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party the vestibule of the office was full of goods that he was selling.
At one stage Johno must have bought a large quantity—perhaps it was a pallet—of Double D Eucalyptus. The reception area at the ALP office had a strong aroma of Double D Eucalyptus, to the extent that it was quite overpowering. Speaking of raffle tickets reminds me that I should correct the record in one respect. On one occasion I was speaking in the House on a bill that dealt with gambling. I was explaining that, because of my religious background, I did not support gambling, I am not very happy with it at all, and the only extent to which I participate in gambling at all is to buy Johno Johnson's raffle tickets. However, I went on to explain that I do not regard that as a sin of avarice because I do not have an expectation of winning.
Outside the House the Hon. Tony Kelly said to me, "You came perilously close to saying that it is impossible to win one of Johno's raffles." I would now like to set the record straight and say, quite simply, that it is not impossible; it is just a fairly remote possibility. I am also reminded that Johno is the father of the House. He was elected to the House in April 1976, and he has obviously discharged his duties very well because he goes out of here with universal respect from all sides of the House. I was elected in September 1979, which means that I will succeed Johno as the father of the House. After I go, if Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile is still a member he will be the father of the House.
I view the prospect of having 41 children with some trepidation, particularly as some of those children are somewhat wayward. I should like to conclude by thanking Johno very sincerely for his service to the House, to the Labor Party, to his church and to the wider labour movement. I wish Johno, Pauline and their children every happiness in the future.
Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE [11.46 a.m.]: On behalf of the Christian Democratic Party I support the motion of the Hon. Duncan Gay, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the National Party in this House, recognising the 26 years of faithful service of the Hon. Johno Johnson on his imminent retirement from the New South Wales Legislative Council. The Hon. Johno Johnson will long be remembered for his consistent and faithful support of the pro-life cause. He has had a deep concern for the lives of the unborn children made in the image of God whose lives are snuffed out by abortionists and whose little, but perfectly shaped, hearts cease to beat. In his inaugural speech on 10 November 1976 it was one of the first issues he raised:
I well recall in my early life news media reports of the atrocities of Stalin and Hitler. They almost pale into insignificance when one considers the millions of dollars being made by so-called men of medicine who destroy life in the womb. There are, within our community, new Herods who propound the evil philosophy of easy abortion on such spurious grounds as the mental health of the mother or possible defects in children yet unborn. They have reflected that killing of a baby not yet born, but already an autonomous and viable human being, only on the grounds of suspicion—and uncertainty—of it being deformed, justifies the murder of any other deformed person.
Johno Johnson has strenuously defended and fought to protect the family unit, which is the God-given natural and basic unit of society. He has worked hard, often behind the scenes, to ensure the defeat of antifamily, antilife bills and motions, particularly when a conscience vote was involved. He has also defended strongly the status and conventions of this House, and has sought to maintain its dignity as Australia's oldest House of Parliament by his rulings and by his example. As a dedicated Catholic he paid tribute in his inaugural speech to the influence of the Catholic Sisters who taught him in his childhood. He said:
For as long as I live their thoughts and actions will influence me. They have left a lifelong impression on me. I shall never be able to repay their outstanding service to me and to the community generally.
Obviously, that teaching and training has stayed with him throughout his life, and we know it will continue to be a part of him. Even though he is a dedicated Catholic, perhaps the most dedicated Catholic in the Parliament, he has always promoted the fellowship of all Christian members of this House, especially in the weekly prayer breakfasts he hosted in the President's chambers for more than 13 years. He respected all members, irrespective of their Christian background, whether Catholic or Protestant, Anglican or Baptist.
By his example, he also maintained his deep concern about the harmful effects of alcohol. I will not get into the issue of raffles and other matters. We pray that God will richly bless his retirement and give Johno and his wife, Pauline, many happy years ahead to enjoy their family: four children and eight grandchildren. God bless you, Johno Johnson.
The Hon. DOUG MOPPETT [11.49 a.m.]: I humbly claim one small distinction in this debate, which is that on the auspicious occasion to which others have referred, when the Hon. Johno Johnson was sworn in as a member of this House, I was sitting as a member. All honourable members know the reason why I do not dispute the claim that the effluxion of time since then has rightly given to Johno Johnson the mantle of father of the House. But I was certainly there and, in common with everyone else who was present, I was impressed with the portents of this interesting man who came into the House. I might add that, in anticipation of this debate, I telephoned his former colleagues Jack Doohan and Sir John Fuller, who particularly asked me to extend their best wishes to Johno and to acknowledge the high esteem in which they hold him.
Thinking back on those days, I can clearly remember that there was a quick change in office—I think some other speaker has referred to that—and I went swiftly from the Government benches to the Opposition benches. Johno took up his place in the Government corner of the Chamber. He was a dark-haired man who in many ways would have been seen as quiet and unobtrusive. He was not given to fulminating speeches or vacuous statements of presumed party policy, but what he was notable for was his acerbic wit in interjections. The interjections were quite remarkable: I do not think anyone has ever quite taken over that role. His interjections were particularly noteworthy in that they never deteriorated into being garrulous arguments across the House. I suppose that was one of his fastidious habits. He was always in top shape and he always had his mind on everything that was going on. He listened to everything and he was a master of repartee. It was certainly a pleasure to hear the little interjections that he made from time to time.
I immediately discerned that he had that unmistakable look of country shrewdness about him. We got on very well, swapping yarns about the bush, his experiences from travelling around on behalf of the union, coming to Coonamble, and stories of various prominent people in the retail trade and of trade union delegates or shop stewards who were around the bush. As many people have said, it was not hard to establish a friendship with Johno Johnson. I think that everyone could find some point of contact where they had a great deal in common with him. Despite his effervescent and generous nature to which everyone has referred, which therefore made people vulnerable to his advances with raffle tickets, I must say that I quickly learned how to detect a particular look on his face and assiduously avoided the raffle tickets as much as I could.
I thought it was my bounden duty as a member of the National Party organisation not to subscribe money that I knew was certainly going to go to the coffers of the ALP. Nevertheless, I guess I compromised my principles because among the merchandise that he had for sale, which no-one has mentioned, he also had a brand of tea—Fortnum and Mason's royal blend—which came in beautiful big containers. I would have to say that the Moppett household survived on that wonderful supply of tea, no doubt to the benefit of the ALP but thanks to Johno Johnson and his skills in the retail industry.
Johno is a raconteur par excellence. I do not think I have ever known anyone who has such a range of stories on human experience and life as Johno. One often associates with someone who is a raconteur a little stretching of the truth all the time, but in other matters Johno had the most precise mind about matters historical, whether they were matters of state and public and affairs going back into history or whether it was biblical and hagiographic details. Not so long ago the Treasurer was in full flight and had to quickly refer to Johno Johnson for the meaning of some precise terms that related to their common faith. Johno, just like a dictionary, came out with the precise reason for the distinction that is made between orders and religious communities, if I remember correctly.
Johno has a remarkable awareness of the history of the ALP and of public affairs that has affected us all. He has told stories in a way that gives extraordinary insights into, and understanding of, the affairs that have shaped our lives. I shared one of those innumerable tales with Johno only the other day, and I am sure that many of you have heard his recounting of Jack Lang's meeting with the head of the Tariff group of insurance companies. I will not repeat it now, but if anyone wants to know just how principles sometimes are compromised in the face of a lucrative offer, it is a story well worth taking up with Johno. Since those days, when Johno was bouncing around as a pretty upstart sort of a fellow in some ways, he has achieved a comfortable eminence. We are not talking about a person who was destined to become a political leader: sometimes I think we all realise that that is an illusionary goal to pursue in life. It has some wonderful rewards, but it also has some great downsides and I believe that Johno did not particularly aspire to receive public approbation and applause. He has been a quiet worker behind the scenes and not the sort of person who one expected to become a leader of his party in this House.
As others have mentioned Johno was from the start, and has always been, a redoubtable and tenacious campaigner for the right to life movement and, if nothing else, an uncompromising and unflinchingly faithful servant of the Labor Party in this House. In the end, I think we have all respected that, even at a time when the issue at stake is something that we are arguing over vehemently. At the end of the day, loyalty is a very precious commodity, and Johno has demonstrated to us all the value of loyalty. As many people have said, he was a great President of this House. People will look back through history and perhaps the most permanent record will indeed be that of President Johnson and the distinguished way in which he carried out the duties of that office impartially, as my friend and colleague the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has said, but also with enormous dignity and gravitas. That is something for which we thank Johno and something that we have certainly admired.
Johno, you have been the very keystone of the bridge between state and church in New South Wales, between the ALP and other people in the community; a person who has a gift of communication that reaches across the artificial divides in society—if we can call them artificial, because they are man made. Johno has reached to the heart of things in human nature and acted as a flux between people who might otherwise have been very much at odds with each other. You have been a catalyst in great events, although perhaps not the person who had the carriage of the business at the time, and I am sure that those who have had the carriage of great events appreciated your help. The Minister at the table, the Special Minister of State, has referred to the traumatic passage of legislation which was under his control. I am sure he would join me in acknowledging that in the passage of these great events people such as Johno Johnson are needed to act as catalysts or, to put it in perhaps more banal terms, to oil the wheels of change.
Johno has a philosophy that has been distilled out of unfathomable faith and unshakeable beliefs which were combined with the experience of life in a wide range of circumstances. He sits there now, his silver hair gilded with nobility, distinguished among his peers and revered by all who knew him. I can only sum up my thoughts, as I am wont to do, in Shakespearean terms and say of Johno:
His life was gentle, and the elements
So mix’d in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world,
“This was a man!”
The Hon. CARMEL TEBBUTT (Minister for Juvenile Justice, Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth, and Minister Assisting the Minister for the Environment) [12.01 p.m.]: It is with pleasure that I speak in support of the motion of tribute to Johno Johnson. The fact that Johno can engender the sort of speech we heard from the Hon. Doug Moppett, a member from the other side of this House, is a mark of the respect that all members of this House have for Johno, and an indication of what he has been able to achieve in his time in this place. I want to talk briefly in particular on behalf of the generation of younger people who have come through the Labor Party, for whom Johno provided support and in respect of whom he played an important role as mentor.
Speaking from my own perspective, I first met Johno when attending an ALP State conference—yes, he did sell raffle tickets and, of course, run the canteen. Many a ham sandwich and jam roll I had from that canteen! When I first met Johno I was a young "leftie". In Young Labor we played our factional politics pretty hard. I viewed Johno as an icon of the Labor Party, but also of the right. I viewed him with probably some scepticism, or perhaps even some suspicion, initially. I have to say that over the years I have come to appreciate the important role that Johno played, both in the party and in Parliament, but in particular in assisting young people in the party and acting as mentor. He did that without factional favour.
