Legislative Assembly Hansard 1985
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Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly TUESDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 1985 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy 806 17 September 1985 Motion of Condolence TUESDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 1985 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. J. H. Wamer, Toowoomba South) read prayers and took the chair at 11 a.m. ASSENT TO BILL Assent to the Queensland Temperance League Lands Bill reported by Mr Speaker. AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORT Departmental Accounts Subsidiary to the Public Accounts Mr SPEAKER announced the receipt from the Auditor-General of his report on the Departmental Accounts Subsidiary to the Public Accounts for the year ended 30 June 1985. Ordered to be printed, PETITIONS The Clerk announced the receipt of the foUowing petitions— Education 2000 From Mr Powell (21 signatories) praying that the Parliament of Queensland will extend the closing date for Education 2000 submissions to the end of the school year. Amalgamation of Nursing Boards From Mr McEUigott (857 signatories) praying that the Parliament of Queensland wiU take action to intervene in the proposed amalgamation of the Board of Nursing Studies and the Nurses Registration Board of Queensland. [A similar petition was received from Mr Austin (137 signatories).] Nurse Education From Mr McEUigott (369 signatories) praying that the ParUament of Queensland wiU provide funds for post-registration degree courses in nursing and for the acceptance of Federal funding to provide for basic nursing training at colleges of advanced education. Third-party Insurance Premiums From Mr Warburton (4 317 signatories) praying that the Parliament of Queensland will revoke the recent increases in third-party insurance and for future increases to be determined after public hearing. Petitions received. MOTION OF CONDOLENCE Death of Hon. J. P. Goleby, MLA Hon. Sir JOH BJELKE-PETERSEN (Barambah—Premier and Treasurer) (11.5 a.m.), by leave, without notice: I move— "(1) That this House desires to place on record its sense of the loss this State has sustained by the death of the Honourable John Philip Goleby, lately serving as member for the electoral district of Redlands and Minister for Water Resources and Maritime Services, (2) That Mr Speaker be requested to convey to the widow and family of the deceased gentleman the above resolution, together with an expression of the sympathy Motion of Condolence 17 September 1985 807 and sorrow of the members of the ParUament of Queensland in the loss they have sustained." John Philip Goleby was an honoured member of this House and a valued fiiend to many, not only in his electorate of Redlands but also throughout the country. Besides being a political colleague, John Goleby was a personal fiiend, a man I respected and admired greatly. To me, he was a dear and tmsted friend, and I was deeply saddened by his passing, at such a comparatively young age, at a time when he had achieved so much and had the abUity to achieve even more. Almost from the first day he entered ParUament, there grew a deep friendship between John and myself and our wives and famiUes. We shared the same Christian beliefs, the same attitudes. John Goleby was bom and bred in the Redlands, a district he loved, an area he championed at any and every tum. He grew up in the district and never left it. From the time he left school, his Ufe was almost totally devoted to the service of the community. He gave in fiiU measure, unselfishly and in great volumes, for the progress of the Redlands region and later, as a Minister of the Crown, for Queensland as a whole, John was no parUamentary idler; he wks a person devoted to serving the pubUc. He had many achievements, and perhaps the greatest, and the one for which the people of the Redlands will have greatest cause to thank him and honour his memory in the times ahead, was his devotion to have the raUway line from Brisbane to Qeveland reopened. As aU honourable members know, he worked tirelessly in that endeavour. In this area, of course, he was foUowing the path set by his mentor and adviser, the late Mr Dick Wood, who was himself a former National Party member for Logan, as the electorate was then caUed. That railway line will remain as a perpetual memorial to John Goleby, John Goleby was bom at Cleveland and educated at the Mount Cotton and Thomlands State Schools and the Wynnum State High School, Upon completing his education, he followed in his father's footsteps, working the famUy property. From his teens, he displayed a keen interest in community affairs and the willingness to assist his feUows was one of the great attributes he possessed. With that keen interest, it is not surprising that he was elected to the Redland Shire Council in 1961 and remained on the councU untU 1980, serving as chairman of the Works Committee from 1967 until 1980 and as Finance Committee chairman from 1967 untU 1975, His tireless efforts for the rate-payers did not go unnoticed, and, as a member of the National Party for about 21 years, he was asked to seek endorsement for the seat of Redlands, then held by the ALP, Suffice it to say that he won the seat at his first attempt, entering Parliament on 7 December 1974, In this House, as many honourable members will clearly recaU, he appUed to his parUamentary duties the same zeal and unflagging devotion as had marked his career previously. That zeal and devotion can be seen in the fact that he served on no fewer than 12 parUamentary committees, gaining an admirable knowledge of govemment and ParUament in the process. Consider the committees on which he served so tirelessly—poUce, local govemment and main roads, tourism and marine affairs, works and housing, primary industries, fisheries and Aboriginal and Islanders advancement. Premier's, mines and energy, health, transport, education, parliamentary buUdings, unemployment. These groups are the milestones in the parUamentary career of a most devoted servant of the people and of the electorate. From all that hard work came the recognition he deserved, and he became Minister for Water Resources and Maritime Services on 6 December 1982. Having become a Minister of the Crown, he maintained his zeal. As a farmer, he weU knew the value and importance of water resources and he criss-crossed this State to gain an intimate knowledge 808 17 September 1985 Motion of Condolence of the problems of primary producers as they affected his portfolio. Indeed, it may be said that it was through his zeal and forceful, persuasive and convincing arguments that major water conservation programs at Bundaberg and Eton are now well under way, with the Govemment pouring $lQOm into water resource works in Queensland. Within his department, he was most highly regardea and respected. He held the responsibility of guiding the program of constmction of the mighty Burdekin FaUs Dam and irrigation system, at a cost of $277m, and is second only to the Snowy Mountains scheme in Australia. Despite the heavy pressure of his ministerial and parliamentary duties and the work-load that this very willing worker cheerfuUy accepted, he never lost his love of the land, and his favourite relaxation was a hard day's work on his property at home. He remained a member of almost every community, sporting and social group in the electorate, and was always a most welcome and honoured guest of the people because they knew that John Goleby the man did not change when he became John Goleby the member and then John Goleby the Minister. His humility and modesty were the shining lights that Ut his path through life. He was a keen sportsman, especially as a cricketer, as members of the parliamentary and press gallery teams will readily recall. He could not and would not lose the common touch. Within the National Party, he was highly regarded and respected, again giving wonderful service. He was chairman of the Logan and Redlands Electorate Council for nine years from 1965, chairman of the Small Business and Consumer Affairs Committee and a member of the Transport Committee. Those of us who attended his funeral last week saw the high regard in which the people of Redlands held this man. That was a fine testimonial to him. He enjoyed the honour of being not merely their member but totally their friend, and we all saw that friendship exhibited by the moumers at the church and by the smaU groups of people who stood by the kerbside as the cortege went by. John Goleby could best be described as a very gentle, Christian and kindly man, ever ready to help the underdog. Indeed, his unobtmsive acts of charity within the electorate were endless. It would be totally tme to say that this man was a gentleman in every sense of the word—never knowingly giving insult to others, ever helpful, patient and kindly, treating all people alike, without prejudice and free of bias in accordance with the Christian principles which had been instilled in him by his parents and which he, in tum, undoubtedly instilled in his own family. In all his work over more recent years he had his wife Betty as a most dedicated and willing helper who was well known and respected by the people of the Redlands region. She tmly played her part, not only as a loving wife but also as an able assistant in electorate matters, serving the needs and aspirations of his constituents. His untimely death is indeed a tragic loss—to the Pariiament, to the State, to the electorate, to the people he served so well, and to the family he loved so much.