Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

On 21 July, in the middle of the parliamentary winter recess, a number of parliamentary colleagues of Alby Schultz attended his funeral in Cootamundra. For those who were there it was a sad occasion, farewelling a friend and a colleague who had played an important role in the life of his party, the parliament and the nation. But it was also a joyous day to see so many of his family and friends and community representatives coming together to celebrate a life well lived.

It was impossible not to like Alby. As with so many people from the country, he was as tough as nails. He was proud of his working-class roots. He believed in hard work and self-reliance. He had little time for unnecessary formalities and even less for political correctness. Buried within him was a heart of gold. Alby was a fierce defender of rural Australia and the interests of his constituents—he shared in their joy and felt their pain. He was deeply moved by the social and economic impact that the loss of jobs, services and infrastructure had on rural electorates such as his. He spoke with passion about the devastating impact of falling commodity prices, high interest rates, inflation and the drift of young men and women away from rural Australia towards the big cities.

Alby and I were among a handful of Liberal members to enter the parliament in the GST election of 1998. Having grown up on an apple and cherry orchard in the Adelaide Hills, I identified with many of the things Alby said and Alby stood for. His words carried beyond his electorate, resonating with everyone who knows the pleasure and the hardship that comes with a life on the land. Alby was a consummate local member, and on visits to his electorate over the years of our friendship I was struck by the number of people he knew and for whom he had solved a problem or taken up their cause. And he was fierce in his defence of their interests. As Alby said in his first speech to the Australian parliament:

… I am not in the business of compromising my constituency expectations by concentrating my energies on self-interest politics. I am closely aligned to grassroots politics and, whilst that may at times create some discomfort to a number of my parliamentary colleagues, it is in line with what the bulk of Australians expect from their local elected representatives.

This was Alby Schultz in a nutshell—it is what made him such a respected and formidable politician and a cherished friend to many people on all sides of the House. Alby represented his community for 33 years, first as a local councillor, then as a state member and finally as the federal member for Hume. Outside of the office he devoted himself to helping the families in his electorate that were suffering the effects of the drought. He was also the patron of the Lone Fathers Association, an organisation supporting men following the break-up of their family.

There is a common expression that the two things you never want to see being made are laws and sausages. As an abattoir worker and a politician, Alby got a pretty close look at both. It was his experiences outside of politics, coupled with his passion for his community, which made him such a colourful and well-loved character. In his valedictory speech he recalled an incident in Melbourne where he 'shirtfronted' an individual who mistakenly, or rather foolishly, made a disparaging remark about rural people—and this was before shirtfronting went mainstream.

I join with other members of this House in offering my heartfelt condolences to Alby's wife Gloria—a remarkable woman, a beautiful woman, with whom Alby shared an extraordinary marriage of over 50 years—and to his two sons, Grant and Dean, and their families. Vale Alby Schultz.

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