There are a number of issues on which Johno and I have significantly disagreed over the years. Johno has never been backward in making his views known to me, but it has not stopped him from offering me support and advice, and the benefit of his wisdom. I know that I was not the only young person in the party who benefited from that. I certainly had the benefit of his advice on many occasions, both prior to entering Parliament and after I was elected to this House. There have been many late nights when I have sat on the benches in this Chamber and Johno has come up to sit beside me and give me the benefit of his views on both parliamentary and political matters. My ability to involve myself in the operation of this House and my ability to contribute to debate have been greatly enriched as a result of those evenings when Johno shared his knowledge with me.
I am not sure I needed his advice that "You don't take home the silver salt and pepper shakers and the cutlery from Parliament House." I think I probably could have worked that one out for myself, but the rest of Johno's advice was very well received. A number of people have spoken about the fact that Johno never gives up; that he is patient and persistent. My own personal experience certainly bears that out. There is one thing that Johno certainly never gives up on, and that is people he believes have not "kept the faith", as he puts it. I have had that conversation with Johno on many occasions and received the benefit of his views about the importance of keeping the faith. On the birth of my son recently I received a card and present from Johno for Nathan. In the card, which was addressed to Nathan, was written, "Keep the faith. Both, that is. Your parents will explain this to you later." He is still not giving up. He has given me the task of explaining to Nathan exactly what he means.
Johno, I just want to say thank you for what you have given to the party, thank you for what you have given to this Parliament, and thank you for what you have given to a whole generation of young people who have, as I said, benefited from your knowledge, your wisdom and your support. Many people will say many wonderful things about you during this tribute, but I know there are many people who are not able to make a contribution. On their behalf I say thank you. You have been a wonderful mentor to many young people during your time in the party and you have given a lot. Thank you, Johno.
The Hon. Dr ARTHUR CHESTERFIELD-EVANS [12.04 p.m.]: I feel that, as a relative newcomer, I am not as well qualified as many in this House to speak of Johno. Certainly he loomed as a fearsome figure of power, and yet a disarmingly personable and kind man. I suppose I regarded him as fearsome also because he was such a tower of the smoking ethos. In respect of the difficulties I encountered when trying to get action from any government—this one included—about that very important issue, I must confess I did not feel that Johno was an ally to any degree. It is difficult for most of us to believe that members of the Labor right are human beings at all! To find someone with the warmth that Johno exudes was really quite extraordinary. I could confide in him, but I would suddenly think to myself: "Hang on. Be a realist. He is, after all, in the Labor right."
Geoff Rutledge, who worked for me briefly before he moved to Canberra, was a young, enthusiastic and very clever fellow. I am sure if Geoff had been a member of the Labor Party, Johno would have been looking after him with great energy—which I hope to do when the Democrats assume office. Geoff ran into Johno in the john and Johno said. "How are you, brother?" Geoff said, "Well thanks, Mr Johnson." Johno said, "What does everyone call me around here, brother?" Geoff said, "Johno." Johno said, "Well, you call me 'Johno' and don't call me 'Mr Johnson' again." That illustrates his warmth and lack of pretentiousness. I am sure he is very good at nurturing talent. In a sense that is what a political party needs, the idea that if you are tough you will survive. In the end, a party that eats its own has a short-term and not very intelligent view.
Someone who nurtures talent performs a very valuable function. I envy Johno's talent in that regard. The humanity he displays is something we should all aspire to. His dignity in the House is an interesting contrast to his warmth outside the House. He brings a formality to the House that has been less noticeable in those who have followed him as President of this Chamber. That perhaps demonstrates the influence of individual personalities in the running of the House. By the time I was elected to the Legislative Council Johno was no longer President and only deputised for the President on occasions. What I will remember most about Johno is his humanity. I wish him well in the future. I hope that he quits smoking and has a long and healthy life.
The Hon. PATRICIA FORSYTHE [12.08 p.m.]: I, too, wish to join in this motion of tribute to the Hon. Johno Johnson. I, like everyone else who has spoken, will also breach the forms of the House. It would be impossible to speak about the Hon. John Johnson other than as "Johno". It is somewhat ironic because when he presided over this House he would undoubtedly have expected us to observe the forms of the house, and the instructions he gave. However, I suspect that today none of us can refer to him other than as Johno. I spent three years in Parliament House as an adviser, prior to being elected to Parliament. That was during the period when Johno was President of this Chamber. In my role I would sit in the seats set aside for advisers and departmental officers on the other side of the gate and observe what was going on in the House. In that role I had an opportunity to see the way that Johno presided over the House—with tremendous dignity, authority and presence. I do not think any of us will forget that.
If as Johno goes out of this place today we forget his legacy and the lessons, for all the good words said about him his place in this House will count for little, when it should count for very much. As I was driving home from Parliament at 3 o'clock one morning last week I listened to the radio broadcast of the present session's last debate in the House of Representatives. A member was lamenting the loss of the forms of the House. He spoke about the loss of the tradition of members coming into the House while the speaker ahead of them was well and truly on his or her feet, and remaining in the House until the next speaker had completed his or her speech, so that if a member wished to make an observation about what had just been said, the member who said it would be present to hear that comment. I then started to think about the number of traditions of this House that have gradually been eroded over the 10 years that I have been a member of this place.
I suspect that such an erosion of the traditions of the House would not have occurred in the period from 1978 to 1991 when Johno Johnson was President, nor, I suspect, in the period immediately afterwards. We give up the forms of the House at our own peril. Rules and traditions are important because they provide some guidance—even in the use of the honorific, although the member who prefers to avoid using it is not present in the Chamber. The retention of those rules and traditions—for example, the concept of "honourable member"—provides some form of impartiality in the way in which we deal with one another. I learnt some of these lessons from talking to Johno during my early days as a member of this place.
As we mark Johno's leaving this House today, we should note the strong contribution he made towards establishing and strengthening many of the traditions of the House. It is perhaps not ironic that when he was elected as President in 1978 he was the youngest President ever elected in a House of such long tradition, as 1978 marked the time when the first members elected through the democratic process came into this House. It was therefore appropriate that at that time a younger person be elected as President, to symbolise that the House was changing from being a place of rather ancient traditions to being part of modern democratic traditions.
I suppose Johno will by now have forgiven me. Being part of the class of 1991, my very first act in this House after being sworn in was to vote in the ballot for President. Johno will appreciate that, being a good member of the Liberal Party, I did not vote for him as President. It was only upon hearing a comment that Johno made to some of us last week that I actually understood the strength of the reasons behind his belief that he had been betrayed at that time. The word "betrayal" was used a lot during the weeks following that period. I will not go through the details of what occurred at that time, but clearly Johno understood that the word "betrayal" had been attributed to him. I am not aware of the background to that, but at least I now understand why Johno felt as deeply as he appeared to feel at that time.
As other members have said, in many ways Johno is a very gentle person. While he has been referred to as having been a mentor for members of the Labor Party, as each of us has come to this Parliament he has taken an opportunity to provide some guidance and wisdom, and that will be missed by members who follow. I hope that someone will take up the mantle of providing that wise, elder statesman role, because I think it is valuable to all of us.
I do not recall ever having succumbed to the raffle temptation. As most members know, that is the only form of gambling I have from time to time been persuaded to accept; I otherwise do not support gambling, as other members of the House also do not support it. Until I heard the Hon. Ron Dyer earlier, I was always fearful that if I bought a ticket it would be very embarrassing if I won. I did not appreciate that it was not a risk at all. However, like so many others, I succumbed to the temptation at Christmas time by buying the Father Mac's Puddings. I think one year Johno persuaded me to buy three or four, and I think we were still eating Christmas puddings in our house as the next Christmas approached. So there are certain traditions that we will look upon with great fondness.
I say to Johno, I hope you have a long and happy retirement. You will be missed in this place. If a mark of your leaving is that people on all sides can speak of you with fondness, given what you said when you arrived in the House about having no sense of anger, I think you will have lived up to everything you wanted.
The Hon. JAN BURNSWOODS [12.45 p.m.]: I wish to briefly pay tribute to Johno on his forthcoming retirement. In the 30-odd years that I have known Johno I suppose we have disagreed on many more matters than we have agreed on. As a member of the left and also as a feminist, Johno and I have certainly fought our battles and disagreed on a large number of matters.
The Hon. Duncan Gay: Johno's not a feminist.
The Hon. John Jobling: When did Johno become a feminist?
The Hon. JAN BURNSWOODS: I would certainly concur with those members; I have never regarded Johno as a feminist. Part of the strength of the Australian Labor Party relates to the ability of its members to jog along together despite the fiercest disagreements, and Johno is one of the people who displays that ability. The party's strength also relates to its strong sense of history and the ability of its members to, in a funny way, celebrate disagreements. It is now possible, for example, to sit around and reminisce about the great disagreements we have had, and Johno in reminiscing mood is a very good person to have those conversations with.
Like other members, I too have been part of Johno's fundraising events, his raffles, and so on. I have always firmly believed that only about once in every 10 years did he permit a member of the left to win any of his raffles. Certainly I have never been one of those lucky people. As the Hon. Ron Dyer said, not only was it difficult for any member of the left to win one of Johno's raffles, there was certainly a shade of political correctness that Johno insisted on before he would even contemplate it.
The main thing I wanted to say about Johno, which has also been said about other people, relates to his ability to deal with people on an individual level quite differently from the way he deals with them in political argument. I have certainly been aware of the role Johno has played, both here and elsewhere, in offering advice and practical help to individuals. In some cases where it was necessary to help individuals and very firmly read the riot act to other individuals, Johno, as a friend and a helper, was a strong person. He also demonstrated that strength in saying to some people that, for example, if they did not change their behaviour they would not be here for very much longer. A number of people, both in this Parliament and out of this Parliament, owe him a debt in that regard.
Another word that has been used consistently today in speaking about Johno is "loyalty". Certainly loyalty is John's most notable attribute. I am an ex-Catholic. Many years ago, like many other members of the left, Johno tried to convert me. If you were still a Catholic in the left, he tried to convert you to the right; if you were a lapsed Catholic, he tried to convert you back to Catholicism. I guess if he had ever succeeded, he would then have tried to convert you to the right. Johno never gave up that quality of loyalty to his church, his party and all the other causes he believes in. I have also observed that quality of loyalty in Johno's campaigning commitment and the assistance he has given to campaigns I have been associated with, in ensuring that the people and the causes he believes in win.
