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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-29 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Such, Hon. R.B.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:17): By leave, I move:

That the Legislative Council expresses its deep regret at the passing of the Hon. Robert Bruce Such, MP, member for Fisher in the House of Assembly, former speaker of the House of Assembly and former minister of the Crown, and places on record its appreciation of his distinguished public service and that, as a mark of respect to his memory, the sitting of the council be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

With the leave of the council I rise today to pay my respects to Dr Bob Such. It is with great sadness that we learnt on 11 October of his passing. Bob Such was the member for the seat of Fisher in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1989 until his recent passing, and one of our longest-serving MPs. Bob was joint father of the house with Michael Atkinson.

Bob grew up in Hawthorndene in the Adelaide Hills and attended Coromandel Valley Primary School and Goodwood Boys Technical High School. Education was also important to Bob, both his own personal education and his commitment to the education profession. He gained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in economics and politics and a PhD in environmental politics from Flinders University. He also gained a Diploma of Teaching from what is now the University of South Australia, and a Diploma of Education from the University of Adelaide.

Before entering politics, Bob was a teacher, lecturer and researcher in the fields of politics, economics and the environment at what is now the University of South Australia. Rather than simply observe politics from afar or teach it or write about it, Bob did politics—and he did so wonderfully because in life he was an exemplar of what people wanted from a local member of parliament: principled, scrupulously fair, hardworking and intensely loyal to his electorate. His lengthy and very firm grasp of the seat of Fisher is testament to the depth of his commitment to doing good local politics. There are now voters in the seat of Fisher who would have met Bob as preschoolers when he visited them as their local member.

As a parliamentarian, Bob Such had an extraordinary career, first as a backbencher, then a shadow minister, then minister for employment, training and further education and for youth affairs, and after that an Independent MP and Speaker. He entered parliament after defeating Labor MP Philip Tyler at the 1989 election and gained several ministerial portfolios under the Brown Liberal government. Falling out with the new Olsen Liberal hierarchy and removed from the ministry, he became an Independent in 2000 and remained staunchly so for the remainder of his political life, to the point of not putting any preferences on his how-to-vote cards.

Bob was elected to the position of Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees in February 2002. Following the resignation of Peter Lewis as Speaker in April 2005, Bob became Speaker of the House of Assembly, a role he held until April 2006. Bob was a member of many parliamentary committees, including the Environment, Resources and Development Committee, the Social Development Committee and the Economic and Finance Committee.

Bob's term as Speaker was marked by a gentle but firm authority. He was determined to use the role to enhance the credibility of parliament and did so without fear or favour. He wanted to make parliament more family-friendly and more welcoming to young people. One of his many initiatives, for instance, was the youth parliament.

Bob Such leaves an interesting reputation as a tireless proposer of many other novel ideas for parliament. He was a strong believer in electronic democracy and of using broadcast and digital media to more fully inform people of the actual workings of parliament. He even proposed limiting the terms of legislative councillors from eight to four years and the Legislative Council losing its power to veto legislation.

In the years since 2000, Bob tabled over 50 bills on a wide variety of subjects. Whilst only a few of these actually passed successfully through both houses, there is no doubting the depth of his reformist intentions. As any minister here would know, Bob was also one of the most prolific letter writers in parliament, usually in the ferocious pursuit of the interests of his constituents.

A check of our correspondence file shows that he sent me large numbers of letters in relation to every portfolio that I have ever held. In fact, I think he sent me the most letters from any member of parliament of any political persuasion and over the most extraordinary range of issues; everything from blue swimmer crab harvesting licences to cemetery regulations to raw milk—the list is quite staggering. This reflects not just his passion to defend the rights of the people of his electorate of Fisher but also his very broad range of interests in public affairs.

Dr Bob Such was a remarkable individual, an extremely likeable and energetic man who was always interested in and focused on people around him. I always enjoyed his company immensely. His affable good humour always made him a pleasure to work with on committees and in the forums of parliamentary life. Since his passing, there has been a wide and sincere expression of sorrow for this warm and principled man, especially amongst the people of his southern suburbs seat, who have indeed lost a very dear friend.

Bob was a gentleman in the truest possible sense, a gentle person with a sincerity that people could immediately sense as genuine and heartfelt. In addition, the word 'integrity' has recurred frequently in the many tributes to Bob, for there is no doubt that he was held in an esteemed way to which we all aspire. Quite rightly, he was loved for those qualities.

It is not yet certain how South Australia will honour Dr Bob Such. There is no doubt that we will find a fitting manner to do so, but at this time it is important that we reflect today that Bob honoured us in this chamber and another place as a fellow politician whose character transcended the political divides. Our thoughts are with Bob's wife, Lyn, and his family at this time. Vale, Bob Such.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I rise to second the motion, and endorse the comments made by the Leader of the Government and add a few of my own. Firstly, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Mrs Lyn Such and the entire Such family during this most difficult of times. Twenty-five years is a long time to do anything, let alone devote oneself to serving others, and to devote oneself to a career as a public servant and continually advocate for the betterment of the community which you respect. That is exactly what the late member for Fisher (Hon. Dr Bob Such) did.

It is with the greatest sincerity that I say Dr Such leaves behind a legacy—a legacy of being a true Independent with a tireless work ethic. Although his roots stem from the Liberal Party, Dr Such made the decision to run as an Independent because he thought he could better represent his constituents in Fisher. In fact, in his press release announcing his defection from the Liberal Party, Dr Such said:

My decision today is motivated by a concern for South Australia, and in particular, the people who have elected me.

I do not think anyone could question the sincerity of that statement made by Mr Such. Although leaving the Liberal Party may not have been a decision I endorsed, it is one which I have respected. The decision was made out of selflessness and a constant aspiration to better service his constituents—the very difficult nature of this decision is a testament to Dr Such's character and lasting legacy.

This condolence motion should be regarded as a celebration of Dr Such's life and his achievements, of which there are many. In parliament, Dr Such was an industrious member with an enormous work ethic, and this did not go unnoticed by his colleagues or his constituents. As the minister suggested, he wrote a voluminous number of letters. Even as members of the opposition who have not had the chance to be ministers, we were still inundated with letters during the time that I have been in this parliament.

