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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
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Condolence

CONNELLY, MR E.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:03): By leave, I move:

That the House of Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of Mr Edward Connelly, former member and Speaker of the House of Assembly, and places on record its appreciation of his meritorious service, and as a mark of respect to his memory the sitting of the house be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

It is my very sad duty to inform the house of the passing of Edward (better known as Ted) Connelly. He passed away on Monday 16 September at the Mary Potter Hospice in Adelaide, aged 94. He was the much-loved husband of Margaret and loving father of Margaret Ann, Damien, Maureen, Ellen and Bernadette.

Ted had a short but dramatic political life. He will be remembered by contemporaries for the courage and stoicism he demonstrated throughout his short parliamentary career. When one considers the necessary and ongoing processes to empower rank-and-file members, it is also clear that Ted was a man before his time.

Ted was born in Hamilton, Scotland on 16 November in 1918, just days after an armistice concluded World War I. Having arrived in Australia, Ted became a long-term resident of Port Pirie. At the time Port Pirie had its own seat in this parliament. As active sub-branch member and particularly effective mayor of Port Pirie, Ted saw the opportunity to run for the seat of Port Pirie when Dave McKee, who had served since 1959, retired in 1975.

Ted did not receive the support of the most influential local union, the Australian Workers' Union, and was defeated in the preselection by Jack Phelan—a likeable and competent local organiser. This did not sit well with Ted, who believed that the processes in place at the time for preselecting candidates did not give due consideration to the local profile of the candidates. He therefore decided to run as an Independent candidate for the seat of Port Pirie. Ted was automatically disqualified from the party as a result. Ted won the seat of Port Pirie handsomely. The state election of 1975 was a bitter affair. It was fair to say that the ALP was reeling from the Whitlam dismissal and consequently there was a strong swing against us—that hadn't happened by then.

The Hon. J.D. Hill: It was prime.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It was prime, yes. It was fair to say that they were reeling from the imminent Whitlam dismissal and consequently there was a strong swing against us in the state election. Labor won 23 seats, and by 10pm on election evening, it was clear that Ted would hold the balance of power. A phone call was made by Premier Dunstan and the speakership was proposed in exchange for his support. The proposal was accepted. From 5 August 1975 to 16 September 1977, Ted was the speaker of this house. Although he was no longer a member of the ALP, it was always clear that he remained committed to the labour movement.

During his speakership Ted held the casting vote on which the government depended. His contemporaries recalled occasions when he was struck down with a heavy bout of influenza. With the government at risk of falling, Ted stoically took the chair in spite of his ailments and, in doing so, ensured the work of the Dunstan government could go on. Ted remained in his heart a Labor person and after a short time wandering in the wilderness he was brought back to the fold—there is a postscript—when the state convention overwhelmingly voted to restore his membership in 1976.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right. An unhelpful redistribution in 1977 reduced his chances of extending his time in parliament. The seat of Port Pirie became known as the seat of Rocky River, and a lot of farming areas were subsumed into the electorate. Ted did not ask to be moved to a safe Labor seat but instead campaigned hard in the 1977 election with the help of Premier Dunstan, who accompanied Ted in the numerous country towns that now fell in the electorate of Rocky River. Ted was defeated, of course, in the 1977 election, but Labor held onto government. Without Ted's support, the Dunstan government would have fallen years earlier.

Ted went on to serve as chairman of the Outback Areas Community Development Trust—a Dunstan initiative designed to fund infrastructure projects in country areas. He then retired and moved to Adelaide and in his retirement passed many long hours at the Beaumont Bowls Club. A life member of the RAAFA, Ted also actively campaigned on a number of issues relating to veterans affairs. Ted had a short but extraordinary career in parliament and will be fondly remembered by his former colleagues. Vale Ted Connelly.

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): I rise on behalf of the South Australian Liberal Party to second the Premier's motion, and I offer our most sincere condolences to the family of Edward (or Ted) Connelly, a former Independent and later Labor member for what was then the seat of Pirie and speaker here in the House of Assembly during the Dunstan era in the years 1975 to 1977.