I suppose the other side of that quality of loyalty is demonstrated by how seriously Johno takes people who have not shown such a quality or whose behaviour he does not believe in. I think one of Johno's watchwords would be, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." I have had some experience of his commitment to that view, and I thank him for his loyalty and the assistance he has given over the years.
The Hon. JENNIFER GARDINER [12.20 p.m.]: Years ago when I was the Country Party's research officer I felt it was part of my self-described job description to go down to Sussex Street from time to time to suss out whatever was going on there. I used to swipe copies of the Labor newspaper and various other bits of propaganda to read and report to my masters on what nasty things the Labor Party was saying about my party. Unlike the Hon. Doug Moppett, who has succumbed to royal blend tea, I can say that to the best of my recollection I have never committed the treacherous act of eating Labor Party chocolate.
The Hon. Doug Moppett: For you, that is really something.
The Hon. JENNIFER GARDINER: It is. I thank Johno for all the courtesies he extended to me over the years, long before I was a member of this Parliament—when he was the Presiding Officer and ever since. I really hope that the nurturing role that he took on, and still does take on, with young people in the Labor Party continues for generations to come to introduce to this Parliament people of his ilk, people who do not ostentatiously throw their weight around and become ogres in people's minds but who understand the significance of what we can contribute to public life in our political party in more subtle and decent ways.
After Johno was no longer the President of the Legislative Council he was assigned to many parliamentary committees, and he was a very conscientious committee member: Woe betide anyone who turned up late or who did not have a good attendance record. One of the committees that both he and I served on was a joint committee to look at reforms to the electoral Act. This goes back to the maiden speech that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition referred to and Johno's belief in public funding of election campaigns. It became obvious that Johno and I might be able to work together to improve funding under the electoral Act for the benefit of our respective parties. Regardless of what anyone else thought about this project, he and I worked on that. I agreed to talk to my masters—we were in government at the time and he was in opposition—and to work together with him. I took the issue seriously, found out what Cabinet minutes look like, and wrote a document which I called a Cabinet minute and sent it off to the leaders of the Liberal and National parties.
Some time later at a joint parties meeting I was amazed to discover a briefing note in the pile of documents indicating that Cabinet had agreed to the amendment to the law. I congratulated the Cabinet on its pragmatism and foresight in supporting the proposal. The Premier looked sheepish, went pink and said, "There is no point in congratulating me; I got rolled in Cabinet on this." But the rest of the members of Cabinet saw the wisdom of the Gardner-Johno amendment to the election funding Act and it passed into law. It was one of those nights in this place when there were no speeches: the second reading speech was incorporated and nobody else spoke. Johno and I sat there on the backbench together grinning broadly. I remember him saying, "It doesn't do to gloat on your victories." We just sat there quietly as our handiwork went through the Parliament. Thanks, Johno, for all those friendships you have extended to me and to my colleagues. We wish you and Mrs Johnson every happiness in your retirement.
The Hon. JOHN RYAN [12.23 p.m.]: I know that the Hon. John Johnson is a very humble man and the last thing he would want is for the debate to be extended unnecessarily. I had the opportunity to observe the Hon. John Johnson initially as President from behind the golden gate, as the Hon. Patricia Forsythe said earlier, and I can assure the House that I was given plenty of advice about sartorial elegance. You made sure that you did not turn up without a coat on. You felt just as well under the control of the President behind the gate as you would have in front of it, so strong was the Hon. John Johnson's adherence to and respect for the traditions of the House. I must say that before I came to the Parliament I had come to the conclusion that the Hon. John Johnson was something of a cranky old man. I have changed my view enormously on that, having had the opportunity to interact with him as a colleague. I found him to be nothing other than a perfect gentleman. He has exhibited many aspects of being a Christian gentleman that I would hope to incorporate in my life and to reflect upon as well.
One of the things I have always appreciated from the Hon. John Johnson is his capacity to walk across the political divide and compliment people on the opposite side of politics for a job well done. On many occasions after I have given a speech in this place, made a suggestion or made some contribution to public life the Hon. John Johnson has been among the first to offer some sort of compliment for that effort. Like many other members, I too have fallen prey to his sales. He found my weakness: collecting commemorative plates. One of the things that is buried away out of sight in the Ryan household is a plate commemorating the centenary of the Labor Party. It is among my memorabilia for my grandchildren to find. It was the Hon. John Johnson who sold it to me. I am sure that I paid a premium for that plate, and I hope that one day it is worth every cent.
Like all other members, I have observed many miracles in this place associated with the life of the Hon. John Johnson. I think he must have entered this Parliament roughly around the time that the motor vehicle that he drives every day was made. I had a ride in that vehicle and I must say that we just made it to St Mary's Cathedral for a mass—I forget what the auspicious occasion was but the Hon. John Johnson offered me a lift. After observing his driving and its interaction with the operation of the vehicle I have to say that it is a modern miracle that the man is still on the road safely today. One of the other parts of this Parliament that I expect will experience some relief when the Hon. John Johnson leaves is the airconditioning system. As the Hon. John Johnson's neighbour, he and I have enjoyed the odd cigarette together—even though he was unaware of the fact that I was enjoying the same experience.
Having become a member, one of my first tasks in this Parliament was to participate in an election which took the Hon. John Johnson from the presidency. The Hon. Patricia Forsythe mentioned this. But one of the great miracles I saw occur after that, which must have been just about the equivalent of the building of the pyramids, was the removal of material that the Hon. John Johnson had stored in the presidential office so that it was suitable for the habitation of his incurably neat successor, the Hon. Max Willis. One of the things taken from the office at the time—I have not seen it but I have heard it extolled on many occasions—was a liquor collection. People knew that he was a great collector of this sort of memorabilia and delegations from overseas made a special effort to ensure that they brought something to Australia with them to dine in the President's office and to contribute to the collection.
I only hope that that national treasure is somewhere. I guess members of his family will read this and will ensure that that collection somehow or other is preserved in the National Estate. It is a phenomenally precious piece of Australian memorabilia and ought to be preserved somewhere, in a photograph if nothing else. I am a great respecter of the contribution that the Hon. John Johnson has made to this Chamber. I can testify to the fact that he never gives up on anything. I am a convert to the Protestant faith. Since I was educated a Catholic he believes he still has me. I am regularly informed by the Hon. John Johnson that because I was baptised Catholic I have never been lost to the Catholic faith. I only hope that if I am wrong in my change of faith he is right. In any event, I have respected the manner in which the Hon. John Johnson has conducted himself. He is worth every bit of the tribute he has received from all sides of the House. One humble thing I can take from him is the Christian manner in which he has conducted himself in interacting with other members of this House. It is worthy of copying and if it is a piece of the Hon. John Johnson that remains in this House after he leaves it will be a great legacy indeed.
The Hon. AMANDA FAZIO [12.30 p.m.]: I first encountered the Hon. John Johnson in 1997 when I joined the Young Labor right caucus of the Australian Labor Party. At first he was very wary of me, and for a number of reasons. I think he thought I looked like a left-winger. When he talked to me about some issues I think he thought I was a left-winger. He thought I was a bit bolshie, maybe that I was a feminist, and he was definitely suspicious of me because, unlike some of the other women in the Young Labor right caucus at that time, I did not always have matching shoes and handbags and I certainly did not always wear make-up. I was a bit of an oddity in the Young Labor right caucus.
I must say, having met Johno there, and having also met there his nephew Tony Iffland, with whom I still remain friends to this day, I came to understand the importance of the Labor Party to Johno's family, not just his immediate family but to his extended family. They were all Labor supporters, and they were all very proud of that, and of being involved in the Labor Party, and contributing was second nature to them.
Like many members, I have had my differences with Johno. We have some very different views on a lot of social and moral issues but, as John Della Bosca is inclined to say, the ALP is a broad church and there are many people with many different opinions who happily coexist within it because they have a strong support for the party's broader aims and objectives. I was not raised a Catholic, and Johno has never tried to convert me, maybe because he knows that my dad was in the Masons and that my mother's folks were in the Orange Lodge. In those circumstances I was pretty lucky that Johno even spoke to me! One of the things that has to be mentioned is that even though Johno was very strong in his support of the Roman Catholic religion, he was also very understanding of other people's rights to have strong beliefs in their own religions.
Johno gave support to candidates in the party regardless of their faction, religious beliefs or anything else. If you were an ALP candidate and you asked Johno, in his capacity as party fundraiser, for fundraising assistance he was very generous. He assisted everybody. If, as one candidate did, you started off with a lot of money and bought a raffle prize and then could not sell the tickets, Johno might give you a bit of an earful about how silly you had been, but he would then pull out all stops to make sure that all the tickets were sold. He has always been very generous in that regard, and I do not think anybody could ever question his overall commitment to ensuring that all ALP candidates got a fair shake from him.
Lots of people have mentioned the role that Johno has played in mentoring people within the party. I see that as Johno giving back to the party some of the opportunities he was given when he first joined the ALP, because he received the benefit of wisdom and advice from other party members. That is something we should really be paying attention to today because it is something that he has done to a far greater extent than a lot of other people, particularly by comparison with a lot of his contemporaries.
I was lucky to have benefited from assistance from some former members of this Chamber—the Hon. Clive Healey, the Hon. Dorothy Isaksen and the Hon. Kath Anderson—and in the same way Johno had his group of people that he looked after, that he mentored, that he got involved with and that he encouraged. Even though some of those people are not still particularly active in the ALP they are always strong ALP supporters. If push comes to shove and we need a bit of a help in some campaigns, those people respond to the call because Johno assisted them earlier. That assistance has not just been in political terms, it has also helped them to advance their careers and in other ways.
Because of all his hard work for the party, Johno is held in very high regard by the ordinary members of the party. It is not just that he is important in the ALP office in Sussex Street, or just that he is important in Macquarie Street. Rather, he is known for his tireless work for the party, such as going to every country conference and assisting all of our country candidates. When you meet country party people they always ask, "How's Johno going? Is he alright? Is he still running all the raffles? Is he still working hard?" That is because everybody knows that he has contributed so much; and he has not just based his efforts in the city, he has tried to look after party members everywhere.
In wishing Johno a happy retirement I know he will not sit back and relax. That is not within his nature. He will no doubt spend more time with his family, but he will also spend time at the Randwick Labor Club, an organisation with which he has been involved for many years and that he has helped to develop to its present stage. When you drive past the club in Randwick you will see that it is expanding. It is an excellent club and Johno's commitment to assisting it is commendable.
