Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to honour the life and legacy of a North Queensland legend, Slammin' Sam Backo. Sam Backo passed earlier this month after a three-month battle with melioidosis and complications related to an ongoing heart condition.

Sam was born in Ingham and lived in North Queensland and Far North Queensland throughout his life. This loss has left a profound impact on our region and beyond. On the sporting field Sam was a force, winning back-to-back Man of the Match awards in his debut State of Origin series in 1988, becoming the first Australian forward to score in all three Ashes tests and earning a place in the Indigenous Team of the Century.

Sam's fierce resilience wasn't limited to the rugby league field. After football he dedicated his life to community, mentoring First Nations people, negotiating recognition for his people and chairing the North Queensland Land Council. His battle off the field, especially with heart disease, became a rallying point for health awareness. In November 2023 Sam joined me and the then Queensland health minister, Shannon Fentiman, at the Cairns Base Hospital in a campaign urging all Queenslanders to take up their free heart health check. He said at the time:

In April I had my own heart attack, and this year ten of my friends have lost their lives to them and that's why it is so important to get your free Heart Health Check.

Sam's advocacy shone a light on a troubling truth. Fewer than 30 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were receiving their annual health checks despite coronary heart disease claiming thousands of lives annually in Queensland. Sam's legacy, his courage, his advocacy and his cultural leadership call on us to continue his mission and call on Queenslanders to get their free heart health check. Vale Sam Backo.