Dr Such's hard work was the foundation of a decorated and even enviable parliamentary career. He was a cabinet minister in the Brown government, he was Speaker of the parliament, and he was privileged to win elections on seven occasions and represented the people of Fisher for more than a quarter of a century. Dr Such's legacy is typified by his willingness to tackle every issue which came his way. He was passionate about many things from education standards to legislation against puppy farms, voluntary euthanasia, and a more generous welfare sector.

On a more personal note, I did have the pleasure to sit with Dr Such for a number of years in the ERD Committee, and during that time I gained a great appreciation and respect for him and the number of topics in which he had such a wide interest. One topic in particular was his view about natural burial grounds, and it is at the time of recognising his passing that that comes back to me, as somebody who sat on that committee with him for a number of years.

Without question, Dr Such is one of the most passionate members of parliament that I have come across in my 12 years in this place. Dr Such will be sorely missed, and I think it is safe to say that South Australian parliament has lost one of its true champions.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:27): I would also like to rise today to express my sadness for the recent passing of Dr Bob Such. Bob's passing will leave a vacuum, I think, in South Australian politics, and he will be sorely missed by many of us. Of course, he represented the people of his electorate of Fisher since 1989; it is an area where he was born, and the place he always called home. His love for and commitment to his community was always clearly evident to me, and of course it was rewarded over many elections by the people of Fisher.

Dr Such gave 25 years of service as the member for Fisher, including periods as minister for employment, training and further education and minister for youth affairs. During his period as Speaker of the House of Assembly he gained the reputation as a thorough, meticulous and very fair Speaker.

Mr President, today I would like to concentrate on Bob Such's values, because it is his values, honesty and integrity that we will miss the most. I think Bob was a true progressive; he contemplated every issue seriously and from an individual point of view, but he never let political arguments detract from what he felt would be in the best interests of the people—particularly in the best interests of his people.

I can refer to his considered support for issues such as reforms of the sex industry, voluntary euthanasia, and also various issues around gay rights. He fundamentally believed in equal opportunities for citizens, and he was never afraid to speak his mind on these issues. At the same time, he took his role as a representative of the people of Fisher very seriously. He firmly believed that his role was to represent as best he could the interests, values and beliefs of the electors of Fisher, and not, as he used to say, 'for the Bob Such crusade,' or anyone else's crusade, for that matter.

During second reading speeches on the Same Sex Marriage Bill in the House of Assembly in July 2013, he stated that, while he personally supported same-sex marriage:

I would remind members that we are not in here to impose our view one way or the other on any issue: we are in here to represent our electorate.

He spent a great deal of time canvassing and speaking to the members of his electorate on various bills and motions. In doing so, he provided information, he would converse with his electors, correspond with them and encourage them to be open about debate. As anyone who knew Bob will know, he was also never shy to reveal his own thoughts and beliefs on issues after a little period of time. Again, I can quote Bob on the subject of same-sex marriage, because it was an issue we both thought very important. He said:

The issue then comes down to whether people should be treated equally in regard to a commitment they want to make to someone...I do not see any justification for discriminating against people on the basis of marriage...I do not believe marriage belongs to a particular religion, secular group or whatever. It is an indication of a commitment that should be available to those in the community who want it.

He was a man of very strong beliefs and great integrity and, as my leader and the Leader of the Opposition have also remarked, he was very likeable.

He was always very free with advice, particularly to me as a new member, and that never let up. In fact, he probably thought that I especially needed his advice, and perhaps he was right, but his guidance was always appreciated and in fact I learnt quite a bit from Bob about politics and how this place functions and how it can function better. As other members have noted, I could not count the number of letters and notes that he used to send, on a whole variety of topics, and he would always follow up, saying, 'Did you get my note? Did you get my letter? What did you think?' On occasions, I had to pretend that in fact I did give it very deep consideration, from time to time. He always saw through that ruse, I must say.

I can recount a particularly interesting episode: I was driving home one evening from this place, I think, and Bob must have seen me driving by. I think he was visiting one of his sons. He dropped his son unceremoniously in the driveway apparently and did not even say goodbye to him; he jumped in his car and followed me home. He then banged on the door and demanded to come in for a cup of tea and a chat, and about three hours later he left. We had a very interesting conversation that day about all manner of things and, again, I learned quite a deal about a number of things I had heretofore no interest in.

But that was Bob, and I just wanted to illustrate briefly the kind of man that Bob was: friendly, spontaneous, always willing to have a laugh, and not in an unkind way. I think we will all miss him in this place. The electorate of Fisher will certainly miss him, and so, I think, will many people across the whole state who have run across Bob in some way during his lifetime. I also offer my sincerest condolences to his wife Lyn, his sons and grandchildren for their great loss.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (14:32): I rise to pay my respects to the late Bob Such and to add my support to the motion. In my 8½ years in this place, I think this is the first time I have spoken on a condolence motion, and that is because it is the first time that a person we are honouring in this way is someone who I have actually known well and, in Bob's case, someone who I worked closely with over the last eight years.

As has been said by other members, Bob Such was a passionate and dedicated representative who campaigned, often against the odds, on a wide range of issues. I reckon that if frequent flyer points were allocated for the number of items of business that Bob had on the parliamentary agenda at any one time, he would have travelled the world many times over. For those who listen to proceedings in the other place, you would have noticed that if Bob did not have a new item of business to add to the Notice Paper each day, then that usually attracted observations of disbelief from the Speaker and other members of the House of Assembly. We have all grown accustomed to a parliamentary agenda that is full of Bob's passions and matters of importance to his electorate.

There was often a lot of overlap between Bob's issues and those that the Greens embrace. Of course, Bob was not technically a Green, but he came very close on one occasion that I recall, which was when the Environment, Resources and Development Committee was on a field trip to the West Coast. We found ourselves in a very small boat in very big seas. Even though I had dosed up on seasickness drugs, it was a rough trip and I felt pretty crook, but I do not think Bob had taken any medication, and he suffered the most. Bob was extremely green that day and probably wished that he was somewhere else. When we eventually got to Baird Bay for a spot of swimming with the sea lions, I recall that Bob was very focused on the horizon, and whilst the Hon. David Ridgway and, I think, you Mr President, stripped off for a swim, Bob and I stayed on the boat—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: We stayed on the boat not talking much but sharing a common endeavour to hang on to our lunch, and it was a bonding shared experience that I remember. I want to reflect on some of Bob's work and particularly those campaigns on which we worked together. The first will be no surprise: it is the matter of voluntary euthanasia. Bob Such was a tireless advocate for the rights of terminally ill people suffering intolerably from incurable conditions to be able to exercise some end-of-life choice, including the right to die with dignity.

