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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
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MEMBERS' CONTRIBUTION

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. D.W. Ridgway:

That this council recognises the contribution of the Hon. Caroline Schaefer and the Hon. Robert Lawson to the parliament and the community of South Australia.

(Continued from 28 October 2009. Page 3999.)

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (18:16): I could speak for hours on both the Hon. Robert Lawson and the Hon. Caroline Schaefer because I have had the privilege of working with them in various capacities, whether as local members in the same party or as cabinet ministers. Both Caroline and Rob have made a great contribution in the time that they have been here. This is Rob's 16th year and Caroline I think is in her 18th.

The Hon. C.V. Schaefer: About 16.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: About 16—but you came in a little earlier. I also speak on behalf of Dennis Hood and Family First. All members know that you put in an enormous contribution when you put your hand up for public office. Caroline, in particular, originally grain growing on Eyre Peninsula, went over to Clare and then, with Roy, got into viticulture, but she always had a total focus on the rural and regional issues.

I believe that we do not have to go too far across the state to see the road sealing programs and lots of other initiatives and support for country South Australia that Caroline was involved in; she has always been dedicated to the people she has been duly elected to represent. She had a real heart and passion for primary industries and made a very good fist of it for the months she had a position as cabinet minister for primary industries. I know that the whole of the primary industries sector in this state was pleased when she was announced as minister.

I am sure that she will have plenty of work to do up in Clare; in fact, she is retiring at about grape harvest. I do not know whether she thought about that when she decided that she was going to retire. Both of them have put in an enormous amount of family work over the years and also a lot of public work. She gets a fair bit of her skill, ability and passion for South Australia and the parliament from her father. To Caroline, Roy and the family, we wish you all the best for a long, healthy and happy retirement. If we are up the Clare way, which we will be from time to time, we will make sure that we contact you and catch up. It will be your shout. I do not know how good your wine is but I hope we get a chance to have a glass.

I also want to speak about the Hon. Rob Lawson. Rob Lawson has been a great person to work with. I worked with Rob in the justice system, and I would have liked the opportunity of being able to work with Rob for a longer period in justice, because I believe the plans and all the strategy that was put in place was well-balanced when it came to the issues of justice, and particularly well-balanced when it came to the punitive side of the legal system and also the rehabilitation and prevention side. We did a lot of policy formulation together leading up to the 2002 election. Rob Lawson, had he had time to make more of a mark as attorney-general, would have been an incredible contributor to the justice system in his position of attorney-general. I have always admired Rob's intellect, particularly with respect to legal matters. When Rob first came into this place, his family was a lot younger (a bit like mine). They have grown up over the years but they were always alongside him.

The final point is that, from time to time, I went to visit Rob to seek his wise counsel because, as a Queen's Counsel and with all his legal knowledge (whether it was police portfolio or other matters), Rob was a person who gave good advice. He would think things through and when he finally came up with the advice it was very solid and well put together. Rob, thank you very much for the time I shared with you. Rob's wife is a brilliant cook (as well as an academic) so I am confident that now he will be able to get into the kitchen and give her a hand, with no more excuses.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: He can pour her a glass of wine or pack the dishwasher. I know that it will probably not be long before he is right back into performing legal duties, one way or another. I also know that there will be a lot of people wanting to contact Rob to see what capacity he will have to contribute to the ongoing wellbeing of South Australia. On behalf of Dennis Hood, Family First and myself, I wish Rob and his family all the best for the future.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (18:21): I rise to support the motion of my leader. I associate myself with the contributions already made by members of the Liberal team and by the Hon. Robert Brokenshire. Those contributions have ably recounted the illustrious careers of the two members involved, so I seek simply to add some brief personal reflections.

First, I would like to pay tribute to the Hon. Caroline Schaefer. Before I entered parliament I often encountered Caroline in party activities throughout the state. I was impressed by her energy, knowledge and passion. From the complexities of international agricultural marketing to the challenges faced by isolated families in getting an education for their children, the Hon. Caroline Schaefer understands and has long been a passionate and effective advocate for rural and regional South Australia. However, it was upon entering this council that I had the opportunity to come to appreciate more deeply the other qualities of the honourable member.

The Hon. Caroline Schaefer is an active contributor to the deliberations of the parliamentary Liberal Party, often offering commonsense perspectives which focus on the best interests of the state, not what is merely popular. The Hon. Caroline Schaefer struck me as a calm and steady politician who focuses on the issues and not the person. Caroline is a committed parliamentarian, particularly in terms of the role of legislator and through her involvement in committees. Time and time again I can recall Caroline in the party room affirming our duty as legislators to make legislation the best legislation that we can. She strongly holds the view that it is the duty of an opposition to improve legislation not just oppose it.

Similarly, the Hon. Caroline Schaefer is consistent in her values. She brought the Liberal values of freedom of thought and conscience to the life of the party room. She has been a passionate advocate for the freedom of members of the parliamentary Liberal Party to vote against the advice of the party. This is a freedom that relates not just to conscience or free votes but also to party votes. Caroline has always been a committed and loyal member of the team who actively promoted team decisions. However, the bottom line is that she consistently supported the right of any member of the parliamentary Liberal Party to reserve their position on a matter.

I am confident that as she takes this passion and her principles into future endeavours she will enjoy continued success. I wish the Hon. Caroline Schaefer and her husband, Roy, and her long-serving and loyal staff member (Francesca French), a long and happy future.

