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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-06-19 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Hall, Mr Raymond Steele

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:23): With leave of the council, I move:

That the Legislative Council express its deep regret at the death of Mr Raymond Steele Hall, former Premier and member of the House of Assembly, Senator for South Australia and member of the House of Representatives, 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.

I rise today on behalf of the government to mark our respect and appreciation for Mr Raymond Steele Hall, former Premier of this state, and to offer our sincere condolences to his family. Raymond Steele Hall, who we knew better as Steele, was born in November 1928 to a farming family in Balaklava. After completing his schooling at Balaklava High School, he went on to work at the family's wheat and sheep farm. Mr Hall married schoolteacher Anne Fletcher in 1956, and together they welcomed four children: a son and three daughters.

His political career began in 1959 when, after defeating eight other candidates to win preselection, Mr Hall was elected as a member for the now abolished seat of Gouger. His tenacity and confidence caught the eye of then Premier Thomas Playford after introducing a private member's bill, I am informed, against the explicit instructions of the Premier at the time. Despite his defiance, Premier Playford rewarded Mr Hall's resolve by appointing him as opposition whip after the Liberal and Country League lost government in 1965.

Mr Hall, as Mr Playford's anointed successor, comfortably won the LCL leadership in a ballot in mid-1966. He served as opposition leader until his party won the 1968 election as a result of MP Tom Stott providing his support to Mr Hall and the Liberal and Country League and agreeing to be appointed as Speaker. On 17 April 1968, Mr Raymond Steele Hall became South Australia's 36th and youngest ever Premier. Mr Hall made the unusual decision of electing not to hold the title of 'Honourable', which stands to this day.

During his time as Premier, Hall's government was perceived as more liberal than LCL governments before it, pursuing reforms in Aboriginal affairs, abortion law and social welfare, which led to some fractures within the conservative ranks of the party. Mr Hall was also responsible for selecting the site of the Festival Theatre, relocating the proposed spot in North Adelaide to the Riverbank location that is loved by so many South Australians today.

Notably, Mr Hall led groundbreaking reform on electoral distribution to eliminate the disproportionate electoral power of rural seats, in turn creating a more equitable electoral system. This decision was totally against Mr Hall's own party's interests, but was what he knew to be the right thing to do. The ensuing boundaries were one of the factors that resulted in the LCL's defeat at the 1970 election.

The late political journalist Dean Jaensch described this reform of Hall's era as his crowning achievement, having 'unravelled an electoral system that virtually gifted government to his party, irrespective of what voters wanted'. Mr Hall resigned as opposition leader in March 1972, after his relationship with the party had become somewhat fractured. He later attempted to create the Liberal Movement, described as a party within a party, which eventually failed when many of its members abandoned it. The Liberal Movement did, however, help the Dunstan government to introduce adult suffrage and proportional representation for the Legislative Council, building on the reforms that Hall had made in the lower house.

In 1973, Hall announced a bid for the Senate to give a national platform to the Liberal Movement and was elected at the double dissolution election in 1974. Thereafter, he shared the balance of power with other Independents and thus held great influence. He declined an invitation to rejoin the Coalition and when necessary was critical of their policies around electoral distribution, instead supporting the then Whitlam government's bill in that area. He was criticised by some for his stance, but he remained steadfast to what he believed was the right thing to do.

When reunion talks commenced between Hall's Liberal Movement and the LCL, after it became clear that this was the only viable option for both their successes, Mr Hall excluded himself from negotiations and made it clear that he would not be seeking Senate preselection. He did, however, stand for the federal seat of Hawker, which he narrowly lost at the end of 1977.

Having separated from his first wife, Mr Hall married journalist Joan Bullock, who had worked in his office while he was opposition leader. The two would go on to have two children together: a daughter and a son. Ms Joan Hall would go on to be elected herself as the equal 10th only female member of the House of Assembly. Mr Hall went on to seek Liberal preselection for the seat of Boothby, defeating, I believe, at the time one Mr Alexander Downer, going on to win the seat in a by-election in early 1981.

