Tuesday, 30 July 2024

Hon. Barry Pullen

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

That this house expresses its sincere sorrow at the death of the Honourable Barry Pullen 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 Council for the province of Melbourne from 1982 to 1999, Minister for Conservation and Environment in 1992, Minister for Education and Training from 1991 to 1992, Minister for Education from 1990 to 1991, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Minister for the Arts in 1989 and Minister for Housing and Construction from 1988 to 1990.

A big thinker, a gentle socialist, a Rasputin lookalike, a man who was doggedly decent – these are just some of the words that have been used to describe Barry Pullen over the course of his parliamentary career. And Barry was all of these things – smart, kind and determinedly decent. To me, first and foremost though, Barry was a man who lived his Labor values. As a community activist and as a councillor, as a member of Parliament and as a cabinet minister, Barry Pullen believed deeply in the values of fairness, compassion and connection, and that every person who reaches their full potential helps us reach our own. Barry knew this because he had lived it.

Barry was born in Brunswick just two months after the declaration of World War II in 1939, the son of a working-class family that relied on public housing. It was a tough upbringing. So tight was money that Barry left school before he could matriculate, doing a number of semiskilled jobs to rake in just enough to support his family. It was during this time that Barry came to know the struggle of so many migrant Australians – highly educated, articulate but forced to take up those manual jobs, such was the prevailing sense of suspicion at the time.

It was from them, Barry reflected, that he first learned the power of collectivism, and it was because of them, Barry said, that he was encouraged to return to his studies. Working part-time and studying part-time, Barry completed his degree in civil engineering. From there he spent two decades in the Commonwealth and Victorian public services working on some of our state’s and our nation’s most important projects. But it was the end of the street that awakened Barry’s political activism, when in 1969 an ordinary-looking letter from the then Liberal government landed in the letterboxes of residents at Brooks Crescent, North Fitzroy. Their street was a slum, it pronounced, and the housing commission would soon be demolishing every home in the area. It was a decision that relied on an uninformed notion – a notion that these home owners were too poor, too migrant, too working class to fight back. But the commission had underestimated these residents. Certainly it had underestimated Barry Pullen, and under his leadership the Fitzroy Residents Association was born and a battle ensued.

As is so often the case, the union movement came to join the fight for the cause of justice, establishing a ban on demolishing residents’ homes. After four long years the commission conceded and Brooks Crescent was allowed to remain whole. For Barry it was yet another reminder of the power of collectivism, the power of people united against injustice and inequality, and it was a lesson Barry carried with him throughout his parliamentary and ministerial career.

He was first elected as a member of the Legislative Council for Melbourne in 1982. He then went on to serve as our state’s first Minister for Housing and Construction. During this time his mum was still in the same public home that Barry had grown up in as a kid. His mum had become one of his own tenants. Over the course of his time in this place he added the ministerial portfolios of education and training, conservation and environment, and more to his long list of public service, and in each of these roles Barry carried with him the same steely determination to, as he put it, listen to the plight of people.

So much of Barry’s work lives on today: the introduction of the transformed VCE, which I was studying at the time; his focus on learning a second language in our schools; his work to protect our native green spaces; and of course his fierce advocacy for housing reform, including the establishment of a shared ownership scheme. But Barry’s contribution extended far beyond his time in this place. Following his retirement in 1999 Barry devoted himself to a number of local organisations, including the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Good Shepherd and the Victorian Council of Social Service. He also continued his activism, and there was a bit to be active about at the time. He was a relentless agitator for the reopening of Fitzroy High, one of the many schools that were closed under the then Kennett government and a school that Labor has proudly not just reopened but also expanded. Until his death Barry also remained so deeply connected to his community. I am told on the news of his passing many of the old-timers at some of Fitzroy’s perhaps less gentrified pubs paused and raised their pints in honour of Barry.

