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

BAKER, HON. D.S.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:02): I move:

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

Last week, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Dale Baker. He passed away on 28 March after courageously enduring several years of being afflicted with motor neurone disease. He was 73 years of age. Many people will remember and draw strength from what he said publicly in 2009 about the diagnosis of his condition:

It is not what you want to hear but many people, particularly a lot of children and younger people, have been dealt a worse card in their lives.

I personally extend my sympathies and best wishes to his immediate and extended family. Dale was a colourful figure and was widely regarded for his unflagging commitment to the interests of rural South Australians and for his service as a parliamentarian.

Dale Spehr Baker was born in Mount Gambier on 30 January 1939. He was the son of Bob Baker and his wife Jean, who was a member of the local Spehr family. Educated at Scotch College in Adelaide, he won a scholarship to study economics at Adelaide University, but he was the elder of two sons and his father wanted him to work on the family property. Bob Baker had emigrated to South Australia from Britain in 1920. He bought a patch of scrubland at Callendale, near Millicent, and cleared it with an axe and a horse.

Dale became a successful grazier in the South-East. He was also a vigneron, flower grower and businessman. He was very active in his local community. For example, he was chairman of the Millicent Hospital Board for over 20 years. He chaired the Limestone Coast Regional Development Board and was a player life member of the Millicent 'Magpies' Football Club after playing more than 200 senior games. Most of his football was played as a rover, in the centre and in the back pocket. He was known to relish aspects of the vigorous exchanges which are now not acceptable in modern football but were part of the game in his playing days.

One of his local footballing colleagues was the late Terry Roberts who later served the Labor Party and the state in the Legislative Council. Both of them contested the then House of Assembly seat of Victoria—Dale Baker with a little more success. He was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1985 as the member for Victoria, and was re-elected in 1989. At the 1993 election, he won the newly named seat of MacKillop, after redistribution expanded the seat of Victoria to include all of the council of Tatiara. He held the seat of MacKillop until 1997.

Dale was elected deputy opposition leader after the retirement in December 1989 of Roger Goldsworthy, the father of the present member for Kavel. In 1990, after just four years in parliament, Dale Baker was elected leader of the opposition, succeeding John Olsen, who decided to move into federal politics. After the 1993 election, he was appointed minister for mines and energy and minister for primary industries in the Brown government, a position he held until 1995. In December 1996, he was appointed as minister for finance and minister for mines in the Olsen government. His fundamental political philosophy was this:

It is for government to look after the needy and disadvantaged, and to get out of the way of everybody else.

He was a passionate Port Adelaide Magpies and Power supporter, a fact of which we were reminded in 2009, on that occasion when he spoke publicly about his diagnosis with motor neurone disease. Sadly for him and for many of the rest of us, his hope to live long enough to see those teams win yet another premiership was not fulfilled.

Dale was personable and pleasant but also tough and pragmatic. He was easily irritated with what he saw as the ponderous and tedious processes of parliament. He was a doer not a talker. On behalf of members on this side of the house, I extend my condolences to his wife, Margaret, their children Marina and Tom, and their families. I commend the motion to the house.

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): I rise to support the motion on the life of the former Liberal leader, Dale Baker, who passed away, sadly, on Wednesday 28 March. Dale died at the age of 73, surrounded by his wife, Margaret, and children Tom and Marina, bringing to an end a long battle with the dreadful and debilitating motor neurone disease. Like the Premier, I noted that when Dale Baker was first diagnosed in September 2009, he remarked publicly, 'It is not what you want to hear, but many people, particularly children and younger people, have been dealt a worse card in their lives.'

I think that says much about the man. Dale accepted his lot with humility and dignity, recognising that he had led a full life, both on the public stage and in the private arena. Throughout the rest of his life he never displayed any self pity in spite of being struck by this cruel blow at what we now consider to be quite a young age.

The son of a Millicent grazier, the young Dale Baker made his presence felt very early in the South-East town, quickly gaining a reputation as a bit of a 'shin-kicker', a lad who knew early on how to 'duck a scrap', a skill that would prove invaluable during his later political career. After a few years at Millicent Primary, Dale made the move to the city to continue his education at Scotch College. It was here during his final year of studies that he was awarded an economic scholarship for the University of Adelaide. While this offer held tremendous appeal, as the eldest son the call to return to the land and the family property was strong and so he returned home. Yet this move away from the big smoke in many ways proved to be the making of Dale.

