Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death, on 1 March 2008, of Sid Spindler, a senator for Victoria from 1990 to 1996.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate records its deep regret at the death, on 1 March 2008, of Siegfried Emil (Sid) Spindler, former senator for Victoria, and places on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Looking around the chamber, I know a number of us knew Sid personally and served with him and were very saddened to hear of his passing. Sid was born to German parents in Poland in 1932 and was only seven when the German forces invaded. He grew up through the oppressive Nazi occupation and in the dying stages of the war he joined the hordes of refugees moving westward across Europe. Sid Spindler and his family ended up settling in East Germany. However, with the postwar Soviet occupation, it soon became apparent that they had traded one totalitarian regime for another. So in September 1949, at the age of 17, he migrated to Australia.

In his first speech as a senator, Sid recalled that the experience of growing up under the Nazi and Soviet regimes, of living through the horrors of the Second World War, particularly the Holocaust, had had a profound effect on him. It ingrained in him a very strong social conscience, an impassioned commitment to Australia’s democratic values and a burning to fight for justice and fairness for others. Upon arriving in Australia, Sid Spindler trod the path that many postwar migrants took and began by taking jobs in factories and on building sites. He was one of the many new Australians during that period whose hard work helped build the infrastructural foundations of Australia’s modern economy. He was a very worthy migrant to this country.

He, again like many other Australians, worked his way up to owning his own business, a painting and decorating business, which had become very successful by the time he sold it two decades later. At the same time, he was juggling the challenges of part-time study, marriage and raising four kids. He earned a law degree from the University of Melbourne, a qualification which no doubt helped to further instil in him his deep sense of justice. By the early 1970s, Sid Spindler had sold his business and started working in public service roles. He was the administrator of the Outer Eastern Regional Council for Social Development, he worked at the Community College of Central Australia at Alice Springs, for the Northern Territory government and also for United Nations consultancies in Tonga and Western Samoa. Again, these experiences were formative for Sid, particularly the time he spent in the Northern Territory with Indigenous communities, which he said engendered in him ‘an abiding respect and affection for Aboriginal people and a strong and continuing interest in their quest for justice’. It is worth noting that Sid Spindler’s commitment to Indigenous Australians continued for the rest of his life.

As he continued in new social justice work, his involvement in politics also grew. In 1972 he joined the Australia Party. Many will not remember the Australia Party. He went on in 1977 to help found the Australian Democrats. From 1981 to 1990 he worked as a senior adviser to Don Chipp and Janine Haines, until he was elected to the Senate in 1990 with the highest vote ever enjoyed by the Australian Democrats in Victoria.

He soon developed a reputation for being one of the most hardworking senators in this place. Over his term from 1990 to 1996, Sid Spindler holds the record for speaking more than any other member in either house. I can personally vouch for that. He had a lot to say. He was a tireless advocate for those whom he saw to be oppressed or disadvantaged, particularly Indigenous Australians, asylum seekers, prisoners and pensioners. He used his opportunity as a senator to be a voice for them. He also used his time as a senator to campaign for the environment and against child labour, the exploitation of textile workers and discrimination towards same-sex couples.

Sid Spindler made a significant contribution to the Senate. He was a very principled man. He was a man I was very fond of. He always had something interesting to say. He always challenged your thinking and was a very significant senator in his time. He led the Democrat negotiations with the Keating government over the Mabo legislation, something of which I know he was very proud. He also played an important role in the development of industrial relations laws that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual preference. At the time he was quoted as saying, ‘For a civilised nation, equality should not be just words but should be translated into legislative action.’

When he left the Senate in 1996 at the age of 64, he might have reasonably thought that much of his political work was behind him; whereas, in fact, it seemed as though it was just beginning. In his later life, Sid Spindler immersed himself in Indigenous affairs. He continued to be a prominent activist for the causes of Indigenous Australians. He co-founded the Defenders of Native Title and the Victorian committee on deaths in custody. During the period I served as Labor’s opposition spokesman on Indigenous affairs, he was not backward in sending an email or two or making sure you understood his views or his causes. He was still very active.

