Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Hon. John Delzoppo

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (12:06): I move:

That this house expresses its sincere sorrow at the death of the Honourable John Delzoppo and places on record its acknowledgement of the valuable services rendered by him to the Parliament and the people of Victoria as member of the Legislative Assembly for the district of Narracan from 1982 to 1996 and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 1996.

Our Parliament has existed for more than 170 years, and whilst a lot has changed over that period of time, a member’s first speech still carries that same gravitas that it always has, because in a first speech a new member tells their story – their aspirations and ambitions for their community and for themselves. It also enables us, the audience, to understand a little bit more about the person behind the politician, who they are and what it is that drives them. That is certainly true for John Delzoppo. In his very first words in this place John spoke about service, about the privilege and the duty that comes with serving in this place, but John’s sense of service was not just confined to the pages of Hansard; it is how he lived all of his 92 years.

For a country boy, John began with suburban roots, born in Flemington and educated in Ascot Vale, Moonee Ponds and Melbourne. It was on Boxing Day 1954 when John and his wife Beth moved to Neerim South, and it was there that they found their true community. It was, as John would say later in his life, the most fortunate thing to ever happen. John began his service to his community first as their local pharmacist, and soon enough he put his hand up for another role and then another and then another. The list is long but barely scratches the surface. John served as inaugural president of the Neerim South High School council, life member and president of the Neerim District Soldiers Memorial Hospital, vice-president of the Victorian Bush Nursing Association, as Buln Buln shire president on three separate occasions and as a local councillor for close to 20 years from 1966 to 1986. Attentive members of this chamber may note that that last stint of service cut across John’s election as the member for Narracan in 1982. For almost four years John juggled being a member of this place, a local councillor and a shadow minister before choosing to focus on what I feel, and I am sure colleagues agree, to be the most impactful level of government.

For John, his service to his community was only bettered by his service to our state. As he himself described, responsibility to his party came third, responsibility to his constituents came second and responsibility to our democracy came first and always. He served Victoria and its Parliament in a number of capacities – in shadow portfolios across transport, local government, water and services, and then as Speaker between 1992 and 1996.

As we know, the role of Speaker is quite something. It is quite the role, isn’t it? And it was on one day in the Speaker’s chair – a particularly rowdy day, could you believe – that John was heard to mutter, he thought was to himself, ‘I once had a dream. I was at the Pearly Gates of Heaven and St Peter said to me, “What did you do on earth?” And I said, “I was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.” St Peter replied, “Enter into your eternal rest, my friend. You’ve had your taste of hell.”

Speaker, I am not sure if you would relate, but I am sure John passed that test of St Peter with flying colours.

It was also as Speaker that John revived the historic garb of the role, donning the formal gown and wig of the Westminster tradition. For John this was not about pomp or ceremony; rather, it was an expression – it was his expression – of how seriously he took his role and responsibility. It is a story that reminded me of my own grandfather Bill, who at every election – he was a working man – would put on a suit and tie to go and vote. Bill and John were different men with different politics living on different sides of the state, but both knew our democracy was worth celebrating, protecting and fighting for.

As I have mentioned, John held many titles over the course of his lifetime, none more precious than that of husband, dad and grandfather. To his wife Beth of 69 years – so committed I believe to John’s cause that Beth once doorknocked the entire township of Yallourn – and to their four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, we extend our heartfelt condolences. On behalf of our Parliament and our state, thank you for sharing him with us. Vale, John Delzoppo.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (12:11): I am pleased to join the Premier today in support of the condolence motion for John Delzoppo. The passing of the Honourable John Delzoppo marks the loss of a respected former member and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. John Delzoppo was a man who dedicated himself to the service of this Parliament, to his constituents, to our party and of course to the great state of Victoria. His passing is a loss not only to his beloved family but to all of those who had the privilege of working alongside him and to the many Victorians whose lives he touched.