Over the ensuing years, he joined the board of the Millicent Hospital, learning valuable skills in community and public awareness. He became zone chairman of the United Farmers and Stockowners, giving him an insight into the push and shove of negotiation and diplomacy. Further, he expanded the family's farming interests to encompass not only grazing but winemaking, a particular love of his, and flower exporting (proteas in particular), learning important lessons in business and becoming well known for being tough but fair. He pioneered Simmental cattle breeding in Australia in 1972, becoming a foundation and life member of the Australian Simmental Breeders Association and one of its greatest supporters.

It would be remiss of me at this point not to make mention of Dale's illustrious football career, already alluded to by the Premier. As a nuggetty rover, and in the last line of defence as a sturdy back pocket, Dale racked up around 200 games for the Millicent Magpies. I am led to believe that he was not the shy and retiring type on the football field, his unwavering support for his fellow players earning him a reputation as a team player. In his later years and long after he had hung up his own footy boots, Dale was a familiar sight and vocal supporter of the Port Adelaide Magpies and the Power, even joining forces with his political foe, Kevin Foley, to wear black, white and teal scarves on the steps of Parliament House.

Over the decades, this attribute of loyalty and support earned him much praise. Dale embraced and embodied the concept of team, surrounding himself with good people who were rewarded with his faith and trust. He was comfortable in delegating responsibility and equally comfortable to sit back and let others take the accolades. As an active and engaged businessman, a career in politics had never been something to which a young Dale Baker aspired, that was until, as local legend has it, he shared a bottle of Penfold's with his good friend and fellow grazier Ian McLachlan. I understand it was towards the end of this bottle that it a bet was made over who had the guts to enter politics.

History tells us that it was a bet both men won, as Ian went on to a life in federal politics and Dale became the state member for Victoria (later to be called MacKillop), entering the South Australian parliament in 1985. Of course, both men went on to demonstrate that there was a valuable and fulfilling life to be had after politics. Dale cemented his standing as a doer and not a talker. He never tried to grab the spotlight and scoffed at claims he was from the landed gentry, saying:

That's all bullshit. Anyone who knows me knows that I am in touch with reality.

This ability, combined with his experience and business success saw Dale develop a strong set of ideas and ideals. He was sceptical of convention, red tape and hollow authority. He famously said:

In business, you work out what you want to do and do it; in politics, you form a committee.

Dale wanted more vigour and accountability in government and, on becoming the leader of the Liberal opposition in 1990, he relentlessly led the charge against Labor during the debacle that was the State Bank collapse, bringing the Bannon government to account for one of the biggest catastrophes in this state's financial history.

In his two years as opposition leader, Dale was full of passion and drive, championing causes such as allowing public school boards more autonomy in teacher employment, transferring WorkCover into the private sector, and giving greater power to the Auditor-General to investigate government departments. His final appearance on the floor of parliament as opposition leader came during the historic debate of the controversial poker machine legislation, an 18-hour marathon that saw Dale at his finest: courageous, uncompromising and leading from the front. While he never served as premier of this state, Dale performed strongly as minister for finance and minister for primary industries, mines and energy from 1993 until his eventual resignation in 1997.

While I never had the privilege of serving with him, I know that those who did regarded him very fondly. They speak of a man who was fiercely loyal, did not suffer fools gladly, and was a real character. He was a man who took no prisoners, was blunt and to the point, and once he made a decision he stuck to it. These are also the sentiments expressed by those he employed in this private business who had the utmost respect for their boss and held him in the greatest affection. It is a mark of affection and respect that two former political employees, Richard Yeeles and Ian Smith, spoke at Dale's funeral on Monday.

After the diagnosis of motor neurone disease in 2009, Dale wrote of the changes he faced and the challenges that lay ahead. His matter-of-fact manner and no-nonsense approach shone through more than ever. On describing his condition, Dale detailed:

I went from steak to soup in six months and from soup to PEG [endoscopic stomach] feeding in another six months. Champagne is still fine, no taste, but the same kick. The only drawback is on visits to friends they now give me all their cheap wine.

Typical Baker humour. Robbed of his ability to speak, Dale relied on a whiteboard to communicate. He wrote on it, 'People did not listen when I could talk, so this is more effective.' Again, typical wry Baker humour and evidence that while his mind was willing his body was letting him down. He took to sending me text messages of advice when he could no longer speak, and once he could no longer do that he would write his advice on that whiteboard and it would be typed out and delivered to me.

