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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
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Condolence

Griffin, Hon. K.T.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:00): I move:

That the House of Assembly express its deep regret at the recent passing of the Hon. Kenneth Trevor Griffin, former minister of the Crown and member of the Legislative Council, and places on record its appreciation of his long and distinguished service and that as a mark of respect to his memory the sitting of the house be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

Today the house pays its respect to the memory of the Hon. Trevor Griffin, one of South Australia's longest serving attorneys-general. Trevor served the state as an extremely diligent and thoughtful member through his 24 years as a member of the Legislative Council. For almost half of this time in parliament he served as Attorney-General while also serving as Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council from 1979 to 1982 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party in the Legislative Council between 1982 and 2001.

During his time here Trevor held the great respect of many in this building, extending to those on both sides of politics. Indeed, I asked my father about Trevor and he said that, despite the fact that he did not drink to excess or gamble or smoke, which raised concerns in my father's mind, he regarded him as a thorough gentleman who was always extremely helpful to other less experienced members of parliament such as my father.

Since his passing it has been clearly demonstrated that the friendships with so many of the long-term staff here, built over decades, remain incredibly strong. It is noteworthy that enduring loyalty was shown by his staff with, as I understand it, Lynne Stapylton, Pam Huntley and David James all remaining in his office for almost his entire second term as Attorney-General.

This loyalty was perhaps won through his clear appreciation for the efforts of staff and public servants, something he always paid respect to. One sign of this is that he and his wife, Val, invited staff who worked closely with him to a lunch, originally at the family home at Marino but then at their farm at Kuitpo. These lunches came to be known as the 'annual farm day' with the tradition continuing long after Trevor was Attorney-General. The last one was held in 2013.

Trevor always took the role of Attorney-General seriously. He saw it as a privilege to serve as the state's Attorney-General and to serve in his other ministerial capacities. Through his time he delivered some important reforms for the state, including increased rights for victims of crime and the state's first specific legislation targeting domestic violence. While continued progress needs to be made to stamp out this awful blight on our society, we will continue Trevor's work. Trevor's 1994 domestic violence legislation created the ability to recognise and drive reform in areas of society that need attention and leadership from government.

Trevor will be remembered as someone who always sought to be courteous and respectful, even when under extreme pressure, and I think that is the mark of the character of a person. It is fine to be cheerful when all is going well but when things become difficult to remain respectful to those around you is a mark of character.

His conscientiousness was coupled with a very strong sense of duty and propriety. It was clear that in reading documents he not only considered the policy imperatives underpinning the proposal but also the detail. In this particular trait, sir, he shared something with you. There are examples of large reports being put to cabinet for public release where Trevor would have considered the contents but also picked up typographical and grammatical errors, such was his attention to detail. On leaving his position as minister, he advised in a note to justice staff that:

While I have always worked to achieve positive outcomes it will be for others to make a judgement of our level of success. Suffice to say that I'm proud of what I believe we've achieved.

I think those remarks are worthy of reflection, not just because of the pride he had in his work, but the way he saw this as a collective enterprise with those with whom he worked. My thoughts today, and I am sure those of all in this chamber, are with his wife, Val, their sons Mark and Tim, and their extended family. I express my condolences to the house.

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:05): I rise today to second the condolence motion proposed by the Premier and to pay my respects to the memory of the Hon. Kenneth Trevor Griffin, a distinguished politician, an outstanding servant of the South Australian Liberal Party, and a great community-minded individual. On behalf of the entire South Australian Liberal parliamentary team, I extend my sympathies to his wife, Val, his two sons and their families during this most difficult time.

Mr Griffin served as the highest legal officer in this state, serving as Attorney-General not once but twice, first in the Tonkin government, and later under premiers Dean Brown and John Olsen. He was also the Liberal leader in the Legislative Council, and served the people of South Australia in this parliament for 24 years.

