Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (12:37): I join the Prime Minister in honouring the life of the Hon. Stewart John West. Stewart was a Labor man through and through. He lived and breathed Labor ideals. Prior to entering parliament, he was a lifelong trade unionist. He was the president of the Port Kembla branch of the Waterside Workers Federation, he served as the secretary of the ALP's Cunningham federal electorate council and he was the successful campaign manager for the formidable Rex Connor for five elections. As the recipient of Rex's mentorship, Stewart was, of course, his inevitable successor. After Rex's sudden passing in '77, Stewart was swept into office with 56 per cent of the vote at the Cunningham by-election. In his maiden speech, Stewart spoke proudly about the electorate he knew so well—an electorate which was now his to represent. He described it as the 'greatest industrial and steel-producing centre in this nation' and he spoke passionately about the concerning issue of unemployment, describing it as a 'cancer' bedevilling Cunningham. Indeed, unemployment there was more than three per cent above the national average. Under Bill Hayden's opposition, Stewart was appointed the shadow spokesperson for Aboriginal affairs, then for environment and conservation, and then for finance and trade. In the spirit of social movements, he lent his support to those who campaigned to prevent the building of Tasmania's Franklin River dam and to protect Kakadu. Stewart's environmental concerns, coupled with the shadow of cold war, saw him become an energetic exponent of nuclear non-proliferation. At an ALP national conference in mid-1982, the party was split on the stance a future Labor government should adopt on uranium mining. The famous Hogg amendment sought to change the party position from an immediate ban on uranium mining to one supporting its phasing out over time. Stewart spoke fiercely against the motion, which narrowly passed. He emerged from the conference despondent and near to tears, as one reporter wrote. Indeed, it was Stewart's convictions on this issue which saw him later resign from a cabinet position in 1983 after Bob Hawke's Labor government decided to sell uranium to France. Whether one agrees with Stewart's position or not, no-one can deny that he was a man of great courage and that he put his convictions ahead of his own career. No doubt there was something Bob Hawke admired in Stewart's character and integrity—not just that but his upbringing, the way that he'd been styled, the way that he contributed to debates. From 1984 the Prime Minister reappointed Stewie, as he called him, to the cabinet. Under Hawke's leadership, Stewart served as the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs and then the Minister for Housing and Construction, and finally the Minister for Administrative Services. As immigration minister he championed family reunion and the resettlement of refugees while being an advocate for antidiscrimination. As the leader of the Left faction of the Labor Party, Stewart found it difficult to manoeuvre in Bob Hawke's cabinet, dominated by the Right faction. Stewart John West was certainly that calibre of politician who never saw popularity or promotion as worthy of selling out one's principles. In many ways, it's the politicians of principle which history tends to remember. On behalf of the coalition, I offer my heartfelt condolences to Stewart's colleagues, to his community and his friends, and to his family. May he rest in peace. The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect to the memory of the Hon. Stewart John West, I ask all present to rise in their places. Honourable members having stood in their p laces— The SPEAKER: I thank the House. Debate adjourned.