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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-09-10 Daily Xml
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RITSON, HON. R.J.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (15:52): I move:

That the House of Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of the Hon. Robert John Ritson, former member of the Legislative Council, and places on record its appreciation of his meritorious public service, and that as a mark of respect to his memory the sitting of the house be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

I was saddened to learn of the passing of the Hon. Robert John Ritson. He passed away peacefully at the Lismore Base Hospital on 20 July. Dr Ritson served in the Legislative Council from 15 September 1979 to 28 July 1993. Dr Ritson was a medical practitioner who served South Australia for almost 14 years as a member of the Legislative Council. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Ritson as he was a colleague of my father.

Dr Ritson, known to his colleagues as Bob, won pre-selection for the Liberal Party as sixth position on the Liberal Party Legislative Council ticket for the 1979 election on the back, as I understand it, of a great speech given at the party state council in the same year. As a member of the Legislative Council, Dr Ritson argued passionately a number of issues relating to health policy as well as his views such as euthanasia, prostitution, abortion and tobacco sponsorship laws.

Dr Ritson will be fondly remembered by his colleagues for his intelligence but also for some of the characteristics which set him apart. A doctor who had a pie and sauce for breakfast washed down with a can of Coke and who enjoyed a cigarette on the front steps of parliament was possibly not an obvious role-model for men's health, but Dr Ritson will be remembered for these habits by his colleagues but, more importantly, for his sense of humour and kindness.

When he resigned in 1993, Dr Ritson said he wished to pursue alternate futures in medicine, travel and gem cutting. My father recalls Dr Ritson proudly displaying his gems for other members to enjoy. He suggested at the time, and I agree, that the great thing about life is the choices we have to make. He was known to be a loyal member of the Liberal Party and of the parliamentary party, but he extended kindness to both sides of politics. A diagnosis for my father of a back problem led to a referral to a surgeon and successful surgery.

Any person who dedicates such a significant portion of their life to stand in parliament and argue for what they profoundly believe in, and does what they believe is in the best interests of South Australia, deserves our enduring thanks and gratitude. On behalf of members on this side of the house, I extend my condolences to his wife, Jill, his children, Maryann and Matthew, and their families.

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (15:54): I rise to second the Premier's motion on behalf of the South Australian Liberal Party and I offer our most sincere condolences to the family of the Hon. Dr Robert John Ritson, the former Liberal member of the Legislative Council, who served with great dedication from 1979 to 1993. Known to all in this building as Dr Bob, he continued to work as a general practitioner throughout his time in politics. Of course, this helped form his views on a variety of health policy issues of the day: issues like abortion, where he was a robust advocate for the tightening of laws; the euthanasia debate, where his medical knowledge allowed him to lead many of the discussions; and changes to tobacco and prostitution laws where, again, his profound understanding of medicine allowed him to become a driving force in framing and influencing legislation.

Clearly, on moral and ethical matters, which even now we continue to debate, Bob Ritson was a politician who knew his own mind and was prepared to take a strong position, even if, from time to time, it put him at odds with members of his own party. Bob must also be remembered for his outstanding commitment to ensuring proper health services for all. Of particular note was his campaign to ensure that sufferers of multiple sclerosis had access to appropriate care. He also argued for the obstetrics services to remain open at the Modbury Hospital.

Bob Ritson was a man of great knowledge and foresight, who was able to read the public mood and make the judgement call that he felt best suited the times and, as a member of the Legislative Council, he discharged his duty with care and deep commitment to service. It is with these words that I endorse the Premier's motion and pass on the opposition's condolences to his widow Jill, to their family and to all of the friends of the Hon. Dr Robert Ritson.

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:56): I would like to make a contribution to this motion. I did not know Dr Ritson very well but, as a member of the Women's Electoral Lobby in the very early days, Pam Flugelman and myself were given the job to visit different members of parliament in both the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. I think I have told the house before that this is where I met the Hon. Jack Wright, who decided to sign me up to the Labor Party after that meeting, but Pam Flugelman and I also had the opportunity to meet with Dr Ritson. We talked to him about the need for legislation that looked at rape in marriage. Dr Ritson not only gave us an hour of his time, from memory, but he also talked to us about other issues that the Women's Electoral Lobby were putting forward, and was very supportive.

I must say that in my meeting with him as a Liberal member of parliament, and the first time I had been into the Legislative Council side of this house, I was most impressed. He continued to keep in contact with both Pam and me and, if there were any issues that the Women's Electoral Lobby would like to raise, he was always happy to see us. So, my condolences to his family and my thanks to him for being such an open and caring member of parliament.

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (15:58): I would be one of the few people in here who knew Dr Bob Ritson. He was a fairly quiet member of parliament, a very intelligent man and someone who showed compassion to others. I think it is important that we acknowledge people like him. He may not have been on the front page of the paper, but he made a genuine contribution to our democracy, to the parliament and to the Liberal Party, and I extend my condolences to his family.

The SPEAKER (15:59): Bob Ritson was a member of the other place when I was elected in 1989. I enjoyed his company and his detached, ironical manner. We cooperated on bioethical matters on which our values coincided. He retired from parliament, I think owing to hill health, in mid-1993 as the Liberal Party prepared for a landslide election victory and the first Liberal government for 11 years.

Bob and Jill moved to one of the new units on East Street, Brompton, that were an early part of the urban renewal of Brompton. I doorknocked them in the course of visiting new constituents, and I enjoyed afternoon tea with them as they gave me some comfort as I faced defeat after just one term in parliament. They moved out of the Adelaide metropolitan area after that, and so alas I lost touch with them. My condolences to Jill and the family. Vale Bob Ritson. I ask the house to show its respect in the usual way.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

The SPEAKER: The house is suspended until the ringing of the bells.


[Sitting suspended from 16:01 to 16:10]


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