Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Condolences

Hon. Louis Stuart Lieberman AM

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (12:05): I move:

That this house expresses its sincere sorrow at the death of the Honourable Louis Stuart Lieberman AM and places on record its acknowledgement of the valuable services rendered by him to the Parliament and the people of Victoria as a member of the Legislative Assembly for the district of Benambra from 1976 to 1992, Minister for Planning from 1979 to 1982, Assistant Minister of Health from 1979 to 1981, Minister of Mines and Minister for Minerals and Energy in 1981, and Minister for Local Government from 1981 to 1982.

Lou Lieberman was the epitome of a self-made man – a boy who grew up on the border and prided himself on the life he created, using only his hand, his heart and his mind. And there was a lot to be proud of: serving not only in this place but also in our nation’s capital and also his work as a minister, making and remaking our state. Nothing, though, could compare to the loves of his life, his wife Marj and their three children David, Justine and Ben.

Lou’s beginnings were humble. Leaving school early due to his father’s illness, he persevered with private study, fuelled by a fire in his belly and an eye to the future. Later on in life Lou went on to work in a range of roles that could only be described as, well, pretty diverse, and he was often fond, apparently, of regaling people about his unique résumé pre politics, with experience as a dairy factory worker, a musician, a shop assistant, a storeman and a serviceman before going on to find work as a clerk in a local solicitor’s office. In that office he would work by day and study by night, gaining his qualification through a correspondence course. However, it was beneath the rafters of that grand Albury train station’s verandah that Lou found his purpose. There, when working as a newsboy for the Border Mail, Lou would meet the man that sparked his life pursuit, Robert Menzies. It was not, though, until 1976 that Lou would get his chance, standing for the Liberal Party in what was then the very staunchly National Party held seat of Benambra – I like him already. Back then Lou’s win was a big shock. It was appropriate for an MP, though, who became known as a big man with big ideas, and at 194 centimetres, he was perhaps literally the biggest man in the Victorian Parliament.

Not long after his election he joined the Hamer government ministry. At different times Lou served our state in a range of different roles, as I outlined earlier – Assistant Minister of Health, Minister for Minerals and Energy, Minister of Mines and Minister for Local Government – though it was in his time as planning minister that Lou perhaps left his greatest legacy in this state. He was passionate about our state, declaring Melbourne the greatest man-made city in the world. He was also passionate about making sure it grew in the right way, and some of the battles he fought then are as familiar to those of us in the chamber today as they were then – his reforms to enable home owners to build a flat or unit in their yard, for example, as well as his determination to reduce the over-reliance on spread and sprawl, instead encouraging developers, as he said, to look back towards the city and build in the well-established inner suburbs. He also introduced our state’s first ever heritage control laws, understanding that growth and history could coexist. Certainly the beautiful streetscapes of Beechworth, Chiltern and Yackandandah stand as a monument to that legacy.

In 1993 Lou decided he wanted to deliver even more for our state’s beautiful north-east region, putting his hand up to represent the community in the federal seat of Indi. In both this chamber and in Canberra serving in the federal Parliament, Lou was an eloquent voice for respectful debate and also an ardent believer in the power of service. In his first speech in Canberra, following on from his first speech here, Lou explained why after 16 years on Spring Street he had decided to go to Canberra. He quoted people as saying:

‘Lou, why are you doing this? Wouldn’t you have had enough …’, but above all they said to my wife, ‘Why are you letting him do it after all of the years in State Parliament?’.

He would reply:

The fact is, we are a team. We believe in Australia very much and we also take the view that everyone has a responsibility to serve …

I think this says a lot about the man Lou Lieberman was and the team he and Marj were together. I said earlier that Lou’s greatest love was his family, and without a doubt that is true. His next greatest love, though, was his community. Lou was passionate about achieving for the people of the state’s north-east and achieving more broadly for regional Victoria. He carried that determination with him too outside of his time in politics, going on to serve in a number of positions across the community in housing, health and education. What defined each of those roles and indeed all of Lou’s life was that constant commitment to service.

On behalf of the government, the Parliament and the people of Victoria, I extend our heartfelt condolences to Lou’s family, colleagues and friends, in particular his best friend and greatest support Marj, his children David, Justine and Ben and his beloved grandchildren. We thank Lou for his service, and we thank his family for sharing him with the state of Victoria.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (12:11): I am very honoured to join in support of this condolence motion for a very highly respected figure in our community and in this Parliament and federal Parliament. The passing of the Honourable Louis Stuart Lieberman AM this year at the age of 85 marks the loss of a deeply respected local champion.

Lou had the rare honour of serving in both the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Benambra and the Australian House of Representatives for the electorate of Indi. He was a dedicated parliamentarian, capable minister and Liberal Party stalwart who was known for his generosity of spirit, his great intellect and his advocacy on behalf of the community.

Lou was born in Swan Hill in 1938, the fourth of five children. As a boy he moved to Albury with his family and attended the city’s public primary and high schools. He was called up to perform national service and served in the 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles, working with Centurion tanks. Prior to entering politics he worked as a solicitor and barrister and was part of the local consultative council for the development of an Albury–Wodonga national growth centres decentralisation plan.