True to form, after his election, Mr Hall continued to have the independent streak, doing what he thought and knew to be right, and defied the Fraser government when he saw fit, at one stage accusing the transport minister of an anti South Australian bias in road funding—not an unusual refrain today—and labelling John Howard's criticism of Asian immigration as encouraging racism, which was a brave stand at the time.

Mr Hall continued to abide by his political values and to call out the Coalition when their policies strayed far from these, until his retirement at the 1996 election, bowing out while holding the title of the only state Premier to have served in three legislatures. These qualities of integrity and courage were the hallmarks of his exceptional, if not unbelievable, career. In his own words, Hall notes that he does not, 'have a record which is wimpish or weak'.

Mr Hall filled his 95 years to the brim. He leaves behind his wife Joan, six children, six grandchildren, and a very strong legacy for the benefit of the state of South Australia. On behalf of the government, we send our sincere condolences to all who knew and loved him, and mark our appreciation of his lifetime of service to the South Australian and commonwealth parliaments. Vale Steele Hall.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:30): I rise to speak in condolence at the passing of Raymond Steele Hall. I borrow now from a eulogy delivered by President Richard Nixon in honour and memory of his friend Senator Everett Dirksen. To me, this summarises my thoughts and understanding of Premier Hall:

A politician knows that more important than the bill that is proposed is the law that is passed.

A politician knows that his friends are not always his allies and that his adversaries are not always his enemies.

A politician knows how to make the process of democracy work, and loves the intricate workings of the democratic system.

A politician knows not only how to count the votes, but how to make his vote count.

A politician knows that his words are his weapons, but that his word is his bond.

A politician knows that only if he leaves room for discussion and room for concession can he gain room for manoeuvre.

A politician knows the best way to be a winner is to make the other side feel it does not have to be a loser.

And a politician—

of the Steele Hall tradition—

knows both the name of the game and the rules of the game, and he seeks his ends through the time-honoured democratic means.

Raymond Steele Hall was born in the regional town of Balaklava in 1928. After attending school in Owen, he graduated from Balaklava High School and then worked on his family's sheep and wheat farm.

His early life in farming country in regional South Australia clearly instilled a no-nonsense work ethic and a solid foundation of ethics that would serve him in later life. Anyone who has done agricultural studies knows that success is as much about hard work and giving something a go as it is about knowledge and book smarts. I understand Steele had both sides of the coin well balanced from an early age.

During his three-decade-long career in politics he served as the state member for Gouger, the state member for Goyder, the leader of the Liberal and Country League, the leader of the state opposition, the Treasurer of South Australia, the federal member for Boothby, a senator, and the 36th Premier of South Australia.

When elected to the office of Premier in 1968 he was at the time the youngest Premier of this state. While he is credited with many decisions that have had a long-lasting impact on the state, such as selecting the site of the Festival Centre, the introduction of fluoridated water, advancing social reforms, and his leadership in securing South Australia's water resources by ratifying the agreement reached with other states and the commonwealth to construct a dam at Dartmouth in Victoria, he is best remembered for the reforms to the South Australian electoral process.

Since his unfortunate passing on 10 June there have been many heartfelt comments about his contribution to public life, his unwavering adherence to his principles, and his commitment to the true meaning of public service. Fellow former Premier John Olsen is quoted as saying that Steele Hall was:

…a politician that had courage of his convictions and followed through on them, even though he put at risk his government and his premiership. That was the hallmark in the way in which he operated—always of principle, applying integrity and certainly courage in politics…

And that:

His principles were always unimpeachable.

That unwavering integrity and conviction is one of the reasons why I believe Raymond Steele Hall is one of the finest politicians to ever serve the people of South Australia.

The electoral boundaries at the time strongly favoured the ruling Liberal and Country League, and at that time did not accurately reflect the principle of one vote, one value. For over 27 years the Liberal and Country League had controlled parliament, despite regularly polling less than 50 per cent of the total vote.

