Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on both sides of this chamber were sorry to hear of the passing just a few weeks ago of one of the great characters of this place, former member for Hume, Alby Schultz. Alby's retirement due to ill health at the 2013 election ended three decades of service in local, state and federal government. For the last 15 years of his career, Alby represented Hume, and that made him the longest serving member for that seat since Federation. As you would expect in a member for Hume, Alby was as much at home in a shearing shed as he was in the corridors of power and in this particular chamber.

He was born in May 1939 in Melbourne, the son of a wool store labourer. His first job was as a meatworker. He spent much of his early life working in abattoirs. He was, in his own words, a working-class Liberal, and this was the secret of his success. He became a Liberal because he did not like the union, which was always calling his mates out on strike. Alby was one of those people who loved to see others get ahead by having a go.

With Alby, you always knew where you stood. He was famously irascible. On a number of occasions during my time as leader, Alby would storm out of party room meetings. I occasionally would make the trek to his office afterwards, but by the time I had arrived he would usually have calmed down and you could invariably have a good talk to him.

Especially in his last few years, Alby had two particular passions. The first was fighting ferociously for his electorate and the second was choosing his successor. His successor needed, in Alby's view, two prerequisites. First, he or she had to be a potential cabinet minister and, second, he or she could not be a member of the National Party under any circumstances!

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For all his many qualities, Alby was at times a reluctant coalitionist.

Alby was first and foremost a family man. His wife, Gloria, was a partner in every aspect of his life, especially in the electorate. As Alby famously told everyone he met, when you got Alby, you got two for the price of one—you got Gloria as well. He said that his sons, Grant and Dean, were more like brothers than children. Yes, he was a tough man, Alby, but he had deep humanity. From collecting food and clothing for drought-stricken families to helping men driven to despair by family breakdown, he was a voice for the voiceless and he gave a hand up to those who needed help. Even when Alby was very ill, he was still helping people, most recently men with prostate cancer.

The behalf of the House, on behalf of the government and on behalf of the nation, I extend our deepest condolences to Gloria, to Grant and Dean and to Alby's five grandchildren.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the opposition, I join with the Prime Minister in offering my sincere condolences to the friends and loved ones of Alby Schultz. We pay respect to his memory. We salute his nearly 15 years of service in this place and in his community.

When Alby Schultz rose in this chamber to give his valedictory speech, he told the parliament it was the second one that he had written. Alby said:

I wrote one, and my wife read it and she said to me, 'You're not seriously going to bring that into the chamber, are you?' She said, 'You really do have to write something a little bit softer than that, love.'

And, as he did so often in their 53 years of marriage, Alby deferred to Gloria's judgement.

Alby Schultz was a great-hearted warrior for his convictions. He was a forthright advocate for his community and he was a combatant to the last. He also used to occasionally disagree with Labor! Because Alby Schultz had a gift—perhaps an increasingly rare gift—for forging friendships on both sides of the chamber, he was a man devoid of pretention. He valued hard work and honesty far above political differences.

I know that Alby will be greatly missed by his former colleagues, his many friends and his loving family. Our sympathies are with all of you. May he rest in peace.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand today to pay tribute to Alby Schultz, my predecessor in the seat of Hume. I acknowledge Alby's wife Gloria, his sons Grant and Dean and other family members here in the gallery. These are precious times for the Schultz family. As we all know, Alby commanded enormous respect in this chamber. It is a privilege to say a few words, with his family here, on behalf of the people of Hume.

Alby meant so many things to so many different people. I first met him here in Parliament House, and from the start I knew exactly where I stood. There was no ambiguity with Alby. He asked for loyalty and he gave it as well. One of his former state colleagues recently said, 'When you had Alby on your side, you had his whole heart. Half measures weren't possible.' To me, that pretty much sums him up.

Alby's courage was legendary. He saw off his eye accident with stoicism; he stood up relentlessly for issues that he believed in, despite great resistance. He fought his cancer with courage. He was brave all the way. And bravery is one of the finest attributes we can have as a representative of others and in life.

Following, as I do, in his footsteps, I have heard so many stories about Alby helping people. From his earliest days in public life he loved to help people in need. I can't go into a town or village in my electorate—without hearing a story about what he did for someone. And that was before we lost him. The tributes and emails are rolling in. Whether it was lobbying to list a new drug, being a pioneer for breast cancer research and the mobile mammogram service or personally distributing drought relief parcels to local farmers, Alby was there and, I might add, so was Gloria.

With that big, big heart Alby loved people. He loved his town of Cootamundra, he loved his constituents—or, at least, most of them. He loved his boys, Grant and Dean, and his daughters-in-law, Bec and Dev, and he adored each and every one of his grandchildren. More than anything, he loved Glo. They were a team, and we all benefited from that team—friends, family and the community.

On behalf of the people of Hume, I say to Glo, to Grant and Dean and your families, we are all the better for knowing Alby. He was courageous, he was caring and he was so widely loved. It is humbling to walk in his shoes.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to add myself to the condolences for the family. Obviously, I served with Alby in this parliament. For the information of members I would like to propose a time for further statements on indulgence on the death of Alby Schultz be made available on a later day.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could I thank the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Hume and I would like to acknowledge Gloria Schultz who is in the gallery today. We will have further statements on another day.