Secondly, I pay tribute to the Hon. Robert Lawson, whom I first got to know when I worked in a ministerial office in the 1990s which supported him. I certainly concur with the observations of the Hon. Michelle Lensink, who spoke of his attention to detail: few draft letters escaped his editor's pencil. These changes tended not to be mere pedantry; overwhelmingly they reflected the honourable member's determination to pay respect to a correspondent by directly engaging their concerns.

In highly sensitive areas, such as disability and ageing, the honourable member is widely regarded as a compassionate and progressive minister. I must admit that, like so many others, I have often been bemused by the Hon. Robert Lawson. He is an enigmatic character, and I think that he likes it that way. He is a very intelligent person, but he does not seek to belittle lesser beings; in fact, he has a remarkable capacity to make complex ideas accessible to the common man—often displayed on Adelaide's radio airwaves.

The humility of the man is shown in how often he feigned ignorance in technological matters to seek my advice from time to time. A voracious reader and a squirrel of information, he his assistant Raelene tells me that he often went missing and, nine times out of 10, he would be missing in the library.

The Hon. Robert Lawson is always measured in his advice, even to the point of understatement and so much so that one can be in the middle of a conversation and silence descends. After a torturous pause, he offers his advice or makes his comment. The Hon. Robert Lawson is not one who feels the need to use noise to fill a silence.

He has extraordinary legal skills. Those skills are uncommon enough, but he blends them with a sound political judgment, and I had the privilege to see him in action before the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission. His dry sense of humour is legend, and he often uses it to defuse tension, to offer respite from boredom and very often to deliver an incisive comment. Let me offer a piece of Lawson advice: every parliamentarian should have their bookshelves filled with Hansard. Its volumes give away nothing that visitors could use to plumb your mind.

The Hon. Mr Lawson has been a mentor to many members in this place, both generally and specifically. Personally, I thank him for his support and teaching of me. He is not inclined to flattery, or at least I did not stimulate that in him. He has high standards, and he intends that others aspire to them, too.

The Hon. Mr Lawson is an outstanding lawyer, and there is no doubt that he would have served with distinction in the judiciary. His time as attorney-general of this state was all too short. However, the state and this council have been very fortunate to have him as a legislator. There are many statutes on the books of this state that carry the fingerprints of the honourable member. One of the challenges facing the chamber in the next parliament is how we develop our legislative skills and processes going forward in his absence.

I wish Robert and Delysia all the very best, and I hope that they have a long and happy time ahead. To his personal assistant, Raelene Zanetti, I also offer my thanks for her friendship and support and best wishes for the future. I commend the motion to the council.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (18:27): I rise to support the motion and, acknowledging the time of the day, I will be brief, but I will also make an appropriate acknowledgement of the service of my two colleagues both within this chamber and outside. It is interesting that the Hon. Caroline Schaefer's father and my father served together in this place, but I do not think that I met Caroline until after my father had retired and her father continued on a few years after that.


[Sitting extended beyond 18:30 on motion of Hon. P. Holloway]


The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Despite the fact that our fathers served together for a long period of time, I do not believe that I met Caroline until after my father had retired. We met when we both served on the executive of the rural council of the Liberal Party. Caroline might correct me, but I would say that that was in the early 1980s. I became aware of her commitment to Eyre Peninsula and, particularly through local government on the District Council of Kimba, her work as the person in charge of the census on Eyre Peninsula and her work with the then cooperative bulk handling, which has had a number of identities and name changes in the time since. Of course, I also learnt of the high regard in which she was held around this state for her abilities as a judge and participant in equestrian events and at shows around South Australia.

In the parliament, when I came here she was a great help to me. I was the new boy and she was the government whip, and I was very grateful for her guidance. We heard from other members about the work she did with the food industry and in particular the food for the future council and the issues group that was associated with it and her chairmanship of that body. Can I say that the regional development issues group, which was developed some time later and which I chaired, was modelled entirely on the food for the future issues group and modelled by the Hon. Rob Kerin on the work that was done under the leadership of the Hon. Caroline Schaefer.

I acknowledge the work that Caroline did both as a member, albeit for a period which we on this side would like to have been much longer, and also as shadow minister in the area of primary industries right across the gambit which that portfolio covers. She also had the portfolio, at least in opposition, of regional affairs, and I know Caroline had great mirth in going around a number of regional areas and having a bit of a laugh about the title that the Hon. Rob Kerin had given to that portfolio—and I will not go into anything more about that, but I think she still has a bit of a laugh about that from time to time.

What is clear is Caroline's passion for regional communities, and I think she demonstrates that in this council on every occasion that we have listened to her speak. I think that will always continue, and long may she do that, because it is something that I believe in, I hope as strongly as she does. Another thing I must say is that, in the time that I have been here, the Hon. Mrs Schaefer and I seem to have alternated on a number of what we in our party call 'pairing relationships' with seats that the party does not hold, so a number of those have been with me and gone to Caroline and come back or vice versa, so we share that aspect as well.

I do value the fact that the friendship I have had with Caroline has been a strong one, and that has been the case despite the fact that there are a couple of conscience issues on which I know she does not agree with me, and I think she probably frowns at what the hell Dawkins is doing, but that has never got in the way of our friendship, and I will always appreciate that. I extend my sincere best wishes to Caroline and to Roy, who has also become a friend to Helena and me. I extend my best wishes to both of you on your retirement and in the years to come, and obviously we look forward to seeing as much of you as we can around the state.