I have been a member of the party's rules committee for a very long time, as has the Hon. Jan Burnswoods. Now that Johno is retiring from public office there is no impediment under the ALP New South Wales branch rules to Johno being nominated for life membership of the ALP. I can honestly say that in my nearly 10 years of processing nominations for life membership in the party, I could not think of anyone who has earned it more than Johno. He has contributed to the party through his activities in the union movement; he has contributed to the party through his fundraising; he has contributed to the party through his parliamentary career; he honestly is a tireless worker.
On election nights at the ALP office after all the results have been phoned through and everybody else has gone home, there would often just be Johno and me left: I am a lot younger than Johno and I would be there thinking, "I wish I could go home," but Johno would still be working. We would clean up so that when people came back in the next morning to make sure the scrutineering teams were ready and everything else was ready to go, they would not walk into an office littered with empty beer bottles, wine bottles, drink cans and all sorts of food and a terrible mess. The worst thing of all was that I think for a long time that sort of work was left for Johno to do on his own. Everybody else would swan off into the night.
The Hon. John Ryan: He was the only one sober!
The Hon. AMANDA FAZIO: He might have been the only one who was sober, but he was also the only one practical enough to know the cleaning up had to be done. When Johno goes we will all miss his practical way of thinking and applying his mind to issues. There are so many people with airy fairy ideas here and in the party, but with Johno you get straight talking and practical advice.
For all the efforts that Johno has made I am looking forward to him being awarded life membership at a future ALP conference, provided he wants to accept it, because some people want to wait a bit longer. I do not think anybody else has earned it more. When Johno is granted life membership I hope the party gives him the honour of making the response on behalf of all life members, because that will be a speech well worth hearing.
The Hon. IAN COHEN [12.37 p.m.]: On behalf of the Greens I support the motion of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. I will speak briefly because I feel that my relative short time in this Chamber—I have known Johno Johnson for six years now—is very little compared to the time that Johno has shared with so many people in what has really been a significant part of the history of this Chamber.
As one who I suppose is on the other side of the great divide—politically, socially and on many moral issues—I have always felt there has been a significant degree of trust with Johno. I was offered advice by Johno very early in the piece, and it was essential to my survival. I must say that when I first came into this Chamber I had very little idea about certain issues that could have got me into significant trouble. Johno, you gave me that advice, and you have since generously given advice to others, with no self-interest at all. From very early on you clearly indicated that you would be a trusted confidante, despite the fact that I was in another political party. On a human level you very selflessly offered your resources to me as a very wise counsel in this Chamber, and that is something that I have certainly appreciated very much.
From those early days you addressed me as "brother", which everyone would agree is an indication of your universal magnanimous spirit. And although we had our disagreements you made me feel that I was included as part of the functioning of this place and that in my own way I could uphold the strength of this House and the dignity of being one of its elected members. It always comes to mind when I think of you, and it always will, that on any given day when I may be feeling full of angst about your Government, other issues, or my personal life, you consistently answered my inquiry "How are you going, Johno?" with "Wonderful". That consistency struck a chord in my mind.
As a member of the Standing Committee on State Development I got to know you quite well. Today it is a pity that the Hon. Tony Kelly and the Hon. Dr Brian Pezzutti, both of whom are members of that committee, are overseas on the business of that committee. While travelling to country towns you related stories which, as a minor student of history, I found entertaining and illuminating and a fascinating snapshot of your past and of Labor's history. Obviously Labor's history is of great interest to the Greens; we understand and acknowledge the foundation of the political systems in Australia.
I was amazed at the stories you related about your visits to most of the State's country towns. In each town you pointed out some retail premises that you had visited as a union delegate and where you had had discussions with the workers. You always recognised some architectural feature in country towns, such as Orange, and pointed it out to those of us with far less experience. You afforded me wonderful opportunities to learn about something new and different, including your background as a Labor activist and then moving on to becoming a member of Parliament.
Occasionally on those car trips and occasionally in this House we have debated our religious and philosophical differences. I was quite taken by the fact that despite my occasionally being quite insulting within my realm of belief, and quite clearly being at odds with you, you showed absolutely no rancour. Our differences passed over, like a wave, and we moved on to the next set of issues that we would debate and argue—and still you called me "brother".
I admit that I attacked some of the very basic premises of your beliefs. A short time ago in this House you asked me for a copy of my private member's bill on euthanasia, which I dutifully did, imagining what you would do with it behind the scenes. Nevertheless, I handed it over obediently. I would not dare withhold it, and I would not want to. We have had many productive talks, but perhaps the shortest was when I presented you a media release in reply to Archbishop Jensen's opinion of those who would seek euthanasia in our society. He said that, overwhelmingly, euthanasia would be inappropriate because people "are moral pygmies", to use his words. I attempted to engage you in an in-depth, philosophical debate, but it came to an abrupt end. There was no doubt about it, you simply said that you were right and I was wrong, and that there was nothing more to be said on the matter.
I accept that, and I accept that we have had many differences, yet we have shared much in the short six years that I have known you. It has been an honour to know you and it has been an honour to work with you, especially on the Standing Committee on State Development. You have been an inspiration and I wish you well in your retirement. As a Green I have been treated very generously by you in my time in this Parliament.
The Hon. HENRY TSANG [12.45 p.m.]: I pay my respects to the Hon. Johno Johnson. Many honourable members have mentioned that he is a good man, and I add that he is a gentleman. In the Chinese tradition he is a great Mandarin. In the Chinese tradition a good Mandarin is measured by the way he looks after his family. We have all heard wonderful stories about Johno's children and grandchildren, and about how he looks after his family. A true Mandarin also looks after his clan very well. Johno looks after two clans, the Australian Labor Party and the Catholic faith—and he balances them both very well. A true Mandarin also looks after his nation, and I emphasise that Johno looks after his nation.
The Australian Chinese community often say that we chose to come to Australia because of its democratic system. Only in this lucky country, Australia, can a working man rise to the prestigious position of President of the Legislative Council. It does not matter what one's background is, when one is appointed as President of this Chamber one is respected. We are lucky that an Australian from any walk of life can be chosen to do that job, and Johno did it very well. Johno's reputation is an indication that in our democratic system a person can serve in the Labor Party, and be respected by the left and by the crossbenchers. That is unique.
In another country, one would have to die to attain that respect. At the end of one's political life in another country, one is likely to be divorced and a broken man, but hopefully when one dies there one's enemies would keep quiet about the wrongs that one may have done. Instead, Johno sits there smiling at the remarks by members of the crossbenches, the left, and me, a novice who has been here only two years. I have come to respect Johno.
When I first came here you were tough towards me, and I did not like it. I wanted to come into the House without a tie, as my friend the Hon. Ian Cohen does. Johno said to me, "Henry, you are a Labor Party man, you have to dress well." So, I wear a tie; he won. Johno told me that I must remember that I am here as an elected member of Parliament, nothing else. He told me to forget that I am a community leader, forget that I have a community to serve, but remember that I am a member of Parliament. That went down well with me, and I have learned to say no to my community when Parliament is sitting. It is good to remember that we are here to serve the Parliament. Johno, thank you for the hard lessons you have given me in the past two years. But more than anything else, I thank you for enabling me to tell the community that Australia is truly a democratic country, because one can be a member of Parliament and still be praised by one's enemies.
The Hon. DAVID OLDFIELD [12.50 p.m.]: I have just finished my second year as a member of this House, and of course Johno has been here for 26 years—much longer than I would expect to have the chance to be a member of a place such as this. Whilst I have no direct knowledge of those 26 years, I have no doubt from everything that I have heard that Johno has earned the great respect of everyone.
I understand there are three things you are not supposed to discuss in mixed company. I cannot remember the other two, but I have not been stopped from talking about anything with anybody. In my two years here I have never discussed politics with Johno, so I am not sure where we may differ. Certainly my Uncle Ted, who was an ALP member of Parliament, was more in line with Johno than I presume I am.
In my short time been here I have found Johno extremely friendly. Though, as I have said, we have never had a political discussion or discussed anything particularly philosophical, I have always tried—though sometimes I have failed—to treat people as they treat me. I am sure Johno is very familiar with, and would uphold, the concept of doing unto others as they do unto you. I have tried to be respectful if people are respectful to me. When Johno and I have sat together on occasions he has, as others have said, given an almost fatherly type of advice. From everything I have heard, and from my limited knowledge of Johno, I must say that he is simply a great bloke. My experience is that he is friendly, and will chat with you about nothing of any great consequence, but I am sure that he would equally chat about things of considerable consequence. I have no doubt that his opinion on any subject would be greatly valued.
In a couple of weeks time—funny how politics brings people together—both of us are to appear on the television program Sunday. Strangely enough, we are to talk about somebody else. It was Johno who told me this was to happen. I had not known that we would be on the same Sunday program, talking about Tony Abbott. Each of us has known Tony Abbott for different reasons. Tony Abbott certainly will know about our television appearance after today. I look forward to being on that program, which I will view differently now that I know I am to speak about Tony Abbott and that Johno was selected for the same purpose. I understand that Tony nominated Johno as one of the people he wanted interviewed.
The Hon. Patricia Forsythe: He did not nominate you.
The Hon. DAVID OLDFIELD: He certainly did not nominate me—though I will not say anything unkind about him at all, because that would not be appropriate. Johno is a great bloke and I wish him well in his retirement. Frankly, I am sorry to see him leave this place. He goes at a time of his choosing, which is as much as anyone could really ask for. Though he has chosen the time, I am sorry to see him go. I have enjoyed our little chats at different times on different subjects. I am grateful for his friendly approach, his friendly conversation, and indeed his friendship, which has grown in the short time that I have been here. Good luck, Johno. I hope you enjoy many, many, many years of retirement. I hope your life membership of the ALP goes on well into your centenary year.
The Hon. IAN MACDONALD (Parliamentary Secretary) [12.53 p.m.]: I remember when I came to New South Wales in 1978 as a sort of luminary from the south. I was thrust into the New South Wales branch of the party from the very—
The Hon. Charlie Lynn: Sheltered reaches of the Victorian ALP.
The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: Yes, it would have been somewhat sheltered. But, from the far left of the Victorian Labor Party I came to New South Wales. The two people responsible for getting me to New South Wales were Senator Arthur Gietzeldt and Jack Ferguson, who was the Deputy Premier at the time. They gave me something of a briefing on the powerhouses of the right, and how we had to tackle right-wing members. They all had nicknames–Richo, Bazza, Bruva, and of course Johno the Grocer. I was given great detail about the power of the right and its control of the party, and I was told, "Ian, we've got to do something to break their control."