He also moved into philanthropy and established the Towards a Just Society Fund with his family. This fund, through which Sid Spindler will certainly live on, distributes financial assistance to Indigenous students to the tune of about $200,000 a year. It aims to prevent Indigenous students from withdrawing from study because of financial pressures and, in so doing, to help bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous education outcomes, a cause which is very close to the heart of this government and, I hope, to the hearts of all senators.

I am glad that Sid Spindler was alive to witness the apology to the stolen generations on 13 February 2008. I understand he was thrilled. I think that apart from his role in the formation of the Australian Democrats he will be best remembered for his deep commitment to Indigenous Australians. It is a credit to the Democrats that part of their contribution to public life has been the interesting and different personalities that they have seen elected to this place, who have contributed to political life in a way that perhaps senators from Labor and the coalition sides have not in the sense of being different sorts of characters. Sid was certainly one of those. He very much added to the place, as well as making a significant contribution to the Senate.

Sid Spindler passed away on his 50th wedding anniversary on 1 March 2008 after a yearlong battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Julia, children Karen, Chris, Linden and Rebecca and four grandchildren. On behalf of the government, I offer our sincere condolences to Julia and his family on the passing of a remarkable and inspirational man who made an extraordinary contribution to public life and to Australian politics.

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the coalition to support the motion moved by Senator Evans and to extend our sincere sympathies to the family of Sid Spindler on his sad passing on 1 March. Senator Evans has properly detailed Sid Spindler’s very distinguished political career as a senator for the state of Victoria. I will not repeat the details of that remarkable life, but I would like to touch on the key contribution that Sid made to the Senate.

It can truly be said that Sid Spindler made the most of his term in the federal Senate. Like Senator Evans, I served with Sid in the Senate from July 1993 until his retirement in 1996, and he contributed significantly to debate in this place during his term here. He was a very energetic contributor to the chamber and his committee work and worked tirelessly on amendments to legislation. Those of us in the bigger parties forget that those in the smaller parties have to work very hard in covering a whole range of legislation. Sid certainly did that. He served as the law and justice spokesperson for the Australian Democrats, and he was a longstanding member of the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority.

Of particular interest from my point of view was, as Senator Evans mentioned, Sid’s key involvement in the Democrats’ negotiations with the Keating government over their first attempt at legislating on native title, the Native Title Act 1993. He may regret that he was not here for another term. If he had continued for one more term, I have no doubt that he would have played a key part in the Senate debate in 1997 and 1998 on our government’s amendments to the Native Title Act, which I know only too well was the longest debate in the Senate’s history and one of the most difficult and complex.

Sid was probably one of the most frequent contributors to debate in the chamber during his term. His commitment to social justice was a strong and consistent feature of his work as a senator. He commenced a number of campaigns—campaigns to end child labour, to end discrimination against same-sex couples and to improve the treatment of asylum seekers. He had a perspective on issues different from most of those on our side of politics, but we respected the integrity of his position enormously.

Sid’s approach to issues was, no doubt, shaped by his remarkable earlier life. As Senator Evans mentioned, Sid spent his early life in war-torn Europe and then migrated to Australia in 1949 as a 17-year-old. No doubt that had an enormous bearing on his attitudes and political beliefs. It is one of the great things about Australia and the democracy that we have formed in this country that a man like Sid can come to Australia from war-torn Europe as a teenager and, ultimately, successfully become a member of this great chamber. It is a fantastic effort on Sid’s part and a great reflection on this great democracy of which we are all privileged to be part. He played a key part in the formation of the Democrats—a party that is of interest to those on our side because it was primarily formed by a former Liberal, Don Chipp. Sid worked closely with Don Chipp in the formation of that party. It is a reminder of the fickleness of politics that the Democrats, as of 30 June, will no longer have anybody in this chamber—something that would, no doubt, have made Sid extraordinarily sad.

Sid was very active after his retirement from the Senate. He was a prolific writer of letters to the editor, and he continued his work with and for Indigenous Australians, to whom he had an enormous commitment. As Senator Evans said, Sid and his family founded the Towards a Just Society Fund to assist Indigenous students at risk and prevent them from dropping out of their education. We all acknowledge the fundamental importance of education to the ultimate aspirations of young Indigenous Australians.