John Delzoppo was a man of principle, wisdom and deep compassion. He lived a life of service, marked by dedication to public good, integrity in leadership and a steadfast commitment to the people he represented. His contributions to the Parliament, to his local community and to Victoria will endure for generations to come, and today we acknowledge his life and express gratitude for his unwavering service.

John Delzoppo was born on 3 December 1931, which I believe makes him a great Sagittarian. All great Sagittarians do very well. He was born in Flemington, in Victoria, and was raised in a hardworking family, the son of Ernest Edward, a butcher, and Marie Cosgriff, a dressmaker. From an early age he witnessed the values of responsibility and community service, principles that would go on to define his life. His early education was at Ascot Vale State School and Moonee Ponds Central School. He later attended university and then the Victorian College of Pharmacy, earning himself a diploma in pharmacy and becoming a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

It was at the pharmacy college that John met his wife-to-be, Elizabeth Panther – Beth – in 1954. John and Beth moved to Neerim South, where they would go on to spend much of their lives. In 1955 John married Beth, and together they built a loving family, raising two sons and two daughters. Their partnership, spanning nearly seven decades, is a testament to their mutual support, shared faith and unwavering love.

John was a member of the Church of England. He was active in the Gippsland Anglican synod. Before entering Parliament John Delzoppo, with his wife Beth, opened the first pharmacy in Neerim South in 1954, which they ran for nearly 30 years. Their pharmacy was more than a place of business; it was a cornerstone of the community, where he dispensed not only medicine but advice, care and comfort, and he was known for his generosity and dedication to his patients, qualities that would later define his approach to politics.

His sense of duty extended far beyond his profession. He was an active contributor to numerous community organisations, including, as many mentioned, the inaugural president of the Neerim South High School council, life member and president of the Neerim District Soldiers Memorial Hospital, president of the Central Gippsland Regional Planning Authority interim committee, commissioner of the Neerim South Waterworks Trust and Noojee Waterworks Trust, Gippsland representative of the Latrobe Valley Water and Sewerage Board, inaugural chairman of the Westernport Catchment Coordinating Group and senior vice-president of the Victorian Bush Nursing Association.

It is unsurprising, then, that John was recognised for his significance with several awards, including the Victorian Council Community Service Award in 1980, by being made an Honorary Freeman of Buln Buln shire in 1994 and by being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009. These were well-deserved acknowledgements for his tireless efforts to improve the lives of those in his community.

John Delzoppo’s deep commitments to the community go hand in hand with his own political service. He was elected as the member for Narracan in the Victorian Legislative Assembly on 3 April 1982. He held a seat in the district with distinction until his retirement in 1996. As the saying goes, history repeats itself. Certainly our hope is to soon repeat the achievements of John. At the time, Narracan was always considered a Labor seat. Despite this, John’s personal standing and strong local reputation allowed him to win the election by just 941 votes. However, following a redistribution and the loss of Drouin and the gain of Yallourn North – and according to his electorate chairman at the time, Ian Needham – John embraced the situation and managed to win the next election by 193 votes. That was a long week waiting for counting – we have been there before. It was a tough week for you as well, Beth. He said that this was the turning point of John holding Narracan and putting up the correct position for the next election, and John went on to win Narracan another two times before retiring.

John was just not just involved in the community through the pharmacy, through the church and through the organisation committees, he was also involved through the service of his membership of the Liberal Party. He was branch president, chairman of the McMillan electorate, chairman of the Narracan electorate, a member of the state executive, Shadow Minister for Transport in Parliament, Shadow Minister for Local Government, Shadow Minister for Water Resources and Shadow Minister for Property and Services.

In 1992 he was appointed the Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, a role he performed with honour and impartiality. As Speaker he upheld the dignity of this chamber, ensuring a fair debate and maintaining decorum and strengthening the integrity of our democratic institutions. Those who served alongside him recall a deep respect for his parliamentary tradition and even his hardness. This is something John strongly believed in and was based on words of advice he received from Alan Brown during his first days of Parliament – that a member’s responsibilities were first to the institution of Parliament, second to their electors and then third to those of the party to which they belonged. John was an excellent Speaker. In fact, in a Herald Sun article in 1992 he was described as having an:

… almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the parliamentary standing orders.