Despite knowing that the ensuing electoral reform would disadvantage his own government, Steele Hall was driven by principle to do the right thing, and after the reforms to electoral boundaries his party lost government to Labor in 1970 with Don Dunstan being elected as Premier. It is on the public record that:

With Adelaide now electing a majority of the legislature, conventional wisdom held that Hall pushed for electoral reform knowing that he was effectively handing the premiership to Dunstan at the next election.

After retiring from the Liberal and Country League, he was elected to the federal Senate in 1974. After unsuccessfully contesting a federal lower house seat in 1981, he was elected the member for Boothby, a position he held until he resigned in 1996.

Steele Hall will be remembered as a true servant of the people of South Australia and a politician who put the interests of the public ahead of his own. He was motivated by principle and had the courage of his convictions to act and to follow through with the course of action that he truly believed was right. I believe that this is the true definition of leadership in public office and stands as an example to all of us in this place.

Steele Hall defined hard work, resilience and a steady hand on the tiller. In 1968, he was described by The Australian as a 'friendly, relaxed man, who tends to play politics by ear and is frank almost to the point of naivety'. I think this speaks to his accessibility: the farmer, the neighbour and the dad to a small flock of country kids. He was the everyday man who became our Premier.

Over the years he has been a great mentor to many of us here in this place, myself included. I will never forget the first meeting I ever had with Steele as a vice-president of our party and the kindness he showed me not just in that meeting but in the years thereafter. I have appreciated the way that both Steele and Joan have always been generous with their time, ensuring that they not just equip me with the tools I need to reach my potential but that they push me, inspire me and involve me. Their advice and insights have been instrumental not just in my parliamentary growth but in my personal growth and I will be forever grateful to them both for that.

I share our party's deep condolences to Joan; to his children, Michael, Kathleen, June, Mary, Alexia and Ben; to his grandchildren and also to the wider family. I am conscious the last years have been trying. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other mental functions. It is horrible to watch a loved one succumb to its influence, to lose the person you know before they are truly gone. It is often a case of mors certa, hora incerta—death is certain, its hour uncertain.

I know that many members of our party have had Joan and the family in their thoughts for some time. At the start of this tribute, I mentioned a speech by President Nixon. He ended that speech with a quote from the ancient Greek dramatist Sophocles, 'One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.'

Those of us who were privileged to know Steele in his best years when he was of clear mind and clear voice, when he advocated for South Australia and the Liberal values our party holds so dear, we know that it was a splendid life indeed. Vale, Premier Raymond Steele Hall.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:38): I rise on behalf of the Greens to speak on this condolence motion and in so doing I would like to begin by extending our condolences to Steele Hall's wife, Joan, his six children and six grandchildren.

Raymond Steele Hall is a significant figure in the history of South Australian politics. His government's achievements were significant and other members have reflected on those, but I do just want to talk a little bit about the significance of electoral reform to our state. Premier Hall recognised the longstanding inequalities in the South Australian electoral system, colloquially known at that time as the Playmander, which was an electoral malapportionment that favoured rural areas over the city.

It was one of the bravest political moves that our state has ever seen. Premier Hall introduced legislation to reform the House of Assembly to provide a more equitable system of representation and he did so knowing it would be detrimental to himself and his own party. Surely that is the great test of political leadership: we take actions that benefit not just ourselves politically but are actually about the whole community. I think that was one of the trademarks of Premier Hall.

The esteemed political scientist the late Professor Dean Jaensch AO characterised the 'Playmander', named after Hall's predecessor, Sir Thomas Playford, as the best gerrymander the world has ever seen. Years later, Mr Hall told The Advertiser, and I quote:

There were some strong Labor seats with 40,000 voters and some Liberal seats with 5,000 voters. It was totally undemocratic, totally wrong. We could not continue with the boundaries the way they were. The changes we made in the electoral boundaries were immense and we knew that we were sacrificing government at the following election, but it had to be done.