Bob had a voluntary euthanasia bill before parliament for much of his time here as a constant reminder to the parliament that this issue is not going away any time soon. Those of us who have worked on this issue know that one day the campaign will succeed, and I am just very disappointed that Bob will not get to see that day. When it does come, I have no doubt that he will be remembered as a pioneer of law reform.

One other issue that I will mention is that Bob was also very passionate about the environment, especially trees and native vegetation in our urban areas. No doubt his passion resonated with his voters in Fisher, which is still green and leafy in many parts, and where residents value the environment and they valued a local member who was dedicated to its protection.

With those brief words I wholeheartedly support this motion, offer my condolences to Lyn and other members of Bob's family and note that we have now lost a man of great integrity to the South Australian parliament, and he will be much missed.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:36): Of course I am going to get emotional; I am sorry. I have known Bob Such for the 20-odd years I have been active in politics. I first got to know him as the shadow minister for education, employment and youth affairs when I was an active Young Liberal, and I was one of many young people with whom he engaged in his policy discussions.

Bob had a great passion for that role, which he was to take into government following the landslide election of the Liberal Party in 1993. As someone who served on the state executive of the Liberal Party during the mid-nineties, Bob would, from time to time, represent premier Brown at meetings. Our most memorable meeting followed reforms to firearm ownership laws in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre when the Liberal Party received a large number of new membership applications in a very short space of time, all in the seat then held by the deputy premier and minister for police, the Hon. Stephen Baker. I think I will leave my remarks on the proceedings of that meeting at that.

Bob's relationship with the Liberal Party was to be a casualty of the difficulties the party had in the 1990s, but I am pleased to say that I always maintained my friendship with him—in many ways because he was such a thoroughly decent human being that it overcame whatever party loyalties might try to dictate. When I entered parliament in 2003, he was one of the most welcoming of my new colleagues. We subsequently served together on the Environment, Resources and Development Committee where he was a valuable and experienced member. During this time, he initiated inquiries into many things, including natural burial grounds, as he had been approached by a couple who wanted to provide this service but the existing rules would not allow them.

Bob was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005, and he won that battle. He became an advocate of men's health checks and was very supportive of others who fought that disease. Bob and I were to come across each other regularly through our mutual interest in the environment, and particularly in relation to trees. There is an organisation called Treenet which holds an annual symposium in Adelaide every September, a full day session of presentations on all sorts of topics in which both of us participated, and I think the Hon. Mark Parnell and the Hon. Rob Brokenshire have as well, followed by practical sessions at the Waite Arboretum.

Bob was a member of the management committee of Treenet from February 2007. Treenet founder, David Lawry, OAM, has told me that Bob attended every management meeting in person or by phone almost without fail. David and his wife Julie visited Bob and Lyn about six weeks prior to his passing, and I think it is true to his character that David says Bob was more concerned about David's health, him being a cancer survivor who has recently undergone surgery, than himself.

Treenet has helped to educate many of us in this place about the benefits of trees as part of our biodiversity in reducing the heat island effect of cities in summer, stormwater harvesting and improving the mental health of local residents, to name a few. I know that Bob's thinking was also shaped by Professor Chris Daniels, who has presented in many public fora in his area of expertise, urban ecology, about the importance of our backyards to the ongoing health of our local native species.

In this context Bob and I worked together to try to educate the government about its significant tree laws (and I also acknowledge the Hon. Mr Parnell), which still protect some of the wrong trees while exposing some of the most beneficial to being more easily removed. Bob organised meetings with the minister's office and much correspondence, and in that I acknowledge his staff, Barbara and Linda, who in meetings where we would be discussing these things he would refer to them and ensure that they would type up some letters for his signature.

Bob's genuine interest in his community has been mentioned many times, as people remember him since his passing on 11 October. He saw himself as a servant and would frequently survey his constituents on issues so that he would genuinely represent his electorate. As his wife Lyn has publicly described him, Bob was a great ideas man. While Bob was known for his campaigns on voluntary euthanasia and speed cameras, his motions on the Notice Paper included a whole range of issues including parole, litter, nano materials, food standards, ADSL broadband and anti-social behaviour.

It is worth noting that Bob tabled a private member's bill in 2012 to put in place a better regime to regulate puppy farms, which is the precursor to the bill that has now been tabled in this place. Bob was a prolific writer of letters to his colleagues in parliament and he was still writing letters to the paper after his diagnosis earlier this year. He regularly appeared on radio, especially in recent years on FIVEaa, and Leon Byner gave a touching tribute to Bob on 13 October, two days after Bob passed.

I spoke to Bob on the opening day of parliament in May. He thanked me for a gift of some native plants which I knew he and Lyn would enjoy, given their love of nature. He also advised me not to delay getting early health checks, something which I will certainly take on board. That was the last time most of us were to see him, and it is so sad that this illness took him so soon. We will miss him, and our thoughts are with his family.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:42): I rise to support this condolence motion. I begin by talking about my association with Bob, which happened soon after he was elected in 1989 because, as the member for Fisher, he was very active in the south, and as a member of the Liberal Party most of my activities were also in the south. I had the privilege of joining Bob in 1993, not only as a member of the Liberal Party but also because we had adjoining seats, and we had common interests.

Prior to that, when Bob was elected in 1989, he had Alan Williams as his campaign manager and adviser to assist him through that. From 1993, for a long period of time after that, I actually had Alan Williams with me, and I had the benefit of the support from Bob Such and also Alan Williams right through the campaigning period of 1992-93. Together we worked adjoining boundaries with quite a lot of crossover for a 13-year period, a period I very much enjoyed.

We worked together cooperatively so that we could do the best we could for both Bob's electorate of Fisher and my electorate of Mawson, because we obviously had shared schools like the Reynella East Primary School, the Reynella High School and the Woodcroft Primary School. We had Neighbourhood Watch and also retirement villages that crossed over between the electorates. Never did Bob and I have a cross word about what we were doing. We tried to work together on the boundary issues and worked out that, if he was at one function I could be at another function, including a lot of the Christmas functions.

