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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-26 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Arnold, Hon. P.B.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:20): With the leave of the council, I move:

That the Legislative Council expresses its deep regret at the recent death of the Hon. Peter Bruce Arnold, former minister of the Crown and member of the House of Assembly, and places on record its appreciation for his distinguished public service.

I rise today on behalf of the government to commemorate the life of Mr Peter Arnold, former member for Chaffey, and to offer our sincere condolences to his family on his recent passing.

Born in Berri in 1935, Peter's roots were firmly grounded in the Riverland region. Educated at Cobdogla State School and St Peter's College, Mr Arnold began his career as a fruit grower in the Riverland. His early experiences in primary production, wine making and the development of horticultural machinery gave him a deep appreciation of the challenges and opportunities faced by those in regional industries.

Mr Arnold was elected to the House of Assembly seat of Chaffey for the Liberal and Country League in 1968, as one of two gains which saw then Premier Don Dunstan's government defeated after only one term. Peter Arnold's career suffered the same fate as Steele Hall's Liberal government, being defeated just two years later at the 1970 election.

Peter Arnold came back with a vengeance, though, in 1975, winning with a 13½ per cent swing in his party's favour, and we on this side of the house have been working to win back the seat of Chaffey ever since. After a rocky start to his political career, Peter Arnold would serve in the place for another 20 years, standing down at the 1993 state election. During his parliamentary career Peter's contributions to South Australia were very significant. He held numerous portfolios, including water resources, irrigation, lands, repatriation and Aboriginal affairs.

Mr Arnold served as a member of important committees, such as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and the Environment, Resources and Development Committee. On behalf of the government, I extend my deepest condolences to Peter's family.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): I rise today to pay tribute on behalf of the Liberal Party of South Australia and to offer my own personal condolences to the family and friends of the late Hon. Peter Bruce Arnold, the former member for Chaffey. Born in 1935 in Berri, in the midst of the Great Depression and successive droughts, Mr Arnold was a lifelong Riverland resident, and as viticulturalists and fruit growers the Arnolds and my own family, the Andrews, had a close association for many years, particularly through my uncle, former Speaker of the house, the Hon. Neil Andrew.

Peter Arnold served as a member of the Cobdogla Irrigation Area Advisory Board, a member of the South Australian Fruit Growers Association, a member of the Riverland Community Council for Social Development, a member of the Australian Dried Fruits Association and a member of what was the phylloxera board, now known as Vinehealth Australia.

Politically, Mr Arnold was president of the Berri Barmera branch of the Liberal and Country League, and I knew him as a valued and experienced member of the South Australian Liberal Party's Berri Barmera branch, although in recent years we did not see Mr Arnold as often as we did in the past. His presence was always one of encouragement and commitment to our party values.

It is well known that Peter Arnold had a lifelong love for tinkering with machinery, particularly horticultural machinery on his own produce farm. Not long prior to his parliamentary days in the early 1960s he developed a hydraulic vine trimmer, which was patented and sold widely across Australia. In the March 1968 election, the year the Liberal Party (led by the Hon. Steele Hall) was elected to office, Mr Arnold entered as the member for Chaffey, representing his beloved Riverland. Peter Arnold proudly held that position from election in 1968 until 1970 and then again from 1973 until 1993. That is 23 years of service to the people of Chaffey and 23 years dedicated to the betterment of South Australia.

As the Leader of the Government spoke about, Mr Arnold held the positions of minister for water resources, of irrigation, of lands, of repatriations and, for a brief period, of Aboriginal affairs. He was appointed to the Standing Committee on Public Works and also the Standing Committee for Environment, Resources and Development. When out of government, Mr Arnold held shadow portfolios for water resources, fisheries and lands. Around his parliamentary duties, Mr Arnold was also a member of the Jubilee 150 Board and the South Australian bicentennial council.

In 1979, as the minister for water resources, Mr Arnold identified water quality and security as a critical issue for South Australia. He was quoted in the Adelaide Advertiser in September that year saying:

There is no doubt that water resources are the key to South Australia's future. The quality of that water is paramount.

That still very much rings true and I attest to the wisdom held back in the 1970s by my former Liberal colleague that water security is state security. Mr Arnold, as minister, made it clear that water security and quality underpin the social, economic and environmental sustainability of South Australia and they are a true foundation of the state's sustainable development and the stability of our food and fibre output.

It is a privilege to serve in the Parliament of South Australia and it is an honour to represent a constituency and deliver their interests here in the state's capital. For over two decades, the former member for Chaffey, the Hon. Peter Bruce Arnold, did just that for my fellow Riverland residents. And though the Hon. Peter Arnold is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in the lives he touched and the positive changes he brought to our Riverland community and to the wider South Australian community through his work as both a minister and a shadow minister.

Let us honour his memory by striving to emulate his values, his tireless dedication to public service, his deep compassion for others, and his unwavering commitment to sensible and sustainable progress. May we find comfort in the knowledge that his impact remains and may we carry forward his vision of a brighter future for South Australia wherever you reside in this great state. Mr Arnold will be deeply missed but never forgotten. Vale Peter Bruce Arnold.

The PRESIDENT: I ask honourable members to stand in their places to carry the motion in silence.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

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