I note from an article by Rex Jory, published in The Advertiser last November, that Dale rejected any notions of sympathy, considering himself as 'one of the luckiest individuals alive' and that he 'never had a day I wasn't happy'. No regrets, no anger, no resentment. His bravery, sense of humour, courage and defiance still healthfully intact, in spite of the ravages of this crippling and cruel disease.

Despite being unable to talk, Dale became a very vocal advocate for voluntary euthanasia. Throughout his public life he had been a campaigner for pro-choice, believing that, on women's issues, gambling, stem cell therapy and euthanasia, the individual deserves the right to choose. He was unshakeable in his view that 'there were too many bloody do-gooders' who deserved no say in determining when life could end. Further, he argued that he should be able to pass this final decision on to his family or doctor, not have it dictated by state parliament.

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Dale just a couple of weeks before he passed away and I am happy to say that he was as vibrant, positive and engaged as ever—still writing on the whiteboard and giving me the thumbs up when I completed sentences as he began to write them. Despite being in the grip of such a crippling illness, he maintained his trademark sense of humour and the mischievousness for which he had long been known. Indeed, as well as advising me about specific political issues and people, he continually advised me to show more of my legs.

What was truly remarkable to me, though, was that, so close to death, Dale was still focused on others and our battles, which were so much easier than the ones he was facing. He was brought to tears of joy over a recent preselection and was utterly delighted to receive a beautifully handwritten letter from former Liberal prime minister John Howard.

Dale was a lovable larrikin, a lifelong campaigner for the South-East, a man dedicated to public service and an inspirational leader, great colleague and friend. His framed photo sits immediately opposite the door of my office and is a daily reminder to me of strength, loyalty and dignity in the face of adversity. With these words, I endorse the motion and pass on the opposition's condolences to his family.

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): I rise to support the motion moved by the Premier. The Premier pointed out that Dale was the son of Bob and Jean Baker. Although a few years older, they mixed in the same circle as my parents and were quite friendly with them. In fact, earlier in the week at his funeral, there was a very funny story told about his relationship with his mother, Jean. She lived to a great age, well into her 90s (as did my mother, and they were very close friends).

The story was told that she had moved out of the family home on Belt Road in Millicent and into nursing care, and Dale, in the meantime, decided the best thing to do was sell the house. He expressed concern some time later that his mother was taking a turn for the better and he was a bit fearful that she might want to come home and would wonder why other people were living in her house. My family and Dale's family have had a long association. In fact, Dale lived at Furner, which is only 10 or 15 miles from where my wife and I live near Mount Burr.

As has already been said, he grew up locally and went to Scotch College. When he came home to the farm he was renowned in Millicent for his football prowess. In fact, a few years ago the Millicent Football Club, which, when he played, were the Millicent Magpies (they are now the Millicent Saints), picked a team of their all-time players and, to the best of my memory, Dale made that team, listed as a rover. He shared a great love of Port Power and the Port Adelaide Magpies club, and that is something I share with him. He was a lifelong supporter of those two famous football teams.

I think everybody who has come across Dale or only heard of his actions and exploits could describe him as nothing less than a man of action. Dale was a man of action and had been a man of action, as best I know, for his whole life, from when he was a schoolboy. I have heard stories about him at Scotch College, certainly, on the football playing field, and also playing for the Millicent Football Club. At an early age he became involved in agripolitics, in the Stockowners and, then, the Farmers Federation. Dale was heavily involved when there were bans on loading live sheep for export in Adelaide. Dale was one of the organisers of a rally of farmers in Adelaide to load sheep and break the strike on sheep loading.

He became actively involved, on behalf of the farming community, in the wide comb shearing dispute a year or two later and a number of other disputes raging during that time, particularly through the 1980s, that impacted on farmers. As was said, he spent many years on the local Millicent Hospital board and much of that time as chairman of the board.

In 1985, Dale succeeded Alan Rodda as the member for the seat which was then called Victoria, and he won that seat until 1997, with the seat's name being changed to MacKillop in the meantime. Dale's legacy in politics, I think, is fairly well known, but I will go through a couple of things that pertain particularly to the South-East and to the seat of MacKillop, but certainly he was well known and well remembered for the work that he did exposing the impending disaster of the State Bank.

