Mr ABBOTT (Warringah—Prime Minister) (14:00): I move: That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 26 May 2015 of the Honourable Leslie Royston Johnson AM, a former Minister, Deputy Speaker and Member for the Division of Hughes from 1955 to 1966 and 1969 to 1983, place on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement. Les Johnson was born in Sydney in 1924. At the age of just six, he lost his father to the shrapnel wounds that his father had sustained in France during the Great War. The Great Depression hit the Johnson family hard and, at 14, young Les had to leave school to help feed the family. The Depression, like the Great War that preceded it, cast a pall over all who lived through it, and Les Johnson was no exception. It helped to form this teenager's desire to make the world a fairer and more compassionate place. As an apprentice in an engineering shop, the 15-year-old Les began campaigning for better conditions, and by the age of 18 he had become chairman of the combined trade unions youth council. He subsequently became an organiser with the Federated Clerks Union and then worked for the Red Cross, where he met his wife Peggy. In 1955, Les was elected the first representative for the new federal seat of Hughes. He lost the seat in 1966 but returned in 1969, serving the electorate for 25 years in total. Les was Minister for Housing and Minister for Works in the Whitlam government. He was subsequently Minister for Aboriginal Affairs when Gough Whitlam returned land to Gurindji people in 1975, symbolically pouring soil into Vincent Lingiari's hands. Earlier, at poolside parties at his Jannali home, Les had raised the then massive sum of $200,000 to set up Kirinari Hostel for Aboriginal high school boys, which I gather is still going strong all these years later. Les made headlines when, as opposition whip, he called for the position to be renamed to something more Australian. His suggestion of 'jackeroo', however, was not greeted with enthusiasm on either side of the speaker's chair. Les was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1990 for his public service and, in particular, for his service to the Aboriginal community. He was a man of character, compassion and humour. He was known for entertaining pensioner and aged care groups with the ever present harmonica that he kept in his pocket. Upon his retirement, he held the Labor record for uncontested parliamentary preselections. He was unopposed since his initial selection in 1955—an enviable record. He became Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand, but his term was cut short, sadly, by the illness and the subsequent death of his beloved daughter Sally. In 2002, Les would again mourn the loss of a family member, with the passing of Peggy. Les Johnson was part of that great generation of politicians that we honour for their dedication and service. Age catches us all eventually but our country will never forget what we owe to that generation. We marvel at their resilience and their determination to look after others even when in need themselves. To Les's wife, Marion, and to his children Grant and Jenny and their families, I offer the sympathy of our nation.