Senate debates

Thursday, 22 June 2017

Condolences

Sciacca, Hon. Concetto Antonio 'Con', AO

3:48 pm

Photo of Penny WongPenny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I rise of behalf of the opposition to acknowledge the passing of a former minister and former member of the House of Representatives, the honourable Concetto Antonio Sciacca, AO, known to all of us as Con. Labor has lost one of our own. Not only do we extend our condolences to the family and friends of Con following his death, but the Labor Party shares, in some part, in their grief. Con Sciacca was a much-loved member of our party. A number of my colleagues will be speaking on this condolence motion to reflect some of their personal recollections of him.

He was a member of the House of Representatives for 15 years and a minister for six. His valuable contribution to our nation is undisputed. I served one term with Con Sciacca, and I remember him as being larger than life and a man full of humour. I also remember him as a man who loved this country, a great patriot. He was a mentor and friend to many, including those who serve in this parliament as well as a number of staff who worked with him. His contribution extended well beyond the political sphere.

He was a man who carried his heritage with pride, a man whose story expresses one of the great Australian narratives—the son of a father who left Sicily to cut cane so that his kids would have a better life, and a son who rose to be not only a member of this parliament but a minister of the Crown. Con Sciacca was born in Sicily in 1951 and, as my colleague Senator Brandis has said, he went on to be Australia's first Italian-born federal minister. He credited his tenacity and determination to his family roots and his upbringing. Variously a bank officer and a solicitor, amongst other occupations, before entering politics, Con was elected to represent the division of Bowman in 1987. He was a member of the AWU and obviously was bitten by the political bug early. He first sought election to the Queensland parliament in 1969 after joining the ALP at the age of 17. He would go on to be re-elected in 1990 and 1993, followed by an interregnum between 1996 and his return in 1998, followed by a further victory in 2001 in the same election in which I entered this parliament.

In his first speech he reflected on his migrant journey and acknowledged how proud he was to represent the party that was, in his words, 'governing with compassion and authority, good sense and confidence'. He contrasted this with the performance of the National Party Queensland state government at the time—in particular, the contrast between what he saw as the draconian approach to the rights of working people being imposed by that regime and the cooperative and rational approach of the Hawke government. These themes of fairness for working people and the values brought by Con's multicultural background would dominate much of his career.

As the Labor government approached 1990, the leadership fissures between then Prime Minister Bob Hawke and his Treasurer began to escalate. As we all know, that came to a head in 1991. Con was a very strong supporter of Bob Hawke—one of his most loyal supporters—even when personal circumstances prevented him from being present for the final vote just before Christmas of that year that saw Paul Keating ascend to the Labor leadership and Prime Ministership. Bob Hawke had earlier appointed Con Sciacca to the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Security. He went on to retain this post with the change of leadership and gathered a range of additional appointments on the way. He was then given the opportunity to serve as a minister for the first time.

It was as minister for Veterans' Affairs that Con Sciacca perhaps made his greatest impact and for which he is deservedly remembered. Appointed to the position by Prime Minister Keating in 1994, he played a key role in the Australia Remembers campaign in 1995 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is an initiative that earned him the thanks and respect of countless veterans. And I venture to suggest that it is still the benchmark for the respect we show those who served our nation.

The 1996 election that swept the Keating government from office took Con with it. Fortunately for him and for Labor he was returned in 1998 and would go on to hold the seat for another term in 2001. Under Kim Beazley he had responsibility for immigration and multicultural affairs, a portfolio to which he was well suited because of his own heritage and as a strong supporter of Australia's great multicultural character. His defeat in 2004 contesting the new seat of Bonner, which Senator Brandis has spoken of, provided the opportunity for a second post-political life. He worked as a lawyer and partnered with former Nationals minister Larry Anthony in a consulting firm. He even opened a cafe, now run by his daughter, on the ground floor of the Brisbane building, where he kept an office.

I do want to return to the 1990s before I conclude, because in the midst of the leadership tussle about which I have spoken Con was engaged in a much more personal battle, which was his son's battle with cancer. Sam died at the age of 19, in 1992, of a rare form of bone cancer, Ewing's Sarcoma. Con's response was twofold. First he commissioned a book—Body and Soul: Children, Teenagers and Cancerlaunched by the Governor-General, Bill Hayden, in 1994. Later he would set up a fellowship to enable experts to visit Australia to lecture health professionals on the latest developments in research and technology. When he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2006, his service to cancer research institutions was acknowledged and he said it was an honour he would not have received had it not been for Sam.

He was a senior at St Joseph's Nudgee College and came home one day with a sore back. Seven months later, he was gone. I'm dedicating my award to my late son. Without him, I never would have got it.

Con Sciacca was a colourful, generous personality. He maintained wide friendships on all sides of politics. In May he gave an emotional interview to The Courier Mail. He said he was determined to celebrate his 70th birthday on 30 June, quipping, 'I'm looking to go out with a bang.' The succession of people who have visited him over the last few months is testament to the esteem with which he was held by so many.

Tributes have flowed since his death was announced. The Premier of Queensland has described him as 'a good friend, a mentor, a community champion and a true gentleman'. The federal Leader of the Opposition has acknowledged his unstinting support. And such remarks have been typical of those made in the last 24 hours.

Con lived a magnificent life, an Australian life, the life of a migrant, a man who was a patriot and, as I said, whose story speaks to one of the great narratives of our nation. That he was able to achieve what he did speaks volumes about our country. It speaks volumes about the opportunities we open and accept from migrants around the world. His achievements also reflect the immeasurable contribution made to our country by migrants.

Con Sciacca's service to our nation in our parliament and in the broader community was distinguished. His personal friendships extended across the political divide and demonstrate the regard with which he was held, and his passing is a source of profound sadness for many. So Labor extends our deepest sympathies following his passing to his family and friends and particularly his wife, Karen; daughter, Zina; granddaughter, Grace; stepsons Daniel and Nicholas; and the very many members of his family.

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