Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I came to this grievance debate in the hope of addressing solely the issue of the Northern Territory intervention, which of course has its 10th anniversary today. Sadly, I am going to firstly address the passing of Con Sciacca. Con, as members of this House may know—new members may not—was elected to the House of Representatives as the member for Bowman in Queensland in 1987 so he came to the parliament the same year as myself. Like me, he was defeated in 1996 and, like me, he was re-elected in 1998. He was defeated in the general election 2004. Con was a Sicilian, a migrant who came to Australia in 1951. He was born in 1947. I came to know Con very well. He was in a different faction to me. In those days, factional rivalry was pretty strong in this place, but we shared many things in common—moments of sadness, moments of joy.

I remember vividly the contest between Paul Keating and Bob Hawke for the position of Prime Minister. I remember the first time that Paul Keating challenged Bob Hawke. There were people who were in Bob's corner. Con and I were among them, and Bob won that ballot. In the second ballot it was slightly different because the support that had been provided by senior members of the then government to Bob Hawke had waned, and I recall that I, with Con and three or four others, formed a little group committed to making sure we would try and get Bob to win that ballot. So we met with the Prime Minister. We were very clear with him about what our prospects might be of being successful, but, despite the fact that senior members of the government had retreated from their support for Bob, Con was courageous in making sure that the world knew that there were a group of us that were going to do our utmost to get Bob Hawke elected.

We fought very hard—history will show that we lost the caucus ballot very narrowly—and, through that, we forged a great friendship. Con later had a number of roles and, like me, became a parliamentary secretary in 1990 when parliamentary secretaries were reintroduced to this place. Eventually, unlike me, he became a minister relatively early; I had to wait 18 years. He became the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in March 1994 and was in that position until 1996, when he changed to a different portfolio and was Minister Assisting the Treasurer for Superannuation. Con built an enviable reputation for his work as Minister for Veterans' Affairs and around—as I am sure some of you will recall—Australia Remembers. He drove that process and was awarded, if my memory serves me correctly, life membership of the RSL—not bad for a Sicilian who was not himself a serving man. But he was given great recognition for his commitment, for his ability to communicate with people and for his belief in the veteran community of this country.

Con, as the Leader of the Opposition has said today, was a much-loved member of our Labor family—a mentor, a friend and a constant source of wise counsel for prime ministers, premiers, generations of Labor parliamentarians and, indeed, people in public life across the political spectrum. I am really sad today because Con leaves behind a family: his wife, Karen; his daughter, Zina; his adored granddaughter, Grace; and his stepsons, Daniel and Nicholas Toth.

Con fought for what he believed in. You get these Trojans in our movement, just as I am sure there are similar sorts of people on the other side of politics, who devote their life to trying to do the best they possibly can for every Australian in working for them as a member of parliament. In his case, he also brought with him a great deal of depth in his background and a great love and commitment to the labour movement. It is very hard, I think, for those who are not in the Labor family to understand the depth of the commitment that people like Con have. I know he is going to be sadly missed by all his friends and acquaintances. He will certainly be sadly missed in the councils of Queensland—and, when I say 'the councils', I mean the meeting rooms of Queensland. His advice to—indeed, sometimes badgering of—senior leaders to do the right thing will be missed. I do not have much more I can say about that, because I am just so sad.

Earlier, when he was a parliamentarian, Con and his wife lost a son. I remember well the emotion in this parliament around that loss and the support that Con and his family were able to get out of what was happening here, and the fact that the parliament came together around him. I remember, importantly, a church service at St Christopher's Cathedral, just down the road from here. Con, as many will know, was a Mick, like me, and it was very important for him and his family that due regard was given to the loss of his son in the appropriate way in a church. For that experience, I am eternally grateful. I don't want to say any more.