Page 1888 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 7 June 2006
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Just as important as his contribution to the federal government was his involvement in the local Canberra community through organisations such as the Radford College Parents and Friends Association and the Uniting Church, and he served as the treasurer of the Wesley Uniting Church.
I knew John Perrin in my previous working role and also he was a constituent and I dealt with him from time to time on a range of issues. He was an interesting person. He was a fluent French speaker and had a fascination, partly through his heritage, of things that related to that country. He and his wife went to France several times, living in various regions as locals would do and absorbing the culture.
He was, in fact, trained as an economist originally at Monash University and came to Canberra, starting off his career in the Australian public service by joining the bureau of statistics. He later moved to the federal Treasury and, indeed, spread the Treasury approach to his voluntary work. He was highly respected for the contribution he made to the Wesley Uniting Church in his role as treasurer.
The large number of people that paid their respects at his funeral on Monday, May 29 is testament to the man that John Perrin was. He will be missed and I wanted to take time in the Assembly today to pay my respects and extend again my sympathies to his wife Debbie and his son Richard.
Secondly, on a happier note, on 1 June I was fortunate enough to attend the tribute dinner to mark the retirement of Archbishop Francis Carroll DD, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Francis Carroll was ordained in the priesthood in 1954 and served the church in various roles from that time through to 1983 in the Riverina area. He was appointed Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn in 1983 and has served in that role since. He has also held numerous positions within the Catholic church, including serving as president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference since 2000.
The tribute dinner held at the federal parliament was attended by people from all walks of life, including both sides of politics. The fact that senior members from both sides, including the federal Leader of the Opposition, Mr Beazley, and Minister Abbott representing the Prime Minister, spoke so warmly of the archbishop is a tribute to the impact that his leadership and guidance has had on the Canberra community and to the quality of person that we have had as the archbishop in Canberra.
Over the last 23 years, Archbishop Carroll has served the Canberra area with wisdom and spiritual guidance. He is universally respected for his spiritual integrity. I take this opportunity to recognise in the Assembly Archbishop Carroll’s contribution to the Canberra community. His impact has been significant and I wish him well in his retirement.
Nuclear power
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (6.09): Mr Speaker, perhaps you share with me the strange feeling that instead of living in Australia we live in a country that is trying to set up a whole series of Springfields. Every time I hear the Prime Minister speak about the potential for nuclear power plants in Australia, I check the mirror to see if my hair has
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