22 Mar 2001 Legislative Assembly 19 THURSDAY, 22 MARCH 2001 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. COMMISSION TO ADMINISTER OATH Mr SPEAKER: Order! Honourable members, I have to report that His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to issue a commission under the public seal of the state authorising me to administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance to such members as might hereafter present themselves to be sworn. I now ask the Clerk to read the commission to the House. The Clerk read the commission. GOVERNOR'S OPENING SPEECH Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that His Excellency the Governor, on Wednesday, 21 March 2001, delivered a speech to parliament of which, for greater accuracy, I have obtained a copy. I presume honourable members will take the speech as read? Honourable members: Hear, hear! ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF SURFERS PARADISE By-election Dates Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that I have issued a writ for the election of a member to serve in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the electoral district of Surfers Paradise. The dates in connection with the issue of the writ are as follows: issue of writ Wednesday, 21 March 2001; cut-off days for electoral rolls Tuesday, 27 March 2001; cut-off days for nominations Friday, 30 March 2001; polling day Saturday, 5 May 2001; and the return of writ Monday, 4 June 2001. MOTION OF CONDOLENCE Death of Mr M. D. Hooper, MP Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.34 a.m.), by leave: I move— 1. That this House desires to place on record its appreciation of the services rendered to this state by the late the honourable Maxwell David Hooper, the former member of the Parliament of Queensland and a minister of the Crown. 2. That Mr Speaker be requested to convey to the family of the deceased gentleman the above resolution together with an expression of the sympathy and sorrow of the members of the Parliament of Queensland in the loss that they have sustained. Mr Maxwell Hooper was born in Townsville, Queensland on 20 January 1926. He attended the Central State School in Townsville and Townsville Grammar School. Prior to entering politics Mr Hooper served in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1945 as an air crew trainee at Bradfield Park in Sydney. Between 1947 and 1972 Mr Hooper was a real estate auctioneer and valuer and a land developer and speculator in the Townsville area. Mr Hooper entered local politics in 1971 as an alderman in the Townsville City Council and in 1972 was elected mayor where he held office until 1976. The Minister for Emergency Services would have served with him in the Townsville City Council because he was elected in the early 1970s. Mr Hooper won the state seat of Townsville West in the state election on 7 December 1974 and was elected to this Legislative Assembly for the 41st Parliament where he held his seat for six years until 1980. In his maiden speech to the Legislative Assembly on 18 March 1975 Mr Hooper noted— Honourable Members have all heard the hackneyed phrase that local government in the Federal system is the grass-roots level of government. I would resort to the same expression myself as the definition is an extremely sound one. They are the governments that give real service to their constituents. At all costs the State Government must ensure that the system is preserved so that the people have a direct say in the progress of their area. 20 Legislative Assembly 22 Mar 2001 That quote highlights Mr Hooper's support for maintaining the local government system for the benefit of the local community. The sentiments expressed by Mr Hooper in his maiden speech are echoed in the policies of my government. Mr Hooper noted further in his maiden speech that more regional planning should be instituted by the government through regional planning councils when developing cities. Mr Hooper also emphasised that proper regional planning was needed for the Townsville- Thuringowa area under one authority. I do not think I will get into that today. Mr Hooper was Minister for Maritime Services and Tourism from August 1979 to December 1980. In 1978, Mr Hooper was a member of a parliamentary delegation to Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and the South Pacific. During his term in office, Mr Hooper served on a number of parliamentary committees, and in 1978 he was chairman of the joint party committee investigating unemployment. In these positions, Mr Hooper served the local and state tiers of government by providing outstanding service to all sections of the community. In 1993 Mr Hooper was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community. Mr Hooper married his wife, Beryl Palm Cook, in 1953. Together they had two sons and two daughters. I knew Mr Hooper. Indeed, I met him in connection with a number of activities that he was involved in in Townsville. I know the member for Mount Isa, the Minister for Police and Corrective Services, also knew him. He is someone who, while he did not share my political views or the political views of my government, was well regarded, a person who made a significant contribution on behalf of the people of Townsville in a number of areas—ports and others. He will indeed be sadly missed. On a personal note, I express my sympathy to his family. In conclusion, on behalf of the parliament I extend my sympathy and that of this House to his whole family. Mr HORAN (Toowoomba South—NPA) (Leader of the Opposition) (9.39 a.m.): Today, I gladly join with the Premier to speak to this motion of condolence on the passing of Max Hooper, OA, a truly great Queenslander. The Premier made some generous remarks in his speech. I echo his sentiments and thank him for those remarks. I would like to say a few words in support of the Premier's motion. Max Hooper was a stalwart of the north. He was a Townsville man who was forever Townsville, as well as a Queenslander who was forever Queensland. We certainly celebrate that difference north of the border, and, of course, north of the tropic they celebrate it even more strongly. Any community is richer for its characters. We all have them. We all know of characters in our own circles and communities, many of whom we aspire to be as good as. A few in this place today remember Max Hooper with a personal perspective. My honourable friend the member for Keppel is one because he was also a member of the class of '74. I am sure that many others know of him by reputation. Max began his political life in local government. He became mayor of Townsville, the position he held when he was elected as the National Party member for Townsville West. The man he replaced as member for Townsville West was the late great Percy Tucker, a veteran of the ALP and a man who, like Max Hooper, was as much at home in the hothouse of this state Parliament as he was when dealing with democracy at street level in his own home town. Both made friends across the political divide and both, I am sure, were better men because of that. They had their own unique link, reinforced in 1976 by the election of Percy Tucker as mayor of Townsville. This reversal of roles somehow reinforces how fortunate we are in this state and country to live under the democratic rule of our ballot box. I did not know Max Hooper personally, but I believe that we could all learn a lesson from his life story and especially from the generous purpose and keen public spiritedness with which he took on the business of politics. Some of the things he said in this place nearly 21 years ago, when speaking to the condolence motion for his friend Percy Tucker on 26 August 1980, illustrate his spirit and bear repeating today. He said this— Although it can be said that he and I were political opponents, over the past decade we traversed the same path in trying to give the best service we could to the community of Townsville ... In many ways, Perc Tucker endeared himself to the citizens of Townsville. He made no secret of the fact that he never severed his political affiliations, but he also made it quite clear that when he was required to make a decision concerning the future of Townsville and the progress of the city he did not adhere to any political party pressure from his own groups. 22 Mar 2001 Legislative Assembly 21 Max Hooper was a generous man who was always ready to see the merit of someone else's point of view. Today, as we mark his own passing I believe that we might all see the merit in making that his epitaph. Max was a practical man, as his elevation to the ministry and appointment as Minister for Maritime Services and Tourism attests. He was particularly practical in terms of his commitment to properly funded and properly resourced local government believing, quite rightly, that the more local the government the better its service delivery and the more effective its interaction with the people that it serves. Perhaps this is a lesson that we are still trying to learn today. On the weekend I shall be in Townsville for a National Party conference.