Ted Connelly certainly played a very important and, at times, highly controversial role here in state politics. Despite being a long-time member of the Labor party, Ted was overlooked for preselection in Pirie, the place he had called home for more than 40 years. However, urged on by his huge army of supporters, Ted decided to run as an Independent, and that is where it starts to get interesting.

His decision led to immediate expulsion from the Australian Labor Party, but Ted was to have the last laugh, not only winning the seat, but recording an incredible swing of more than 45 per cent in the Port Pirie township, which says a lot about Ted's popularity and the need to ensure that candidates are always in touch with the community that they hope to represent.

The people of Pirie loved Ted. He had been mayor, a union official and a board member, and on polling day it was Ted who got their vote. The Labor Party lost the seat for the first time in history, but there was more history to come. That particular state election was so close that, remarkably, Ted suddenly became, according to The Advertiser of the day, 'the most powerful force in the SA Parliament, the man who can make or break the government'. For a man widely regarded as a humble and modest man, it was an unusual position in which to be placed.

Offered the role of speaker by the then premier Don Dunstan, Ted accepted and applied to rejoin the Australian Labor Party, sparking another round of intrigue for Labor and its union stronghold, which had trouble accepting Ted back into the fold. Again, what is important to reflect upon here is that amidst all this high drama was a politician who only ever wanted the best for the people of Pirie. As a father of five, a working man and a passionate member of his local community, Ted was on the record many times as saying that he wanted nothing more than to put Port Pirie on the state map.

Ted was in politics for the right reasons. He was a friendly and caring man who campaigned robustly on the issues that were affecting his constituents: the need for a deeper harbour, a better rail hub, improved water supply and a focus on supporting regional cities. Ted Connelly made a great contribution to our state, and it is with these words that I endorse the Premier's motion and pass on the opposition's sincere condolences to his family at this very sad time.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Mr BROCK (Frome) (14:11): I also rise to pay tribute to the late Ted Connelly and, on behalf of the new electorate of Frome and also the people of Port Pirie, I offer our condolences to his family. Mr Connelly was a serving mayor of Port Pirie and also worked at the local smelters (BHAS, at the time) as a security officer, when he decided to run for state politics. Ted was a long-time member of the local ALP branch and chair of the local trades and labour council. I must admit that we have some similarities, except that I was never a member of any political party; however, I was also the mayor of Port Pirie and worked at the local smelter.

Ted sought ALP preselection at the party's annual general meeting the previous year. He opposed the Australian Workers' Union organiser, Mr Jack Phelan, and the branch president of the Electrical Trades Union, Mr Ron Roberts, who was later to become a member of the Legislative Council and also president of the Legislative Council in this parliament. Ted lost the preselection, which was won by Jack Phelan, and he later nominated as an Independent candidate for the forthcoming election. As we all know, and as has been mentioned by the Leader of the Opposition, Ted won the election handsomely and subsequently was appointed speaker of the House of Assembly by the then leader of the Labor Party and premier, Mr Don Dunstan.

Ted remained as mayor of Port Pirie and that is what you could do in those days. You could continue as the mayor of your community and also be a member of the state parliament, as I understand it. Mr Ritchie from Port Augusta, I think, was in the same situation; I think that is the way it was. At this time, the government was looking at introducing can deposit legislation, and as Port Pirie had a large Coca-Cola factory in the community, it could have been detrimental to the continuation of the large Coca-Cola factory in Port Pirie, which I might add, employed a large number of people in Port Pirie.

The community and the Port Pirie city council of the time were certainly against this proposed legislation and, as the mayor of the Port Pirie city council, Mr Connelly was asked to vote against the legislation in the parliament. They requested that he vote against this legislation. However, Ted supported the Labor Party legislation going through the house here, much to the disgust of the local community and also the city council. There were a lot of rumblings in the community, because there was a bit of a fear that the Coca-Cola factory could close because of this proposed legislation. (It has closed and it has been gone for some years.)

