Driver, Archbishop J.W.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:31): I rise to congratulate Archbishop Jeffrey William Driver on his outstanding contribution to the Diocese of Adelaide and his strong commitment to serving his community in a position of leadership. The archbishop's contributions will have a lasting positive effect not only to the Diocese of Adelaide but to the state.

In April this year, the Most Reverend Dr Jeffrey William Driver announced that he will be retiring from his position as the Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide having served for some 11 years. Archbishop Driver's commitment to service and selflessness is unquestionable. Before his appointment to the diocese of Adelaide in 2005, Archbishop Driver served as the Bishop of Gippsland and Victoria, and before that he served as a priest in the dioceses of Melbourne, Bathurst, Grafton, Canberra and Goulburn.

While the Bishop of Gippsland, the Archbishop was also a member of the council of Anglicare Victoria, and when appointed as Archbishop of Adelaide, he continued his work with Anglicare, serving as the president of Anglicare South Australia. There are very few who are not aware of the important role Anglicare serves in communities throughout Australia, providing support to those in need, including disadvantaged youth, domestic violence victims and the homeless, to name just a few, but of course there are many more.

Indeed, Archbishop Driver's CV is impressive. Since the 1970s, Jeffrey Driver has studied theology extensively, studying at the Australian College of Theology and achieving a Master of Theology from the Sydney College of Divinity and a Doctor of Philosophy at Charles Sturt University. Currently, the Archbishop is the chair of St Barnabas' Theological College and is also an adjunct lecturer at Charles Sturt University and the founding head of the university's school of theology. Archbishop Driver is also the author of numerous papers, publications and research in his various fields of expertise.

On a personal level, Jeffrey Driver is described as a man of courage, conviction and compassion. When appointed Archbishop of Adelaide, Jeffrey Driver was instrumental in the formulation of a response to victims of sexual abuse within institutions connected to the Diocese of Adelaide. Archbishop Driver showed strong leadership as the head of the Adelaide diocese while it dealt with these very important and serious issues. Speaking recently on the issue, Archbishop Jeffrey Driver has said that he simply wanted to do the right thing:

I saw that was something that needed to be done, not just because it was a problem, but because God calls on us to act well in those sort of circumstances.

To his credit, the Archbishop ensured that there were prompt out-of-court resolutions to those affected by the abuse. Also to his credit, there are now practices and protocols in place designed to detect and prevent child abuse and to deal with those affected by it and deal with it quickly. It is now said that the Adelaide diocese, in its response to abuse, is world leading in its practices. Under Jeffrey Driver's leadership, the Adelaide diocese has strengthened and is reinvigorated, experiencing an increase in the number of regular attendees to its services.

A mark of a strong leader is having the ability and courage to speak out and take action when times can be difficult. Throughout his time serving as a community leader, Jeffrey Driver has drawn attention to many issues, including the sexualisation of children in Australian society, global inequality, the problems faced by refugees and asylum seekers, and problem gambling, to name just a few, all current and important issues that society continues to grapple with.

In addition to this, and under the Archbishop's guidance, the Diocese of Adelaide has developed links with the country of South Sudan. Every two years or so, Archbishop Driver leads groups of young South Australians into developing countries, with the aim of making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. The Archbishop expects to dedicate more of his life to contributing to the church in developing countries in his retirement.

I take this opportunity, on behalf of Family First, to commend Archbishop Jeffrey Driver on his service to the Diocese of Adelaide and to South Australia and to wish him all the very best for the future.