Lou was drawn to political life, as many others are, as it provided a platform to raise important issues that he cared about, such as the challenges facing Victorian farmers, the future of rural communities and the necessity of community leadership. In 1976 Lou was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Liberal member for Benambra, and he served for 16 years between the years 1976 and 1992. His maiden speech to this house demonstrated his dedication to the Albury–Wodonga project, a unique cross-border arrangement that illustrates the spirit of cooperative federalism. In particular he highlighted that strong regional centres like Albury–Wodonga were needed to ‘slow down the uncontrolled growth of Sydney and Melbourne’ – prescient remarks even then – a sentiment which would likely be shared by many Victorians today.

His ministerial career was distinguished. It spanned five portfolios across the Hamer and Thompson Liberal governments, including Assistant Minister of Health, Minister for Planning, Minister for Minerals and Energy, Minister of Mines and Minister for Local Government. A highlight of his ministerial career was ensuring that the facade of the historic Rialto building in Collins Street was retained when the new tower was erected on the site – and how grateful Victorians will be for that great achievement.

Lou resigned from state politics and successfully stood for the Liberal Party in the seat of Indi at the 1993 federal election. As a member of the Howard government he argued in favour of gun control in the wake of the terrible and horrific Port Arthur massacre and campaigned for the removal of the railway from central Wodonga, among his many achievements. He went on to serve for eight years in the Commonwealth Parliament before retiring in 2001.

After retiring from politics, and true to character, Lou stayed active in his community, leading the boards of Albury Wodonga Health and the Hume Bank. He also chaired the gift-giving committee for the Mercy Million building appeal for health services. He always had time for others, and the current member for Benambra has outlined how Lou was both ‘a great statesman’ and ‘a man of conviction’, who truly loved being active in his local community. In 2016 Lou was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the parliaments of Australia and Victoria and to the Albury–Wodonga community – and how fitting that award was.

On behalf of the Victorian opposition, I convey our appreciation for the Honourable Louis Stuart Lieberman AM for his service to the people of Victoria, the people of Australia and, on our side of the house, the Liberal movement and the wider community. I also wish to extend our sincere condolences to his loving wife Marj, his children and grandchildren, of whom there are many, and his many, many friends and supporters. Vale, Lou Lieberman.

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (12:15): I rise to join the condolence motion for Lou Lieberman. As has been said, Lou was born in Swan Hill in 1938, and as a six-year-old his family moved to Albury. He grew up as part of a very close-knit family with his parents and four siblings. He married Marjorie, and together they had three children: David, Justine and Ben. Lou had four grandchildren as well: Allison, Katrina, Alex and Gemma.

His father had come to Australia in 1920 to escape post-World War I England for a better life in Australia. That is what Lou remembered from his family as to what they did to help people, particularly First World War veterans, to acclimatise back into society and face the challenges they had. I think that sense of duty was borne through when his father became ill when he was in high school and he left school to do the jobs, which have already been spoken about, to support his family through that particular time as a dairy factory worker, a musician, a shop assistant, a storeman and a newspaper seller. He then went on to work as a law clerk while he studied to become a barrister and a solicitor.

As has been said, he entered politics on 20 March 1976 as the member for Benambra. Yes, it was a close-fought election against one Bill Baxter, who was subsequently elected to the upper house after that and went on to serve 35 years in the upper house. Although they were adversaries at that particular election, they both remained very close parliamentarians in working for that area because Bill’s office was also in Wodonga. Lou served that community well through that time.

As has already been said, at that time, at 6 foot 4 – much more relevant than 193 centimetres for most people – he was a large man and larger than life in his communities. He took on a number of roles in the Victorian Parliament, including after three years in Parliament becoming the Minister for Planning under the Hamer government and Assistant Minister of Health. He went on to hold other portfolios, as the Minister of Mines, Minister for Minerals and Energy and Minister for Local Government. Then when the Liberal government lost, he went on to serve a number of portfolios in opposition through that particular time. If you read his history – I will not go into it today – he had an interesting relationship with one Jeffrey Kennett through some of those years when he was apparently in the shadow cabinet and then when he was not in the shadow cabinet. As the folklore of that time goes, some chairs moved around quite a few times in those years leading up to the Kennett government being elected in 1992.

In 1993 Lou transitioned to federal politics, becoming the member for Indi, and he served in that role through until 2001, continuing his dedication to public service at a national level. He was on several committees in the federal Parliament, including chairing the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and the Joint Committee on Publications.

I suppose if people asked Lou what his greatest contributions were in public life, he would talk about the significant reforms he made as the planning minister, establishing a one-stop shop for building permits and introducing heritage planning controls, particularly protecting prominent areas like Beechworth in his electorate for their architectural history. In the education and health portfolios he worked in both those areas to make a lasting impact, particularly in regional Victoria, around schools and hospitals and established a university presence in his region, which is still there today and which is a very valuable part of that community now.