The Hon. Robert Lawson I first met, I believe, in about 1992 when he was running around South Australia, as we do in the Liberal Party, on a Legislative Council preselection going to see candidates all over South Australia. At that stage I was working part time at the Gawler office of the then member for Wakefield, the Hon. Neil Andrew, and that is where Robert came to see me, after hours, I believe it was, and we had quite a chat about his ambitions. It does not seem that long ago, but a bit of water has gone under the bridge since then. I had previously been aware of Robert's eminent legal career and I was obviously well aware of his role in relation to the many issues in relation to the State Bank collapse.

Robert became a minister very shortly after I came to this place. As the Hon. Michelle Lensink said, his abilities as a minister saw him given more and more varied responsibilities over time. One of the early responsibilities he had was for the HAC scheme. I remember that one of the first things I did as the member responsible for the Riverland was to go up to Barmera with Robert for the launch of the community transport scheme in the old Barmera council chambers. I think that was one of the first things he did as minister for the ageing.

For the past eight years Robert's personal assistant and my personal assistant have shared an office, and he has had the unfortunate experience of having to dodge my larger and clumsier frame as we go in and out of our assistants' offices.

I remember the debate we had in this chamber when I moved, successfully, to legalise surrogacy. I think anybody who has moved a private members' bill knows the experience you have to go through if there is some complexity to the bill when you do not have the luxury that a minister has of having an adviser next to you, and I know that colleagues here will attest to that. The Hon. Robert Lawson asked me one or two ticklish questions that day, and I think he had many more in his head, and I will always appreciate the fact that he left most of them on his desk, because I would have struggled significantly with that.

I will say, and I think this was alluded to earlier, that the Hon. Mr Lawson will go down as one of the great disappearers of this parliament. The Whip's job is to make sure that people are here at the right time, and only yesterday I knew that Robert was here and then all of a sudden he was not. He did come back fairly quickly, but he has an ability to vanish, which has probably been helpful to him at times. I would like to extend my best wishes to Delysia, Robert and the family for the future.

Before concluding, I think it is appropriate to mention the staff of my two colleagues. I think all of us here would agree that the work we do is assisted greatly by our staff. I think it is important to put on the record that Mrs Francesca French, I believe, has worked for the Hon. Caroline Schaefer for her entire career, and I think that is a tribute to both Caroline and Francesca. I also understand that Mrs Raelene Zanetti has worked for the Hon. Mr Lawson for all but about the first 10 months of his career. I think that is a tribute to both of my parliamentary colleagues and to their very loyal, dedicated, hard working staff, and best wishes to all of them in the future.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (18:40): I also rise to support this motion and wish both members many long years of happy retirement from this place. Whilst I am a member of another political party, I recognise the commitment and hard work that both members have brought to this place. For one reason or another, my path has crossed with the Hon. Caroline Schaefer's on a number of occasions, particularly prior to my becoming a minister. We were both whips at the same time at one stage, and I followed the Hon. Caroline Schaefer as convener of the Premier's Food Council and also chair of the Food and Wine Issues Group after the 2002 election—two very diverse responsibilities, but both very interesting.

The agrifood industry in this state and regional South Australia has a good champion in the Hon. Caroline Schaefer. I was pleased to see that she was a judge at the Premier's Food Awards about a month ago, I think. The Hon. Caroline Schaefer has been described as someone with enormous common sense, and I agree entirely. She brings just that—common sense—to the debates on which I agree with her and, in particular, those of conscience. I am certain that her experience will serve her well in whatever role she chooses for herself when she leaves this place.

Both the Hon. Caroline Schaefer and the Hon. Rob Lawson are members with whom, whilst one might not always agree with their point of view, one can nonetheless agree to disagree. By that I mean that their manner is not generally personal, but they generally go to the heart of the matter. Having said that, I think that at this time of the year, with the electoral cycle in particular, sometimes we can all stray from that principle.

The Hon. Robert Lawson is clearly someone who is respected by his party. It would surprise no-one to learn that I do not often agree with what he has to say, but I nonetheless recognise that he is a thinker and he provides, and has provided, a thorough analysis of the legislation that comes before this parliament. Both members were ministers for a time—from the Hon. Caroline Schaefer's point of view, far too short a time. I remember leaving a message on her mobile phone to congratulate her on her appointment, saying that of course she would understand that I could not, obviously, wish her longevity in her position. I hope she understood my sense of humour.

The experience and knowledge that we gain in this place, at whatever level we serve—whether it be at a ministerial level, the committees on which we serve, analysing legislation or performing community and constituency work—I believe provides us with a reservoir of talent. I am certain that, in the case of both members, once they have a good break outside of this place, they will be ready for some service of their choice to the community. Again, I wish them both a very long and happy retirement together with their families.

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (18:44): I would also like to support this motion. The Hon. Caroline Schaefer was the very first person from this council that I laid eyes on when I was elected in 2006—at a lunch with Senator Jeannie Ferris. I would like to forward my appreciation to both the Hon. Caroline Schaefer and the Hon. Robert Lawson for the times they have given me advice of a non-political nature. As everyone else in here has said, they have always shown common sense when I could not make sense of stuff that was going on.