It seemed that through this mentoring process that everyone has spoken about, the right were able to recreate themselves year in and year out. So I am not sure that I would praise that mentoring process as much as others have! I had heard so much about the power of the New South Wales right that it was with some trepidation that I had my first meetings with Johno. That was when I was campaign director for Barton. I thought, perhaps, that an exclusion policy would be operating and that the left would get very little. I was very surprised: I went into the storehouse at Sussex Street where Johno was presiding. Like Doug, I had the opportunity to get a whole lot of bits and pieces for our raffles and what have you.
I must admit that I developed a liking for Fortnum and Mason tea at the time. But I remember also that the store had a smell of curry, because the biggest item in stock was Fortnum and Mason curry. My mother had given me a taste for curry—curried sausages based on Keen's curry. Having experienced Fortnum and Mason curry courtesy of Johno, I got a liking for perhaps finer curries.
Johno helped us with a labour-saving device that saved us heaps of money. It was too obscure for me to go into now, but it worked. He also gave us a lot of advice about raffles. I thought this was a rather strange situation: here was this person that I had an image of as rather ferocious towards left-wingers, even if in a gentle way, but who at the same time was full of advice and encouragement. So I learnt right from the beginning that perhaps there was more to Johno than we had thought at the time.
For 12 years I never bought one raffle ticket from Johno. From conferences between about 1978 to 1990 I and most of the left used to walk past raffle stands, thinking that somehow these raffles were a bit of a right-wing plot. As a consequence, we weren't suckered in like John Ryan and others who have contributed to this debate; we just wouldn't buy them! Of course, to keep us going, we had to have raffles at our own functions. But in the nineties Johno finally got me to buy raffle tickets, and I bought the obligatory losing raffle tickets. Also, he had a very good array of books, and I started to buy some. From then on I was a participant in his various fundraising activities.
When I first came into Parliament I used to cop a heap over Frank Walker buying some bags to go overseas for a trip in 1986-87. Compared with the trips taken by members of the Greiner Government, this was a very modest trip indeed. You would have thought that the baggage would be the total demise of Frank Walker. But he became a Federal Minister. I remember the cheek of Johno Johnson in going up to Greiner and saying, "Nick, this is a bit of an issue here. We can make some money out of this. Can I raffle the baggage?" It was duly taken off to one of Johno's fundraisers for charity, and was raffled for an exorbitant and extraordinary amount of money. So, to me, some raffles had a dual meaning. That one in particular, I thought, was an amusing play on a political issue at that time.
In the 13 years that I have been a member of this place, Johno has been one of the strongest of pro-trade unionists I have ever encountered in any faction within the Labor Party or within the labour movement generally. At meeting after meeting of caucus, or at meetings of the various policy forums of the party, he has always put forward very strong policies about trade unions. I remember recently, in relation to a bill to make long service leave provisions apply to casuals of five years standing, Johno proudly announced that he had had another victory—although it had taken him 40 years from when he first started campaigning on it! Most of all I will remember Johno's fervour about workers rights: they have been a very strong and consistent theme in his political life.
A number of speakers have referred to the propriety of the House. Within a month of becoming a member of this House I wore a nice leather jacket and a tie. I thought I would participate in all the proceedings and Barney, the Whip at that time, said, "Ian, get out of this Chamber now. You will not get the call, you will not speak. You will get thrown out. Leather coats are not allowed in this Chamber." I suspect that a leather coat would be acceptable now. Johno, I am sure you will not be retiring but will be down at head office carrying out your usual duties at election time. During the Federal election campaign when we go down to head office to get posters, leaflets and how-to-vote cards Johno will be presiding over an army of Young Labor, who will be dispensing those documents fairly to all electorates. Like all honourable members, I wish you every success and happiness in your retirement.
[The President left the chair at 1.02 p.m. The House resumed at 2.15 p.m.]
The Hon. RICK COLLESS [2.15 p.m.]: As one of the newest members of this House—I have been here not quite 12 months—I would have to say that following my appointment in August last year one of the first people from the Government to congratulate me was the Hon. Johno Johnson. I had heard a lot about him, but only good news, before becoming a member of this House. People in the National Party who knew Johno told me about him. They always spoke in glowing terms and told me what a wonderful bloke he was, so I was pleased when he introduced himself to me. I clearly remember his first words were, "Welcome, mate." That epitomises the way Johno Johnson has conducted himself over the years he has been here, despite the fact that I have known him for only 12 months. I am unable to talk about the sorts of experiences other members have had, but I would like to enlarge on a small incident that happened on the day he introduced himself to me.
He said, "Rick, do you know when the Country Party was first formed?" I said, "Yes, I think I do, Johno. I believe it was in about 1920 or 1921, something like that." He said, "No, it was much earlier than that." I said, "Was it?" He said, "Yes. Come with me and I will prove it to you." He took me to the painting on the wall outside the Chamber of Arthur Phillip raising the flag on Australian soil in 1788. He said, "See, I can tell you that the Country Party was here in those days." I said, "How do you work that out, Johno?" He said, "Look at all the trees that have been cut down. You blokes have been doing that for years!" It showed me that Johno was a man of wit, humour and friendship—and I will never forget that, Johno. I would like to thank you personally for the very warm welcome you gave me when I came into the House and for the friendship you have extended to me since then.
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition referred to an article by Laurie Oakes which mentioned that Natasha Stott Despoja had been elected Leader of the Australian Democrats on the same day that the Hon. John Johnson had announced his retirement from this House. In the future when students of politics and political history look back on that day, they will probably say, "Who was the Natasha Stott Despoja who was mentioned in dispatches on the day that the Hon. John Johnson announced his retirement from the New South Wales Legislative Council?" Congratulations, Johno. I wish you and your family all the very best for a long and fruitful retirement. My friend, any time you happen to be travelling through Inverell you will always be welcome in my home.
The Hon. RICHARD JONES [2.21 p.m.]: I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak to the motion and to thank Johno for his 13½ years of friendship in this place. Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile said that Johno was respectful to all Christians. Johno was respectful to all people, not just Christians—while some Christians have not been quite so respectful to Johno. Johno actually taught me to tell the time—now I know that when the big hand is on 12 and the little hand is on eight, it is eight o'clock. Before then I had no idea! Every time we had a committee hearing Johno would remind me of the time the hearing was due to end and he would tell me when it was time for the committee to adjourn. He has been a very good timekeeper. He has forced me to miss a number of good questions!
When Johno leaves this place a large chunk of history will go with him, and I find that very distressing because Johno is an absolute fount of information, anecdotes and stories. For some years I have suggested to him that he should talk to a biographer so that his stories can be put into a book for everyone to read. I hope that we can get signed copies of the first edition, which would be a valuable edition, and no doubt the Parliamentary Library would have a calf-bound copy. Johno, please do not take all your memories with you. Talk to a biographer, get someone to record the anecdotes you have been telling us over the years. We want to read them in the future. Congratulations on a very illustrious career. The fact that so many people have spoken in this debate shows your stature in this place and how you are regarded by members from all sides. I wish you well in your non-retirement.
The Hon. JOHN JOBLING [2.22 p.m.]: I participate in this debate or, as a certain former President would say, I desire to be associated with the motion moved by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that the House note the service of Johno Johnson as both a member and the President of this House for many years. It is fair to say that Johno is a parliamentarian first and a politician second. He is a combination of both things, but he is principally a parliamentarian. That is perhaps the highest accolade that can be paid to a member of Parliament. His dedication and fairness as President were legendary.
The dignity and status of Parliament were paramount to Johno, and he believed strongly in its association with the people of New South Wales. I recall Johno's sitting in the chair and listening to the debate that transpired, sometimes a second reading speech, and then being left with the casting vote. Johno was fair in the Westminster tradition and, much to the chagrin of his colleagues, occasionally voted against his party to allow debate to continue or the bill to proceed to Committee. Johno was eminently fair and never feared making that sort of decision.
As a gatherer of intelligence in this House I suspect that Johno had no equal. He was one of those rare people who could talk to 20 or 30 people—nay I tell a lie, two or three—and, from the little snippets of information he gained, figure out the entire story and people's intentions. Experience taught him how to solve the jigsaw puzzle. I must admit that I did tell most of my colleagues, "Be very careful of Johno Johnson and of what you say to him. You mightn't think it's significant, but he's extraordinarily good and he will know what you mean—even though you haven't said it." I suspect, Johno, we will not see the like of your skills and your ability in that field again—and, for that, I must admit I am grateful. It removes a great problem. I recall with interest and great kindness Johno's sitting in the chair and dealing with recalcitrant members. He would use the dignity of the Chair and his knowledge of standing and sessional orders and sometimes even entreat members—he almost reached the stage of pleading with them—to comply with standing orders. Johno preferred not to use a heavy hand. I can think of only one occasion when that approach did not work, and Johno had the support of the entire House in the ruling that he made.
That Johno was a villain in the running of his raffles is undoubtedly true. Johno would come up with the most incredible raffles from his Aladdin's cave—I never knew how he did it and I would dearly love to know so that I may attempt to duplicate his efforts on this side of the House. I recall one occasion when I was running for preselection and Johno was raffling, of all things, a case of Grange Hermitage. Those who know wine will be familiar with Grange Hermitage and the value of that prize. Johno, with an impish smile, said to me, "Mate, brother, you'd better buy a ticket." I was sorely tempted, and Johno knew that. He said, "Look, don't worry, if you win it I won't tell anyone." Imagine running for Liberal Party preselection and its being announced that I had won a Labor Party raffle for a dozen bottles of Grange Hermitage. I rather suspect Johno would have arranged for me to win just to watch me squirm. He probably would not have told anyone and I almost regret not finding out what could have happened.
Dignity and tradition were paramount at all times in Johno's execution of his role as President. No matter who visited Parliament—whether from the diplomatic or consular corps or an overseas delegation—they were always greeted with grace, consideration and kindness. Johno was, without doubt, a great representative of the people of New South Wales. He believed strongly in the traditions of his role, which he undertook with diligence and great care. He always expressed the view that something was either true or it was not—he would often correct people about that. As to the running of Parliament and his role in it, Johno did not hesitate to express the view that the correct way was the only way—and that was how Johno did it. When Johno represented the State of New South Wales at parliamentary and community functions, one would see him wince at any breach of protocol—especially if it was committed by a colleague. Johno was a stickler for ensuring that protocol and tradition were followed correctly.
