Matt Thistlethwaite (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a humbling honour to pay tribute to Lionel Frost Bowen, a true gentleman, a working-class hero who rose from adversity to become our nation's Deputy Prime Minister. He was my local member for many years. Lionel was a role model for any young person in Labor politics. I was just old enough to remember his time as our nation's Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney-General. When I first met him I was struck by his warm, likeable character and of course his wonderful intelligence. Upon meeting him I read much more about his career and his time in the parliament. The more I read the more I came to admire him: intelligent, hard-working and principled, a man of the people, just as much at home in the betting ring at his beloved Randwick racecourse as he would be meeting the leaders of other nations.

Like many Labor leaders of that time, he was born and raised in difficult circum­stances, in tough financial conditions. As Senator Faulkner pointed out, he was born in the very working class suburb of Ultimo. His mother, Elsie, raised him in tough circum­stances. His father had left the family when he was 10 years old and his mother was forced to care for her invalid brother and her elderly mother and of course raise her son. She did this by working as a cleaner at the local school in the evenings, and as a consequence Lionel saw very little of his mother during his formative years. Despite that, Lionel's character was shaped by his mother's determination to give her son a good education and a pathway out of poverty. Lionel was eternally grateful for his mother's guts and hard work in ensuring that her son grew up to a better life. Lionel never forgot the role his mother played in his advancement.

In 1939 his family moved to a new family home in Mooramie Avenue in Kensington, and that was to become his family home for the rest of his life until his passing on 1 April this year in that very home. I have very fond memories as a child growing up in the eastern suburbs when my family would go for a Chinese meal in Kensington and we would often drive home past Lionel's house in Mooramie Avenue. My father would always say to me when we drove past the Bowen family home how lucky we were to have such a wonderful man, a wonderful Australian, as our local member. Lionel was educated at the local Catholic college, Marcellin, in Randwick. Although he left school at age 14, he served in the Second Australian Imperial Force in World War II and on return studied law, graduating with an LLB in 1946. He then set up a local practice as a solicitor, Bowen and Gerathy Lawyers, and that firm is still in existence today, rather appropriately with his daughter Ann as now one of the managing partners of that practice.

He served for many years on Randwick Council as an alderman and as the mayor. He became the mayor in 1948. It is interesting that at the age of 27, as the mayor, he attended his first mayoral ball with his lady mayoress—none other than his mother, Elsie. His contribution to the city of Randwick was recognised in the 1990s when the local library, in Anzac Parade at Maroubra, was named in his honour.

He served in the New South Wales parliament as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1962 to 1969 as the member for Randwick. Interestingly, in his first election, at the scrutineering which took place at Randwick Town Hall, a young Liberal Party member by the name of John Howard was to meet his future wife, Janette, then a resident of Daceyville in the local area.

In 1969 he stood for and was successful in the seat of Kingsford Smith and succeeded the former local member, Danny Curtin. At that time Kingsford Smith was a marginal constituency with an electoral margin of less than two per cent. When Lionel retired in 1990, it was well and truly a safe Labor seat, a true reflection of the regard in which Lionel was held by the local residents.

He of course served in the Whitlam and Hawke governments in a number of portfolios already outlined. As Senator Faulkner has noted, he was the sponsor of four unsuccessful referendums, including one advocating four-year terms for this place and the House of Representatives and amendments to recognise local government in our Constitution. But he is probably most remembered, in terms of policy achieve­ments, for his reforms to introduce needs based funding for non-government schools.

Writing in Online Catholics on 13 October 2004, he rather amusingly outlined the process by which he would come to sponsor this bill in the House of Representa­tives. He said:

Gough Whitlam said, "Listen Bowen, you're a Catholic aren't you? This schools report legislation has come back. Beazley is in hospital but I don't know whether I can trust you with this legislation". He said, "I've got Grassby here". I said, "Give it to Grassby, that's the best thing to do".

Whitlam replied:

"No … I want you to have it. I want to get this bill through".

Bowen went on to state:

So I made a speech … I talked about the advantages the Catholic Education system has given to Australia, about the dedication of those who work in it, about the parents who support it. Are you going to deny these children a fair chance to compete on the same basis? … I said the best thing we could do was have a double dissolution on this. We'll take it to the people.

Ralph Hunt and Peter Nixon, two of the Country Party fellows, came round to me afterwards and said, Lionel, you don't really mean that. Of course we do, I said. We'll wipe the floor with you on this issue, you know that.

Some days later, the two chaps from the Country Party came back and said:

There are a couple of schools in our electorates that need a little topping up … Could you help us? …

So when the bill comes back on, I've increased their subsidy. There is a vote. The whole of the Country Party came across the floor and voted with us.

That is an amusing but factual account of that very important reform introduced and successfully passed through this parliament by Lionel Bowen.

In 2008 I had the honour of organising a tribute dinner for Lionel Bowen on behalf of the New South Wales branch, and I met with him and Claire at his home in Kensington. Although his Alzheimer's at the time was visible, I sat and had a cup of tea with him and we talked for an hour about local politics and national politics and despaired about our beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs. The function that occurred was an instant sell-out. Former prime ministers Paul Keating and Bob Hawke made tributes. It was the last occasion on which Lionel Bowen spoke publicly, and he received a standing ovation, a fitting tribute to his service to our party and to this parliament.

On 1 April of this year, Lionel Bowen passed away in the morning. That afternoon the Rabbitohs played the Tigers at the Sydney Football Stadium in the heritage round of the rugby league. With five minutes to go, Lionel's beloved Rabbitohs were down 16-four and all looked lost. At full-time the score was 16-all and the game went into extra time. Amazingly, the Rabbitohs kicked a field goal to secure an unlikely win over the Tigers. I sat and had a beer and watched that game with my brother-in-law. At the conclusion of the game, he turned to me and said, 'How the hell did we win that one?' I simply replied that in my view Lionel Bowen had a hand in that field goal.

I pay tribute to a man who served the people of Kingsford Smith, Randwick and Randwick City Council with distinction and I offer condolences to Claire and his family.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.