In addition to electoral reform, Premier Hall introduced improvements in social welfare, Aboriginal rights and abortion. He also began the process of adding fluoride to our water in South Australia in 1968.

Steele Hall's parliamentary career spanned three decades. As has been observed, he served as Premier of our state but also led two political parties, one of which he founded, and served as a member of the South Australian House of Assembly, the federal House of Representatives and the Senate—a significant achievement, a significant career. Indeed, he is the only Australian to have served as a premier of the state as well as a member of three legislatures.

During the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, as a Liberal Movement Senator, though he was opposed to the Whitlam government, he joined with the Labor Party and an Independent Senator at that time, Cleaver Bunton, in voting against the deferral of supply bills. This was a significant moment in our state's history and, again, Mr Hall showed the leadership that the time called for in terms of exercising and voting in favour of his conscience.

In August 1988, as the Liberal member for Boothby, after the then opposition leader, John Howard, expressed his wish to control Asian immigration, Steele Hall, along with Ian Macphee and Philip Ruddock at the time, dissented by crossing the floor of parliament and voting with the Labor government on a motion against the use of race as a criterion for selecting immigrants. When he addressed the parliament at that time, Mr Hall said:

The question has quickly descended from a discussion about the future migrant intake to one about the level of internal racial tolerance. The simple fact is that public opinion is easily led on racial issues. It is now time to unite the community on the race issue before it flares into an ugly reproach for us all.

Again, this is an example of the leadership of this man in terms of speaking out in favour of his conscience and doing what he considered to be right. He leaves behind a reputation for integrity and political courage, and as someone who has truly put his state ahead of party-political interests. So we, on the Greens side of politics, express sadness at his passing and convey also our thoughts to our Liberal colleagues, many of whom, I know, knew Steele Hall and his family.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:43): I rise today with great sadness to support this condolence motion. I would like to firstly convey my deepest condolences to Steele's loving wife, Joan, his six children, six grandchildren, other family members and friends on the sad occasion of the passing of Mr Raymond Steele Hall at the age of 95. Known affectionately by his middle name, Steele Hall was a giant of South Australian politics and public life.

I have had the pleasure and honour of meeting Mr Steele Hall at various Liberal events, always accompanied by his wonderful wife, Joan, by his side. I recall that Steele Hall was a panel guest speaker at one of those forums. He was already in his 80s then, but he provided clear, concise, compelling answers during the Q&A session. It demonstrated that he was a formidable figure.

I would like to take this opportunity today to pay tribute to an incredible political leader with a career that spanned 33 years. Most remarkably, Steele Hall remains the only Australian who has served as a state Premier and also in both houses of federal parliament. Steele was born on 30 November 1928 in Balaklava, South Australia, attended primary school in Owen and subsequently graduated from Balaklava High School.

After leaving school, he worked on a family farm property in Owen. As a young man, besides his growing experience as a grain and sheep farmer his main activity was becoming the President of the Gouger Young Liberals. His leadership for the Young Liberals movement, with a high level of political and social activities, was inspirational. About 10 local members of the party contested the preselection, but Steele Hall, the youngest, the boldest and the clearest speaker, won the day.

At the age of 30, Steele Hall began his political career in 1959 as the member for Gouger. He would remain a member of the House of Assembly for 15 years, where he was also the member for Goyder for a brief period. Quickly gaining a reputation for his independence and the strength of his views, Hall rose through the Liberal and Country League parliamentary ranks to assume party leadership following Premier Sir Thomas Playford's retirement in July 1966.

I was reading the book by Baden Teague, The Liberal Story. He describes Steele Hall as very popular, very clear in his speeches and courageous in his decisions, and good-looking as well. He was applauded like a film star by many in the public.

