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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (28 June) . . Page.. 2102 ..

MS CARNELL

(continuing):

Assembly on the ACT Police Liaison Advisory Committee from 1982 to 1985, the Parole Board of the ACT from 1982, and as a legal aid commissioner from 1982.

Gordon maintained a strong involvement in local business issues through his membership of the Canberra Retail Market Trust and the Milk Authority of the ACT. He was also a commissioner of the Capital Territory Health Commission from 1975 to 1981.

Mr Speaker, Gordon Walsh will be remembered for the considerable contribution he made to the Canberra community, as a longstanding elected representative of the people, and through his unselfish and untiring level of community service.

I am sure all members will join with me in expressing our sympathy to Gordon's family, his sons Martin and Timothy, his wife Naomi, daughter, Lillian, and sons, Steven and Brian.

MR STANHOPE

(Leader of the Opposition): Mr Speaker, Gordon Walsh was a generation ahead of me in the Labor Party and left the party for the Democrats about the time that I joined the party. As a consequence, I had no direct contact with him, and I think the same would apply to my caucus colleagues.

Gordon was well respected by all sides of politics and was a representative of the ACT community for more than 20 years. Whilst in the ALP, Gordon was a member of the ACT Advisory Council from 1964 to 1974. Gordon lead the ALP team for some of that time and was also a founding member of the Woden Valley branch of the ALP.

Gordon had something of a chequered career in the ALP. He was noted for a challenge in 1968 to the preselection of the longstanding and revered member for the ACT, Jim Fraser. To the surprise of many in the party, and I think perhaps to the shock of the community, his challenge succeeded, on the first round at least. There was subsequently a second preselection, and Jim Fraser won that.

In 1974, after allowing his ALP membership to lapse, Gordon joined the newly formed Democrats. He helped found the ACT branch of the Democrats and represented that party as a member of the ACT House of Assembly from 1974 to 1986. He was also leader in the house from 1979 to 1986, until the Assembly was dissolved prior to the implementation of self-government. Gordon was a determined advocate of self-government for the ACT. He actually resigned as President of the ACT Democrats in 1986 when his federal party decided to push for a weaker parliamentary model for the ACT.

Gordon was a tireless worker within the ACT community, and this was reflected in his activity during his time with the Labor Party and with the Democrats. Gordon was very active at the grass roots level of the Labor Party and his contemporaries remember him as an enthusiastic and effective party member. He did much to expand the party organisation and branches to incorporate the extraordinary population growth and expansion of suburban Canberra in the 1960s.

Gordon will also be remembered by all sides of politics as a man dedicated to working for the Canberra community. I join with the Chief Minister in expressing my sympathy to his family.

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