Dale approached that matter in the same manner that he approached everything he did: once he was convinced that something was happening he was relentless in spite of, I think, great difficulties and a lot of people telling him he was heading in the wrong direction. When the Liberal Party won government in 1993 and he became a minister, Dale left some memorable legacies, some of them particularly to the South-East, that I want to mention.

As the minster for agriculture, food and fisheries, I think it probably was, Dale imposed quotas on the Southern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery. Dale, I suspect, was hated by every fisherman in the region—from Kingston in the north to Port Mac in the south—and, again, he did that in the face of strident and strong opposition from everyone involved in the fishery. There were ongoing arguments. It became very heated. There were stories of sabotage of boats, and all sorts of things, and Dale was in amongst the whole lot. He was not sabotaging the boats, but feelings ran very high over that.

At the end of the day he turned that fishery from one which was facing imminent collapse into one of the most sustainable and best managed fisheries in the world; and I suspect that, although not many of them admit it, in hindsight I think that most of the licensees in that fishery now would give great respect to Dale not just for what he did but for the way he faced them, stared them all down and actually got a result. That was the way the man operated.

The Upper South-East Dryland Salinity and Flood Mitigation Scheme would never have got off the ground without Dale Baker. That project was absolutely necessary for a vast area of the South-East which was being exposed to dryland salinity. Dale put together a joint project—which was jointly funded by the local farming community—to the tune of, I think, $6 million, the commonwealth government and the state government sharing the rest of the $24 million scheme as it was then envisaged.

Dale, again against strong opposition from the local community, drove that and travelled all around the South-East attending meetings and working with the farming community until he got the farming community and the South Australian Farmers Federation to sign off on that funding package and the scheme began; and, as we heard last week, the scheme has only just been completed all these years later. Also as the minister for mineral resources, Dale ensured that the program that had been started by the previous Labor government was funded to a greater extent, and that was the remote sensing of much of South Australia and that the data was collected and made available to all comers.

I remember Dale saying to me one day about the project that it was the 'only damn half decent thing the bloody Labor Party did'. So he was a strong advocate of that particular project and saw that his cabinet colleagues put even more money into it and kept it going right through the 1990s. Dale and I did have one strong difference of opinion on one policy area, and that was obviously water policy.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: It wasn't who should win the 1997 election?

Mr WILLIAMS: Well, that was a function of water policy. We did have a strong difference of opinion on water policy, and that played itself out in the 1997 election. Notwithstanding Dale's defeat there, I think that he showed his true character. Dale went on to serve his community. He took up the chairmanship of the Regional Development Board in the South-East following that and continued to contribute to the community that he was part of. Again, in spite of me defeating him at that election in 1997, Dale continued to show a generosity towards both me and my wife, and I was delighted to take Dale's advice from time to time when we came across each other, which was fairly regularly.

Somebody in the South-East sent me an old cassette tape of an interview Dale gave with Philip Satchell on ABC radio about 12 months after that election defeat, and I still have the tape somewhere in the cupboard at home. He said how wonderful it was post politics, how he was enjoying life, and he talked about all sorts of things. Philip Satchell posed the question, 'What about that Williams bloke who defeated you? What do you think of him?' and Dale, as large as life, said, 'I could kiss the man.'

Dale was one of life's great characters. He was certainly one of the great characters of this place, and I think everybody who worked with or had anything to do with Dale had great respect for his capacity for work and his capacity to get a job done. I suspect you could describe Dale's attitude to getting things done as a bit like a bull at a gate. Sometimes Dale went flat out in not quite the right direction, but he always had the attitude that it was better to be doing something than sitting around and waiting for something to happen, and that was the sort of man he was.

I express my condolences to his wife, Margaret, their children, Marina and Tom, and their families, and I also express the condolences of the people of the South-East.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:26): I, too, wish to add my condolences to Margaret and the Baker family on the passing of Dale. I had the pleasure of serving in government with Dale for four years—not in cabinet, but in government. I will not touch on the stories others have shared, other than to support the comments made by speakers from both sides.

It is funny how people have an influence on where you end up in life, and I will tell this story for the sake of the house. In the early 1990s, Dale was leader, Roger Goldsworthy had decided he was not going to continue in the seat of Kavel, and somehow I was notified of that a bit earlier than some others might have been. I decided that I would run for Kavel because there was already a very good member for Davenport at that stage, and I spent three years visiting 300-and-something members out in Kavel, trying to convince them that I should be Roger's replacement.