From 1966 to 1972, Steele Hall served as the leader of the Liberal and Country League, and in 1968 won back government from Labor after Don Dunstan's first term and became South Australia's 36th Premier. His term was marked by far-sighted achievement and constitutional reform, including modernisation of electoral laws and the removal of the 'Playmander', which were necessary for the state's future even though they damaged his own chances of re-election, as many other members have reflected on. In fact, his commitment to his principles was a consistent fixture of his time in politics. As stated by former Premier, the Hon. John Olsen, Steele Hall 'carved out a place in history'. He said:

His principles were always unimpeachable. He was a politician that had courage of his convictions and followed through on them, even though he put at risk his government and his premiership.

That was the hallmark in the way in which he operated—always of principle, applying integrity and certainly courage in politics.

I would like to touch on the significant electoral reforms in 1968. In March 1968, Steele Hall's approved election policy had been to change the House of Assembly from having 39 seats to become 45 seats. A compromise was made and eventually the House of Assembly established 47 seats, which is the same number as it is today.

In October 1968, Labor's bill to reform the Legislative Council was debated, where the two leaders, Steele Hall and Don Dunstan, agreed to another compromise. This is a very important reform for all of us who have the privilege to serve in this Legislative Council, and I therefore would like to highlight the debate that happened at the time and acknowledge Steele Hall's foresight and impeccable negotiation skills.

During the debate to reform the Legislative Council, Steele Hall offered to agree to adult franchise for the council if Labor agreed to drop its policy to abolish the council and further agreed to guarantee that any major change to the Legislative Council could only proceed if passed by a people's referendum. I would like to quote some of the exchanges between Hall and Dunstan. Hall said:

I will vote for the adult franchise on the condition that they include in their Bill…a provision similar to the New South Wales provision, that the Legislative Council cannot be abolished unless such abolition is agreed at a referendum of the people of South Australia. Let members opposite indicate their decision on that.

Dunstan said, 'We'll accept that.' Hall then said, 'Right, I will accept. I am not bluffing,' just to show the character of the man. Dunstan said, 'Right, let's get together on it.' Hall remarked, 'If members opposite will accept this, then I will support this.'

His term in office also saw significant progress in other areas, including women's health, Aboriginal affairs and the fluoridation of South Australia's water supply, a measure controversial at the time but which has led to significant dental health improvements for generations of South Australians.

Notably, it was Steele Hall who determined the site of the Adelaide Festival Centre and negotiated financial support from the commonwealth and enabled its construction to begin. The site is now widely regarded as a superb choice. Five decades later, while his successors may have secured naming rights and public recognition, the achievements of this iconic artistic institution must now be included as part of Steele Hall's legacy, given the pivotal role that he played in its creation.

After his time in state politics, Steele Hall continued on at the federal level, first as a senator from 1974 to 1977 and then in the House of Representatives as the member for Boothby from 1981 to 1996. In my opening remarks, I mentioned that he is the only Australian who has actually achieved that remarkable political life.

I join all members of parliament and the people of South Australia to thank Mr Steele Hall for his significant contribution to South Australia and to this nation. Steele Hall will remain in our hearts and minds as a true legend of South Australian politics. He will be remembered forever by all sides of politics, as has been demonstrated today, for his legacy of principle, conviction and wisdom. Our sincere thoughts and sympathy are with Joan, their family and loved ones during this sad time. Vale, Mr Raymond Steele Hall.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:52): One of the difficulties in being one of the latter speakers on this motion, of course, is that most of what I will say has already been said, but I just wanted to perhaps summarise things before I commence the formal part of my speech by saying I genuinely believe that Steele Hall was one of the giants of South Australian politics. The things he did have had a permanent impact on our parliament, our democracy and therefore the state of South Australia.

The fact that he was prepared to amend the voting system, the so-called Playmander, that was in existence to what was clearly the detriment of his own political ambition and that of his party I think should be held in the highest esteem. I hope, but I wonder if, our political leaders of today would be capable of such self-sacrifice, if I can put it that way. I certainly hope they would be. I am not saying they would not be, but in his case we have a man who actually was prepared to do it and did do it. I think that in itself is quite extraordinary.