When he became the minister for youth and further education, he loved those portfolios, because he wanted to see everybody aspire to their maximum opportunities when it came to self development, particularly with his focus on young people, but also in being able to capitalise on the best possible outcomes with, in particular, higher education. He was always a very strong supporter of technical high schools, having gone to Goody Tech and then gone on to get his PhD in probably the most difficult way that you could. He was a sponge when it came to his capacity to absorb and learn. You only have to have a look at his qualifications to see that that was the case.

I particularly remember one day. Bob was always young of mind, and he loved to get in a car and work with youth. He strongly supported a program where you got youth at risk and brought them in with senior people, including I believe police there in the southern suburbs, to a park area near the TAFE where they learnt to build, develop and upgrade cars, and then they could actually take those cars for a sprint. I will never forget the smile on Bob's face when he got in that car and gave it everything he possibly could. He looked about 17, not probably the 47 or so that he was then.

Bob taught me a few other things very early. He said that, whether you are a minister or a backbencher, you need to be able to actually somehow manage your electorate and ministerial duties with your own personal family duties and take some time out. Bob was able to ensure even as a minister that some days he was not available, as hard as he worked, because he wanted to recharge his batteries, and spend some time with Lyn and his garden. He was a prolific gardener. He had a very big garden. He loved his fruit orchards, and he regularly spoke to me about that.

There was no doubt that Bob Such was a master of the electorate when it came to, firstly, caring most genuinely and compassionately for his electorate, but also being able to spread himself across the electorate. He taught me a lot about how you worked out what functions you could go to and what functions you could not go to. He always had the ones he could not go to covered, but he for some reason had this incredible knack of being able to be at the functions that really mattered where he was seen, where he was observed and where he was able to put in the best amount of time that he had.

With speed cameras, we all know that speed detection was something that Bob could never quite get his head around when it came to the laws of the state, the location of those cameras and sometimes the debates around whether or not he, or anyone else for that matter, should have been charged with that expiation notice. I particularly copped a lot of that when I became police minister because that was then an opportunity for those 3½ years for Bob to be there whenever he could, showing me an example of where the police were in the wrong place, it was unfair, it was unjust, he would have to take it up and what was I going to do about it? It was an operational matter, so it was very difficult for me to do anything about it, but Bob continued to pursue his beliefs in this right through, as we know, to spending quite a lot of his own money on one particular court case to prove the point.

We were driving out to community cabinet at the Tea Tree Gully council, I think in 2000. I will never forget this most unfortunate and sad time for me in my relationship with Bob, as I heard an announcement on the radio that Bob was going to leave the Liberal Party. I had a personal opinion about that. I felt we still needed him and he would have been able to serve well with the Liberal Party ongoing, but that was a decision that he made. Whilst, to be totally honest, there was a bit of tension there for a while, it was only for a short while because we did have a strong relationship and we continued to work together. We were still friends right through all of that.

He was a true Independent, and he never, ever compromised himself. He reluctantly took on the Speaker's position—I think that needs to be placed on the public record. He did not proactively go out for that even though he would have been able to get that or probably a ministerial position. He believed that he had to remain truly independent and, indeed, he did. As a result of that, I think at the last election he received 38 per cent of the primary vote because of his connection with the electorate and the belief of the electorate in Bob Such.

When he was Speaker, members would not be surprised that on one occasion I was actually kicked out of the parliament. I was suspended for the day, and guess who chose to suspend me? It was my friend, the Hon. Bob Such, the Speaker of the house, so I got home early that day. I smiled the next day at Bob and said, 'Thanks, mate. I got an early minute and Mandy did not mind that at all.'

I was displaying a piece of paper and I think Bob was at the end of his tether that day. I can assure the house that it was not me stirring Bob up: it was many others, but I just happened to pick up the piece of paper at the wrong time and Bob Such said, 'I name the member for Mawson.' I will never forget that, but he was right and it was proper for him to suspend me for the day.

Bob had a real interest in agriculture and he often used to talk about his relatives in the Mallee and his experiences up there. Bob would also ask, 'How is farming going?' and we would have some indepth chats about that. Once I moved to the Legislative Council I saw Bob regularly because he used to come in for some reason, probably to get his lunch, after he had done his shopping trip. I do not know how Lyn ever kept up with his shopping.

When they were coming into the car park at parliament most members would often have seen Bob walking across North Terrace with a bag, which was often a Harris Scarfe bag, because Bob had been out there doing his regular shopping. I guess he combined that love of shopping with the fact that there was probably some political advantage in him being seen in a busy area like Rundle Mall.

We know that he always liked a chat and as he approached you for that chat he always had a smile on his face. Sadly, the last time I was able to speak to Bob personally was here in May when we had a joint sitting for the new term of government. I had the privilege and pleasure of shaking his hand. We said a few things, but there was that connection that my thoughts were certainly with him, and he was very proud to be here that day, as tough as it must have been for him.

I want to finish by saying that Bob was a very good political and professional friend to me and I thank you, Bob, for the mentoring that you gave me especially in those early years. Barbara, his personal assistant, was with him for the whole 25 years, as I recollect, and did a sterling and very tough and difficult job during those last few months when Bob was very unwell. Barbara also worked with my, sadly now also deceased, personal assistant Fiona Byrne for that 13-year period.

They worked very closely together, and Bob and I were so proud of the efforts of both Barbara and Fiona. Lyn was always the Rock of Gibraltar, the strength and supporter of Bob. It was very tragic that Bob was taken way too early and it would have been nice down the track to have seen Lyn and Bob enjoy some time together outside of politics. My thoughts are with you, Lyn. You have been a fantastic supporter of Bob; and to Bob's boys and family, also my condolences and sympathy.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (14:52): I rise to support the motion. It is with sadness and fond recognition that we remember Dr Such, the member for Fisher. I knew him to be a man of true integrity and veracity. I always found in my dealings with Dr Such a respectful, considerate and, at certain times, inspirational person. He had a trait to listen, analyse and debate any issue in a professional and considerate way.