Johno is an example to all members—regardless of their political beliefs—and an embodiment of the traditions and dignity of Parliament. To that end, Johno, many of us will miss you and we are sad to see you go. We thank you for upholding the dignity of Parliament and for teaching all of us as new members what was right, what was proper and what was expected of us. As the Hon. Richard Jones said, Johno always arrived at functions on time—he was never late—and he was always ready when it was time to depart. He took the same view about the finishing and starting times of parliamentary committees—and paid close attention to the big and the little hands on the clock. Perhaps that is simply because we have moved from analogue to digital clocks, which no longer have hands. That could be used as an excuse by those who do not understand the committee requirements. I hope that Johno excuses me for borrowing his terminology when I say: Brother, I am grateful to have been here when you were a member and President. I am grateful for what you taught us. I believe that this Parliament and its traditions will be poorer upon your retirement.
The Hon. PETER PRIMROSE [2.30 p.m.]: As a member of the left of the Labor Party in this State and as Government Whip in this place, I acknowledge Johno as a deeply respected and wise friend, a guide and a trusted and hard-working colleague. However, as a member of the left I would also like to correct the record. In fact, I did win one of Johno's raffles, but I was then successfully persuaded to donate back the prize. I take this opportunity to place on the record some of the comments that have been made by people who are not members of this place—people who have asked me to make known their views of and their admiration for Johno Johnson. Sam Moreton, President of New South Wales Young Labor and researcher for Johno Johnson, writes:
The Hon "Johno" Johnson was President of Young Labor in 1961 but he never ceased his involvement in our organisation at the end of his term. Johno is about to leave the Parliament but as is his wont, he will not cease his involvement in politics nor surrender the burden of mentoring further generations of young people in politics.
In the early 1960s Johno would be found chairing Youth Council meetings in the Tower Room in Trades Hall or in his shop on Elizabeth St Paddington, replete with his trademark apron and surrounded by Young Labor Peers such as John Ducker and Deirdre Grusovin. At the commencement of the 21st century Johno is still chairing meetings in the Labor Council Building and can still be found, apron often a feature, with Young Labor gathered around soaking up the stories and advice. Johno's advice is always readily and expansively given. The recipient may not always find Johno's discourse easy to bear, but most often on reflection his message will be welcomed as on point, adopted for its discerning honesty and ignored at ones peril.
Johno is fond of saying "never forget the young".
Johno Johnson left Young Labor nearly forty years ago but never ceased to counsel the Young. He is retiring from the Legislative Council but not from politics. The present generation of Young Labor activists, like the generations before us owe Johno an enormous debt. The fruit of his labour will be born for generations to come.
Sam also asked me to convey the remarks of Damian Power, a former staffer of Johno, to show that his influence within politics is much broader than New South Wales. Damian Power wrote:
It must never be forgotten that in the dark days of the Queensland branch of the ALP that it was Johno who was given the thankless task of attempting to negotiate a workable solution to the problems the Queensland party faced as it reformed itself into a party that could win and form government after so many years in the wilderness. The victories of the Goss and Beattie Governments owe much to your often forgotten contributions. It was Peter Beattie on the night of Queensland Labor's overwhelming election victory this year who remembered that it was you Johnno who listened to him and gave him time when no one else would.
On behalf of every honourable member I simply say: Johno, well done brother.
The Hon. Dr PETER WONG [2.34 p.m.]: Even though I have known Johno Johnson for only a couple of years, he impressed me as being a humble, kind and friendly person. He is a man of great wisdom and, as has been mentioned by many honourable members, he was a great President. It appears as though he continued in that role, because since I have become a member of Parliament he has never lobbied me on any Government legislation. On many occasions I have had to seek his advice and help. I remember approaching him after the Hon. Ian Cohen issued a media release about his intention to introduce a euthanasia bill. I was assured by Johno that the numbers were on our side. No doubt, now that Johno is leaving, the numbers will be a bit shaky, but between God, Johno and Archbishop Pell I am sure we will still win.
Recently, I had the honour of being invited to dinner at Warren college, at the University of New South Wales. During that dinner I was told how many times Johno had visited the college and offered support and help to students. Johno also had a secondary agenda—that is, to recruit talented young men to join the Labor Party. I have tried to follow his example. Johno is leaving the Parliament to retire, but no doubt he will continue the work of the church, the community and the Labor Party. I do not think he will ever retire. I thank him again for the lessons that he has taught me.
The Hon. PETER BREEN [2.36 p.m.]: I know Johno Johnson as someone who welcomed me to this House as an old friend, even though he did not know me from a bar of soap. When I gave my first speech and announced my connection with St Patricks Church, at Church Hill, I felt that, as a result of that, we were friends for life. Before that I had known Johno only as the bloke at the church who sold Father Mac's Christmas puddings. To be perfectly frank, I thought he was a retired priest, which just goes to show my ignorance of politics. After I was elected to this place I discovered that we had a great number of mutual friends, not the least of whom is a certain lawyer larger than life who drove Johno and I just about crazy during his recent defamation case against Channel 7. Johno's moral principles and his regard for friendship and loyalty were severely tested during John Marsden's trial. He was genuinely distressed by the daily newspaper reports of the allegations against John, and once or twice I copped it as if Marsden's social life was somehow my responsibility. But his support for Marsden was unflinching.
When the case was successful last week, Johno was one of the first to be on the telephone and to congratulate him. In fact, it shows the collective nature of Johno's friendships. Many people on both sides of the political divide and also in various social and other circles in the community have a high regard for him. There is one thing that I will miss when Johno leaves. I will not be able to keep up with all things theological, philosophical, biblical and Irish. Without Johno's regular press clipping service, copies of book extracts and speeches, I will be condemned to a parliamentary career in a spiritual and moral vacuum. However, at least two drawers of my filing cabinet will be freed up as a result and, for that, I will be grateful. It has been a great pleasure and a privilege to know you, Johno, even though it has been for a short period. I wish you every success and good health and prosperity in your retirement.
The Hon. CHARLIE LYNN [2.38 p.m.]: I pay tribute to Johno Johnson. Since I became a member of Parliament I have had the highest regard and respect for him. I, like many other honourable members who have spoken today, had heard the name Johno Johnson, but I had never met him. When I was elected to this place I expected to meet somebody about 10 feet tall and three pick handles between the shoulder blades, because of his reputation.
Since I met and have worked with Johno I have come to understand why people from all walks of life and across the political spectrum have the highest regard for him. I came here with an Army background. Some of the stories I have heard about Johno today confirm in my mind that sergeant majors are born, not made, and they are not all necessarily in uniform. The sergeant major is the key building block of any organisation. He has a great deal of personal courage and lives by the values he espouses. He shows great compassion for the people he associates with and the community in which he lives and mentors young people coming up through an organisation. Johno fits that description.
As a previous speaker said, Johno represents an old style of leadership. I hope that old style of leadership never goes out of fashion. More progressive styles will come and, like other things, they will go. But the old-style values of honesty, truth and personal courage are enduring. Johno will long be remembered for those values and for his consistency, which other speakers have referred to. Johno also has that special quality which is part of the old-style leadership: the common touch. He keeps in touch with his local community and his constituency. By the same token, he has great vision and has mastered the art of communication. It is not often that we have great leaders who have both those qualities—the common touch and vision—and are supported by strong values. People have often asked me about Johno.
The Special Minister of State said that his commitment to his faith is his top ideal, followed by his family, then his party, and then the Parliament. During my time here I have formed a different view. I believe that the Labor Party comes first, and God second; that is the way it seems to me. It must cause him some conflict from time to time. It would be a fine line between those four values: faith, family, party and Parliament. He probably shows equal commitment to them all. Johno Johnson is the last of the old Labor warriors. As some crossbenchers who became members in recent years have said, one of the great things about coming into Parliament, even on the opposite side of politics to Johno, is the brotherly and friendly welcome you receive from him. He offers advice, counselling and mentoring regardless of who you are because he is interested in building better people. By building better people he builds a better community and a better country.
On a personal note, one of my lasting memories is of a conversation I had with Johno after my preselection. It was very tight, and I won by two votes. The next day Johno said to me, "How did you go, brother?" I said, "I got up by two votes, Johno." He said, "Brother, in this game one's a win, but two's an absolute landslide." I have never forgotten that and I have never forgotten his genuine friendship and mateship. Johno, I offer my personal best wishes to you and your family on your retirement and for the future. I regard it as an honour to have been a member of this Parliament whilst you have been here. You are a living legend. You are someone for whom I have the highest respect and regard. I hope to see you in the future. I know that you will not retire completely, and I am sure we will see you around Parliament House. It has been an honour to serve in the Parliament with someone of your stature.
The Hon. JANELLE SAFFIN [2.44 p.m.]: I have achieved what has been referred to by the Hon. Ron Dyer as a remote possibility. I have won one of Johno's raffles, and I won the big one. The Hon. Jan Burnswoods said that a left winger hardly ever won. I not only won, I achieved it as a left winger. It was a big surprise.
The Hon. Jan Burnswoods: Did you keep it?
The Hon. JANELLE SAFFIN: I did get to keep it. It was in 1995 when the Labor Party won the election and we held a celebration in the Strangers Dining Room. Johno held a huge raffle with many items, including a bottle of Grange Hermitage—which from time to time he throws in. The dining room was very crowded and noisy and I could not hear. Anthony Albanese, who was beside me, said, "That's your ticket. You've won." I could not believe it. He raced over and helped me claim the prize before Johno changed his mind. It was the only time I have ever had Grange Hermitage. I must tell you, Johno, that I drank the bottle with some Belgian chocolate. I thought it was too good to waste with food. It was very nice wine. Another item in the raffle prize was an electric frypan. It is still in its box after six years. I might give it back to Johno to include in another raffle. I look at it from time to time and remember that I won it in the raffle.
Over the years ALP members could never go to an ALP function without Johno being there with raffle tickets. The Hon. Ian Macdonald said that he resisted buying tickets because it was always said, particularly in the left, that it was a right-wing plot and if we bought tickets we were only helping the right. I am a soft touch and I have always bought tickets. Sometimes I would walk stoically past Johno in a group, but he would get me later. I have always bought tickets from him and I never won—except for that night. I could never work out the tickets and how someone could win a raffle. I would look at all the numbers and wonder what they meant. If I could not work them out, I am sure that plenty of others could not work them out either. I hate to say it, but I think it might be intentional: we are not meant to work them out.