We note he was also occasionally poetic in the chair. The Premier has highlighted the statement he made about sitting in the chair and the experience of that of being on earth and obviously the experience of effectively living in hell whilst being in that chair. We hope we do not put you through the same, Speaker. Beyond his role as Speaker, John served on parliamentary committees, including the Public Bodies Review Committee, the Standing Orders Committee and the Parliament of Victoria Committee.

John’s legacy is one of service, humility and dedication. His advocacy for regional Victoria ensured better infrastructure and stronger community services. His work in Parliament nurtured our democratic institutions, and his leadership as Speaker set a standard of fairness and respect that we should aspire to uphold today. To his constituents in Narracan he was more than a politician; he was a champion for their concerns, a tireless advocate and a trusted representative. To his colleagues he was a mentor, a source of wisdom and a man who embodied the best of public service. Beyond politics, his family will remember him as a devoted husband to wife Beth, a loving father to his children Ian, Lindsay, Clare and Anne, a cherished grandfather to Emma, Amy, Sophie, Cathy, Nick, Elly, Evan, Alex and Sarah, and a loved old grandpa to Zara, Luca, Alba, Arthur, Winnie, Maverick and Charlie.

Today we mourn the passing of a great Victorian, but we also celebrate a life well lived. John Delzoppo dedicated himself to the service of others, leaving an indelible mark on this Parliament, on his community and Victoria and on his family, which loved him so deeply. On behalf of the opposition and all those who had the honour of knowing him, I extend my deepest condolences to his wife Elizabeth, his children and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. May they find comfort in the knowledge that his contributions will never be forgotten, that his memory will continue to inspire others and that those who follow in his footsteps and have the knowledge of his service will always respect what he has done. John Delzoppo – may he rest in peace.

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (12:20): I am pleased to rise to extend our condolences on behalf of the Nationals to John Delzoppo’s family. Growing up in Gippsland in the neighbouring seat of Morwell, John Delzoppo was a name that was known to anyone who paid a bit of attention to politics, particularly later in life when he became Speaker of the house in the first term of the Kennett government.

John was born in Flemington in 1931 on 3 December and was educated at Ascot Vale State School and Moonee Ponds Central School, but the lure of the country was too good perhaps, and he moved to Neerim South, where he was the pharmacist from 1954. As the Premier indicated, John’s service to the community, long before he came into Parliament, was exemplary. He was president of the Neerim South High School council from 1963; a member of the Latrobe Valley Water and Sewerage Board from 1973 to 1982 – that is the predecessor of Gippsland Water – and many others, including as a life member and council member of the Victorian Bush Nursing Association, no doubt with his involvement at that wonderful facility at Neerim South; and also a Buln Buln shire councillor from 1966, with three terms as its president.

I note that in his maiden speech John expressed a fear that he would not refer to ‘Mr Speaker’ but to ‘Mr President’ – and he did not do it; he got it right – but I think it is ironic that 10 years later he would be Mr Speaker himself, and only probably the member for Rowville could tell us what that must have been like in that first term of the Kennett government. Let Hansard record that was not meant to be a sledge on the member for Rowville! But dealing with the first term of the Kennett government when there was a lot going on and when the Labor opposition was going hard, no doubt, under Mr Brumby at the time, that would have been a trying time. Speaker, I am sure that you would say that all times for the Speaker are trying, but it is no surprise that Mr Delzoppo made that comment about meeting St Peter on the entry to heaven.

He was also an OAM, as the Leader of the Opposition indicated, receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009. But I am sure his greatest achievement was that extraordinary 69 years of marriage to Beth, and 69 years is an extraordinary time. I pick up a comment from an article in 1985 where Mr Delzoppo praised his ‘loyal and understanding wife’, who had doorknocked every house in Yallourn North. I know a bit about the valley and Yallourn North. Yallourn North ended up in the seat of Morwell, which the Nationals won in 2006. In 2010 the Nationals won every booth in Morwell except Yallourn North. So I know exactly how hard you worked there, Beth, and credit to you. It was a great achievement and great support for your husband. The challenge of course is now for the current member for Morwell to do likewise in Yallourn North.