His presence will certainly be missed in parliament and it will not be the same without his character, his strength and his conviction. His devotion to public service was indeed admirable, and his contribution will be remembered for many years. We offer our thoughts and condolences to Bob's wife, Lyn, his staff and friends at this sad time.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:53): I unfortunately did not have the pleasure of knowing Bob for as long as some other members have, but in the relatively short time that I did know him I grew to respect and admire him very greatly. My first memory of Bob—it probably was not the first time that I met him, but it is the first time that I can recall at the moment—was when he came up to me in the Blue Room while my staff and I were having lunch and said hello and asked me if it was correct that I had just been appointed to the Social Development Committee.

This was not long after my appointment to the parliament. I said yes and he smiled and said, 'I will see you there then' and proceeded to give me a high five. As I was just adjusting to the rather formal proceedings of parliament this struck me as a very unusual, but not unwelcome, gesture. In the time that we served together on that committee my respect for Bob only grew. He was always very thorough, but fair, in his questioning of whichever witness we had before us on the day, and he never let his personal opinion get in the way.

Even though many of our political passions were quite aligned, I never saw him let his personal opinion get in the way of giving fair questioning to witnesses before the committee and getting the comprehensive information that he felt he needed to find the right solution for the community of South Australia. That was something that I very much respected about Bob. In fact, the Hon. Robert Brokenshire has proved me wrong because I was about to say that I never heard Bob say a cross word, but I am sure it was very justified on the occasion that the Hon. Mr Brokenshire has illustrated.

Recently, Bob and I went on a trip together to Coober Pedy with the Social Development Committee, looking at the issues around alcohol consumption there because the committee was at the time doing a report on the sale and consumption of alcohol. His wife Lyn had instructed him to drive up there because she did not like the thought of him boarding small planes, so he had his car up there. He very kindly offered to help me get from place to place if it was too far for me to travel in my wheelchair. He always waited for me. Even if the others went off to do their thing, he always waited for me to load and unload my wheelchair from the car and he did anything he could to assist, which I very much appreciated.

On one occasion, while we were driving around, he asked me if I would mind if he put some music on. Of course, I said yes. Had I known that it was the greatest hits of Liza Minnelli, I might not have been so quick to consent. Certain parts of it were fabulous, but after about the second or third play of the whole album, you do get a bit tired.

When I found out that Bob was ill yet again, despite his efforts and advocacy in the area of health, it was with great sadness that I heard that news. I immediately sent a card and some flowers to his office because I felt that that was the most I could do. When I saw Bob for the last time here in this place for the opening of parliament, I remember seeing him walking down the chamber to his seat. He was being guided by someone because he was unwell. I waved at him and blew a quick kiss to him across the chamber. When somebody had pointed out that that is what I had done, he found his way around to me and blew a kiss back, which was lovely.

After the proceedings were over he came up to me to say thank you for the card. He really should not have had to come up to me, but he made the effort to let me know how grateful he was that I had sent some thoughts his way at that difficult time. He gave me a big hug and just kept holding on to me and saying, 'Thank you. Thank you so much.' I just kept saying, 'I'm sorry'. What else can you do when it is so hard to see someone you admire so much, someone who is usually so strong, going through that? You wish there were other words you could find but, sadly, even someone who loves language as much as myself struggles at a time like that.

I am sorry. I am sorry that this parliament will be a much less colourful and comprehensive place without Bob. As other members have pointed out, he was always very thorough in his research and not shy about putting his views across. I am sorry that the electorate of Fisher has lost a very dedicated and passionate member, and I am sorry that his family has lost such a truly lovely and honourable man.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:59): I rise today to support the condolence motion on the passing of the Hon. Dr Bob Such. Bob was a giant of the Parliament of South Australia. He was a scholar, a gentleman and a champion of the little people. Bob was a man who lived a life defined by his clear principles and he never wavered from them. He never wavered from standing for what he believed in, for defending the underdog and ensuring that everyone in South Australia had access to the same quality of life and privileges as society's most affluent.

Dr Such was passionate about our state's health system and, in particular, men's health. Long before it was an accepted part of the health lexicon, Bob was pursuing an individual men's health policy in the lead-up to the 1992 election. He was ahead of his time in recognising the importance of a focus on men's health and often talked about men being their own worst enemy when it came to looking after themselves and seeking treatment.

Even before being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005, Dr Such was urging men to have their health properly checked at regular intervals. Following his diagnosis Bob stated that it was ironic that he should have prostate cancer as he had provided material to all of the male MPs on prostate awareness for years. But, true to form, rather than wallow in self pity, Bob saw his cancer as an opportunity to further encourage his colleagues and the public to get regular check-ups.

He wanted men to understand that delaying check-ups could in some cases be deadly. He lamented that, 'When I was first diagnosed there were some blokes who didn't even know they had a prostate,' and that 'a macho man is a dead man'. When questioned about his speaking out on such a personal subject Bob said, 'If it helps save one person then it's worth doing.'

Bob was a huge advocate for the da Vinci surgical robot. South Australia's only da Vinci machine is located at St Andrew's Hospital serving both private and public patients. Bob was operated on using the da Vinci robot in 2005 and moved a motion in this parliament to commend the government for its support of the da Vinci surgical robot and to request an upgrade. Bob knew the power of the robot. He had experienced it firsthand and he wanted to ensure that many more people would have the opportunity to be healed at the hands of talented surgeons using cutting-edge technology.

Bob was tireless. He understood fundamentally that to be a member of parliament means to serve your constituency. For Bob, Fisher came first. When asked once why he continued to toil in parliament when he could earn more money for less in the private sector, Bob responded by saying, 'Each day I'm excited to wake up and tackle the issues. You've got to live this job.'

I convey my condolences to Dr Such's family at this time. I know that his family and especially his wife Lyn have lived the parliamentary ride with Bob and I thank them for their support and service to both Bob and the Fisher community. He will be sorely missed but his contribution to South Australia and his awareness of men's health will live on. Vale, Bob Such.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:02): I rise to express my deepest condolences to Mrs Lyn Such and the family of the Hon. Dr Bob Such, the late member for Fisher. I would like to pay my great respects to this honourable politician with a big smile and a big heart. I served with Dr Bob Such on the Social Development Committee when I was first elected in 2010. He was very kind to me, being a new member, and I remember him being very supportive when I brought the new migrants inquiry to the Social Development Committee. He was always advocating for the less fortunate in the community.