Mr Griffin passed away two weeks ago, and there have been many people in this house and in the other place who have had an opportunity to reflect upon the outstanding legacy that he has left South Australia. Overwhelmingly, it has been seen as a legacy of prudential and fair legislation, and of a reasonable, measured and respectful man who was well liked by all members, irrespective of their political persuasion.

Mr Griffin was first and foremost an outstanding legislator. As one of the only ministers with experience in government when Dean Brown won office in 1993, his guidance to the younger and more inexperienced cabinet members was vital. At the time, he assisted a young Rob Lucas to learn the ropes, and also clearly taught him the secret to parliamentary longevity. The Hon. Mr Lucas recently reminisced on Mr Griffin's sharp mind and unwavering commitment to the parliament, saying:

He took the business of bills in parliament seriously; he would meticulously go through each and every clause in a bill, finding problems in drafting that even parliamentary counsel couldn't pick up.

I had a chat with Mr Lucas prior to us resuming parliament this afternoon, and he said this was not only for his own legislation; Mr Griffin would meticulously go through other members' legislation and make helpful suggestions on how the legislation could be improved.

Trevor Griffin achieved much in the parliament. He was most proud of the role he played in ensuring the passage of the Roxby Downs indenture bill in 1982, and in securing the land rights of the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people through the APY Land Rights Act. These two pieces of legislation are some of the most important passed in this parliament.

Trevor also had a keen sense of justice, and his reforms were about making South Australia a safer and fairer place to live. Mr Griffin introduced legislation that required pawnbrokers to record the information of people selling goods, and also mandating that all items must be held for a minimum of three days before sale in order to allow stolen goods to be identified. This legislation was credited with completely changing the way stolen goods were traded in our state.

Mr Griffin introduced legislation that established a register of convicted sex offenders, which is something that remains an important part of policing and parole conditions today. He participated in the Tonkin government's reforms, including the removal of significant taxes like death duties, gift duties and land tax on the family home. I particularly wish to highlight the introduction of the 1994 domestic violence legislation in South Australia, which the Premier has also highlighted to the parliament today.

Mr Griffin was an outstanding legislator. He was a gentleman and a friend to many. In his maiden speech, Mr Griffin spoke of his initial shock at finding himself in parliament, filling a vacancy created by the untimely death of the Hon. Frank Potter. He said:

…to find oneself one week quietly going about one's own affairs and profession and the next week to be sitting in this place is somewhat bewildering, and requires a considerable adjustment in one's affairs if one is to take a responsible part in the work and deliberations of this Council…I have no illusions about the difficulty of the task or of the adjustments I shall have to make to cope with it.

It was this deep understanding about the importance of his role as a legislator and parliamentarian that made Trevor Griffin such a formidable political mind. In his entire 24 years in parliament, he never lost sight of the fact that well-crafted and sound legislation has the ability to benefit all South Australians. Trevor Griffin was never one for complacency.

I would also like to acknowledge in the parliament today his outstanding service to the St Andrew's Hospital board, where he served as a board member for an outstanding 44 years. He was also a longstanding trustee of the Liberal Party, a position that he served in up until his death. Of course, he served as our party president in South Australia during the period 1973 to 1976, which were particularly tumultuous times, and his skill as the party president was absolutely crucial during this period.

I have previously said that the mark of a great politician is one that leaves the state in a better place and in better shape than the time when the member first entered the halls of this parliament, and I think we can all agree that Trevor Griffin was such a politician. On behalf of the Liberal Party I extend our very sincere condolences to his widow, Val, and to his family and friends. Vale, Trevor Griffin.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (14:11): I would like to join in making a few remarks on this occasion. Although I knew Trevor Griffin a little, unfortunately I did not have the opportunity of knowing him as much as I think I would have liked to have known him in his professional capacity. That said, I do have some idea of the demands of the job that he performed. It can be quite a demanding position, not just because of the parliamentary scrutiny one is put to but also because of the sheer volume of material that one needs to deal with.