To his wife, Julia, and his four children, Karen, Chris, Linden and Rebecca, and their families: the opposition places on record its profound appreciation of Sid’s meritorious public service and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to join the debate on this condolence motion on the death of former Democrats senator Sid Spindler. We are saddened to lose our colleague and friend Sid, who died on 1 March, aged 75, on his 50th wedding anniversary. I understand that his death was a peaceful one and that he was surrounded by family on that day. Sid was diagnosed with liver cancer 12 months ago—a diagnosis which, as we all know, often indicates a limited lifetime. On behalf of the Democrats, I offer our condolences to Sid’s widow, Julia; his four children; his many grandchildren; his extended family; and his friends.

Sid’s contribution to Australian politics is a huge one. He was a man who fought injustice all his life and he was central to the formation of our party 30 years ago. He won great respect for his work in the Senate from 1990 to 1996. During his formative years, growing up during the war in Poland, he witnessed first-hand the Jewish ghettos. His dawning realisation of the enormity of what he was witnessing—that these people would be exterminated in Nazi gas chambers—led him to condemn humanitarian abuses of states and to question and condemn the evils of discrimination at every level.

Sid worked extremely hard. He was, as others have said, a prolific writer and speaker, particularly in the chamber but also in the media. He fought many, many battles. He was determined to defend human rights and to improve the lives and the opportunities of those most marginalised in society. He will be remembered for his campaigns to end child labour and the exploitation of outworkers in the textile industry, for establishing a fighting fund for legal challenges to woodchip licences and for campaigns on sexuality discrimination and the treatment of asylum seekers. He was very opposed to militarism. He went to Tahiti to protest against the French nuclear tests there, the last to be held in that part of the world. He challenged the Keating government’s economic policies and prepared alternative budgets to theirs, which took an enormous amount of time and effort, and he put forward alternative proposals for things like tariff protection.

He was perhaps one of the few to have extracted an apology from former Premier of Victoria Jeff Kennett, who accused him of being a Nazi because of the fact that he was, as all children of German parents were, enrolled in the Nazi youth. But, as Jeff Kennett admitted, he was reacting to yet another of Sid Spindler’s efforts to bring about accountability of government by calling for an inquiry, which was eventually abandoned, into casino licences in Victoria. Sid was the first parliamentarian to hold an inquiry independent of the parliament, and that one was into tariffs. He won changes to the industrial relations laws to stop discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual preference, age and physical and mental disability, and he had customs duty removed from wheelchairs.

He led the Democrat negotiations team on native title and was a campaigner even in retirement against Indigenous disadvantage. It was one of his passions. Just days before he died, he said that the 13 February apology to the stolen generations had gladdened his heart more than any other single public event over his long life. In his first speech in the parliament, in August 1990, he declared ‘a strong and continuing interest in their’—that is, Indigenous Australians’—’quest for justice and a place in our community that takes account of their cultural and spiritual heritage, which can and should enrich our own’. Twelve years later Sid, with family and donor supporters, established his own philanthropic fund, called Towards a Just Society, dedicated to supporting Indigenous education.

He was a law graduate who had a successful painting and decorating business in the 1970s, but he worked to establish the Australian Democrats, as I said, and he worked for over a decade as a senior adviser to party leaders Don Chipp and Janine Haines. He won a Senate seat in Victoria in 1990 with, as has been mentioned, one of the highest votes ever.

On Sid’s retirement a member of his staff, Matthew Townsend, arranged for bound volumes of his speeches to be put together and he presented them to Sid. It formed a pile that was bigger than several urban phone directories, which led his widow, Julia, to say, ‘He’d have spoken even more often if they’d let him!’ I am sure that is the case. He was a serial overachiever and always overworked. It was nothing for him to expect his staff to be on duty at least six days a week, preferably seven.

