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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-06-17 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Banfield, Hon. D.H.L.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:01): I move:

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

On 5 June, I informed the house of the passing of the Hon. Mr Donald Banfield. He was 97. Donald Banfield served South Australia as a parliamentarian for 14 years between 1965 and 1979. He was minister for health between March 1973 and March 1979. Between March 1979 and May 1979, he was attorney-general, minister of prices and consumer affairs, and minister assisting the premier in ethnic affairs.

Don came to parliament following a long career as an official in the bootmakers' union (there's a trade you don't hear much about any more) and was well respected on both sides of the house. The third child in a family of seven, he was brought up and went to primary school at Wirrabara, where his father had a shoe shop. After the Depression hit his community hard, Don's father closed the shop and went to work for his largest creditor, Rossiters, to offset his debt. It was at Rossiters on Unley Road that Don, too, became an apprentice bootmaker and a union representative.

Don served two years with the RAAF in World War II, before returning to Rossiters and becoming a union official. He was married to the late Doreen after a wartime courtship, and had two sons, Keith and the late Robert. He came to parliament filling a casual vacancy in the Legislative Council and coinciding with the election of a Labor government for the first time in more than 20 years. Frank Walsh had become premier, taking over from Sir Thomas Playford.

In the parliament, Don Banfield was renowned for being a compassionate and forgiving man. The areas of public policy dearest to his heart were disability and mental health. As a parent of a child with a disability, he was a foundation member of the Mentally Retarded Children's Society, which later became known as Orana.

Don and Doreen were committed to improving conditions for children with intellectual disabilities and their families As health minister, he worked tirelessly towards that end. When he retired from parliament, Don made a decision to ensure that he did not become, in his words, 'a couch potato'. As a champion of the importance of volunteers, he continued to serve the community through voluntary work. He was also heavily involved with the parents and friends association at Strathmont.

Don Banfield is survived by his son Keith, daughter-in-law Sandra, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. I express my sincere personal condolences to them and on behalf of the house.

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:04): I rise today to support the Premier's condolence motion for the Hon. Donald Hubert Louis Banfield AO. Mr Banfield was a proud member of the South Australian parliament and served in the other place for over 14 years. It is with great sadness that we note the passing of a dedicated and passionate parliamentarian. It is a rare privilege to be elected as a member of the South Australian parliament, and it is an experience that binds all of us in this house and the other place together. To lose one of our own is a matter of deep sadness, and the opposition is united with the Premier in conveying our sympathies to Mr Banfield's family.

Mr Banfield had a long and varied political career spanning multiple portfolios and committees. He served as the minister for health from 1973 to 1979, the chief secretary from 1975 to 1977, and from March 1979 to May 1979 he served as the attorney-general, the minister assisting the premier in ethnic affairs and the minister of prices and consumer affairs. Clearly, he was a politician of great capacity and dedication. However, he was more than just a parliamentarian. Mr Banfield also served his country in the RAAF During World War II.

He was very community-minded and had much involvement with various community and health organisations, including Orana and the Blind Welfare Association of South Australia. In 1983, he was awarded an AO for parliamentary service and for services to the community. Mr Banfield exemplified the ideal of civic duty that we all strive for. On behalf of the Liberal Party here in South Australia we extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): I rise to support the motion and thank the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition for making a contribution in recognition of the service of Mr Banfield. I was personally known to Mr Banfield, rather than the other way round. Obviously, he was a significant figure in the Labor Party during the 1970s. For different reasons I used to visit this place, and he was a feature of that generation who contributed.

He was a member of the Legislative Council and someone with whom my father, at the time a member of this chamber, had some interaction. I am reminded of stories about the time that he was here, but I think members would reflect that this was a time when, I think it is fair to say, our side of the house enjoyed a rather substantial representation in the other place relative to those who sit opposite who had a rather small contribution. I think of how things have changed. Nevertheless, they had many fewer, even in those days, and Mr Banfield was one of them.

To then achieve the position as the minister for health throughout that period of the Dunstan government was significant. I was reminded by the Hon. Graham Gunn in the last short while of the contribution that Mr Banfield made as the minister for health, and in particular he would like to have recorded his appreciation, as one of the longest serving members of this house, for Mr Banfield intervening at the last minute to ensure that the Elliston Hospital was completed. This is a time, which members may not recall, when councils, largely local government, had responsibility for many of our regional hospitals.

Mr Banfield was the architect and sponsor of the then Bright inquiry into health, which I found most helpful, when I was shadow minister for health, in reading through those reports, which culminated in the state government and parliament taking responsibility for health. He was clearly a significant figure in the Labor Party. He was fondly remembered as the minister for health. I thank him for his contribution to the parliament and for the good relationship he had with a number of other members of this house.

The SPEAKER (14:09): I first met Don Banfield when I went to visit Ken Collins, the secretary of the clothing trades union, at his Gilles Street office. Don Banfield was, unusually for a former MP and minister after his political career, going back to do organising work for the trade union movement. As has been mentioned, he was from the 'booties', so he had been in that textile, clothing and footwear area.

He was, I think, elected for the casual vacancy created on the death of Ken Bardolph, and the Bardolph brothers had been involved in the Labor Party for many years and took us right back to the era of Jack Lang. They were great supporters of the New South Wales Premier and were eventually reconciled with the official Labor Party in South Australia. The last time I met Don was at Woodville Oval, where he was still supporting suburban football and barracking for Norwood.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

Sitting suspended from 14:11 to 14:21.

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