Dr SOUTHCOTT (Boothby) (17:45): I speak on the condolence motion for Alby Schultz. Alby was elected as the member for Hume in 1998. One of the interesting things about that electorate is that when he came in it had previously been represented by the National Party, by John Sharp. Of course, Alby held it for the Liberal Party and my colleague the member for Hume has held it for the Liberal Party as well since Alby retired. On our side of the House, there are some seats that are Liberal Party seats and some that are National Party seats and have been ever thus, but Hume is the sort of seat where, depending on the candidate, it can be represented by the Liberal Party or the National Party. Alby had worked as a meatworker and as an abattoir worker. I remember hearing people often say that nothing would really faze Alby Schultz because of what he had gone through in his early life. He would not blanch at anything. I know that some of Alby's fights with the National Party, on our side of politics, were quite legendary. I want to recall a couple of spirited fights that he had with cabinet ministers, including Liberal cabinet ministers. The first one I remember happened very soon after Alby was elected. Alby being elected to Hume meant that there was a vacancy in the New South Wales electorate of Burrinjuck. His wife, Gloria, was the Liberal Party candidate. The National Party candidate was Katrina Hodgkinson, now a minister in the New South Wales government. Katrina had worked as an adviser in this place for Nick Minchin, industry minister and finance minister and a formidable political operator. After the by-election, which was won by Katrina Hodgkinson, I well remember a party room— Ms Hall: It was not a by-election. Dr SOUTHCOTT: I stand corrected. Thank you, Member for Shortland. I well remember, after the election in Burrinjuck, Alby came into the party room and was tearing strips off Nick Minchin because a couple of his ministerial staff had handed out for Katrina Hodgkinson because they had a personal relationship with her and had worked with her in the office. He was furious at that. As everyone knows, Nick Minchin was a formidable political operator, but Alby Schultz did not take a backward step in confronting him. I also remember that, a couple of years later, there had been a possible redistribution in the electorate of Macarthur. John Fahey was the member for Macarthur. He had been a former New South Wales Premier and was finance minister at the time. There was speculation in the paper about whether John Fahey would move to the seat of Hume. This was around 2000 to 2001. Alby, once again, was very much up for the fight. I remember that friends of mine from places like Yass regarded Alby as really one of them. They recognised Alby as a fighter. In my limited sample of three or four, they would definitely have preferred a fighter like Alby over someone of very high calibre such as John Fahey. I well remember the pool accident that Alby had with the chemical fluid, which led to the loss of his eye. A school in his electorate would make eye patches, and every day Alby would wear a different eye patch to parliament. Before he had his prosthetic eye he did have very much the appearance of a pirate. He was a quintessential local member—a very good local member. People I knew in Yass and Murrumbateman related to me that the personal attention that Alby would show to his constituents was legendary. I remember once that a couple were moving from Murrumbateman to Kingswood in my electorate of Boothby. Alby rang me up to say that they were coming to my electorate and to facilitate introductions. They were good people and would I look after them? He never ceased to amaze me with how good he was with those personal connections. By the same token, to gain Alby's approval was something that you felt you had earned. It was a very good thing. There are a number of members on this side who, when the sitting hours were a bit different, would take the opportunity to get out of this place on Tuesday and have a lunch, most recently at Timmy's Kitchen in Manuka. Before that I think it used to be at Belluci's, still in Manuka, just down the road. I think the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection did touch on this group. Sadly, just in the last month two members of that group have died: Alby Schultz and also Don Randall, the member for Canning. I always found Alby very straightforward. For about four years I had the job of doing the party room briefing to the media, and Alby would always take a great interest in what has been briefed and what had been leaked by others. I think he certainly approved of the way that I did that role and took an interest in what was going on. Alby was a great member of the Liberal Party. He had enormous life experience before coming to parliament. I appreciate all the time that he gave me as a member and colleague and I do express my sincere condolences to Gloria and also to his family.