Over the years I have been in this place, and certainly since I have occupied the role of Attorney-General, I have met many people who have worked with the Hon. Trevor Griffin and, to a person, they are all extremely complimentary of him in every respect. They are complimentary of his courtesy. They are complimentary of his work ethic. They are complimentary of his decency. Quite simply, they have nothing but fine words to say. To occupy a position as a minister of the government for as many years as he did and to leave behind a group of people who still, after many years, speak in the most glowing terms of the opportunity of working with him I think is a great tribute.

During the period of time that the Hon. Trevor Griffin was Attorney-General, like the Premier I was a practising member of the legal profession. I think I can say without any fear of contradiction that amongst members of the legal profession, irrespective of their political views, Trevor Griffin was held in very high regard. He was regarded as a man of principle, a man who was respected by all of the profession and man who was seen as being a very competent and appropriate first law officer.

Also, on occasion I confess that I have reflected on the fact that it has been my lot, for better or worse, not to have had the privilege of being able to work in some legislative context with the Hon. Trevor Griffin in the other place. It has fallen to me to have what I think is described in the other place as 'improvements'—and I use that term in inverted commas—supervised by people other than the Hon. Trevor Griffin. For that, I feel personally to have been short-changed, but there is nothing much I can do about that.

If I can say, from my own personal point of view, that Trevor Griffin did an outstanding job as Attorney-General and I would like to extend my condolences to his family and friends.

Mr SPEIRS (Bright) (14:14): I rise to speak to this condolence motion on behalf of the many people in the communities that I represent who knew the Hon. Kenneth Trevor Griffin. In particular, I bring to this chamber the condolences of members of the Liberal Party in Bright who shared local membership with Mr Griffin and who worked on his campaign when he contested the seat of Brighton in 1970. Mr Griffin lived in Bright at Marino for much of his time in the ministry, and he remained a member of the Bright branch of the Liberal Party until his passing earlier this month.

Trevor Griffin enjoyed a notable political career, serving in the Legislative Council from 1978, when he was elected to fill a casual vacancy following the death of the Hon. Frank Potter, the president of the council. He continued serving the people of South Australia at the most senior levels of government until his retirement in 2002, almost a quarter of a century later.

Mr Griffin's time in office included two significant reforming stints as the state's Attorney-General during the Tonkin government and again in the Brown-Olsen era. During a career which spanned 24 years, he held various portfolios, including police, corrections and emergency services, and led the Liberals in the upper house from 1979 to 1982.

Mr Griffin's involvement in the Liberal Party began in the 1960s and led to him being a candidate for the then Labor-held seat of Brighton in the 1970 state election. While a more inland-leaning seat than coastal Bright, the seat that Mr Griffin contested in 1970 covered much of the territory which is today found within the seat of Bright.

Mr Griffin was at the forefront of progressive lawmaking in South Australia, helping position the governments he was part of as drivers of well-considered, timely law reform. As one of South Australia's longest serving attorneys-general, his legacy will be in the laws he left us with, in particular those laws which creaked open the door in this often conservative state to new ways of thinking and conducting legal affairs.

He was pivotally involved in crafting some of the state's most significant pieces of legislation, including the APY Land Rights Bill, the Roxby Downs Indenture Bill and the state's first piece of legislation on domestic violence. His work in this area saw the state's first legal definition of 'domestic violence' enter law and saw the creation of specific domestic violence restraining orders, as well as the legal recognition that the protection of victims of domestic violence was a vital consideration for courts when bail decisions were being made.

Mr Griffin also led the way in providing government support to those who find themselves victims of crime. I note that the South Australian Victim Support Service has placed on its website:

Trevor was a strong supporter of victims' rights, as well as the work and growth of the VSS during both his terms as Attorney-General. The victims of crime review in 1999 was initiated by Trevor, which led to the implementation of the Victims of Crime Act in 2003. Between 1993 and 2001 the level of funding dedicated to victims' services in South Australia more than doubled under Trevor Griffin's watch. For VSS this culminated in the expansion of our services to Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, the riverland and the south-east.