Also, I had the privilege to sit on the Families SA committee with both the Hon. Caroline Schaefer and the Hon. Rob Lawson for two years or more. It was a humbling experience, actually, to have two people with the time behind them in this place sitting on a committee like that and for me to see them handling that committee. the evidence and the distressed people coming through, and then work to put together the report that we did.

As I have said, I cannot say anything but thank you to both of them. Their doors have been open up the hallway, and they have never given me a bum steer, so to speak, when I have sought their advice. I appreciate that because, in this place and with the work we do, it would be quite easy for people to do that, but they have been honourable in the dealings I have had with them. I am actually going to miss them a great deal. I wish them both well, and I hope Caroline does not end up in a wheelchair, dribbling!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (18:46): I hope the fact that a Labor member says some nice things about a retiring Liberal while they are still alive is not going to be taken the wrong way—I wouldn't want my comments to ruin the reputations of the Hon. Robert Lawson or the Hon. Caroline Schaefer. What I am about to say may be completely apocryphal, somewhat blurred in my memory perhaps, or otherwise a gross exaggeration. Whatever is necessary to protect their reputations in their retirement, I am happy to own up to.

My first memory of the Hon. Mr Lawson was from another life, when I would see him every four years in the gladiatorial arena known as the State Electoral Boundaries Redistribution Committee. The Hon. Mr Lawson represented the Liberal Party at the commission. I remember at one hearing where the Labor Party advocate (it might have been Tim Stanley or perhaps John Rau) had totally demolished the Liberal Party's submission. The submission was a litany of mathematical errors and flaws in every calculation on electorate size or on effects of moving boundaries one way or the other.

We led our evidence, and the Hon. Mr Lawson had to respond. He responded eventually. There was a lengthy pause. He folded his arms, moved forward slightly on the balls of his feet, his gaze focused in the middle distance, and I thought, 'This is stretching into an eternity.' But eventually he did speak, and he said to the commissioner (and I am paraphrasing here), 'Your honour, we don't believe we've made the errors the ALP claims.'

He paused again for what seemed like for ever. Then he said, 'But if the commission finds that there are errors in our submission, we submit that we don't believe they are as serious as the ALP claims.' Then he paused again before saying, 'Or, in fact, if the commission, when it checks the data, finds any errors approaching those claimed by the ALP'—pausing once more—'we say that those calculations and errors are not critical to our submission anyway and do not in any way diminish our arguments.' That was a tour de force of his lawyerly skills. He certainly earnt his fee that day as a leading silk, which I think was about nothing! I was very impressed and always have been since.

I have not known the Hon. Caroline Schaefer for nearly as long, but that has been my loss. However, I did get to see her in action on one of the select committees, an inquiry into pipis and cockles, which was a fascinating inquiry. I came to enjoy her acerbic, usually sotto voce, comments on the nature of some of the evidence we heard from time to time. I will not divulge any of those comments to the chamber, because that would not be appropriate.

She has always been a staunch supporter of our primary industries, but she can always be relied on, particularly after a drink or two, for some colourful stories about some of the characters prominent from time to time in some of those industries and how much veracity we should give their evidence. She and the Hon. Mr Lawson share a very dry wit, and I will miss their occasional wicked grin and wink from across the chamber.

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (18:49): I have not had the opportunity to listen to all the contributions in this place, but I will take a bold gamble and associate myself with all of them. I offer my congratulations and best wishes to the Hon. Mr Lawson and the Hon. Mrs Schaefer on their retirement. Like the Hon. Mr Hunter, I did come across the Hon. Mr Lawson once in my previous life, when I was at the STA and represented the union at I think the retail or shop hours advisory committee or something when he was the minister. Apparently I was not as brilliant an advocate as he was as he did us in on that occasion. I cannot remember what it was about; it may have involved Easter or Christmas hours.

However, I remember that the Hon. Mr Lawson went out of his way to introduce himself when I first got here and, as the Hon. Mr Lucas said the other day, it is important that we have people of his character and intellect putting themselves forward for parliament. He is a talented jurist and served with distinction as a Queen's Counsel. I thought, when recounting his life story the other day, that he must have been in his late 30s when he became a QC, but I have since discovered that I was underestimating his age somewhat, so I congratulate him on bearing up so well.

I have known the Hon. Mrs Schaefer since I got here. She has made a strong contribution. The Hon. Ms Zollo alluded to the fact that there may have been a regret that she was not able to serve longer in cabinet, but she certainly has demonstrated a very clear commitment to rural and regional South Australia and to the needs of women living in those communities. I suspect that the Hon. Mrs Schaefer and I would have seen eye to eye over the years on a number of issues of conscience, and I admire her forthrightness and commitment on those sorts of matters as well. I wish both members all the best in their retirement.

One of the advantages of picking your own retirement date is that people will say nice things about you, whereas if you stand and lose you might not get that opportunity. I also congratulate and thank members of the other place who are retiring: the members for Stuart, Flinders, Mount Gambier, Taylor and Little Para. The Hon. Graham Gunn has served almost 40 years, which is extraordinary and, along with Mrs Liz Penfold and the Hon. Rory McEwen, has served a country electorate. All have made a big difference in serving their country constituents, which is not always easy when most of the population is centred in Adelaide.

