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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-05 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

KELTON, MR G.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:09): Mr Speaker, I seek your indulgence. Members would be aware that, since we last sat, the long-serving and well-respected political editor of The Advertiser, Greg Kelton, passed away aged 65. Greg was an institution, the silver-haired scribe who watched proceedings in this chamber from the press box above and tapped out his stories from The Advertiser's basement office.

As evidenced by the number of parliamentarians past and present who have paid tribute to Greg since his passing, his professionalism and his good humour were respected by all sides of politics. It is only right that we put on the record in this place the contribution Greg made to South Australian political reporting and the esteem in which he was held. Greg will be remembered as an outstanding journalist, a mentor of young reporters and quite simply a thoroughly good bloke.

Greg was a walking library of South Australia's political history, which younger journalists and many an MP borrowed regularly. His dedication to trawling through Hansard and the state government Gazette was legendary and irritating, and many of us had the good fortune to be able to share with Greg one of his other great passions: a glass of red over lunch.

I know I speak on behalf of all members when I say Greg will be truly missed by the Parliament of South Australia. On behalf of all members, I extend our deepest sympathies to Sam, Nick, Matt, and all the Kelton family, as well as to all of Greg's friends in the media.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:11): It is with much sadness that I rise on behalf of the South Australian Liberal Party to extend my most sincere condolences to the family of veteran Adelaide political reporter, Greg Kelton. Greg Kelton was a fine man and a fine journalist. In a career spanning a remarkable 47 years, Greg's by-line in The Advertiser became as much a part of the paper as the masthead itself. His columns and articles over the decades detailed all the big political stories of the day.

If something was going down here in parliament, Greg Kelton was onto it. If there was a sniff of scandal, Greg would be the first to know about it. While others from time to time may have been fooled by the spin, Greg would see straight through it. In every instance and without fail, he wrote fearlessly and without favour. He wrote in language that was easy to understand without being condescending. Greg understood his readers and what they wanted, and he wrote in a way that informed and educated them without needing to adopt that common adage of 'not letting the facts get in the way of a good story'.

Greg was as comfortable with his readers as he was with the politicians here at Parliament House. Indeed, he spent so much of his time upstairs in his regular spot in the Press Gallery or down in the Blue Room that, in many ways, he could be considered part of the parliamentary furniture. Yet, despite his unique access to the state's leaders and powerbrokers, he never let his head be turned. He always played a straight bat and wrote it as he saw it. For that reason, he goes down as one of the best.

It would be remiss of me also not to make mention of Greg's two other legendary talents: his uncanny ability to devour a big glass of Parliament House red, often late at night after a long sitting, and his outstanding knowledge of music. Reading through the tributes, I note that, as a young man, Greg's real passion was to play lead guitar in a rock band. It was only after realising that this path to rock stardom may be difficult that he picked up his pen and notepad and turned to journalism.

Thank goodness he did, because our state has been all the better for the contribution he has made. His accurate documenting of political battles and dramas, defeats and victories stand as a unique and timeless account of South Australia since the 1970s and will be a valuable resource for years to come. His legacy is large, and it also lives on in the words of today's generation of journalists, many of whom were mentored and carefully guided by Greg as they set out on their reporting careers.

Of course, Greg, as a veteran journo who had been churning out the copy for years, could have chosen to sit back and coast through his senior years, but that was not his style. Instead, he sought out and made time for those still finding their way; he nurtured them and showed them the ropes. To come under Greg's tutelage was the biggest free kick a young reporter could get.

Again, in the tributes I have read from many of those lucky enough to have worked alongside Greg, the constant theme has been that of a man who loved and was loved by all around him. Greg Kelton worked hard, he loved his family, he was a top bloke, and he will be missed.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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