I found Bob to be a true gentleman with a great intellect and deep connection with his constituents. I was also on the Coober Pedy trip with the Hon. Kelly Vincent, and I certainly witnessed the affection and caring side of Bob towards the Hon. Kelly Vincent. I certainly enjoyed working with Bob and admired his great capacity and passion to engage and debate important issues and policies for the betterment of South Australia.

I lost my beloved mother in June this year through cancer so I know the enormous pain and suffering one has to endure when coping with life-threatening illness, and then to lose a strong pillar in the family. My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very sad time. I also want to remember Bob's long and outstanding parliamentary and community service—it shall be remembered and honoured.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:04): I also rise to support this motion and make my contribution to this motion as a way to celebrate the life of a great man. First of all, I would like to pass on my condolences and prayers to Bob's family, especially his wife and his two sons. I have not been around this place long enough to know Bob personally; however, by all accounts and from the contributions made by honourable members, he was very well-liked and respected.

I am told by his constituents that he was a man of integrity and a man of his word. That was why his electorate stood by him all those years. Not many people who run for parliament as an Independent are able to withstand and defeat both major political parties, Liberal and Labor, time after time. Obviously, Bob was very well-liked and popular among his community, as is evident from his being elected and returned seven times.

The Hon. Mr Brokenshire outlined earlier that Bob had a way of working out which functions to attend. As a new member of this place, I would love to have had the opportunity to know Bob and have a chat to him about this issue, as we all know the number of invitations we get each week. Finally, once again, I would like to pass on my condolences to Bob's family. This house also recognises his contribution to parliament and his contribution to the people of South Australia.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:07): I rise also to support this condolence motion. Like many of you, my first experience of Bob Such, or minister Such as he was then back in 1995, was when we exchanged correspondence, although I initiated it by writing him a letter and I was very pleased with the response that I got. At the time, I was the newly-elected state president of the National Union of Students of South Australia. Like other student representatives around the country, I was quite concerned that Liberal governments were implementing voluntary student unionism (VSU).

I thought I would write to minister Such and ask him to guarantee that he would not implement VSU. To my great delight, I received a letter quite quickly that indeed guaranteed that, under his ministry, he would not implement VSU in South Australia. We put that letter up on the wall of the state office of NUS for 1995. I am not sure how much longer it stayed there after I left, but certainly, for pretty much the duration of that year, we had that letter from a Liberal minister guaranteeing that he would not attack the ability of students to have representation and to organise.

Indeed, he was quite firmly committed to that well into his years both as minister and further on, and he dubbed that a petty settling of old scores, and I refer to the 1999 Hansard—that I quoted, in a document on behalf of Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, then Senator of the Australian Democrats to the federal parliament, as an example of how the Liberals could approach this issue from a libertarian and representative perspective. He said:

If the students at university do not like what is being done with their money, they should do something about it: they should get off their backsides and change the rules. I am afraid that what is happening is that people are fighting the battles of the 1970s. The universe does not begin or end at Monash.

He went on to say that, unlike his federal colleagues, Dr Such welcomed freedom of speech rather than the silence of dissent. He continued that student organisations:

…should be a thorn in the side, at times, on issues. They should be challenging or questioning whether it is a Labor, Liberal or whatever government. The tragedy is that the universities have been silenced. Apart from a few academics, not many people are prepared to say anything because they are afraid of having their funding cut.

That was my first experience of Dr Bob Such, and it was certainly a very positive one. It was to be borne out in my respect for Dr Such. I think it is fitting that we are moving this motion today, private members' business day because in the time that I have been in this place, Thursdays in the other place were once known as Bob Such Day on private members' business day.

Indeed, as my colleague the Hon. Mark Parnell referred to, if Dr Such did not have a new item of business on a Thursday morning, people did wonder what he had been up to and what was going on. Dr Such put many issues on the agenda of this parliament, whether that was puppy mills or puppy factories, companion animal reform, voluntary euthanasia, e-democracy, lowering the youth voting age to 16 from the current age of 18, tobacco plain packaging, same-sex parenting, and respect for sexuality and human rights.

I remember quite well his speech when he moved a civil unions bill on behalf of his constituents, which would have covered same-sex couples but also opposite-sex couples. He said it should be the right of everyone to have a civil union, regardless of their sexuality, and they should not necessarily have to have a marriage. That was, again, a very Bob Such perspective: having a different view of the world and not being afraid to put it out there, not only to this parliament but of course to his community.

I think his community, while they did not always agree with every single thing that he did or said, knew that he had the courage of his convictions and he was not scared of saying things that perhaps challenged the status quo. Dr Such was indeed a real liberal, and the last time I saw him prior to the time that we were all in this place for the opening of parliament was when he fronted the press pack outside the Leader of the Opposition's door, just after the state election. He walked out to an absolute throng, and I remember standing at the end of the corridor and watching him speak to that press pack for over 15 minutes.

He said some things that I had never heard him talk about; he noted that at times in this place people had wished him dead when he had previously been ill. He talked about some of the less noble aspects of political life, but I think Bob's legacy will be the of the more noble aspect of political life: the contest of ideas that this place allows for, in a way that is truly reflective of a democracy. I think we should not be afraid to see many more days in this place be Bob Such Day. With those few words, I commend the motion.

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (15:13): I rise to support the condolence motion for the late Hon. Dr Bob Such, who was undoubtedly a great servant of South Australia, and a particularly great parliamentarian in his use of the parliament to represent his constituents and to advocate for particular issues and causes. I guess I had encountered Bob in passing, but my first experience of him was probably in the 2006 election. As you would recall, Mr President, since that election elected you, that was an extremely good election for the Labor party.

The Labor Party preselected Amanda Rishworth, now the federal member for Kingston, to run for Fisher for Labor. I was involved in the campaign and, despite having a very enthusiastic and energetic candidate, and doing all the things that you do in campaigns, including street corner meetings, doorknocking and all the rest of it, and despite being an extremely good election for Labor, we still at the time were unable to make much of a dent in Bob's primary vote, such was his command of support in the electorate.