Mr Connelly got wind of the concerns and the rumblings within the community and called a special meeting of the council to discuss the issue. However—and I must admit, I have read the media reports on this and I have spoken to people last week—during a very fiery debate within the council, Ted rose to his feet and explained that he did not have to answer to the council for his decisions made in this chamber and nor did he have to answer to the people of Port Pirie. He immediately resigned as mayor and walked out.

Mr Connelly was a man of his word. What he had to do, he had to do and, as the Leader of the Opposition (the member for Norwood) has indicated, it was a turbulent time for this parliament. At the time Ted's remuneration as the mayor of Port Pirie was about $700—a big difference to today.

The Hon. R.B. Such: Overpaid.

Mr BROCK: Overpaid, underpaid. Ted's remuneration at the time as speaker of the house was $21,900, plus an electorate allowance of $2,900 and an expense allowance of $650, which was a great deal of money in those days. He also enjoyed the use of a government car and a driver, as currently happens today. The election Ted won handsomely, and he was thoroughly endorsed by the people of Port Pirie. He was their man. That was in July 1975. Ted reapplied for readmission to the Labor Party in February 1976. As the Premier indicated, he was in the wilderness for a long time; however, he was always a Labor man right through to the end, and he was readmitted to the Labor Party.

Irrespective of whatever Ted did—and the community of Port Pirie perceived him in those days as not a true Independent—Ted was a great worker for Port Pirie over many years and should be remembered for the great work that he did. Being the mayor of a community, whether it is Port Pirie or anywhere else, you put your heart and soul into it, and Ted did that at that time. He did enjoy, and felt very privileged—and I did read about this—and honoured to become a member of the state parliament, and he was very, very honoured to become the speaker of the house. As mentioned, Ted contested the next election for the seat of Rocky River, which, as the Premier indicated, replaced the seat of Port Pirie; however, Ted was not successful in the re-election.

An honourable member: Who won?

Mr BROCK: I'm not too sure.

Mrs Redmond: It was Ivan Venning.

Mr BROCK: Ivan Venning. However, Ted was still very passionate about what he wanted to be involved in with the community and South Australia. He was subsequently appointed as chairman of the Outback Areas Community Development Trust, which, as the Premier indicated, was established by the late premier Don Dunstan. Mr Connelly retired and relocated to Adelaide where he lived for many years. He certainly enjoyed his life, and Port Pirie people still talk very fondly of Ted even though he was not a true Independent.

The Hon. L.R. BREUER (Giles) (14:17): I rise as member for Giles, which of course includes the City of Whyalla, a big part of that part of the state, which years ago used to be known as the Iron Triangle. It was an unfortunate name because I always felt a bit sorry for the people of Port Augusta and Port Pirie being put under that label; however, it is now known as the Spencer Gulf Cities. I did not know Ted Connelly, but I certainly knew of him, coming from Whyalla. We were very close in those days—the cities of Whyalla, Port Pirie and Port Augusta—as I think we still are. We argue, but if anybody comes in and has a go at any of us we would defend our honour greatly.

I knew of Ted Connelly, and my understanding was he was a gentleman, but certainly a man of integrity. His election showed that country electorates often vote for the person rather than for the party, and country electorates are very often loyal to that person. If they are a person of note in their community they have a very good opportunity of being elected and, of course, that is still the situation today, as shown by the presence of the member for Mount Gambier and the member for Frome and also, I think, to some extent, the member for Fisher. Country electorates do support the person who they believe has done a great job for their community and who is a great worker in their community.

