Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

In his maiden speech to the federal parliament on 26 November 1988 Alby Schultz asked the rhetorical question: what can this parliament expect from me? He went on to say:

… I do not subscribe to political correctness. I intend to defend the mainstream family values which have been pushed aside for political expediency; and I will never compromise my principles, honesty and integrity, no matter the cost. I seek no favours and I ask only that my rural constituency be given a 'fair go'.

This was Alby to a T, and all sides of politics and his constituents would agree he delivered.

He was a man of courage, conviction, vigour and generosity. Alby Schultz represented the best of us and our vocation. In a humble way he exuded confidence in who he was and what he wanted to do. He did not seek fame or higher office or pretend to be someone he was not. He took people as they were and expected the same in return. This authenticity was the secret of his success and a reason why he was so admired, for in politics authenticity is a characteristic professed by many but found in very few.

My friendship with Alby really took shape during the life of the last parliament. I was his 'chamber mate', sitting side-by-side in the House during the tumult of those years. We shared many stories and laughs, and I learnt much from his wise counsel. While we played on the same team we were in many respects on paper polar opposites. I was a new kid on the block from the inner-suburban Victorian seat of Kooyong. Alby was a veteran of three decades in public life from the regional New South Wales electorate of Hume, which he boasted was bigger than Belgium. I was worried about the rise of the Greens and Alby was more focused on the Nationals, three-party contests and defending what he termed the 'lost legion of rural Liberals'. Despite these differences, Alby would never talk down to you or dismiss your views. He was interested in what one had to say, not who had to say it. This was reflected by the fact he struck up genuine friendships with a number of younger members of the coalition's parliamentary team as well as those from the ranks opposite.

In the Menzian tradition, politics for Alby was not meant to be a clash of warring personalities but a battle of ideas. Martin Ferguson, Simon Crean, Dick Adams and Tony Windsor were all good friends and, interestingly, sometimes political allies. Alby was fond of recounting the story about how his family had strong Labor roots. His grandfather was close to Prime Ministers Chifley and Curtin and, given his working-class background, some of his political opponents were surprised when he first put his hand up for the Liberals. But this said as much about the broad church of the Liberal Party as it did about Alby and his deep beliefs in the power of the individual and the broad appeal of Liberal tradition.

Alby was deeply committed to helping his fellow man. He was a remarkable advocate on behalf of fathers who had been driven to despair and sometimes suicide by the break-up of their families. He would constantly rail against the Child Support Agency and court system, which he felt let them down. He subsequently became patron of the Lone Fathers Association. His moral and political support provided more than just much needed comfort; it actually produced positive and tangible outcomes for thousands of men in their darkest days.

In all of his endeavours Alby was closely partnered by Gloria, who he confessed was the bigger drawcard at the ballot box than he was. Indeed, she was more than his partner for life; she was the love of his life and to the very end was influencing his thoughts. In his valedictory speech in 2013 he noted it was the second speech he had written and said:

I wrote one, and my wife … said to me, 'You're not seriously going to bring that into the chamber … You really do have to write something a little bit softer than that, love.' So I have succumbed to that wise counsel … as I have done for many of the 51 years that we have been married …

Amen to that.

But the last word should be left to Alby. In his final speech to the parliament he said, 'To say the past 15 years in the parliament have been a magnificent experience is an understatement.' Alby, we look back at your achievements and see that you were a man of principle and purpose, brave and bold and truly magnificent. We will miss you dearly and our love, thoughts and prayers are with Glo, Grant, Dean, Bec and Dev and their families at this difficult time. Farewell, friend. You will never be forgotten.

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