It was probably a bit naive of me to do that because Dale Baker, as the leader, made it crystal clear to me from day one that it was his view that one of his staff should win that preselection because that staff member had a background in economics and should end up a future treasurer of the state. It was probably a bit naive to take a different path from what the leader of the time said in relation to a preselection but, working on the theory that a good local member might win the college anyway, regardless of what the leader might think, I pursued the cause.

I remember being at a function at Mount Pleasant and I asked the Baker staffer who he supported in the local football competition, the Hahndorf Tigers or the Lobethal Magpies. This particular gentleman happened to live on East Terrace in Adelaide, and trying to sell an accountant from East Terrace in Adelaide to the country was never going to work, in my view. This guy guessed at a team and said he supported one of the teams but, of course, it was the other way around: the teams were the Lobethal Tigers and the Hahndorf Magpies.

The news that this bloke did not know the local footy team not only went around the barbeque like nothing on earth but it also went around the district like nothing on earth. Well, that was the end of that, as far as I was concerned. Roger Goldsworthy thought it was an outrageous question to put to him. Dale was not that impressed with it and let me know how he felt in a way that only Dale could.

As we got closer to the day of the preselection, I got a phone call from my father. In my life experience, when my father rings and says, 'There's good news, there's bad news and there's bad bad news,' you only need to worry about the bad news. The good news was that John Olsen was coming back from the Senate and Dale was stepping down for his own reasons. The bad news was that he was going to stand in Kavel, and the bad bad news was that Dale Baker had used his power at the executive to make sure they used the old college and not the new college, so my three years of drinking cups of tea went down the drain and Baker had his way.

I chipped him at a function that night, and I said, 'Well, thanks for that, Dale,' and he said, 'Look, young Evans, I told you from day one that you're young enough and there will be opportunities elsewhere; go look for them,' so that was it. I guess that was another thing about Dale: when I first met him, I was 'young Evans'; when I finally won preselection, I was 'young Iain'; and when I finally got into the parliament, I was 'Iain', and at that point I thought I had made it.

I totally agree with the comments about his honesty, his straightforwardness, and his hate of red tape and the bureaucratic process. He was someone who wanted to get on and get an outcome for someone or for something, whether or not it be an economic decision.

If Dale had a fault, he did not promote some of the great work he did well enough. The Hon. David Ridgway in another place told me the story of the Tatiara meatworks when it was in desperate trouble. The banks were going to close on it. Dale jumped on a plane, flew to Melbourne, negotiated an outcome for that meatworks, and 20 years later provided work for 500 families all that time. David makes the point that that particular booth still voted largely for Mitch, regardless of Dale's good work.

Just on Mitch as deputy leader taking over from Dale, Dale said publicly after he lost that he loved Mitch Williams, that the best thing that could ever have happened to him was to be voted out of the process and not have to be here. So, that sort of approach was interesting from Dale.

I thought the service was magnificent the other day, and I appreciate members of the government being there. I sincerely appreciate that. I thought the three speeches summed up Dale's life magnificently. There were some very funny stories told, and two are worth telling here. Dale lived life on the edge all the way through his life. He claimed the Adelaide to Millicent speed record of two hours 45 minutes. He got picked up for speeding some weeks just before he passed, and he wrote on his whiteboard to the police officer, 'Fine me if you want. I'll be gone before it's due for payment.' On that basis, the police officer withdrew the fine. He also went to a funeral and happened to be sitting next to an elderly gentleman who had lost one leg and was sitting in a wheelchair. Dale, of course, could not speak. He wrote on the whiteboard, 'I tell you what: I'll lead the singing, you lead the dancing.' He had that sense of humour all the way through. As I said, it was a pleasure to serve with Dale. My condolences to the family.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Mr PEGLER (Mount Gambier) (14:32): I rise to offer my condolences to Dale Baker and his family and support this motion. My grandfather and Dale's father, Bob, were great mates and great antagonists on the snooker table. Right throughout life I received a lot of advice on dealing with the Baker family. I was involved with Dale for many years in various farming organisations and also through my involvement with local government. I always found Dale a great bloke to work with. He was no-nonsense, straightforward, and you always knew where you stood with him.