He was one of those members, particularly Independent members, where you realised that he was the consummate retail politician. That is, he was entirely in touch with the people on the ground of his electorate, and that is what counts. Even though he certainly he did not paper the electorate with colourful, glossy flyers or any of that sort of regular campaigning that I guess the major parties do, nonetheless people knew him and they respected him for what he did for them and for the state, and they returned him handily on so many occasions.

Like all honourable members, I received regular correspondence from Bob with that very distinctive letterhead with the leaves on it, the bit of foliage, and it is certainly true that there was almost no issue for which Bob did not have a bill or a motion to advance. He was certainly the master of using parliament to advocate for issues, as well as representing his constituents with such diligence. I am reminded of the quote by Edmund Burke, which is perhaps over quoted, that:

Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.

I do not think anyone would accuse Bob of being a based populist and always looking for the political angle, always pursuing an issue or a cause or representing people for political advantage. He was very passionate about what he believed and what he felt was right for South Australia and for his constituents, and they are the things that motivated and inspired him. I think the parliament and the state have lost a great parliamentarian and servant. I extend my condolences to his family. May he have eternal rest.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:16): I rise to support this motion that is dedicated to the Hon. Dr Bob Such. I first knew Bob Such before he was a member of parliament. In fact, in the 1989 state election campaign, I did a significant amount of advanced party work for the Liberal Party, and we had a number of marginal seats we had to win. We in fact won five, which was not quite enough, but one of those was Fisher. I suppose as a flat country man from the north of Adelaide I learnt a bit more about those hilly suburbs just to the south. Certainly, I remember the energy that he took into that campaign; it stuck with me for a long time.

Also, like the Hon. Michelle Lensink, I do remember sharing some of those times on state executive when he came along as a proxy delegate for the premier. I also had quite a lot to do with Bob for another reason before I came to this parliament when I worked for Alexander Downer in his seat of Mayo, because actually for some significant period there was quite a crossover between the federal seat of Mayo and the state seat of Fisher. For one election period in particular, there were a couple of quite significant suburbs that were in the two electorates, so we had a bit in common there.

Obviously, when I came to this parliament, we were both in the Liberal Party joint party room together. Early in those days I remember a Liberal Party seminar at Port Pirie, and I remember the Hon. Mr Brokenshire being there. I think it was just before he was elevated to be a minister, actually. On the way home from Port Pirie, I needed a ride and so I rode home to Adelaide with the Hon. Dr Such, in a relatively small car. I cannot remember what it was, but he certainly gave me a lot of advice. He extoled his country connections, and I think many people here would probably have heard about his country cousins in various places, but with every town we went through on the way back from Port Pirie, he had a connection to it in some form or another.

The other connection I had with him for a brief period of time was when he served as the Speaker of the House of Assembly and was on the Joint Parliamentary Service Committee. He was only there for a short time, and I suppose to say that he was energetic and tested some of the traditions of the JPSC would be an understatement. I do extend my sympathy to all of the Such family and support the motion.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (15:20): It is with great sadness that I rise to add my condolences on the passing of the member for Fisher, Dr Bob Such. It was with great shock that I learned of Bob's passing. Bob was a highly respected gentleman both in this place and in the community. Having held the seat of Fisher for 25 years, it is clear that his electorate held him in highest regard and the greatest confidence that he would represent them in parliament.

Bob was an extremely hard-working local member. He kept his electorate updated with his regular Such and Such newsletters and often brought matters which constituents had raised with him into the parliament. He embodied the essence of what a good local member should be. Like most, I was saddened to hear of Bob's brain tumour diagnosis shortly after the election. With his tenacity and fighting spirit, I was convinced that Bob would beat the disease and return to parliament before we knew it.

Bob was never a whinger and so I was not aware of the toll that the treatment was having on him until he came into the parliament a couple of months ago following a treatment session at the hospital. Although physically Bob had changed quite dramatically, mentally and spiritually Bob was the same. He spoke with great admiration of the medical practitioners who had helped him with his treatment. He said we had the best care in the world and commented on how lucky we all are that specialist doctors and nurses chose to remain in Adelaide when really the world was their oyster.

It struck me then how remarkable Bob was. Here he was in pain and suffering but instead of feeling sorry for himself he only had good things to say about other people. He then went on to talk about the state and about his idea to have a place in the museum which highlights the number of firsts that South Australia has achieved. Even though physically tired, Bob's eyes lit up when he spoke about his state, and the passion he had for South Australia was obvious. When we encouraged him to focus on getting better, it was clear that he considered matters of the state to be far more important than himself. Selflessness like this is a quality very rarely found in many people.

In looking back at Bob's parliamentary career, it is clear that he was passionate about parliament itself. He believed that parliament and government should be open and transparent and proposed a number of measures to increase accountability, improve parliamentary efficiency and enhance community engagement. This included proposing sittings of parliament in the regions, public broadcasting of proceedings, streamlining parliamentary proceedings, allowing 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote and improving freedom of information legislation.

In recent years he was also successful in introducing spent convictions legislation which allowed certain convictions to be expunged from a person's record after a prescribed length of time. Of course, Bob was also a well-known advocate for the right to die, and he campaigned heavily on allowing voluntary euthanasia. Bob was a sincerely nice guy who gave so much of himself to serve the public and his community. He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him including myself and my staff. I offer my condolences to his wife Lyn and his family at this difficult time.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:24): I rise to support the motion. I would have first met Bob some time around the mid-eighties when, as shadow minister for education for the Liberal Party during the period 1985-1989, Bob, together with a number of others with an education background in the party, would have been providing advice on education policy as we led into the 1989 campaign. Right through until recent years, for a number of years I worked with Bob on a pollie panel with a Labor representative, who changed over the years, on the Leon Byner show on FIVEaa, where regularly for half an hour every second Friday we would come together to answer questions and talk about matters of state interest. Obviously, towards the end, it was not a huge rating success for the FIVEaa people because I think it was cancelled last year some time when the Byner show finished at 12 rather than at 1 o'clock.

I have known Bob through all of that period, and during his period of parliamentary service I knew him obviously through his work as a local MP, as a shadow minister, as a minister and as a committee representative and I saw his work as Speaker. I do not think there is any doubt that the role that best suited Bob and the one he enjoyed the most and performed the best in was the job as local MP, local representative for his constituents in Fisher.