His mother-in-law also said that he was a deft delegator. She once said, ‘Every time you see him, you get a job,’ and that was certainly my experience with Sid as well. There was always something that you could do to assist some cause. I spent quite a bit of time in his office ahead of coming into the Senate to replace him, and that was my experience too. Everyone was pulled in to serve the greater good of whatever the campaign was.

He did not seek re-election after his retirement, but he did admit to me later that he was disappointed in that because he felt that after six years he was just hitting his straps. We agreed that a two-year term is one in which you can develop those skills and really work on the campaigns that you most want to achieve in. But he was not well and he also felt that his family had paid too high a price for his obsession with changing the world. Of course, on his retirement he became much more active in Aboriginal affairs. He became a business manager at the Alice Springs Community College in the late seventies. Aboriginal affairs was a cause that he and Julia supported, including campaigns for reconciliation, a treaty and the implementation of the reforms proposed by the deaths in custody inquiry.

In January he was dismayed that fellow sufferers of cancer could not get an anticancer drug called Avastin. He appeared on television news services campaigning for that drug to be supplied, means tested, on the PBS list. The most recent issue of the current affairs magazine Arena featured a comprehensive and heartfelt Spindler article on empowering Aboriginal communities. So right up until the time of his failing health and his death he was working towards one campaign or another.

He also came to the launch of the Democrat election campaign in November, and it was fantastic to see him there, even though it was fairly clear to most of us that he was very ill. I am personally very grateful to Sid for the help and the mentoring that he provided to me when I contested his seat on his retirement in 1996. I will miss him and I know that other members of our party will do so, as will my colleagues, former colleagues and others in this place.

Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join very strongly in lending my support to this condolence motion for former senator Sid Spindler. What an incredible contribution he made, not just to this Senate in six short years but also to politics more broadly, to political debate, to society and to his family. The contribution by his family at his funeral service, held just last week in inner Melbourne, indicated just how proud they all were of his life, his contribution and his achievements.

When the Senate has condolence debates one often goes back to look at people’s first speeches in the chamber to see some of the things they talked about, and a few people have referred to that. They have also referred to how frequently Sid spoke in this chamber—more frequently than anybody else. I thought I would look at his final speech, and in doing so I discovered that, perhaps as an indication of how frequently he spoke, he actually gave two final speeches because one was not enough for him. On top of that, after his so-called final speeches he gave a few more speeches on other matters that were before the Senate at the time—he just needed to put his remarks on the record. During his last couple of weeks in the Senate he spoke on issues as diverse as gun control, drug law reform, the situation in Bougainville, Medicare, Customs legislation and issues, migration laws and civil liberties in general, as well as proposing Senate committee inquiries.

What was clear in his final contributions was how important he saw the role of the Senate itself. Indeed, I think it is fair to say the Democrats have always focused on the Senate’s role and on Senate processes as a means to an end and as a means of ensuring that the ends achieved are as positive and as beneficial as possible.

I think it is important to emphasise that, while we are marking the end of an era with the passing of Sid Spindler and with the end of Democrat representation in this chamber at the end of June, we are also approaching a time when the Senate will once again return to a situation where it is not dominated by any single party—where the crossbenches will have a say on crucial issues and no one party will have control. I think it is important to emphasise just how crucial it is to get the Senate back to doing that job. Senator Minchin was right: it is often forgotten just how immense the task can be for people from smaller parties if they really want to properly do the job of looking, as he said, at every clause in every bill—certainly where there is a balance of power scenario in play—and assessing whether or not they should be supported, opposed or amended and improved. That really is part and parcel of our task here.

For all sorts of reasons that key role has been degraded in recent years. It is absolutely pivotal, as the Senate moves into a new era in more ways that one come 1 July, that that key role is restored. People could do worse than look back at the contribution made to that role by Sid Spindler—not specifically at his personal views, his policy views or the amendments he did or did not get up but at the way he went about it. Having said how hard it is for the smaller parties, I would appreciate it is even more difficult to be in a position like Senator Fielding, where you are a sole player, if you like, in positions of sometimes immense responsibility. So I provide that totally unsolicited advice and thank him for his presence in the chamber and for his support for this motion.