He had an excellent period of service as the member for Narracan. He also spent 13 years as the president of the Victorian Parliamentary Former Members Association, for which I am sure the Parliament thanks him. John had an exemplary record of service to the community long before he came into this place and also after he left in 1996. We thank him for that, specifically for his service to the community of West Gippsland. I extend my condolences to Beth, to Ian, to Lindsay, to Clare and to Anne, who are here today. Vale, John Delzoppo.

Kim WELLS (Rowville) (12:24): John Delzoppo was born December 1931 and passed away on 23 November 2024. I first met John Delzoppo when I was first preselected for the Liberal Party in 1991. I was immediately taken by his patience and his interest in me and my campaign. His memory was brilliant. Every time I met John he could recall every detail of all of our previous conversations.

John was the chemist at Neerim South, a great town in Gippsland, and he and his wife Beth were so committed to the Neerim South community. As far back as the 1960s John and Beth campaigned and campaigned to have a secondary college built in Neerim South. Rather than the local kids having to travel to Warragul or Drouin, they were successful, and the government built the Neerim District Secondary College.

This school meant a lot to John and Beth. He remained on the school committee for years, but more importantly he was a mentor for many, many students – something that he took a lot of pride in.

John was elected to Parliament in 1982, to the seat of Narracan, and he held that seat for 14 years, choosing to retire in 1996. When the Kennett government was elected in October 1992, John Delzoppo was elected as Speaker, a position that he held for four years, and he was an excellent Speaker. But those four years were tough years – very, very long days here in the chamber, starting at 10 am and finishing at 4 or 5 the next morning, starting again at 10 am, going through until 4 or 5 the next day, and so on and so on. By the end of the week, when we had had little sleep, we would start at 10 am on Friday and finish on Saturday afternoon at 5 pm. The number of bills being pushed through the Parliament was enormous, and the Speaker was under incredible pressure to maintain order and a proper running of the house, but even at 4 am – sometimes when John was not in the chair because there was a committee vote he would duck into Strangers for a coffee – he was always a statesman, patient, upbeat, and never shared the enormous pressure that he was under.

A close mate of mine and to many in the chamber – maybe not the Greens – is the previous member for Narracan Gary Blackwood. John Delzoppo rang me prior to the 2006 preselection to push the case for Gary to be selected. John made it clear that Gary was the only credible candidate for Narracan, and what an outstanding choice he was. Gary was a fantastic member of Parliament. John was Gary’s campaign chair for the 2006 and 2010 state elections and was part of the committee in 2014. John was a longtime friend of Gary’s but more importantly a mentor, instilling a strong commitment to the community in Gary’s daily work.

Whenever John visited Parliament after his retirement, Beth was always with him. Beth, you know that he worshipped the ground that you walked on. A good man has moved on – a man totally committed to the Liberal Party, the Anglican Church and his community but most of all to his family. My condolences to Beth and family.

Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (12:27): I am honoured to rise today to talk about the life of the Honourable John Delzoppo and the contribution John made to the electorate of Narracan, this Parliament and his much-loved community of Neerim South. It is fair to say we do not get many state funerals in our area – I think John’s might be the third that I can recall – but no-one deserved it more than John.

I would like to start by mentioning the government’s representative at the funeral, our Deputy Speaker and member for Ashwood, who in my opinion – and I know John’s wife Beth agrees with me, and the family do as well – paid an absolutely amazing tribute to someone he had not met. It reflected the sentiments of the community and was a very heartfelt and sympathetic contribution. It was very, very well received, so I would like to personally thank the member for Ashwood for his contribution on that day.