From reading about Mr Griffin, and from talking to his peers and friends within the Liberal Party, it is clear that he managed to achieve a special thing in politics: trust, respect and friendships on both sides of the house whether he was in government or in opposition. In preparing to deliver this condolence speech, I spoke to a number of people who knew Trevor personally. One friend, Jan Smith, summed things up in a way that I feel is worth sharing with parliament today. Jan said of Trevor:

He was courteous and civil to everyone and kept to the issues, not personality. He was a man of principle, character and integrity and maintained his strong political resolve. He was on the St Andrew's Hospital Board, the Film Review Classifications Board and was a mediator—all roles that reinforced the values he upheld in his personal life and political career. Always highly respected and loved in his personal community of friends…someone who knew how to be a friend and how to have a friend.

To Mr Griffin's wife, Val, his sons, his extended family and friends, please accept the sincerest sympathies of the Bright SEC and those in the Marino community who knew and respected Trevor. Vale, Kenneth Trevor Griffin.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:19): I also rise to support the motion and to commend the addresses of the other speakers, particularly that of the member for Bright. Trevor was born in 1940 and, as we have heard, was a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws at the University of Adelaide. His wife, Val, and sons, Mark and Tim, will miss him terribly. As we have heard, he contested the seat of Brighton in 1970 and won a seat in the upper house in 1978. He was Attorney-General in the Tonkin, Brown and Olsen governments and, I must say, having served with him, a very, very good one. Apart from the acts we have heard already on the APY lands and Roxby Downs, he also introduced the Correctional Services Act in 1982 and the Liquor Licensing Act in 1997 and a host of other initiatives.

Can I just say that he was a wonderful source of advice to a newly arrived backbencher in 1997. I know that was felt right across the parliament, but particularly in the Liberal Party at the time. You could always rely on Trevor to have time for you, to explain his bills and proposals before they went into the party room. I remember speaking on a number of his initiatives here in the house. He guided me wonderfully through those very complex issues. There is one thing I will say about Trevor: he was a very steady hand who resisted populism in law and order and in particular was a very strong advocate for the separation of powers and in particular the independence of the judiciary, resisting in particular mandatory sentencing and various other things that he thought would diminish our system of justice.

He left in late 2001, when newly installed premier Rob Kerin made the very brave decision to freshen up the front bench and was replaced by Robert Lawson, but he left the position of Attorney-General with the undying respect and admiration I know of everyone within the Liberal Party and everyone within the house when he finally stepped aside as Attorney-General. He was a wonderful member of parliament, a great politician, and someone who we can all look up to.

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (14:21): I note that other speakers have spoken at length about the incredible contribution that Trevor Griffin made to the legislative framework as Attorney-General. I want to spend a little bit more time talking about his incredible contribution to the Liberal Party over a number of decades, but I do note that Trevor Griffin would almost certainly hold the record as an Attorney-General who served the people South Australia in four decades: the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and 2000s. With all due respect, I hope that that is a record that is not met any time soon.

The contribution that Trevor Griffin made to the Liberal Party was extraordinary and over a long period of time. In the 1970s, he was president of the party in what was a very challenging time, but what was the critical moment was that, when the Liberal Movement and the Liberal Country League reformed, he was there to help heal those wounds and made an extraordinary contribution, along with David Tonkin in particular, in binding together the party and putting them on a platform where David Tonkin was subsequently able to be elected premier of South Australia.

I know that when I was vice-president of the Young Liberal Movement and subsequently president, I organised the first four David Tonkin memorial dinners with Prue Tonkin. She was so happy to be sitting next to Trevor Griffin at the first David Tonkin memorial dinner, in recognition of his contribution to that government and the people of South Australia through that work, but also through their incredibly important connection in bringing together the modern Liberal Party of South Australia.