The Hon. Trish White and the Hon. Lea Stevens I congratulate on their retirements and wish them all the best into the future. I have known them for many years as they have served with distinction in parliament and in cabinet and were an important part of rebuilding Labor after the rather shattering defeat of 1993. I wish all members a merry Christmas and best wishes for the future. I do not wish all members contesting the election electoral success, but wish them all the best, particularly the Hons Mr Lawson and Mrs Schaefer and their families: may they enjoy their retirement and have many years of happiness. I am sure they will contribute to public life in ongoing ways.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (18:53): I briefly associate myself with this motion and acknowledge the enormous contribution that both the Hon. Caroline Schaefer and the Hon. Robert Lawson have made to this parliament. As I noted in question time today, it will be the first time in a long time that the Legislative Council will not have someone who has practised at law for a lengthy period, when you think of the legacy that goes back to people like Trevor Griffin, Chris Sumner, and so on.

As the minister who has had a handle on most of the Attorney-General's bills for the past eight years, I am well aware of how broad is the Hon. Robert Lawson's knowledge of the law. There have been many occasions when he has picked up flaws in legislation and, as a result of the issues he has raised, he has made a huge contribution in relation to the betterment of the law, and I acknowledge that contribution.

The Hon. Robert Lawson has always been very fair and is broadly respected throughout the parliament. The Legislative Council will be the poorer for his absence, as indeed it will for the absence of the Hon. Caroline Schaefer. Following on from the brief period when the Hon. Caroline Schaefer was minister for agriculture, I am probably more aware than most of the enormous contribution she made in that area over the years.

To give a couple of examples, in aquaculture on a previous occasion I was fortunate to be the minister coming into government when there was a brand new Aquaculture Act that was easily the best in the country. It was the work of the Hon. Caroline Schaefer, who initiated and worked through that legislation. It really has helped to put this state at the forefront of aquaculture. Indeed, one could name some other areas of agriculture as well, particularly the food area and so on, where the Hon. Caroline Schaefer has made a huge contribution, as she has to the country generally.

I also acknowledge the significant contribution she has made to the future of Eyre Peninsula in her role as chair of the Eyre Peninsula Committee which achieved funding for the Eyre Peninsula Rural Partnership program. This program is jointly funded by the South Australian and commonwealth governments and has provided many millions of dollars to fund innovative programs designed to assist in the revitalisation of this important region of the state. Of course, that is an area where the Hon. Caroline Schaefer has come from, and I know she is a passionate supporter of that region.

I believe that Mrs Schaefer would well remember, as part of this program, a very long charter flight which included the late Senator Jeannie Ferris to Charleville in south-east Queensland to investigate rural partnership programs. Some very memorable moments occurred during that visit. My chief of staff, Mr Kevin Gent, who was also closely involved with this program, expressed to me that it was a result of Mrs Schaefer's great leadership and enthusiasm for the region that led to the success of this program. Kevin has also asked me to express his best wishes to Caroline for her future endeavours.

I guess it is a sad day for the council as we are losing two members who have made such a significant contribution over so many years. In fact, apart from the Hon. Rob Lucas, I think they are the only two members in this place who have not been around quite as long as I have. They have made a huge contribution over the years and, as I said, they have both been members who are very highly respected on all sides of the parliament. I wish them all the best during their retirement. I am sure that retirement is the wrong word because, knowing both of them as we do, we expect that they will continue to make a significant contribution to this state in a number of ways once they leave this council.

The PRESIDENT (18:57): Before I call on the Hon. Mr Lawson and the Hon. Mrs Schaefer, I will make a short contribution. I also do so on behalf of the Hon. Mr Gazzola. I know that the Hon. Ms Schaefer and he were very close. They always insisted on sitting next to each other at the President's dinner so that they could swap a few stories and a few yarns, I think, more than focusing on what else was going on.

I have also had the pleasure of sitting on committees with the Hon. Caroline Schaefer. I know that, on those committees, we always came out with reports that were totally agreed on by both sides of politics, and she was a very good committee performer. She asked the tough questions of witnesses and normally extracted an answer out of them. Of course, I have also served on a few committees with the Hon. Robert Lawson. I think that where the Hon. Mrs Schaefer is much better at the law than the Hon. Mr Lawson it is because she spent some time in the shearing shed. I always argue that all lawyers should spend 12 months at least in a shearing shed so that they have that bush lawyer knowledge as well.

I really appreciated the Hon. Mr Lawson's very dry sense of humour on committees. It takes a lot to get him stirred up or have him raise his voice when you are debating him or having a bit of a go at him. He keeps his cool. He has that dry sense of humour that he comes out with every now and again that is much appreciated, and it reminds me of characters I have met in the shearing industry over the years.

As President, I can say that they have both been a pleasure to have in the council. They both respect the standing orders very much and always have done. I really appreciate that. I think we will greatly miss them both. On behalf of the Hon. John Gazzola and I, as he has not had the chance to make a contribution, I wish them all the best for a happy and healthy retirement with their families. I know they will have a busy future. I know that Roy has a lot of jobs waiting for Caroline, come harvest. All the best from the Hon. John Gazzola and me.