I have heard many stories about Mr Connelly over the years—he was a bit of a legend in that area. I certainly heard a lot of stories about him from his niece, Pauline Connelly, who people may have heard on the radio in recent years. She lived in Whyalla for many years, and I think she thought of him as some sort of idol, and she told me many stories about him. Fellows like Ted Connelly are the salt of the earth. They are great people, they do great work for their communities and are certainly great representatives of our country electorates, so I wanted to pay tribute to him today.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (14:19): Ted Connelly was elected to this house on 12 July 1975 until 16 September 1977—only two years. As has been said, he was the Speaker from 5 August until 16 September 1977. He never sat in the house technically, only briefly for a few minutes while the Speaker's election took place. I knew Ted Connelly personally. He was a very prominent and very much respected citizen of Port Pirie. As a citizen of Crystal Brook we were very much involved with him, and the region generally very much respected him.

He was a member of the Port Pirie city council for 22 years and was elected unopposed as mayor for his fifth term. He was 56 when he stood for the ALP's preselection ballot for a party endorsement. However, as has been said, unfortunately he was not successful and Mr Jack Phelan beat him as the union official. I can tell you that this caused much disquiet even amongst my Liberal friends. At the time I was very active in the Young Liberal Movement.

Ted was prevailed upon, genuinely, to stand as an Independent, and this was not an easy decision for him to make. Ted Connelly was a man of high integrity, as has been said, and great loyalty, with a long-term involvement in the Australian Labor Party. At 57 years of age Ted stood and he won comfortably. The community was pleased, even elated. Even a local pop group wrote a song about their number one citizen—their mayor and now their member. A very good friend of mine who is known by many of you, who later became mayor, Mr Ken Madigan, said:

Port Pirie has come of age once again. This town has been stationary for 20 years. We've been living on promises from down in Adelaide. Now we are in the best possible position.

Another comment was made by many: 'it was a very popular win,' and indeed it was. At the election the Labor and opposition parties both got 23 seats, as we just heard, and Ted was in the balance of power situation. It is almost a bit of history repeating itself with the current member for Frome. He subsequently sided with Labor. Don Dunstan secured Ted to put them into government and give them that power. It was no mean feat to be the Speaker in a house that he had never set foot in, and my father reported often to me that he was a very good Speaker, too.

What was in this for Port Pirie? What was done? This was all folklore, rumour and innuendo. Rumour has it that Ted, a strong smelter supporter, was keen to have another key industry in Port Pirie. A petrochemical plant was in the offing and the site chosen was the island in the middle of the Port Pirie harbour. A single-lane bridge was built, which is still there—I may paint it one day—but nothing more has happened and now the bridge is affectionately called, simply, 'the bridge to nowhere'. You can go over it but there is nothing over there to look at. We never actually got it documented, but that is the strong rumour and, of course, petrochemicals were all the go at that time, so it was certainly a rumour with some foundation.

Ted was a very good member of the bowls club here in the parliament, and he bowled with my father. It was very sad when the boundaries changed, which pitted Ted up against my father for the same seat of Rocky River. The distribution split Port Pirie in half, and I do not know why that would happen, and Ted stood up against my father. In true style, Ted did not walk away from his beloved Port Pirie. He stood and took the music. It was a strong campaign. As has been said, Don Dunstan featured strongly in that campaign, but dad prevailed.

As I have said before, I have many friends who hold different political views from me, and Ted Connelly was but one of them. He was a very good man of high principles and ethics. He was a true citizen of his beloved Port Pirie. Our sincere condolences to Ted's family and his so many friends in Port Pirie. He is part of South Australia's political history and we have fond memories of him. Vale Ted Connelly.

The SPEAKER (14:24): I got to know Ted Connelly when he was in Adelaide, living up at Conyngham Street, Glenunga. He was in the same group of units as a friend of mine. I enjoyed his company. He would come to the retired members' dinner and also the RAAF Association functions. I often wondered why Ted Connelly accepted Labor preselection for the seat of Rocky River when he really had no chance of winning it, although he ran a splendid campaign and increased the Labor vote projected for that seat. Port Pirie South was the only suburb of Port Pirie that was in Rocky River. Perhaps the explanation lies in the Coca-Cola factory saga. I ask that the motion be carried in silence.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.


[Sitting suspended from 14:24 to 14:34]


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