I think that will be regarded as his greatest achievement, certainly in my book. There were other achievements of which we have heard today—for example, the location of the Festival Centre and he did a lot of work on public transport. His record is significant, and we have heard a lot about it today, but to have a situation where a leader of a major political party in any state or the Commonwealth of Australia is prepared to enact a system of voting that is to their clear detriment, to me, stands above and beyond that of many other achievements that we have seen in this place.

Further, we have heard that he was the only Australian member of parliament to be a Premier and also serve in both houses of our federal parliament. His record is indeed very impressive. It is unequalled, in fact, certainly in that regard and, as I say, unequalled in other regards with respect to electoral reforms that he put in place. I would like to quote him. He made a very famous quote. We were regarding that reform, and he said:

The changes we made in the electoral boundaries were immense and we knew that we were sacrificing government at the following election, but it had to be done.

This was a man driven by principle who acted on those principles. As I said, it was to the betterment of the state and, I think, to the betterment of all of us. We now have a genuinely representative parliament. I say, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that maybe he went too far: Labor has been in government for a lot of the time since. But, in the end, it was the right thing to do, and I applaud him for it.

I had the privilege of meeting Steele on a number of occasions, typically at Liberal Party functions, or else I met his wife, Joan. They were both wonderful people. The thing that struck me about Steele, in particular, was his humility despite his tremendous achievements and the fact that he was held in such high esteem by both those in the Liberal Party and those opposite—and indeed we heard from the crossbench today as well.

This is a man who changed South Australian politics. His impact is as significant as any there has been, in my view, and I hold him in the highest esteem. I truly offer him and his family my most sincere condolences. A truly great man has passed, and we are the worse for it.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:55): I commend the members in this chamber for the words that they have spoken today about Raymond Steele Hall. Perhaps those words really do not express the contributions he has made to South Australia. He was a man of great integrity and humility. He lived a long and productive life, as has been in mentioned in here by members. He was a very progressive politician who introduced so many innovative laws and reforms and drove modern ideas and policies, which have been outlined, in a party that was still entrenched in the dated ideology and ways of the Playford era and the LCL, the old Liberal and Country League.

On a personal level, our paths did cross on a handful of occasions while he was a member, both at state and federal level and in both houses of parliament, which was an incredible achievement. This happened when I was a young reporter on the afternoon newspaper, The News. Not only was Steele Hall always approachable, but he responded to tough questions in a dignified and respectful manner. I cannot recall seeing or hearing Steele Hall being easily flustered or express annoyance towards journalists for dumb questions or for their own agendas—and there were a lot of dumb questions that were thrown at Steele Hall.

He certainly fits the bill of a charismatic, articulate leader, much in the mould of his arch rival at the time, Don Dunstan, and of course the current Premier, Peter Malinauskas. In my book, this quote sums up Steele Hall: 'Only a life for others is a life worthwhile.' He never forgot his own humble, rural background and, while I do not think he suffered fools gladly, he certainly showed generous tolerance to those who were in my profession.

He was not in politics for personal gratification; he was there to do the best job he could for the state of South Australia. He proved that by getting rid of the gerrymander, or the Playmander. When I was younger, it was often referred to in the media as the gerrymander, which really irritated the Labor Party at the time. Getting rid of that, as members have pointed out in this place, has given us the fair electoral system that we enjoy today. I think that will probably be Steele Hall's greatest legacy in the state of South Australia—giving us the much fairer electoral system that we have. I am not so sure what Steele Hall would have thought of the current Premier's plans at the moment to ban political donations and whatever, but it would have been interesting to get his viewpoint on that.