The Hon. R.D. LAWSON (19:00): When I heard that I was to be the subject of a substantive motion, my thoughts immediately ran to standing order 193. Members will recall that 193, if you read it in a positive rather than a negative sense, specifically encourages objectionable and offensive words only if uttered in relation to a substantive motion. However, when I saw that my name was to be associated with that of the Hon. Caroline Schaefer I thought that perhaps I would be spared beneath the accolades which she alone so richly deserves.

In any event, I have not been spared: we have not been spared. I am rather embarrassed to be the object of kind words from you, Mr President, and from other members. I do appreciate deeply the kindnesses expressed by members, by the Leader of the Government and members on all sides. There was a time when I would have been tempted to send the Hansard of your over-generous comments to everyone on my mailing list—well, at least, to some of them—but I now have the fortitude to resist that temptation. If one learns only one thing in 16 years in parliament, it is this: just because a postal item has a postage stamp, it does not signify that it is not junk mail!

I do thank members of the Liberal Party for giving me the opportunity to represent the party in the parliament. As this is the last time I will address the council, I do seek the indulgence of members to make a few parting remarks. I have had a fulfilling parliamentary term. The years have passed quickly and I can only hope that I have discharged the trust of those who were responsible for my election. My term has been fairly neatly divided into four quarters. However, unlike most football matches, the only time that we were kicking with a strong wind behind us was around about the time of the 1993 election. There have been a lot of challenges since then.

My first quarter was as a government backbencher, presiding officer of the hardworking Legislative Review Committee and serving as a parliamentary secretary assisting premier Dean Brown; the second quarter as a minister in the Olsen government in various portfolios all of which were both challenging and interesting; thirdly, in opposition, as the shadow minister and deputy leader with various responsibilities; and my last quarter as an opposition backbencher hopefully fulfilling a supporting role and returning to committee work.

I have enjoyed all those stages of my parliamentary career. You often hear members, especially members of the other place, express the view that parliamentary life in opposition is misery. They say that if one is not in government holding a portfolio, or some lucrative office, life is unremitting frustration and tedium. I do not agree with that view. I happen to believe that the work of opposition and crossbench members is both important and fulfilling. It is undoubtedly hard work but it is valuable, and without a conscientious opposition and members who are not associated with the government, the parliament cannot serve its intended purpose.

Believing as I do in the value of the Legislative Council, I was delighted when the recent attempt to downsize and emasculate the council was defeated. The so-called constitutional reforms were an attempt to reduce the power of the electorate and more widely to influence the parliamentary process. If passed, they would have enhanced the power of the executive and undermined the power of the parliament. I do believe that this council, in the years that I have been here, has been both effective and responsible in its approach to the government of the day.

I must admit that there was one lapse in my undying loyalty to the Legislative Council: in 1997, I attempted to abandon the red leather and seek the green carpet, but I am grateful to Liberal preselectors in the seat of Waite who passed the baton to Martin Hamilton-Smith instead. At that time I was displeased with those delegates who told me that they had not voted for me because I was more valuable in the Legislative Council. However, I now see the wisdom of their decision.

There have been some highlights, and you will be glad to know that I will not regale the council with all of them, but I do want to mention a couple, because they are important to me. The first is the disability services portfolio. In political circles this is often talked about as a tough and thankless appointment and one that no ministerial aspirant would seek. However, I found it otherwise. It is undoubtedly tough, because funds are always limited, but the people with disabilities that I got to know in that portfolio and their families are amongst the most inspiring you could ever meet, as are those who advocate for them. Also, the people in the sector are great to work with, and that was a particular assignment which I greatly appreciated.

I also regarded my experience in working generally with the Public Service of South Australia as a highlight. The Public Service is a much maligned group and often overlooked in parliament and certainly in public discourse, and its work is insufficiently acknowledged. I especially appreciated working with chief executives like Ray Dundon, Graham Foreman, Anne Howe, Christine Charles and Kate Lennon and many other highly professional officers working under them.

A third highlight has been the many debates in the council. Many of them have been memorable. The best, in my recollection, was the debate on the consent to medical treatment and Palliative Care Bill in 1995—admittedly a long time ago and admittedly a conscience issue, but one which involved all members and produced a fine reform of the law: advanced medical directions, advanced medical powers of attorney and other provisions which clarified the law. It was a terrific debate and one which I fondly recall. It is a pity that we do not more often have debates about issues of that kind which lead to an improvement for our society.

Not all that happens in parliamentary life can be called a highlight. I will mention only one lowlight, to my mind. When I was a child and as a parent, I enjoyed nothing more than a fireworks party in the backyard. As a minister, I had the grim task of banning fireworks, something I did not relish. That was a grim decision in the sight of many, but perhaps it did save the sight of some children and certainly the sanity of many dogs.

I will finish with one other highlight, and that is serving on both standing committees and select committees. The work of parliamentary committees is important. Despite the groans of government members, select committees of the Legislative Council, I believe, are a great feature of our parliament. I have enjoyed them all, none more than the Aboriginal Lands Standing Committee, which was put on a different statutory basis some years ago. I served on the first new committee under the chairmanship of the late and much lamented Terry Roberts. It was a terrific committee with a committed chairman, and it enabled me, as a member of parliament, to have my eyes opened to issues with which I was previously unfamiliar.

I thank my colleagues over the years: those in my own party and fellow members from all other quarters. I have always sought to maintain productive relationships with members, and I like to think that, by and large, I have succeeded in that endeavour. So, I thank all members for their friendship and their cooperation.