He was a great supporter of the business community and the people of the South-East in general, and he certainly always put us at the forefront. His approach to life and to government was very similar to his approach to football: there was no quarter given, he was always right, and he always fought to the bitter end to make sure that he got what was best for our communities and businesses. He was a great man. He will be very much missed by the people of the South-East. My thoughts and prayers go out to Dale's family and friends.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:33): I rise to join the condolences. I wanted to wait for the member for Davenport to conclude his remarks because I know how close he was to Dale Baker. Kevin Foley was a very good friend of Dale Baker's and visited with the family before Dale passed away. In a conversation with Kevin, we remarked how Kevin and Dale had a lot in common. They were both characters, and I think unfortunately for one reason or another those sorts of characters are being weeded out and we are losing a bit of the colour from our political system.

People like Dale Baker brought a certain vibrancy and colour to politics. He was someone who maintained friendships on both sides of parliament. I know that he maintained a friendship with Kevin and a friendship with Ralph Clarke. He maintained it with Ralph for different reasons—probably more about sticking it up us than anything else, but good on him.

The member for MacKillop raised a very important point. We are living the legacy of people like Frank Blevins and Dale Baker because of the work that they did. We are standing on the shoulders of giants when it comes to our mining industry, and people like him deserve to be recognised for the hard work that they did in maintaining it. After the State Bank disaster, this state needed to grow and needed to create wealth. It was visionaries like Frank Blevins and Dale Baker who continued the bipartisan program of joining in the risk of exploration in the search for minerals. For that he will be forever engraved in the prosperity of South Australia and for that we owe him a huge debt of gratitude. The way he conducted himself during the entire State Bank fiasco was with honour and dignity and he did it exceptionally well. I have no doubt that Mr Baker would have led the Liberal Party to victory in 1993.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (14:35): I rise to support the motion, and I commend the other speakers. Dale Spehr Baker was a farmer, vigneron, horticulturalist and parliamentarian, but most importantly a husband, father, grandpa, strong community advocate and friend. He was funny, naughty, charming, commercial, insightful, hardworking, honest and tough—a leader. Dale was elected to this parliament in 1985 and he retired in 1997.

When I won preselection for the by-election in Custance in May 1990, Dale was leader of the opposition. He had just taken over the leadership from John Olsen who left for the Senate and I then filled that vacancy at the by-election in June 1990. My first impression of this man is a very long-lasting one: very friendly, strong, confident, laid back, no bells on himself, direct, forthright, no inhibitions, no spin and all action. The by-election was a bit of a worry and some members will probably remember it, but Dale's cool and calm influence affected us all and the result was very good.

An incident I will always remember—a point in time, you could say—was the very first public function that Dale and I attended together as leader and new recruit. It was at Gladstone and Dale was guest speaker. Afterwards, Dale said very publicly, 'Come on, Ivan, let's have a celebratory drink,' and within earshot of my father, 'Come on, lad. Howard will understand.' The next day, Kay and I were at home relaxing and in comes dad and he gestured to me when Kay was not looking to come outside. I went outside and dad said (he was starting to slip a little bit with Alzheimer's), 'Ivan, it was a great night last night, congratulations, but I saw you drinking with Baker. You know, Ivan, we Vennings don't drink.' You could say that was a turning point, I will not say in my career but maybe in my life!

Seriously, Dale really did love his wine, especially the Padthaway Estate Eliza sparkling. Dale was extremely generous and he shared it with us all, as he owned the winery, and he shared it with all of his colleagues on both sides. After parliament he often went up to the Hansardoffices with half a dozen bottles. The attendants, the caretakers and the catering staff were all his friends and they will long remember him as generous with his time, generous with his care and generous with his hospitality.

I would like to read words from Ms Helen Cadman, Hansard Supervisor, Parliamentary Reporting Division:

Dale Baker is remembered as a happy man and a friendly, approachable member of parliament who was always appreciative of the work of the Hansard reporters on his speeches. In return, the reporters always appreciated his generous gift of fine wine from Padthaway, especially the Eliza champagne, at the end of session parties and his willingness to join them in the celebrations.

From the House of Assembly attendants, Mr John Moylan, Senior Attendant, House of Assembly:

Dale never forgot us at Christmas time—a bottle of pinot champagne for the ladies and a case of beer for the blokes. Dale and I had a running joke with some dog Latin. 'How does it go again?' he would ask. 'Non carborundum illegitimi,' I'd say, 'Don't let the bastards bring you down.'

