Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to acknowledge the passing of a Goldfields legend whose name will be familiar in this place. Graeme Campbell, former member for Kalgoorlie, passed peacefully and surrounded by his loved ones on 16 August, aged 86. Graeme was a champion of the workers of the mining and pastoral region, and his loss will resonate across the greater Goldfields region.

Graeme's family emigrated from England, and he grew up in South Australia. He went on to establish Kybo Station, a remote pastoral property on the sparse Nullarbor Plain, with his brother Rod. There he met his French wife, Michele, and started a family, eventually moving to Kalgoorlie to work in the mining industry. Graeme joined the Labor Party in 1980 and was elected as the federal member for Kalgoorlie, then Australia's largest electorate. His pro-mining views saw him cross the floor in 1988, challenging then treasurer Paul Keating's plan to remove company tax exemptions for goldminers. He gained a reputation as a political maverick, winning a second term as an independent and serving his Goldfields community long beyond his tenure in parliament.

Graeme joined the Liberal Party in later life and was a regular visitor to my Kalgoorlie office, joining my staff for coffee so often that he actually had his own biscuit stash. Graeme was one of a kind, and I will forever treasure his friendship and his sage words of advice and encouragement. My heartfelt condolences go to Michele, Ainsley, Leyland and family. Vale, Graeme Campbell.