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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (23 May) . . Page.. 1619 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

I came to know David very well. He was one of the most remarkable figures in the Labor Party in the ACT. He was always able with his humour and his willingness to endure any crisis with a seemingly calm and positive approach to the situation. David assisted me as well with a number of publications and other work that I needed to have done here in my capacity as a member of the party. Indeed, before my election to this place, I worked for John Langmore, the then member for Fraser, and I knew David in his capacity as a helper and assistant in campaigns there.

David will be greatly missed, because he had the capacity to take the sometimes vague and incoherent ideas that members of parliament had when it came to what they wanted published or how they wanted things presented and fashion them into something that looked highly professional and well presented. In that regard, someone like David does not come along very often in the Labor Party.

My partner, Nelida, knew David very well and I know that she was deeply upset by his passing. It was indeed a shock. She had the opportunity to deal with David on a regular basis through her activities in the Labor Party. They spoke regularly, almost on a daily basis during campaign periods, and his not being there anymore is a vacuum which many of us are still finding very difficult to comprehend.

Mr Speaker, he was a fine member of the Labor Party and he will be sorely missed. I join Mr Stanhope in extending condolences to David Green's family and the family of Joan Tompsett. Her contribution also will be greatly missed.

MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care) (5.14), in reply: Mr Speaker, in closing the debate, I would like to join members of the Labor Party in extending sympathy to the family of David Green. I knew David Green very well, not the least being because he once lived three or four doors from where I currently live. He moved from there quite some time ago, 15 years or so.

David Green came back to talk to me some years ago after his son Matthew died of a heroin overdose. He was looking for a way to try to deal with that issue. It was through David's influence that Families and Friends of Drug Law Reform was commenced.

I dealt with David on many occasions on a number of issues. One thing that I was never in any doubt about in my mind as he made it clear was that he was a member of the Labor Party and an extraordinarily devoted one at that. I always respected that, as he would expect me to. His assistance with some of the things that I was doing did not interfere with that and I understood that.

I was pleased to hear Mr Stanhope and Mr Corbell talking today about his contribution to the Australian Labor Party. I know of the contribution he made there. But I am sure that my colleagues will agree that his contribution to the community went much broader than that and occurred in many ways. I was aware of community groups seeking the sort of help that Mr Corbell was talking about regarding clarifying their ideas and helping to publish those ideas. David Green was always willing to assist there.

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