When looking at the two last speeches that Sid Spindler gave in this chamber, what came through more than anything was the absolute importance of the Senate processes working as effectively as possible and the fact that, even where people disagree quite strongly on issues, they can work together effectively when they actually seek to do so. I really hope the Senate can get back to functioning in that way because, frankly, in the last few years it has not done so anywhere near as much as it should.

The issues that Sid Spindler worked on in his life, let alone during his six years in this chamber, which is really quite a short period, were just far too numerous to note in any one speech that I could give here—earlier I rattled off about 10 issues that he addressed in just his final two weeks in this chamber. But there is no doubt that he gave key priority to the situation facing Indigenous Australians. Often it is the case that more recent immigrants to this country can more immediately see the enormity of the inequality and the importance to the future of the nation for all of us—the nation that they have migrated to and chosen to become a part of—of addressing that inequality. It seems to me that sometimes more recent migrants can be more conscious of the importance of that than people whose families have been here for a few generations. After his time in the parliament, Sid remained an incredibly strong voice in putting those issues forward—as he had been prior to his time here.

His role in the formation of the Australian Democrats has been referred to in passing by previous speakers, but I think it needs to be put on the record that, along with a few other people apart from Don Chipp, he really did play an absolutely central role. Understandably the focus has always been on the role of Don Chipp, and he needs to be lauded and acknowledged as the key player, but there are a few others without whose enormous effort and vision the party would not have got off the ground. Sid Spindler is one of those absolutely pivotal individuals.

As has been mentioned, he was involved in the Australia Party prior to the Democrats, from 1972—it was good to see a few other people from that era at his funeral in Melbourne. As he said himself on the record in this chamber, he first approached Don Chipp as early as 1972 to float the idea of him getting on board with the Australia Party. It took a range of circumstances and events before that came about in 1977. It shows the benefit of perseverance and of sowing a seed. Even if somebody says no initially it can bear fruit down the track, and he played a key role in continuing to explore those sorts of options. It is worth noting, given the circumstances and history of the Democrats, that it was formed when the Australia Party—which had been around for some years and had tried out a different participatory ethos and a different approach to politics—chose to collapse itself, in effect, and become part of another party. It is an interesting historical parallel given the situation the Democrats are now in 30 years down the track.

Sid Spindler also specifically pointed out, in some of his final speeches, the enormous impact on his family of his pursuing his passions with determination. As he said, while he preferred the words ‘determination’ and ‘single-mindedness’, many others, including his friends, colleagues, staff and certainly his family, would sometimes be inclined to use the term ‘pig-headedness’. But, to quote him, the inevitable result of his determination, single-mindedness or pig-headedness—perhaps all three—was that the children got short-changed. As he said, he knew—and he even knew originally—that he was depriving them and himself of the time, friendship and personal closeness that they should have had and that he would have loved. I think it was very clear from his funeral service just last week that despite the acknowledgement that he and they made about the time he spent apart from them because of his passions in politics—towards social change and social justice—he still made an immense positive contribution to their lives. The pride that they felt in his being their father was very evident in that wonderful funeral service.

It is worth noting—because it is often forgotten, but he noted it—the contribution that staff make. Like all of us, he needed the contribution and support of hard-working and loyal staff. He specifically singled out Bev Irving, who was his staff member from the day he started until the day he finished. It was pleasing to see her also, along with some other former staff, at his funeral service. I was a staff member for other Democrat senators—Cheryl Kernot and then John Woodley—while Sid Spindler was a member of this chamber, and I think it is fair to say that all of us felt a bit sorry for Sid’s staff because whenever the rest of us were able to go out for dinner on an occasional Wednesday night, it was always Sid’s staff who had to work back. Our people worked us a bit hard—Cheryl was not exactly an easy taskmaster either—but by comparison the rest of us got it easy. That would seem unfair except that, if he made his staff work hard, he made himself work even harder. So, whilst he worked them hard, it was acknowledged and recognised by them as to why—it was not capricious; it was because of his determination to try and cover as many issues as possible and do his job as effectively as possible.