I heard one of his former colleagues on radio last week say that he recalled how he shunned and rejected honours of any kind, even the title of 'honourable', which he greatly deserved, but did not want that to be on the honour roll of the Premiers outside the House of Assembly. It showed what a principled man he was, a man who believed in taking his party forward, and of course we know that the fallout of his ambitions led to the formation of the Liberal movement and probably denied the Liberals and this state of the longest serving skilled and capable Premier and leader.

To his family and his loving wife, Joan—who I also know from when she was quite a capable journalist and then became an adviser and also, again, a very effective member of parliament—my sincerest condolences, and also to his six children and grandchildren.

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (16:00): Many here today have reflected on Steele's legacy, from a party and political perspective. His achievements were great and many. I would like to take the time to acknowledge the significant impact Steele and Joan Hall had on me personally. I am grateful that Steele, Joan and their children, Alexia and Ben, have been lifelong family friends, and for having a great impact on me, both personally and politically.

My first memory of Steele was on a family holiday to Queensland when I was nine. We had a great family holiday with the Crosbys, the Halls and my family, the Blacks, when we all travelled to Noosa. I remember driving to Noosa from Brisbane, with my mum and dad telling me all about Steele and his career as a former Premier, senator and federal MP. I was fascinated by politics from a very young age, and Steele inspired much of my interest in it.

I was so impressed by Steele's energy and engagement on that trip. Whilst Steele was somewhat older than my dad, Peter, and our dear friend Lynton Crosby, Steele could run rings around both of them with his energy and engagement. On this trip we went on a beautiful hike through a rainforest in Queensland. It was the perfect day as the three families ventured out and had a wonderful day, until my mum got bitten on her foot by a leech.

Steele came to the rescue, all prepared and organised, and managed to get the leech off my mum's foot with a lighter, but that leech quickly managed to jump onto Steele's foot. Unfortunately, after some time they could not find the leech, and I think it was probably making Joan a little nervous at that time as well, but it really highlighted me that Steele was such a gentleman, always coming to the rescue, always there for people, and such a wonderful man.

Joan and Steele have remained wonderful family friends for me over many years, especially their two children, Alexia and Ben, who have been very special friends. I know that Alexia has been an incredible support to Joan during difficult times over the past years and, recently, after Steele's passing. They are with Joan at every turn.

Having always expressed an interest in politics, when I turned 16 Ben Hall arrived at my house with a Young Liberal application. I joined the Liberal Party some 24 years ago, thanks to the Hall family. Their influence has been a major driving force for my political journey. I joined the Morialta Young Liberals, with Joan as the local MP and Steele as her right-hand man and dedicated campaign manager. I learnt much from Steele during this time, volunteering on the 2002 and 2006 campaigns. Steele was brilliant at collating maps straight out of the street directory to make sure that we had them ready to go to letterbox. We worked hard every day during these campaigns and Steele was always dedicated, by Joan's side and a wonderful sounding-board for us.

Steele Hall's legacy is multifaceted. He was a reformer who sought to modernise the South Australian political system, a visionary who understood the importance of environmental conservation and a principled leader who championed social justice. His commitment to fairness, equality and progress has left a lasting impact on our state and serves as an enduring example of what thoughtful and courageous leadership can achieve.

Steele Hall is the only Australian member to serve as a Premier of a state, as a senator and as a member of the House of Representatives across three decades. His legacy is a reminder that meaningful change often requires courage, vision and an unwavering commitment to justice and fairness.

As we reflect on Steele Hall's contribution, let us remember the values he stood for and strive to uphold them in our own lives and in our collective political endeavours. I will always remember him as the ultimate gentleman, an incredible friend and one of the most encouraging people. Steele was especially encouraging to the Young Liberals of my vintage, who had the privilege of Steele's mentorship and friendship, taking endless time to speak with us. I remember many events that Steele and Joan would attend to support Young Liberals and the wider party.

I always loved having long chats with Steele and valued his support and counsel. Thank you, Steele, for your service to our state, our party and, most of all, from a personal perspective, thank you for your friendship. Vale, Steele Hall.

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