The respect with which Trevor Griffin was held by the Liberal Party membership in South Australia I think is clear through the fact that he was elected every year as trustee of the Liberal Party and was unopposed after his first election up until his passing. The other opportunity that the Liberal Party membership had every year to show the high regard that they had for Trevor Griffin is that the Liberal Party preselections are subject to an appeals tribunal, which is elected every year by our state council of five members elected. It is a tribunal that is invariably only people who are held in high regard across the party, who are trusted and considered to be legally responsible, fair, impartial, judicious and thoughtful. They are the sorts of people who are elected.

I have been involved in the Liberal Party for nearly 20 years, and I do not think there has been a year since Trevor's retirement from parliament where he has not either been the first or second person elected to that tribunal. The Liberal Party state council will terribly mourn his loss. With the respect in which he was held, he was someone who was held in very high regard in the party. I met him on a number of occasions, and I remember him to be a man of dignity, I think is the word that would most describe him. We will mourn his loss. We pass our condolences, very sincerely felt, to the family.

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (14:25): It is with significant sadness that I rise to contribute to the motion moved by the Premier in memory of the late Trevor Griffin. Trevor Griffin served this parliament in a distinguished manner, as has been pointed out by many of his achievements, serving as Attorney-General for an extended period under two separate governments. Trevor Griffin was known and noted for his integrity and for his meticulous application to all the matters that ever came before him. There was great respect for him right across the political divide, and that was due to the way he conducted himself and the way he handled matters of state.

As the member for Waite pointed out, as a new member coming into the house his advice was always both keenly sought; it was sage and taken very seriously. I will not go through the list of achievements of Trevor Griffin. They are many and a lot of them have already been mentioned. One memory comes to mind. As a new member of the house—and I was not in the Liberal Party at the time—I happened to be walking through the city when I bumped into Trevor. I said, 'Attorney, by the way, there's a matter I wanted to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?' He said, 'Sure.' I told him about the matter, and it was an issue to do with the Liquor Licensing Act, that we had changed some legislation and that it had an unintended consequence on the cellar door outlets in my electorate. I told him what the concern was and the implication that it had for cellar door outlets.

Trevor went through and explained to me the legislative change and why it was enacted, etc. We parted ways and I thought, 'Maybe I could have attacked that issue a little bit differently. Maybe I should have made a formal appointment with him and written a letter, etc.' Anyhow, I went about my way. A little while later, maybe a week or two, I got a phone call from Trevor. He said, 'Oh, Mitch, I just wanted to ring you to let you know how I've solved that problem for you.' I will never forget it. I must admit, parting from him that day, I thought, 'Oh, well, as a new member one of the things I might be able to fix up I've blown it.' Trevor never missed an opportunity to do the right thing by the people of this state. I have the utmost respect for him. To his wife, Val, and his family, my deepest sympathy. Vale, Trevor Griffin.

The SPEAKER (14:28): I shadowed Trevor Griffin for about eight years and I always found him a very, very decent person. He certainly resisted populist clamouring such as mine and that of the leader of the opposition, Mike Rann. He was politically courageous in a quiet way. Earlier in his life he had been an accomplished sportsman. He retained a very strong physique, which was not immediately obvious because of his small stature. He had a very strong handshake.

He was conservative not just in politics but in temperament and outlook. As members have noted, he had very good manners. He was cautious with his files and cabinet submissions. He was across all the detail, which was a virtue in an Attorney-General, and he was quite a policy dynamo in cabinet. Not only had he meticulously prepared all his own cabinet submissions but he had read everyone else's on Monday morning and so was able to contribute to the debate. He could go toe to toe with his principal political foe, the Labor Attorney-General, Chris Sumner. If one reads the Hansard at that time, they barely each of them get a sentence out before the other interrupts, so that debates are one sentence from Sumner, one sentence from Griffin and so it goes for pages.

He was, as I think has been noted, a teetotaller but he turned a winemaker in his retirement and that reminded me of the scriptural passage about the ideal life: 'But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid…' I was very pleased that that turned out to be Trevor Griffin's retirement. I offer my condolences to Val and their family. Vale, Trevor Griffin.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

Sitting suspended from 14:31 to 14:40.

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