I should like on this occasion to give special thanks to the Hon. Rob Lucas, the father of this house, who was the leader of the opposition for the greater part of my term and a senior minister for all the years of the Brown, Olsen and Kerin governments. I came into the parliament after a career in the law and I acknowledge that I am something of an amateur. In stark contrast, Rob Lucas is a true professional, a master of the art of politics, a master of parliamentary practice and a master of public administration. I wish to acknowledge his wise counsel over the years, his unfailing good humour, his balance, his common sense and his humanity. He will be an invaluable member of a formidable government to be formed after March next year.

Without disrespect to all my other colleagues, I wish to mention only one other, the Hon. Michelle Lensink. Michelle left the practice of physiotherapy to join me as a ministerial adviser many years ago, and it is a matter of both delight and pride to me that she is now a valued member of the Liberal Party team.

I now express thanks to a number of parliamentary officers. I begin with Jan Davis, our highly professional and competent Clerk, to whom all members are indebted for her knowledge and her integrity. Members come and go, but, fortunately for this institution, Jan Davis has remained. Her knowledge of and her devotion to this council is exemplary, and I wish personally to thank her for her assistance over the whole of my time here.

Chris Schwarz is the Deputy Clerk and he is graced by the title 'Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod', surely the most auspicious title in the parliament. Chris took over the role following the untimely death of Trevor Blowes, and he has filled those shoes admirably. I believe Chris has been here for most of the time that I have been here and he is an exemplary officer. To Guy Dickson, Chris Neale and Anthony Beasley, the parliamentary officers, I express my thanks. To the administrative staff, Margaret Hodgins and Claire Seret, and to the messengers, Todd, Mario, Tony and Karen, I express my appreciation. I think in the Legislative Council we have a friendly and efficient team.

I want to place on record my thanks to my personal assistant Raelene Zanetti. Raelene is highly competent, reliable, cooperative, patient, ever smiling and has been a wonderful assistant, and she keeps smiling, despite the frustrations of working with a disorganised gadfly. Finally, and most important, I want to place on record my appreciation of my wife, Delysia, who agreed to support my parliamentary aspirations at a time when our children, Cordelia and Charles, were young. Without her love and support and theirs, I would not have had the opportunity to be here. You have all had to suffer by my presence; now her time has come.

In farewelling members, I am reminded of a great farewell which I put in the best spirit possible: I wish each and every one of you just a little bit more luck than you might deserve. I regret that modesty prevents me from voting for this motion, but I dare not call a division on it.

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER (19:14): What an amazing thing to have happen—very few people have the opportunity not only to listen to their own eulogy but to contribute to it as well. One of the few things with which I have been at odds with the Hon. Rob Lucas ever since I have been here is that I firmly believe that we should have time limits on speeches, and so perhaps tonight is the time for me to set an example.

In thinking about what I would say tonight—and I am even more disorganised than the Hon. Robert Lawson, so I have not written very much—I am struck by the one emotion, that is, what an enormous privilege it is to serve the people of South Australia in the parliament, and what an enormous personal privilege it has been for me to be a legislator. I think probably only in a democracy such as Australia could a female who did the first seven years of her education by correspondence and who has no degree be allowed to reach the heights that I have reached.

I have endeavoured to treat my colleagues always with respect and I have endeavoured to be a good legislator. If I had a word of advice for anyone here (which, of course, would not be listened to if I did) it would be that we must protect our duty as legislators and that we must honour the difference between governance and government and between the institution of the parliament and party politics, and I think that the upper house does that considerably better than the lower house. However, in the latter few months of this dying parliament I have certainly noticed personalities and party games being played in this place, and I think it will be to the detriment of the parliament and of the Legislative Council if that becomes worse.

I would like to pay tribute to my colleague the Hon. Robert Lawson. As so many others have said, I am in awe of his intellect and his ability to cut to the chase. I am even more in awe of his ability to read complex legislation quickly and actually understand it. It takes me a very long time. I have to go backwards and forwards many times to make sense of something that the Hon. Robert Lawson can do in a few short minutes.

I would love to recount some of the highlights and lowlights of my career but, as I have said, at a quarter past seven it is probably sensible not to do so. I have enjoyed very much the committee work that I have done. I like to think that I have contributed to the committees I have been on. I think that every committee one serves on one learns something new. I have very much enjoyed my time on committees. I have also enjoyed the opportunities to learn new things and to fight for causes that, prior to learning about them, I probably did not know existed.

Certainly, my work regionally and with primary industries has introduced to me facets of primary industry that I knew very little about. Now, after having had numerous rows with them over the years, I think I have probably a better than average working knowledge of the fishing industry, and I enjoy the company of many of the personalities within that industry. Dairying is not something that someone who grew up on the edge of the pastoral country and who then married a grain farmer has much knowledge of.

I could milk a cow by hand, but I got the honour at one stage under the Olsen government to judge the dairy farm of the year, thankfully with two people who actually did know a little about dairying. At the first dairy farm finalist we went to, I simply got out of the car and said, 'Well, I know something about your pasture and what you are doing there, but I am the one out of the three who is here to ask the dumb questions.' The dairying industry, also since that time, has been very kind to me, very tolerant of me, and, again, I have learnt a great deal from those people and about those people. A number of people have mentioned my work with the food industry. I certainly enjoyed that work and that time, and I still enjoy the associations I have made within that industry.

