Page 345 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 20 February 2018
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Tuesday, 20 February 2018
MADAM SPEAKER (Ms J Burch) took the chair at 10 am, made a formal recognition that the Assembly was meeting on the lands of the traditional custodians, and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.
Leave of absence
Motion (by Mr Gentleman) agreed to:
That leave of absence be granted to Ms Fitzharris for this sitting due to illness.
Dr Joe Baker AO, OBE
Motion of condolence
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism and Major Events) (10.01): I move:
That this Assembly expresses its profound sorrow at the death of Dr Joe Baker AO OBE, the inaugural Environment Commissioner for the Australian Capital Territory, and tenders its sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues in their bereavement.
This morning the Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of Dr Joe Baker. He was the ACT’s first Commissioner for the Environment, a role that he held from 1993 to 2004. The ACT was the first jurisdiction to establish such a position. Dr Baker, through that time from 1993 to 2004, performed the role with distinction. In 1999 Dr Baker was also appointed the Chief Scientist of Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
Beyond the service he gave to our city, Dr Baker was an honoured and distinguished scientist with an international reputation, an environmentalist with a deep and long commitment to protecting our unique environment, and a warm and generous mentor to others.
Joe, as he preferred to be called, was an inspiration to others in everything he did, from science to sport. His list of achievements and qualifications is a long one. He was awarded an Order of Australia and an Order of the British Empire for his services to science, with a particular emphasis on marine science. He was appointed as a member of distinguished academies, including Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
His significant contribution to marine science was recognised when he was asked to accept the role of inaugural patron of the Australian Marine Sciences Association. He was a foundation staff member of James Cook University and he led the Roche Research Institute of Marine Pharmacology. Dr Baker was also a foundation member
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