John was the loving husband and partner in life of Beth for an amazing 69 years; dearly loved father of Ian, Lindsay, Clare and Anne and their partners Mary, Jan, Gavin and Martin; loved grandpa to Emma, Amy, Sophie, Cathy, Nick, Elly, Evan, Alex and Sarah and their partners Christian, Brendan, Julian, Sophie, Matt, Fernanda and Rai; and loved old grandpa to Zara, Luca, Alba, Arthur, Winnie, Maverick and Charlie.

As has been stated, John was elected to the seat of Narracan in 1982, but ironically he served in the Buln Buln shire from 1966 to 1986. That overlap of four years in being a councillor and an MP is quite amazing; I would like to see someone in this chamber try to pull that off today and see how they get away with it. He served his community with passion for many, many decades, and he never wavered from that passion.

His time in Parliament was interesting. He had some interesting journeys along the way. I will say this: most of us in Parliament, when we get up to make a contribution, we like to think we are right.

Well, unfortunately for John, on one such occasion when he was the shadow minister, I believe – no, he was not a shadow; he had only been in the Parliament two years – a story came out. The Thomson Dam was under construction at the time. The story came out and John got a whisper that this was going to happen, that the Thomson Dam was going to burst its banks and was going to flood from Walhalla to Bendigo – the way John would have described it at the time. But unfortunately for John, he was not quite right. The Thomson Dam was only about 11 per cent full at the time – the million-megalitre dam was only 11 per cent full. But what was funny about this story is that back then the media used to have an annual event, the pollie of the year award. It was described in the newspaper on the day as being ‘bigger than the Brownlow and more exclusive than the Emmy’. John won the award that year, and he received from the media team a plunger, a plug and a book titled Dam Busters. It is quite an interesting story.

John’s passion was his community, and none more so than the Neerim South hospital. John went out there, he fundraised for the hospital and, in Beth’s words, hounded the architect and eventually got the hospital built, which is still there today. To give you an idea of how respected John was, I have got to tell this story. On the day of his funeral a very, very cranky constituent of mine, Jenny Muir, was driving past the hospital – John had a very close relationship with Jenny; he used to call her Little Blondie – and she was very upset when she saw that the hospital flag was not at half mast. It was fair to say that the staff in the hospital copped both barrels from Jenny at the time. I cannot repeat what she said verbatim because it would be very unparliamentary.

John had a unique way of dealing with being a Speaker too. Speaker, maybe you might want to use this tactic every now and again. When the chamber would become quite rowdy, John would simply get up and walk out. It was really simple. There was one day when, believe it or not, he and a belligerent Jeff Kennett – and I cannot believe Jeff would be belligerent – had a fairly robust discussion for hours and the chamber was left empty. So maybe, Speaker, if we get too rowdy, you can just go and have a cup of tea. But that was the type of man John was. He was about the job, and he took the job very seriously.

It is interesting to reference that John used to wear the traditional dress. He did, but there are some interesting stories about the traditional dress. When he decided to do this, it was actually a colleague of his that suggested it. He said, ‘John, you’ve got to wear the traditional dress.’ When he asked why, he said, ‘Because you’ve got to separate yourself from the rabble – that’s us.’ So John said, ‘All right, I’ll do that.’ Now, John had a bit of trouble. He had to get his mother to give him a hand to put the tights on, for starters. So Mum was out there helping John get his tights on and everything else, and of course he had the wig as well. But Beth had one complaint about the wig: it used to make his ears smell. Unfortunately for Beth, she had to put up with smelly ears. That was quoted by Beth, by the way.

Jacinta Allan: We’re learning a lot today, Wayne.

Wayne FARNHAM: We are. But I thought I would just talk about the type of man he was and what he did. There is another funny story about John’s time in the Speaker’s chair. His secretary Margaret had a fondness for ducks. Apparently there used to be ducks at Parliament out the back. One day when John came back to the chamber after doing his duty, he found all the ducks in his bath. Margaret had decided to collect the ducks up and put them in the Speaker’s bath. He took that in his stride.

Members interjecting.

Wayne FARNHAM: Yes, there used to be a bath in there.