I would like to thank the various sections of the party that have stood by me and helped me through my career, and the Kimba and Clare branches, in particular—the Kimba branch for, I suppose, backing me into this task and continuing to support me even after I left Eyre Peninsula, and the Clare branch for welcoming me as one of its members. I have also had a long and very enjoyable association with the Rural and Regional Council of the Liberal Party and have, I think, many friends within the realms of that section of the party.

I too would like to pay tribute to Jan Davis, the Clerk of this place, who has always given completely non-partisan and very expert and informed advice and who has, I think, from time to time gently chided each and every one of us for perhaps not performing as we should. She has kept us all, I think, functioning particularly well. I do not intend to name all of her staff for fear of missing some out, but I thank all of them for their efforts within the chamber and also their efforts in supporting the many select committees that we have had.

I want to pay tribute to the catering staff. I think that, for most people, the catering staff are simply there to give you a cup of coffee, or whatever. However, for those of us who live outside the city, going back to an empty flat at all hours of the night is sometimes a fairly lonely and soul-destroying thing to do, and the idea of having to cook a meal or buy enough food to cook a meal and then have most of it go rotten in the fridge before you get back the next time is not terribly attractive. I think the catering staff have always managed to make most country members feel as if they are part of a large family in here. They must be very sick and tired of us, but they always manage to make me feel as if it is a pleasure for them to serve me. So, I thank the catering staff.

I would also like to pay tribute to parliamentary counsel, particularly Richard Dennis. During my time as a shadow minister, in particular, they were unfailingly helpful to me in developing amendments and, indeed, walking me through various bills and acts so that I had the background to be well prepared when I came in here. So, I thank parliamentary counsel. I thank the library staff, who as late as last night were more than happy and helpful in assisting me with a little bit of research at that time.

I would also like to thank the caretakers. I suppose I have developed the habit over many years of flying to all sorts of places and quite often leaving my car and my keys here, and it never seems to be any trouble for the caretakers to open up and greet me at some odd hour of the day or night, with a case behind me, and make it seem as though it is a pleasure for them to be woken up to do so.

I would like to thank my family, of course, both immediate and extended. I was thinking about it today, and I remember when I decided to go for preselection my son Tim said 'Oh, forget it mum. That's not the game for you. You're not tough enough.' Nearly 17 years later, he was right, but I have managed to fool most of you most of the time.

I would especially like to thank Roy for supporting me in what I have wanted to do for, as I said, 17 or 18 years. I guess it is his turn now—as long as he does not think I am going to start ironing and cleaning!

The Hon. R.I. Lucas interjecting:

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER: The Hon. Rob Lucas supports that; I did not realise that he knew what a bad ironer and cleaner I am. Again, I thank all of my colleagues on all sides of the council. I would like to think that I have not made many enemies here. Like the Hon. Robert Lawson, I will single out the Hon. Rob Lucas because he has been a mentor and friend, and although not senior to me in years is certainly senior to me in this place. I think the thing that I can thank him for most of all is that he is probably the one person on earth I know who if you tell him something in confidence it remains in confidence.

I have many other people to thank. Some of you in here have become personal friends, and I sincerely hope that that friendship continues. Most of all, I would like to thank Francesca French, who started with me in September 1993. I began here in August 1993 and she started with me in September 1993. I first of all shared her services with the Hon. Jamie Irwin and the Hon. Bernice Pfitzner. We then got even luckier and I only had to share her with the Hon. Legh Davis, and eventually we were allowed one assistant each.

We have travelled a long and sometimes bumpy journey together and I am sure that when she left Berkshire in England many years ago she had no idea that she would one day be a personal assistant to a bushie who had all sorts of very strange ideas and very strange places to travel. She has been an amazing assistant to me. It would be easy to say that I would not have managed without her; I guess I would have but I certainly would not have managed as well.

In latter years we have also had the luxury of a trainee, and I have had some very good trainees, but I think of two exceptional trainees in Tom Rayner and Felicity Hennessy, both of whom were with me when I was a shadow minister, and both of whom had research and political skills well above their years, and who were amazing assistants to me at the time.

With that, I do not know what else there is to say. I do not know whether what I did while I was here was good enough, but it was the best I could do. Thank you all and, as the two Ronnies said, it's goodbye from me and it's goodbye from me.

The PRESIDENT: Before the Hon. Mr Ridgway sums up, I think it should be recorded that on behalf of Jan and the staff I pass on their best wishes to you both in your retirement, and also on behalf of the rest of the staff of Parliament House, because I am sure they would want to wish you all the best in retirement as well.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (19:28): I thank all of you for the wonderful warm words you have said about our two good friends and parliamentary colleagues as they enter the next phase of their lives. I know they have made a significant contribution here, both in a political sense and in a parliamentary sense, and in a friendship sense to all of us. So, I thank you all for your warm words of support and encouragement.

The Hon. C.V. Schaefer: I missed Hansard; can you put them in?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Caroline has just asked me to thank Hansard for all their wonderful work. She said she looked up and realised that she had missed Hansard, and I do thank them on behalf of Caroline. Thank you all very much for your words about Robert and Caroline; they will be missed. It will be a different place after the election. Regardless of the election result, it will be a poorer place because they are no longer here. Thank you all very much for your generous words, and I know you will all support me in supporting the motion.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Motion carried.

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