I have parted with a lot of money over the years, particularly on Father Mac's Heavenly Puddings. Like the Hon. Patricia Forsythe, I have bought so many puddings that I end up giving them away, and I still have a stack of them in the cupboard. But Johno gets me every time. When new members are elected to Parliament Johno gives them advice. His very good and practical advice can keep you out of trouble. Being a member here is not like working in a regular workplace. There are unwritten rules. Johno has the run of the place. He is very helpful and he offers disinterested advice that is dispensed equally to members of all parties. The Hon. Henry Tsang told me that he is still waiting to have one of those chats; he feels a bit left out. Often when I am photocopying, Johno will sit down and have a chat with me. I will miss those chats because he tells me many stories about this place and about the Labor Party. I always find his stories very interesting. Recently people have been discussing who will move into Johno's room when he goes. Someone said that I might have to move into his room, but I said, "I can't, I get asthma. Do you want to kill me?"
The Hon. Duncan Gay: I moved into one of Johno's offices after he left.
The Hon. JANELLE SAFFIN: How did you survive?
The Hon. Duncan Gay: The carpet was in perfect condition because no-one had walked on it.
The Hon. JANELLE SAFFIN: I think it is the smoke; the smoke accumulates. I said, "I don't think I would be able to breathe in there. We are getting a new member, Michael Costa, and I think Michael Costa should have that room. I am happy where am and I don't want to move." Another thing I get from Johno is the articles. We all get articles, but mine are from Christian sources. Johno does not try to convert me, but I do not think he has given up totally on the Catholicism. I did attend a memorial service with Johno at St Mary's Cathedral for homeless people who had died. Johno is an institution in his own right. The Labor Party is richer for having him as a member. There are some things that I disagree with Johno about. I spoke once in this House on the issue of abortion. I thought long and hard before I did that because of Johno. I have an adjournment speech ready on that subject but in deference to Johno's last days here I decided to wait until he leaves, because he has been in the Chamber every night during the adjournment debate.
The Hon. John Jobling: He got wind of what you are doing.
The Hon. JANELLE SAFFIN: I know. I am sure he will be working against me. It is because of my respect for him that I have decided to wait until he has gone. Johno is good at making others feel good. One morning my colleague the Hon. Ian Cohen said that when one says good morning to Johno and asks how he is, he always says, "I am wonderful", or "marvellous". He frequently says to me, "Good morning, beautiful." I always answer, "Good morning, Johno. How are you?" He says, "As good as you look." If that comment came from some other members it would be sexist, but from Johno it is not.
The Hon. John Jobling: He is astute, isn't he?
The Hon. JANELLE SAFFIN: He is very astute. As I said, if it came from some other colleagues it would be a bit sexist, but from Johno I take it with good grace, and it does make me feel good. I have great affection for Johno and I will miss him in this place. I wish him and Pauline well in his retirement.
The Hon. DON HARWIN [2.52 p.m.]: When the Minister for Juvenile Justice made some remarks earlier in this debate she spoke of Johno's role in mentoring younger members from across the Australian Labor Party and how important that was in the work of the ALP and the difference it made to a number of people's lives. That personal dimension to what he does causes me to speak also. As a number of other honourable members said, although he is a fierce advocate for his party, he cares about people across the political spectrum and has always had a word of advice and injunctions for people on both sides of politics. I am sure that a number of my colleagues—younger members of the party, particularly the honourable member for Pittwater in the other place—who have had quite a bit to do with Johno over the years, would want me to place on the record their thanks.
Earlier in this debate there was discussion about presidents of Young Labor, people Johno has had a lot to do with over the years. He himself is a former president of Young Labor. A number of my friends who are former presidents of the Young Liberal movement and who have been in this place in one form or other have had quite a bit to with Johno around the corridors, and have always enjoyed the repartee they have had with him. I refer to Catherine Cusack, who worked with Virginia Chadwick; Marise Payne, who worked with Ted Pickering; Trent Zimmerman, Shayne Mallard and Jason Collins, who worked with Max Willis; and John Brogden and Andrew Maiden, who worked with the Hon. J. P. Hannaford. Although I have been a member of this place for only two years, I worked here for seven years, between 1987 and 1995—with one year off for bad behaviour. I was well aware of Johno, as the Hon. Janelle Saffin just said, as an institution around the place.
In the two years that I have been a member, I have particularly valued discussing various historical events with Johno. Other honourable members have referred to Johno's extensive memory bank of anecdotes and recollection of events, and it has been great fun talking with him, particularly about some of my Liberal predecessors. It is always a matter of some personal regret to me that not many of my colleagues know very much about our party's history. It has been refreshing to be able to talk to Johno about our party's history, even though I cannot do that with some of my colleagues, which is a great shame. This is a House of great characters. As we go around our party branches nothing goes down better than talking about the Legislative Council and some of the characters amongst our colleagues. Pre-eminent amongst all of them has been the greatest character of them all: the Hon. John Johnson, MLC. We will miss you, I will miss you, and I wish you all the very best for the years to come.
The Hon. JOHN JOHNSON [2.56 p.m.]: Ten years ago today the Hon. Duncan Gay became Chairman of Committees. Ten years ago today I got the sack. On 27 November 1975 I was selected by the Parliament as a member, to take my seat from 23 April 1976. Note: 27 November 1975 was only 16 days after a day of infamy in the annals of the Australian Labor Party and indeed, in my view, the annals of the nation. I am going to start my contribution where I should start. My wife, Pauline, is an absolute gem. Pauline was a member of the Australian Labor Party before I was. Pauline's support over the years has been paramount in any success that I have had. She has never complained about the continuous nights out or the continuous weekends out. She has always been there with support.
As has been mentioned, we have four children. Andrew and his wife, Angela, have three children, Cameron, Lachlan and Victoria. Michael and his wife, Maureen, have two children, Amelia and Sophie, and will soon welcome another child. Monica and Jeff have three children, Christina, Jack and Declan. Naomi and Mark were married earlier this year. Our children have brought great joy and great happiness to our lives. The arrival of each of our grandchildren has brought us magnificent joy.
Today my contribution will be rather rambling because there are so many things to say. I can remember, as a young bloke, going down to the ALP office and thinking what a strange old bloke was down there. He was a member of this House. His name was Chris Love. Every time I went down there somebody was there with a box of photographs asking him to identify them. I thought: my God, he is the repository of a lot of history. When I go down to the ALP office now, what is there? Boxes of photographs!
I want to say a few things at the outset. There will be no book. I want to keep my mates! I know not only where the bodies are buried, but where the cemeteries are. Years ago a very venerable secretary of the Labor Party named Bill Colbourne was an institution. He gave me some of the best advice I have had. The first thing he said to me was, "Always remember, son, never gloat over victories. The vanquished have long memories." When I came into this institution I found two men from my area of the State: the then President, Sir Harry Budd, and Max Willis. If you look at the board that lists the Presidents, you will see that I was the fourteenth President of this House; Sir Harry, from my home town, was the thirteenth; and Max Willis, the fifteenth, was also from my home town.
Three Presidents in a row came from the same town. I do not know what is in the water on the Tweed, but Sir Harry Budd's father represented the Tweed Mr A. E. Budd MLA; Sir Eric Willis was a Premier from the Tweed; Frank Nicklin, a Premier of Queensland, was from the Tweed; and Fred Caterson MLA was from the Tweed. Jack Boyd, H. L. Anthony, Doug Anthony and the third generation of Anthonys, the current member for Richmond Larry Anthony MP, are all from the Tweed, along with Ann Symonds, who served in this House with most of the members. I would deem to say that very few areas can boast of advancing so many people from the one small area—a country town of 6,000.
I used to look from our side of the river to the other side of the river to the Budds' house. As a young fellow I thought—and remember that Sir Harry Budd was here for 36 years—if Sir Harry Budd can make the Legislative Council why can't I? I knew the education he had and what I had: I started school late. In latter years my father worked on the ticks staff, Department of Agriculture. As most of you realise, I have a withered hand as result of tetanus, which delayed my starting at school and resulted in me missing a couple of years of advancement at school. I left school after some nine weeks in high school.
When I first came to this Parliament, particularly when I became President, I doubt whether I could have done the job without the assistance of one Les Jeckeln. Les Jeckeln was a tremendous man. He was a tremendous educator. He left this Parliament in good hands. His successor was John Evans, whom I was happy to appoint to the position of Clerk of the Parliaments. Most people would start at the top, but I start at the bottom. We have had great parliamentary staff: the attendants have been superb—nothing is a worry; Dr Cope, who was the Librarian, and Rob Brian, the present Librarian, assisted by David Clune and others; Stephen Mills, who was the Catering Manager, and David Draper, the existing Catering Manager; members of the parliamentary staff Peter McHugh and Doug Carpenter, who are now officers of the Parliament of Western Australia; Russell Grove and Mark Swinson from the lower House; and Greg Kelly from the lower House. It is a wonder Greg survived.
I came into the Chamber one night and as I stood to read a message from the Governor I thought something on my left moved. I sat down and I turned to the left. During the dinner break the largest tadpole I have ever seen had been placed in a carafe that sits on the President's desk. I penned a note to Greg Kelly, "Would you please send down the file 'Dismissal: Minor members of the staff.'" Hansard can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and we witness that daily. I want to pay tribute to my union, the Shop Assistants Union. Greg Donnelly, its current secretary, is a superb secretary. The union has played a tremendous part in the emancipation of shop assistants. I wish it well long into the future. It has been said that I have two faiths: a spiritual faith and a secular faith. The card that I addressed to Nathan, the young son of our Minister Carmel Tebbutt, said, "Keep the faith, both." And I meant them both, the spiritual and the secular—the secular being three big letters: ALP. Something that has astonished me over the years—and I do not care whether it is left wing or right wing, as the records will attest—is that as soon as people get out of this place, provided they have got the statutory number of years or have been in certain positions for a number of years, they are quick to go down to the Governor, wanting to retain the title "Honourable" for life. Here is one bloke who will not be.
My successor will be a young man, Michael Costa, who comes from the Labor Council. Men such as Bob King, Jim Kenny, Ralph Marsh, John Ducker, Barrie Unsworth and now Michael Costa have all been secretaries of the Labor Council of New South Wales and members of this House. We should also remember the presidents of the Labor Council of New South Wales. Fred Bowen, Norman Thom, Peter McMahon. Peter Sams, Michael Easson and John McBean did not come here, but have proved themselves in other fields. I have no doubt that John Robertson, a young man whom I have known since he was six years of age, will do a great job as the replacement at the Labor Council for Michael Costa.
The New South Wales trade union movement is a very responsible body. A look at the history of the other States will show that industrial disputes that took place in those States were characterised by war, war, war, whereas in New South Wales we have tended to rely on jaw, jaw, jaw. That is terribly important. The most important thing for trade union officials is to make sure that every one of their members goes home every week with a full week's pay, not two or three days out because of strike action—even though, at times, it is absolutely necessary.