One of John’s passions was fishing. He loved fishing. He was a fly fisherman, and he would try to get out and fish anytime he could. But for as long as I can remember, although it is getting opened up at the moment, you could not fish in the Tarago dam or the Tarago River. According to John, wombats always get through the fence, so John always went down there and pulled out a few trout. I think that for the service he gave to our community, we can forgive him for that.

He was very, very passionate about his community of Neerim South.

He loved the community. He and Beth served in that chemist for 31 years. It was not a chemist like we have today where you go up and you just get the pills given to you; John used to make the medicines out the back – quite an amazing feat – and with Beth he worked for 30 years in that chemist in Neerim South supporting the community out there. He loved his community of Neerim South. He loved his Anglican Church as well. For many decades John was the one responsible for helping pick the bishops, and he would give them quite a hard time to make sure they deserved it.

He was a great, great local man. This was represented at his funeral, where we had former Liberal Party leaders in Jeff Kennett and Alan Brown, the member for Hawthorn was there as well and former members Gary Blackwood, Ian Maxfield and the Honourable Steve Crabb. This is how loved John was by this chamber. It is quite interesting that when Steve Crabb was the Minister of Transport and John was the shadow minister for transport John’s daughter Anne married Steve’s son Martin. It would have been an interesting Christmas dinner at that time, but I have been assured they never talked about politics.

John was very much loved in this place, even to the point where an attendant in the upper house invited John and Beth to their wedding – that is how much he was loved in this place.

Two of his passions, two of the things he loved the most about being a member, were deb balls and CFA brigades. John and Beth went to every deb ball they possibly could. They were like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; they could both dance very, very well. Their love was so great that they would sneak into other electorates and go to their deb balls as well. I imagine that would not be received too well today, but back then it was. John also loved his fire stations and the CFA brigades because he felt that was the real sense of a community, a real sense of volunteers coming together and community coming together to look after their local community. That was one of his greatest loves as well. He will be very, very sadly missed in my area.

I know when I won the election, before I could even figure out how to log onto the parliamentary system on my computer, John and Beth were at my door. John sat down and gave me all the secrets to being in opposition, which I will not share because I do not want the government to know. John was passionate about the Liberal Party. He was passionate about the seat of Narracan, and he was so pleased when I won the supplementary election that he was there front and centre – he was the first person to come and visit me.

To Beth and her family, we thank you very much for sharing John with us. He was a great local community advocate. He was unparalleled in his passion. Our community and that of Neerim South benefited greatly because of his passion and the difference he made. For that, on behalf of the people of Narracan, I thank you very much. Vale, John Delzoppo.

The SPEAKER (12:38): I would like to make a few brief comments and a contribution. On behalf of the Legislative Assembly and the Speaker’s office, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family of the Honourable John Delzoppo OAM. To his wife Beth, his children, his nine grandchildren and his seven great-grandchildren, you are in our thoughts.

As has been noted, Mr Delzoppo’s service to this Parliament and his community was extensive. Not only did he serve as Speaker with distinction but he left an indelible mark on the Parliament through his time as the member for Narracan and as a diligent committee member. Mr Delzoppo’s contribution as Speaker is still felt today. I and previous speakers have regularly referred and continue to refer to his many sensible rulings from the Chair. He garnered respect from all sides of the chamber for his fair rulings and for his ability to treat all members equally.

Hearing some of the stories in today’s contributions and from Speaker Delzoppo’s time is a reminder how much has changed over the decades but how much is also the same, particularly here in the chamber. For example, there are no baths in the Speaker’s office, and, as you will have noted, there are two babies in the chamber today. So much has changed, but we thank the Honourable John Delzoppo for his contribution as Speaker and as the member for Narracan.

Members, the question is that the motion be agreed to. I ask all members to signify their assent by standing in their places in silence.

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

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (12:41): I move:

That, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honourable John Delzoppo, the house now adjourns until 2 pm today.

Motion agreed to.

House adjourned 12:41 pm.

The SPEAKER took the chair at 2:02 pm.