It is a fact that has been acknowledged that it did have an impact on his health. One of the reasons, amongst others, that he retired after a single term was that he had worked himself so hard that it had a significant impact on his health. He recognised the impact, also, on his family and others. Whilst it was only six years in the Senate, I think it is fair to say he probably got more out of that period than many of us would manage in the double the time or more.

I want specifically to note, apart from his strong commitment over many years to Indigenous Australians, the strong voice Sid Spindler also gave over many years to the importance of multiculturalism and the importance of defending the rights of migrants. As a migrant himself he was very conscious of this. He was, of course, one of so many examples of the migrants whose enormous contributions have made and continue to make Australia the country it is. He played a positive role—one that I supported—in taking the position that was controversial within the party in regard to migration. Where others sought to take a position of limiting migration intake, he always highlighted the positive role that migrants played—the impossibility of singling out migrants by saying we should support refugee intake but somehow oppose other migrants coming here. He took a position that I shared on that, and I think it was one that has been demonstrated, over a long period of time, to have been the correct position. That also links to his strong sense of social justice; it was a recognition of the ease with which migrants can be exploited, whether by labour laws or by workplace conditions, and economically or socially discriminated against. He played a strong and effective role in speaking out against that.

One of the other things he did in his last few months in the chamber was to introduce groundbreaking legislation seeking to remove discrimination on the grounds of sexuality from Commonwealth laws. That piece of legislation I was pleased to be able to take over from Sid and put my name to in the late 1990s. It was then transferred to the former Senator Brian Greig’s name before it ended up back in my name and reappeared again in legislation that is still before this chamber. The legislation also, I might say, triggered the first comprehensive national enquiry into the extent of discrimination on grounds of sexuality. That committee report, which was tabled in this chamber at the end of 1997 by the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee, remains groundbreaking. It remains crucial in providing example after example of the human impact of discrimination on the grounds of sexuality. It was the forerunner of and laid the foundations for a similar inquiry that was carried out 10 years later by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission.

Whilst I know Sid was very pleased to see the day when the apology to the stolen generations occurred, I am sure he would also have loved to be here on the day, which I know will come quite soon, when the legislation that removes discrimination on the grounds of sexuality from all federal laws is finally passed under this new government. We are almost there. We will get there, and when we do get there an enormous amount of credit must go to Sid Spindler for laying the groundwork, not just through putting in place legislation but also through making the case out in the community.

I was a staff member for other Democrat senators at the time he was in this place. Before he introduced his legislation I remember the significant rounds of the public consultation that he held. I can remember the ones in Brisbane that he held in the old Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Ann Street. I can remember a whole range of people coming together, outlining why change needed to occur, what the problems were and what the human impacts were. He was not just making a dry legal case but also building support at community level for the change. It is a shame that it has taken so long, but it will come and he should take a significant amount of credit for that.

The other point I would like to make in closing is on a personal level, to thank him for his ongoing support for me. The last time I had an extended conversation with him was prior to the federal election, which was obviously a difficult one for everybody who was a Democrat and those of us who were seeking to retain our seats—unsuccessfully, of course, as it panned out. He continued to provide personal support and encouragement and advice, as did Julia, his wife, I might add. It was very direct and real support and I appreciate that.

I would also emphasise that whilst he, like all of us who are involved in the Democrats, was disappointed at how things panned out at the last election and the situation that the party has found itself in, he always made clear—and it was again made clear at his funeral service by his children—political parties of all shapes and sizes and types are just a means to an end. They should not be an end in themselves. We should always remember what we are doing it for: to make the world a better place and a fairer place. There is no doubt that those core goals remained the focus of Sid Spindler’s life throughout his time in this country and through his rich contribution to Australia, including his time in this parliament. Those goals of social justice, fairness, opposition to totalitarianism and authoritarianism were common threads throughout his life. Keeping those goals in mind is what we need to focus on, not political parties and vote-gaining for its own sake.