All these people were there with Dale. From the catering staff, who else would you get but Ms Chrissy Irons who has been here longer than I and who was here for the whole time that Dale was here. She said:

Dale was a pleasure to serve in the dining room and always very appreciative of the food we served him. Even if it was the wrong dish he wouldn't complain. Always a true gentleman, fondly remembered by me and all the staff at the time.

That was Chrissy Irons from the Catering Division in Parliament House, who is the longest serving staff member. He was a man of great generosity and spirit, especially towards his staff. He often gave wine and his beloved banksias to mark their birthdays and other occasions.

Another moment in time was in 1995. Dale and I were together in the South-East inspecting the geographical index (GI) boundaries for the wine districts and also the forest plantations when his phone rang. He looked very concerned and said, 'You'd better ring him.' I did not know what they were talking about. Seconds later, my phone rang and it was the state director. Custance had been abolished at that point in time. I looked at Dale, who had dropped his phone in his coffee. He said, 'No worries, lad. We'll fix this'—and amazingly enough, they did. They commissioned a draft a second time, and, of course, the seat of Schubert was created. So, he certainly was a man of influence.

Dale treated everybody the same, and he had friends everywhere, as was evident at his funeral at Magill on Monday. He trusted people and they trusted him, and many a story can and may be told about his influencing what is now party history. We will not go into that, but I do think about what happened during that time. His influence in the early negotiations of the State Bank disaster have been mentioned. The State Bank was serious trouble for South Australia, and Dale had the disarming ability to work it through with his political enemies for the good of all of us.

He was at the front of every scrap, whether it was in this place or in the field. Many disputes were won by the unique persuasive Baker style. The wide comb dispute, the live sheep dispute, black ban on stock and carriers—it is all history. There was even a scrap with his own treasurer—and there is a little bit of history there, too. I happened to be in view of that.

Dale could have been premier, as was said on Monday, and he would have been a good one, but he chose to take one for the team, to quote Richard Yeeles, which was a brilliant speech, and he did stand down. Another quote: 'Dale could see in people what they couldn't see in themselves.' How true. Dale's love of football and unwavering support of Port Adelaide and the Power are quite legendary, and he had a very good relationship with the late Allan Scott.

I enjoyed working with him, especially when he was the minister for agriculture. Many of the policies we took to the victorious 1993 election had his influence all over them, and his input was a big part of that victory. Yes, Dale did it his way, and his passing saddens us all. He is now with his great mate, the late senator Jeannie Ferris, who was a very close friend and confidant of Dale's. I am sure that Ren DeGaris will also welcome Dale up there, as will Allan Scott.

On behalf of all members and everyone in the building, we express our sincere condolences to Margaret, his children, Mariana and Andrew, Tom and Lizzy and his adored grandchildren, Piper and Charlotte, Olivia and Harry. Dale's bravery in the way in which he fought his debilitating disease is quite inspiring. I did have the story to tell that Iain has just recounted about the slate and the policeman. Who else could do that and get away with it?

I also watched the late Gordon Bruce suffer and die from this debilitating disease, and now Dale. I really do think it is time we did visit something like this, as controversial as it might be. Dale has gone, but he has left a big part of this state's history changed. Dale always rose to the occasion. Vale, Dale Baker. To know you was special.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (14:44): I rise to support the condolence motion for Dale Baker. Former Liberal member of parliament, Dale Baker died in Adelaide recently, on 28 March, at the age of 73. Tributes from both sides of politics soon appeared in the city press for the man who was opposition leader from 1990 to 1992, when he held several ministerial roles. Dale was born in Millicent, as we heard earlier, on 30 January 1939. He was educated locally and also at Scotch College in Adelaide.

Dale was the elder of two sons. His late parents, Bob Baker and his wife, Jean, who was a member of the local Spehr family of the South-East, were English migrants. Dale was a successful grazier who later turned his hand to native flower production, vineyards, the Simmental stud and broadacre farming. Among his other business interests were olives, the Padthaway Homestead and winery, and swimming schools. He even owned the freehold of the Tiger Hotel at Tantanoola for a while.

His local community service was marked by over 20 years as the chairman of the Millicent Hospital Board, as well as player life membership of the Millicent Football Club, with more than 200 senior games. I also share the passion for Port Adelaide that Dale had. Dale was the Liberal MP for the Millicent-based seat of Victoria (which turned into MacKillop) between 1985 and 1997. As I indicated earlier, this included time as opposition leader from 1990 to 1992. In recent years, Dale suffered from motor neurone disease, and this forced him to step down from chairing the Limestone Coast Regional Development Board, now known as the RDA.