There are a few things that I would like to say about the Labor Party, with Bill Colbourne as secretary, Richo, Stephen Loosley, Della and Eric. I can remember being in Albury when Shane Easson came to me and said, "Can I have a talk to you?" I said, "Yes." He said, "I want to talk about Della. There are some moves on to block his ascendancy." I said, "Oh. Well, we had better grab him and have a talk to him." We did. We fixed it.
When I was President, I had a young man working with me who is in the gallery, Tim Mitchell. He said something to me one day after we had a visit from a diplomatic representative. He made the comment that youth groups had been established in Australia. They went to Japan, they went to England, they went to Canada, they went to America and the important role for young Australians was to go to Asia. That was set up from my office as the Australian-Asia Young Political Youth Leaders program. Tim co-ordinated the first one and was founding President of the organisation. It was a bipartisan gathering. It is now co-ordinated by its president, Andrew Ethel, from the Liberal Party. They have made numerous trips overseas. They have received numerous delegations. The program has standing in the community. It has bipartisan support from the foreign Ministers and leaders of the various political parties. It is one of the better things that came out of my office.
I have had some great people work with me. I had drivers like Wally and Alf and Bill. The services provided by the drivers unit and the various heads of that unit over the years have been superb. I thank them for all of their endeavours. Marie Sergio and Sue Russell were marvellous secretaries, as was the part-time secretary I shared with Les Jeckeln, Mrs Luther. I had James McGillicuddy and Damien Power, whose sister Erica and her husband Alex, daughter Bridget and brother Connor are in the gallery this day. Now I have Sam Moreton, who is the President of Young Labor. He is a great bloke, a compassionate bloke, a caring bloke, a bloke whom I have tremendous admiration for. I will long remember all of his courtesies, all of his caring, and it will be long into the future that his efforts will remain in my mind.
I am getting older. I have known every Labor Premier since Lang. I often used to have a talk to Jack Lang down the road in Nithsdale Street. Joe Cahill was a giant who strode the political stage as a colossus. During horrendous times in the Labor Party when the splits were on—and I will come back to those—Joe Cahill guided us in this State. He had a lot of help. Neville Wran is remembered by all members of the Labor Party with affection. He is remembered by our political opponents—for them trying to chip away at him was like trying to chip away at granite. Syd Einfeld, Pat Hills, Terry Sheahan, Peter Cox and Kevin Stewart, Eric Bedford, Ron Mulock, Lyn Gordon, Lionel Bowen and Laurie Brereton are names from the past but they are icons in Labor history. In this House, Kath Anderson, John Doohan, Sir John Fuller, Sir Adrian Solomons, Norm Thom, Peter McMahon, Barney French, Dorothy Isaksen, Don Burton, Fred Bowen and Lindsay North were giants among others. I have been in this Chamber under many Whips. The best of them all is the Hon. Peter Primrose, and all of the others were great friends of mine. The Hon. Peter Primrose is the most diligent person I have ever met in the exercise of his duties.
I handed out my first how-to-vote card with two people, one named Tom Mooney and the other named Phil Norris when John Curtin contested the 1943 elections. Later on, when I was eligible to join the Labor Party and when a branch was re-formed, those two men took me along to join the Labor Party. Lots of people have influenced my life: I have made mention of my wife, along with my beloved parents, Harry and Nellie Johnson [nee Carroll] of happy memory, the presentation nuns who taught me at school, and Dr Woodberry, SM, from the Aquinas Academy and Father Michael McCarthy the now Parish Priest of Oatley. They have had a profound influence on me. During the same year I was elected as President there was elected in Rome a new Pope whose name was John Paul, who was, in my view, the Great. Some of his writings have the deepest philosophical meanings that one could ever read. We have a new Archbishop, Archbishop George Pell, whom I welcome with open arms, and I pay tribute to the former Archbishop, Cardinal Clancy.
The Australian Labor Party was born in 1891 out of the trade union movement. When it moves away from the trade union movement, it will cease to be the Labor Party. It has a very proud record. The ABC was an invention of the Labor Party, as were the Government Insurance Office, the Scully plan for the stabilisation of the wheat industry, the Commonwealth Bank, workers compensation, the Royal Australian Navy, sick leave, annual leave, long service leave, maternity leave, the Department of Main Roads, the eight-hour day, the lotteries and TAA. If people look round the walls of this Chamber, they will see the name Fred Flowers, the President from 1915 to 1928, who did more for the establishment of Taronga Park Zoo than any other person.
I turn to the widows pension. There used to be a fund called the Railway Workers Mangle Fund. The members of the Railway Workers Mangle Fund subscribed one penny of their salaries per week to the mangle fund. When a man was killed on the railways or died by misadventure otherwise, a few days after a man died there arrived on the doorstep a couple of representatives of the mangle fund with a mangle so that his wife could take in washing. Members should read the history of the widows pension; read the records of this place. What some members of this House had to say would make you cry. Electoral funding, the electrification of the railways, reform of this House, and the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the Opera House and Darling Harbour stand as Labor's edifices. [Extension of time agreed to.]
I have seen some funny things happen in this Chamber of recent times. I have seen a young child come in here in the last few days to get daddy to stop talking. He was hungry; he wanted his dinner. I saw the Hon. Richard Jones come into the Chamber with a white alpine dingo pup, much to the consternation of the then President. Other than the Hon. Doug Moppett I have seen each and every one of you, and many others, come in. In all the time that I have been a member of this House I have only been told four lies, two by one person and two by another. I will say this about the Leader of the House, who is absent: I have known Michael Egan for just over 30 years and I have never known him to tell a lie. That is a great tribute to anyone. I have a lot of dealings with him. I have never known my mate the Hon. John Della Bosca to tell me a lie either.
Mention has been made of mentoring. Some years ago I decided to hold a series of dinners in the President's dining room. I called them Passing on the Heritage. At the first Passing on the Heritage dinner the guest speaker was the Acting Prime Minister, Paul Keating. Also attending the dinner were Gabrielle Harrison, Cameron O'Reilly, Eric Roozendaal, Anne Purcell, Tony Bourke, the late Andrew Ziolkowski—who was the member for Parramatta and the husband of Gabrielle Harrison—Chris Brown, who is now in the tourism industry, Belinda Neal, John Della Bosca, John Hatzistergos, Joe Tripodi, Tim Mitchell, Steve Hutchins, David Tierney, John Gilmore, Morris Iemma, Reba Meagher and Michael Marks. Tony Iffland, Trish Armstrong, Tony Sheldon, Tony Sherbon, Donna McKenna, Mark Lennon, Deirdre Grusovin, Eric Roozendaal, John Casey, Bob Carr, Andrew Lillycrap, Mark Latham, Tom Forest, Shane Easson and others who did not sign the visitors book. There were other dinners. Graham Richardson was the speaker at one of them.
Unless we nurture the young, unless we pass on the heritage, our political parties will die and our political institutions will die. I hold certain principles, and I hold them very strongly. During my 13 years as President of the Legislative Council, not one representative of any of the Communist governments of the world crossed my threshold. Whilst they persecuted people of my religion and gaoled my fellow trade unionists, they got no truck from me.
The Hon. Richard Jones: I thought you were a tolerant man.
The Hon. JOHN JOHNSON: You cannot tolerate evil! The Labor Party has been through some tragic times. Some of those tragic times have been the splits. I lived through a split. I was in Queensland in 1954 for the election of the Gair Government, when it received about 54 per cent of the vote. I was there three years later, when that Government received almost 52 per cent of the vote. Six months later, extremists got hold of the party in Queensland, expelled Gair, and a Labor Government that had been in office since 1915, apart from a short break of three years, was destroyed. We were out of office for 32 years, until December 1989. To go through those years was pathetically tragic. But more pathetically tragic was the split that was caused by Dr Evatt. I do not think I have had a shot at anybody so far, but Dr Evatt was a tragedy for our political party and a tragedy for the nation. Good men and good women were excluded from the party, for no other reason than where they went on Sundays.
I will tell you a funny story about something that happened only last Friday night. I received a letter from the Catholic Bishop of Parramatta inviting me to a function to view the new artworks and so on in the rebuilt St Patrick's Cathedral. I rang and spoke to one of his staff, and I said, "What are you raffling?" I was told, "We're not having a raffle." I said, "It's a Catholic function, and you're not having a raffle? It can't be fair dinkum." However, they left it to me. Last Friday night we did have a raffle, and we got nearly $4,500 from a raffle they were not going to have.
There are numerous things that I would like to place on record, but there is something I do not want to forget. Some years ago there was a successful move in the Northern Territory for a bill on euthanasia. It had been said to me some years before, "The fight for abortion seems to be lost"—I did not believe that to be the case—"and euthanasia is the next big issue." I thought: It is not going to escape us like the abortion issue has. I called a meeting here at Parliament, and we set up a group called Euthanasia No. The co-ordinator of that group was Tony Burke—a man that you will all hear a lot more of in future years. People in all the political parties maintain that the Euthanasia No campaign was the best political campaign ever conducted, and I concur and we won.
I cannot conclude this contribution without reference to the late great Fred Daly MP, a member of the National Parliament. He was a real mentor to me and I think fondly of him often. I must also make mention of my good friend the Hon. Leo McLeay MP, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. His friendship I have always valued and still do—thanks mate!
If when you scan the Government Gazette you come across an item that reads, "Evacuation of a gravid uterus", you may wonder what this is. In the early 1970s, by stealth, such an item went into the Government Gazette. It related to the funding of abortions. We now live with the consequences of 100,000 Australians dying every year as a result of abortions. I ask those who have a different view to mine to ask themselves one question: When in my lifetime was I never a human being? I urge the Government to advance funds for adult stem cell research. It is non-controversial, it shows great promise, and it is preferable to embryonic stem cell research, which requires the destruction of human embryos—and each of us was one of those one day—with all the attendant controversy and division. It is something that needs to be done. In the next few years you will have legislation before you on these important issues.
I thank you all for your indulgence. To the Hon. Duncan Gay and to every single one of you who has made a contribution to this debate, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I go with nothing but admiration for each and every one of you. I consider you all to be good friends, great compatriots, great mates, or fellow Centre Unity members. It has been a tremendous experience being a member of this Parliament. There is a Latin phrase "tenete traditiones", which means "keep to the traditions". Traditions are important. Be it on your head if you do not keep them. Look after the young.
The Hon. DUNCAN GAY (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [3.39 p.m.], in reply: I commend the motion to the House and ask that it be passed unanimously.
Motion agreed to.
Pursuant to sessional orders business interrupted.