It is a matter of some irony, which Senator Allison referred to, that Sid Spindler got smeared for allegedly being a member of the Hitler Youth purely because he was living in a country that was under Nazi occupation when all young people were compulsorily part of the Hitler Youth. On the one hand he got smeared as being a supporter of the Nazis. On the other hand, I recall in this chamber his being called a communist by one member of the Liberal Party. It is ironic in a way. I guess you get those slings and arrows in political debate, but for somebody who more than anyone else had seen firsthand—probably more than just about anyone else here in this chamber—the direct horrors of extreme totalitarian regimes such as he experienced as a young person in Europe, of Nazism, fascism and communist totalitarianism, it is ironic. He was a strong opponent of such extremism throughout his life. It is one of the perversities of politics that someone with his experiences ends up copping those sorts of attacks. It is an example not just of how he was shaped by his youth but how he continued to hold strong to those principles in the face of attacks, and his determination continued right through to his very last day.

It is worth noting, I think, that if all of us can say, not just when we leave this chamber but when we finish our time on this planet, that we have made a contribution even half as significant as Sid Spindler’s then we would feel very proud. His family are right to feel very proud of him. I associate myself with this condolence motion and with those words and pay tribute to his contribution. I wish his wife, Julia, and his children and grandchildren well and I know that they are comforted by the many, many fond memories they have. I also seek to incorporate the contribution of my colleague Senator Stott Despoja, who is not able to be here today but wishes to have her remarks incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The incorporated speech read as follows—

Motion of Condolence for former Senator Siegfried Emil (Sid) Spindler

Sid Spindler was a close friend, colleague and mentor.

I am the only current Democrat Senator to have served with him in the party room but I knew him well when I was a staff member during the early 1990s. In fact, while I was working for former Democrat Senator Karin Sowada, we were in adjoining offices.

Sid left the Senate in 1996, the year after I became a Senator. I missed his presence in the party room but he remained a respected, loved and supportive party figure and even better friend.

He is famous for his indefatigable work ethic. He was one of the few Senators there as late as the staff!

He didn’t suffer fools gladly and it took time for him to respect your commitment and talent, but to be accepted and supported by Sid was amazing. His support never wavered and I am forever grateful for that, especially during tough times in the party’s history.

Sid’s legacy is a proud one.

He was a fearless advocate for human rights, domestically and internationally. He was a passionate and tireless advocate for equality and social justice.

I learnt from his tenacity and his dedication. He worked the hardest, longest hours. He picked apart legislation, encapsulating what it was to provide a check on executive power. He moved many amendments to improve bills as well as initiating policy, Private Senator’s Bills, and inquiries he later even self funded.

Sid’s commitment to the rights of workers, refugees, indigenous Australians, and people all over the world is unassailable.

That he died on the 30th anniversary of the Mardi Gras reminds us that his work on ending discrimination for same sex couples is second to none in Federal Parliament.

Sid had a great sense of humour. He enjoyed being included in the Men of Senate calendar—yes, a bit of cheek on my behalf—and was always good for an intellectual discussion or a laugh at the many events and meetings we attended together over the years.

It is a great disappointment to me today that I cannot be there in person to eulogise this man. As I have just had my second child I am unable to travel for this sitting period. Otherwise I could do greater justice to the many fun, difficult, challenging and exciting times we had in this place and in the party.

I thank him personally for his unwavering support. He was a tower of strength during the GST debate and again when I was Leader of the party he helped form.

One of my happiest memories is celebrating the 25^th birthday of the Democrats at a dinner in Melbourne, which included former senators like Sid, Don Chipp, Norman Sanders and John Siddons. He knew I was proud to be a part of that group of like-minded party stalwarts.

Sid never gave up on the party he helped form.

He worked with former leaders and then was a Senator from 1990 to 1996.

Even while he was ill, he was still passionately espousing the Democrat cause—in spite of some devastating disappointments over the years—and was a forceful advocate for our existence.

We have lost a Democrat secure in our history and I’ve lost a friend and colleague.

He is survived by his wife Julia and children Kerry, Chris, Lindy and Bec, to whom the party and my family (Ian, Conrad and Cordelia) send our love and best wishes and thank them for the time they allowed us with their husband and father.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.