As has been said, he was very interested in community development. In his inaugural speech when he entered this place he talked very much about the Albury–Wodonga growth area and how proud he was of that. There are two things which stand out in my mind from his speech then: he talked about the fact that the natural gas pipeline was shortly to come to Albury–Wodonga, which was a great boon to industry in that particular area, and he also talked about the fact that the Dartmouth Dam project was well underway. Those that understand the history of water in the Murray–Darling Basin would understand that it was the building of Dartmouth and the subsequent storage of water in Dartmouth that enabled us to go through the millennium drought with the Murray River still running. Although there was not much irrigation water, there was still enough water for communities and everything to function. If it had not been for Dartmouth, you could very easily have had a dry Murray River, like they did in 1914 in one of the previous droughts. So he was very proud that those projects were well underway when he came in.

He often reflected on the influence of his parents, who were active in community service and, as I said, particularly in helping ex-servicemen regain their health after World War I. As I said, his father left England to get away from the tragedy of World War I in England and the restrictions and the lifestyle, which was hampered by the lack of goods, services and food over there, to come to Australia for a better life. He was always inspired by their interest and activity in the community. He credited his marriage to Marj as a turning point in his life, providing him with unwavering support in his public affairs efforts. He was known for his approachability and his availability and always made a point of being accessible to people in all walks of life and political backgrounds.

He took on a number of roles after leaving politics. He was still active in his community. He was president of the Wodonga Liberal Party, whatever that means, and he was involved in various community groups including soccer clubs, the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal and the Vermont Court aged care hostel. As was said, he served and did national service as a young man, and he actually served as a major in the army reserve, which again exemplified his service to the community over that particular time. He was actively involved with Albury Wodonga Health, and in 2016 he served as the chairperson of that particular health authority. He has been praised for his generosity, his intellect and his passion for his community, and his former colleagues and constituents remember him as a man of great intellect and dedication to public service. In 2016 he was awarded an Order of Australia not only for his service to the parliaments but particularly for the service of his community there.

Lou Lieberman’s life story is one of resilience, dedication and profound service to his community and country. From his early days working various jobs to support his family to his impactful career in state and federal politics and his continued community involvement post politics, Lou exemplifies a life dedicated to the betterment of society. He embodied the quintessential Australian spirit of resilience, dedication and service. His legacy will endure through the many lives he touched and the significant improvements that he championed. As we honour his memory, let us draw inspiration from his example and continue to serve our community with the same passion and integrity and by reflecting the best of Australian values that Lou demonstrated. Vale, Lou Lieberman.

Bill TILLEY (Benambra) (12:22): I intend to make a very, very brief contribution, because Lou was a man of very little fuss and bother, and in respect to Lou and my relationship over many years that I had with Lou, I will try and impart and share a couple of those with the Assembly, certainly knowing that trust with the family, with Marj, was absolutely sacrosanct. Can I at this point thank the Premier for her well-researched and completely accurate account of Lou. He truly embodied statesmanship, honesty and integrity and, as I said, no fuss and bother, and I am sure that the Lieberman family will appreciate those very generous words, like those from the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Nationals. But while I am on about the Nationals, it is quite funny because –

A member: We’re coming for you, mate.

Bill TILLEY: I have heard those rumours. Can I say that, like Lou in our first elections – yes, Lou defeated Bill Baxter, but in my first one in 2006 Bill Baxter was also a candidate for that one. Anyway, in a couple of years it will no doubt be back on again. But when I was first preselected I sought Lou and Marj out – and they were an incredible team, incredible parents. They knew and truly loved the district, as I do and as many of us do up there – incredible. But they provided me with some terrific advice, which I will not overly share, but it was the good, it was the bad and it was the ugly, and the whole lot of it has come true. I was just a baggy-arsed senior constable of police, so I did not know what the hell I was getting myself into, and it has been a significant learning curve over the last five terms of this Parliament. I knew I could always go to Lou and ask for some advice, and he would give it to me very clearly, very directly, and we would have the business done and be on for a cup of tea. But he was humble – extremely humble – and a great statesman.

His service was, after passing on 17 May, just a few short days before his 86th birthday, and the town was very well represented at Sacred Heart Church in Wodonga. It was incredible to see a lot of people there of all persuasions, of all types of politics and of all kinds of religions. Unfortunately, because he succumbed to that insidious disease of dementia, his final years were very, very challenging and difficult – and for Marj. But in saying that, no-one has forgotten Lou or his contribution to the north-east of Victoria.

On that, I think that it is best left at that, because as the family said, they did not want the fuss and bother. But for David, Justine and Ben, and for the grandchildren – he was a great grandparent. As I share stories with the Speaker – Speaker, you love your grandkids, as do all of us in this place that have had the privilege to have a few grandkids now. We love our future generations. On that note, rest in peace, Lou. Vale, Lou Lieberman.

Motion agreed to in silence, members showing unanimous agreement by standing in their places.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (12:27): I move:

That, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honourable Louis Stuart Lieberman AM, the house now adjourns until 1:30 pm today.

Motion agreed to.

House adjourned 12:28 pm.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER took the chair at 1:33 pm.