Shorten, Bill, MP

Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong—Leader of the Opposition) (14:05): I thank the Prime Minister for his words. I'd like to begin by welcoming Gordon Scholes' daughters, Kerry and Anne, who are here with us in the chamber today. They have told me that they remember keeping quiet at home, early in the morning, when their father was asleep after driving the night shift. They remember listening excitedly as the train would pass through Breakwater near their home in Geelong. If there were nine consecutive blasts on the whistle, they knew their dad was aboard. Later, they remember the phone calls from Canberra in sitting weeks, every night, at the same time. They remember the Saturday trips to Corio village shopping centre—Gordon stopping to chat to anyone and everyone, his daughters trying to pretend they didn't know him. Above all, they remember a humble man who loved his wife and children, a man who was always true to himself, true to his values, someone born into hard times, drawn to politics not by the trappings of office but by the opportunity to make life better for the people he worked alongside and their families. Personally, in a way, I feel like I knew Gordon Scholes for a very long time. My grandfather's brother, George McGrath, worked on the railways his whole life. He was an active member of the Australian Railways Union. Uncle George was a big man. He had hands like dinner plates. He was a boxer, as well as Gordon. Although Uncle George came from a political party whose perspective was to the left of the Labor Party, he always rated Gordon Scholes. It is a matter of record that in 1967 Gordon won the Corio by-election with an 11 per cent swing. It was the first time Labor had won the seat since the defeat of the Chifley government in 1949. It was the first federal victory for the new Labor leader, Gough Whitlam, the beginning of a momentum shift that would roll all the way to 1972. Indeed, for decades to come, Gough would say, 'It started in Corio.' Perhaps in this emboldened spirit, in his parliamentary debut, Gordon Scholes delivered not so much a first speech but more of a budget reply. The proud son of the railways called for the extension of the standard gauge to Geelong. He argued for a massive expansion of Australia's defence manufacturing and better services for Aboriginal people. He delivered a stinging attack on the Minister for Health before reading into Hansard the opening paragraphs of the Labor Party platform dealing with health policy. He urged honourable members to lift the standards of their behaviour, warning that Australians would never respect their parliament if the politicians themselves showed contempt for the institution. He closed his first speech by saying: 'I hope that on the next occasion I'll be a little more forthright in what I have to say.' For the following 26 years, Gordon held the seat of Corio for Labor. He served with distinction as the Minister for Defence in the Hawke government and, of course, as Speaker of the House in the Whitlam government. That infamous day when Kerr sacked Whitlam brought on one of the fiercest debates the chamber had ever seen, and Gordon Scholes chaired it with dignity and calm. In those hours of obstructionism and opportunism and unprecedented constitutional crisis, the young Speaker held his nerve and kept his hand. At a time when so many acted without scruple, he held true to his duty. History has judged him with our honour. We salute Gordon Scholes' life of service to his union, to our party, to the nation. May he rest in peace. Honourable members: Hear, Hear! The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect, I ask all present to signify their approval by rising in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— The SPEAKER: I thank the House. Debate adjourned.