I want to add a few of my own personal thoughts. I first met Dale in 1984. I was a young learner shearer and I went down to shear for six weeks, I think it was, in Dale's brother Dean's shed at Callendale. Then we went down to the sheds at Furner and Woonallee. We had been going seven days, and I was only doing about 75 or 80 sheep a day. I am sure the President in the other place would be quite appalled at that low number of sheep. Be that as it may—

The Hon. I.F. Evans: Quality shorn.

Mr PEDERICK: Yes, quality shorn. Margaret, the workmen, and I think there might have been some of the kids there then, turned up with a pet sheep. I said, 'There's no way I'm shearing a pet; I'm only a learner.' We were already calling Dale 'the politician', even though he had not been elected. I said, 'I am not cutting up the pets for a politician.'

Certainly, since that time, I have had a fair bit to do with the family, especially his brother, Dean. I worked for him as a shearer for many more years, and it was always an enjoyable time. I met Dale's father, Bob, who was a true gentleman. He would walk into the shearing shed with a white coat and always come down the board and have a chat to the shearers. I saw Dale over the years at many Liberal Party events and many local fundraisers involved with my branch, the Lower Murray. I will finish with a couple of thoughts. Dale never let his position get in the way of who he was and the true character he was. My sympathies go to Dale's family and friends.

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (14:47): I want to add my condolences and thanks to Dale Baker and his family for the fantastic contribution he made to this party, to the house and to his community. He was very much an example of a regular bloke who was successful, in touch with his community and who, after accomplishing quite a bit, decided to come into politics and try to make change happen, and he did it very well.

Like many others in the chamber, I was on the receiving end of quite a bit of advice from Dale from time to time—he was not backward in coming forward—and it was always well received and well intended. He was an absolutely fantastic ambassador for this parliament, for this party and for his local district in particular, and I think that is worth noting. Anyone who spends 20 years as presiding officer of their local hospital board and, having made a contribution before becoming a member of parliament, then goes on to continue that contribution after he has gone is a testament to his local community.

I agree with earlier speakers that he was part of a dying breed of people who come into parliament having accomplished something and make a contribution. As politics becomes increasingly professionalised, the Dale Bakers of the world are harder to find, and we are very much the better for having had his service. I also note a point made by others that, during the State Bank crisis, he faced a great deal of criticism from senior people in the business community who told him not to proceed and not to push on. To his great credit, he did so and that courage resulted in perhaps aversion from an even bigger mess than we finished up having, and I think we need to be particularly thankful to Dale for that. He was a fantastic member of this party, a great member of the parliament and he will be missed.

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:49): I rise today to talk about Dale's contribution to journalism. As a journalist in the eighties and nineties, I am sure I speak for everyone from that era that we give great thanks to Dale because he gave fantastic grabs. He was off the cuff, he was not scripted, he just said it exactly how he saw it, and that is something that we should all do in this place. We all admired the way that he just came out and said what he thought, even though we were thinking, 'Well, this is going to lead the bulletin when we get back.' It might not have been the right thing politically to do, but it was the right thing as far as Dale saw the world, so I commend him for his honesty and for the forthright way in which he would go into bat for what he thought was right.

I grew up with my family in Glencoe, which is not too far from Millicent. My grandmother, who is 99, and my grandfather had the bakery in Glencoe, and they would be up at three or four in the morning baking bread and pies and pasties. Dale and his mates would be on their way home from the dance at about that same time, and they would call in and get some pies and pasties and warm bread and continue the drive on to Millicent. My grandmother has always said that it did not matter how many longnecks he may or may not have had on the way home and at the dance, he was always charming, he was always polite, and he was always a pleasure to be around.

As a journalist, and as a friend of mine Ian Smith was his press secretary, Ian and I and other mates would be out having a drink and, from time to time, Dale would join us, and he was always terrific company, a great storyteller and a person who did great things for South Australia. I extend my sympathy and condolences to his family.

The SPEAKER (14:51): Members, I always think that comments made in remembrance of a person are the mark of them, and the comments that have been made today are very indicative of the man who has passed away. I also pass on my sympathy to his family, and I hope that they realise that he will be remembered with great affection by members on both sides of the house, both past and present.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.


[Sitting suspended from 14:52 to 15:02]


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