His maiden speech said that he had door knocked 7,000 homes and, as the Hon. Mr Dawkins indicated, he ran an energetic campaign. I do not know whether he always door knocked 7,000 homes each election period after that, but he nevertheless maintained ongoing contact with his constituency. The vox pops that we saw on a number of television stations since his passing, and even during the speculation about the current by-election, indicates that many people the journalists speak to in the streets and the shopping centres knew Bob personally or knew of him and his work, which is testimony to his connection with his electorate.

He had many passions, about which other members have spoken. He came in as part of the class of '89: luminaries such as Brokenshire, Kotz, Brindal, Matthew and Such were the five new members who were elected at that time, all of whom eventually served in some capacity or other as ministers. I was speaking with Mark Brindal this morning, and he asked through me to convey his condolences to Lyn and the family in the motion we were to speak to this afternoon.

He reminded me that he has a number of mementos of Bob's and told a number of stories, many of which cannot be shared on a public occasion. However, he indicated that he baked and decorated the cake for Bob's wedding. He still has somewhere at home a plaque that says, 'To Mark Brindal, master chef to the rich and famous'. He was not sure whether Bob was referring to himself as the rich or the famous, or both, but he says that he still has that plaque for the cake he baked and decorated.

I had a lot to do with Bob in the education portfolio, both as shadow minister and as minister. As the Hon. Mr Brokenshire has indicated, he had a great passion for the old tech schools because of his Goody tech background. Unsurprisingly, even though it was strongly opposed by the Labor government, the AEU and many others, we had as a strong policy plank during that period a newer version of the old technical high schools through the period of the 1990s that we were looking to reintroduce.

Of course, now at the national level they have been taken up and called trade colleges or trade schools. But Bob was a great advocate, particularly from the basis of his view that not everyone was suited to what he saw as the mainstreaming going on with secondary schooling, that it did not suit everybody and that there were particular people that he was trying to represent who he believed would be much better suited to a technical trade background earlier in secondary schooling, together with as much other general education as you could get into them, but that connection he believed would be best for a significant number of, particularly as he would argue, young men at that time.

He was also a very strong supporter of initiatives that we took on and took to the election during that period in terms of additional help for children with special learning needs and learning difficulties, and students with disabilities within our government school system. We had a number of policy initiatives in relation to increased speech pathology support and increased learning centres for those who had particular problems.

Of course, his brother John, I think, was a principal of Ashford Special School. Bob would make sure that I would go along and have a look at the work that was being done there, and listen to John and his colleagues in terms of what the Liberal Party should do in terms of genuine reform in this particular area of education. Bob was a very active participant not just in those limited number of areas of the education debate but in many other areas of the education debate as well.

As the Hon. Mr Brokenshire has referred to, it would have been a much more difficult time I guess for Rob Brokenshire, because he was a lower house colleague and sat with Bob much more often than we in the Legislative Council. There is a certain distance between the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly in all political parties, so it would have been much tougher, but I must admit it was a very disappointing time when Bob left the Liberal Party during that second term of the Liberal government.

There were a number of issues, not the least being of course that there was, as has been publicly reported, a very significant preselection challenge from a very prominent former federal Liberal MP with very strong environmental credentials. Nevertheless, it was disappointing in the end when Bob made that decision to leave the party. All through the years since then, as I said, whilst it would have been much harder for the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, who had to work with lower house members on a daily basis, nevertheless, the rest of us in the Legislative Council and others continued to maintain a cordial working relationship with Bob through the passage of the years.

Bob had some say a wicked sense of humour; others would say an unusual sense of humour. I just give one example. When I was treasurer in this chamber between 1997 and 2002, I would have to go to the House of Assembly to deliver the budget speech. The lectern would be positioned on the floor of the House of Assembly so that as treasurer I could deliver the budget speech.

On the very first occasion, which would have been in 1998, as I walked in there with the budget speech tucked under my arm and was about to address the House of Assembly on the important issues of finance in the state, there was a piece of notepaper with the unmistakable handwriting of Bob Such on it saying, 'Today, we will singing hymn number [whatever it is].' I cannot remember now. I have still got it somewhere, but it sort of threw me a bit when I saw this. I recognised immediately the handwriting even though it was not signed. It was Bob Such with a touch of humour on what was otherwise meant to be a very serious occasion.

I know I speak on behalf of many former members of the parliament from the Liberal Party, such as Mark Brindal and others, who obviously do not have the opportunity to publicly stand up and share in the condolence motion today. As I said, I have only had the opportunity to speak to Mark Brindal, and he asked for his condolences to be put on the public record as well. I know I would be speaking on behalf of many former members in supporting the condolence motion today and passing on our condolences to Lyn, the family, friends and acquaintances of Bob Such.

The PRESIDENT (15:34): I would just like to say a few words. I, like many in this chamber, knew Bob through the various committees that we served on. I did quite a bit travelling with Bob, and I remember the trip that the Hon. Mr Parnell spoke about up there at Baird Bay. We got there after a two-hour trip, I think, on the high seas. It was quite a big swell and there were very high cliffs, and at the bottom of the swell you could not see the cliffs. Bob was sitting there with a little hat on in the corner of the boat. It must have been the only time I have seen Bob not able to say a word in all the time I knew him. When we got to Baird Bay there were a number of people swimming around and he actually did contemplate for a minute getting in the water, but the sight of the Hon. Mr Ridgway swimming around like a dugong amongst the seals put an end to that thought very quickly.

One thing about Bob is that not only was he a great politician, but he was also a great leader because Bob actually tackled and took on and supported many very progressive social issues even though he served in a reasonably conservative seat. Bob's view was that he would explain his position, educate his electorate and take them along with him. He increased his vote in nearly every election he had, so Bob was not frightened of showing leadership in those issues.

The last trip I took with Bob was over to Newcastle for the Social Development Committee. Late at night we went out for a walk and, as we were looking at binge drinking, we went around to the various establishments that were selling alcohol. I watched Bob talk to various people, whether they were young or old, and he was just a natural. People warmed to Bob very well and he would extract information out of them which he used himself for his own thought processes. So it was a great privilege to actually see Bob in action. I would like to give my condolences to his family and to Lyn in particular. This parliament will be worse off without Bob.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.


[Sitting suspended from 15:36 to 15:55]


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