Page 1851 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
It is well known that one of the key reasons for his falling out with the Liberal Party was some of the decisions that were taken about how the Carnell government conducted itself—and, in particular, the decision to include an independent member in the Carnell ministry, Mr Moore. Trevor Kaine never could accept that decision. For him, it ran against everything that had to do with good governance and accountability and cabinet government.
Trevor Kaine was a conservative man in the best sense of the word, but he was also a libertarian. He could not reconcile the notion of accountable cabinet government with having somebody from outside the governing party in the cabinet. I recall a particularly colourful description of this arrangement that was attributed to him, when he said you could be outside the tent or inside the tent, but you could not be both. That, for me, explained a lot about Trevor’s view of and commitment to accountable government in this place.
His contribution has been a remarkable one, and other members have reflected in some detail on that. For me, the passing of Trevor Kaine marks another end of an era in self-government in this place. He was one of the few veteran members left from the beginning of self-government. His passing marks the closure of another chapter in the history of responsible home rule here in the ACT. I extend my condolences to his family, particularly to his widow, Sandie, on his passing.
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra—Leader of the Opposition) (10.58): Mr Speaker, I probably knew Trevor better than any of you in this place, having served with him throughout the First Assembly, having met him before that, and having served with him in most of the rest of the assemblies until he left in 2001.
I acknowledge in the gallery today Trevor’s second wife, Karen Rush, and a former President of the RSL, Colleen Thurgar, a good friend of Trevor’s. I extend my condolences, to start with, to Karen, her daughter Jeffie, to the three children of Trevor’s first marriage and, of course, to Sandie, and Trevor’s stepchildren, all of whom at his funeral were visibly moved at the passing of a great man. I thank the Chief Minister for providing Trevor with a state funeral. I think that was most appropriate.
Politics is a funny game. Trevor was the sort of bloke who would have as many fights with his own party as some of us do with the opposition and other political groups. I first met Trevor, having been in the party myself for about two years, in 1986. I was running around getting signatures to be number two on the Liberal Senate ticket—an impossible position unless number one gets hit by a bus after the writ is issued. It was a contested election, I recall. I ventured then, having lived in Rivett for some time, to the northern extremities of Canberra, somewhere in what is now the wonderful electorate of Ginninderra, which I have the honour to represent, to a place in Belconnen, where Trevor, a member of the House of Assembly, was being grilled by some very zealous Liberal Party members. He took it with great style and considerable charm. I thought some of the questions were eminently unfair, yet he did not lose his cool. I remember feeling, “Why on earth are they being so nasty to that gentleman who seems to know what he is doing?” But that was a welcome to what was, I suppose, party politics there.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .