Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

It is with some sadness that I rise to pass some comments on the late David Jull, but it is with some joy that I actually follow the member for Sturt, whom I thought spoke incredibly well and very eloquently of his long-time association with David Jull and of some of the great highs, the funny stories and the interesting anecdotes that they shared. Christopher Pyne, of course, spent 12 or 13 years flatting with David, and I am sure some of the great things they had will last a lifetime. I had the great pleasure, of course, of replacing David Jull as the federal member for Fadden. I was David's federal divisional council secretary for many years and then of course had the great pleasure of following in his steps.

David was one of those rare political leaders. He was the longest serving Liberal in Queensland's history, but a man who chose to leave on his own terms and in his own time. All of us decide the time of coming to serve our nation in the federal parliament; very few choose the time upon which we will leave. David chose his time with perfection, at the end of one of the greatest governments the world has seen, in the Howard government. Simply in terms of fiscal legacy, it is a statement that is hard to refute.

David first contested a seat in federal parliament in 1974. He was part of those heady days when Whitlam tried to destroy the nation. He tells a story of when the election had finished and he had lost. He had $5.40 in the campaign account. He went back to the station where he was working, and the head of the station said: 'Well, Jully, I gather you're going to run again?' He said, 'Yes, sir, we are.' 'How much money do you have?' 'Five dollars, forty.' 'Well, best you get fundraising and off you go.' And David did. Of course he went on to win the seat of Bowman in 1975 and then moved across to Fadden in 1984. So David came in in the great wave that swept out Whitlam. He fell victim to the juggernaut that was the Hawke government but came back the following year and then had an enormous career from 1984 through to 2007, through some of the most tumultuous times of our nation.

A man who served 30 years and more cumulatively in the federal parliament, for two years as a minister, David did enormous work in administrative services in getting rid of some of the greater largesse of the previous Labor years, in privatising, in selling down and in actually taking into the black things that were in the red. It was an incredibly difficult time. He told great stories that were analogous to Yes, Minister,and it is hilarious to think back to some of them.

Whilst David's time in the ministry was all too short, one of his great contributions was as the chair of what was then the ASIO committee, now the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security—a significant committee of the parliament which he chaired from, ostensibly, 1997 through to 2007. During a time of some of the greatest upheavals in our national security and domestic security posture, David was at the head of the parliamentary committee, which was there to keep the executive honest as part of the separation of powers. It is a committee that is responsible for listing terror organisations, for sifting through analysis and data, for holding our institutions responsible in their intelligence and security tasks. David was there during September 11. He was there when ASIO ramped up to 600 per cent the size from whence it started, and David oversaw it all. It is truly a tremendous legacy.

I think there is a way to judge a man in terms of the parliamentary process and how it works, and that is to look at his colleagues and staff. I think David would have had the lowest staff turnover—though it would be difficult to check—of any parliamentarian in the modern era. Some people only left his employ when they went off to have children and ministerial staff only left when David no longer was a minister in the Howard government.

At his 4 October birthday bash, all his staff would turn up from time to time because they considered themselves part of his family. Annie, who is now 77, was with David at the time of Tourism Queensland. Sharee was a young girl of 18 whom David brought into the office because she was very good with computers—this was early on in their introduction. Sharee only left in 2007 when David left office. Helen only left his employ to have her family and was one of David's greatest friends. Vivienne Shield was with David for an enormous period of time. Margaret Reilly was with David for a number of years before joining my staff—and is one of my most capable staff. They all speak incredibly highly of David Jull. Prior to him leaving the seat in 2007 and me winning it, we had a farewell bash for Jully on the Gold Coast. All the staff turned up as did previous members for Fadden, and everyone spoke highly of David as a gentleman. I certainly support the Prime Minister's words in House of Representatives on the day David died when she spoke of a true gentleman in the House. That is how we should remember David. He loved his family. I convey my regards to Gwen and Peter and their respective children. He loved his grandchildren, who were with him until the end.

A giant has passed—someone whose life was cut short too soon; someone who contributed greatly to the strength, the health, the wellbeing, the calibre, the content and the character of our nation. It is with great sadness that we mourn his passing. But we also look at his legacy. We remember the fun times that David provided my parliamentary colleagues who served with him. Some of the antics they speak of truly reflect the Jully I knew in serving him at a local level as part of his federal divisional council and then of course in receiving his great support when I took over from him. I will always remember the great support he gave and his words of wisdom, encouragement and help. Transitioning from one politician to another in an electorate can be difficult; transitioning with David was truly a joy. The nation has lost a giant.

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