Mr TURNBULL (Wentworth—Prime Minister) (14:01): I move: That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 24 August 2017, of the Honourable Douglas Nixon Everingham, a former Minister and Member of this House for the Division of Capricornia from 1967 to 1975 and 1977 to 1984, place on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement. I acknowledge the presence in the gallery today of Doug's son Rick and Rick's wife, Madonna. Today, we pay tribute to a man of sincerity and compassion who inspired a great deal of affection from both sides of the House. We record the passing of a man who oversaw significant reform which, crucially, has had an enduring, beneficial impact on our nation, benefitting and advancing the health of so many Australians. We remember one of the true characters of this place, very much his own man, walking his own path. Doug Everingham was born on 25 June 1923 in the town of Wauchope, New South Wales, on the North Coast. He won scholarships to Fort Street High School and later to the University of Sydney to study medicine. After graduating, he worked for years on the front line of psychiatric institutions in Sydney. That experience instilled in him the strong belief that the mentally ill did not belong behind closed doors in institutions, as was the practice of the day. When he became the health minister in the Whitlam government, he pushed to deinstitutionalise mental health, long before that approach was broadly accepted as appropriate. He was a man ahead of his time in many ways, in particular in urging restrictions on cigarette and alcohol advertising, going to the extent of sticking antismoking signs on the cigarette vending machines that were once commonplace at Parliament House. He first entered parliament after winning the seat of Capricornia in 1967 against his brother-in-law. In his maiden speech, he gave a passionate defence of peace, calling for openness to globalisation and more meaningful engagement with the wider world. He also singled out the great concept of the Snowy scheme. I can't help thinking that he would have been pleased to see that great Australian enterprise enter a new era. It was as Minister for Health between 1972 and 1975 that Doug Everingham left his mark. He was the architect of new community, health, school, dental and family planning services. He secured federal funding for the expansion and modernisation of hospitals across the country. He was instrumental in the introduction of Medibank, which today we know as Medicare. One of his famous pet causes of the time was his campaign for simplified phonetic spelling. He would have preferred his own department, the Department of Health, to be spelt H-E-L-T-H, but, on his attempt to implement such a system, the minister received a deceptively curt letter from Prime Minister Whitlam, reminding him that spelling fell outside of his responsibilities as health minister. He retired from political life in 1984 and will be remembered dearly for his good nature, his easy smile and his wit. I place on record, Mr Speaker, our acknowledgement and thanks for his outstanding service to his constituents and to the Australian people, and our sadness at his passing. A dearly loved husband of Beverley and later Shirley, Dr Everingham is survived by three of his four children, a stepdaughter and stepson, grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time of loss.