Earlier this month we paid tribute in a slightly more formal setting, though a no less fitting location, being the Fitzroy town hall. Hundreds of people came together to honour Barry’s life and contributions and to honour his commitment to our cause and his belief in our promise, because over the course of his 84 years Barry never wavered. He had seen firsthand how easy it is to spread fear and ignorance and division, how easy it is to sow hate instead of hope, but Barry also knew that Labor’s cause, albeit never easy, was meaningful – that with heart and grit we can change things and make things better and fairer for people who really need it. As a party and as a government we thank Barry for his lifetime contribution and recommit ourselves to his fight.

If we can take some solace from his passing, Barry now rests with the love of his life, his wife and co-activist Margaret, and to his family, and on behalf of a grateful state I would like to extend my condolences to his daughters Naomi, Joanna and Emma, his beloved grandchildren and everyone who loved him. Vale, Barry Pullen.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (12:13): I am pleased to join with the Premier in support of this condolence motion. The passing of the Honourable Barry Thomas Pullen this year at the age of 84 marks the loss of a respected former member of Parliament and minister. Barry Pullen was a passionate campaigner for urban and multicultural communities and a strong example of the power of grassroots community advocacy. He was a dedicated minister and someone who made a significant contribution to our state and our community’s enduring fabric.

Barry was born in 1939 in Melbourne to parents Thomas Pullen, a fibrous plasterer, and Ellen Roderick. He went on to study at the University of Melbourne as well as RMIT and eventually became a civil engineer. His professional life before entering politics was incredibly varied, starting as a survey assistant and eventually rising to the role of Victorian director of the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development and then later to the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works commission.

He was a fierce supporter of inner Melbourne and especially the suburb of Fitzroy. After moving there in 1965, Barry and his wife Margaret fell in love with the local multicultural communities, made up then predominantly of Greek and Italian communities. Both Barry and Margaret were founding members of the Fitzroy Residents Association and were deeply involved in the fight against the then housing commission’s demolition plans in order to erect high-rise public housing towers. It is therefore no surprise that his first public office was as a Fitzroy city councillor in the years 1972 to 1976.

Barry’s path to Parliament was through deep and sustained involvement in community advocacy instead of the traditional Labor pathway through union sponsorship. In 1982 Barry was elected to the state Parliament of Victoria representing Labor in the Council for the seat of Melbourne. He served the Victorian people in Parliament for 17 years, from 1982 to 1999. His ministerial career spanned several portfolios across four years in the Cain and Kirner Labor governments, including housing and construction, conservation and environment, education, education and training, agriculture and rural affairs and the arts. Upon his elevation to the ministry in 1988 the then Herald noted that:

In ALP ranks, the grey-bearded civil engineer and Melbourne MLC is known as a hard worker with a passion for detail. He also has a sense of humor.

These are all traits, of course, valuable in any new minister. In the same article Barry told the Herald that he believed that his ministry needed to run more like a business, a sentiment which I am sure was shared by his Liberal parliamentary colleagues at the time and which the opposition shares today. Barry spoke fondly about his time as a minister, especially for housing and construction, mentioning that it was funny that many people who he had worked with as an engineer, including those who were very much senior to him, now reported to him.

One of his most significant legacies as a minister was overseeing the implementation of the then Victorian certificate of education, which is well known to Victorian high school students today. Outside of his ministerial duties Barry received considerable community praise following a shock knife attack by a mentally ill person in 1992. Then Magistrate Barrow commended Barry for his bravery during the incident and for coming to the aid of an electorate officer despite being wounded in the attack.

Barry announced his retirement from politics in 1999, telling the media that:

By standing aside the ALP has the opportunity to bring on some fresh and talented people …

After leaving Parliament and for the next 20 years Barry devoted his time to volunteering, including for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Victorian Council of Social Service. He was a proud father to three daughters, Naomi, Joanna and Emma, and a beloved grandfather.

On behalf on this side of the house I convey our deep appreciation to the Honourable Barry Thomas Pullen for his service to the Victorian Parliament and the community he loved. We extend our sincere condolences to his entire family and his friends. May he rest in peace.

Katie HALL (Footscray) (12:18): When Barry Pullen and Caroline Hogg retired from politics in 1999 they were described by former Premier Joan Kirner as ‘two of the best’. Indeed Barry Pullen lived a life of service, advocacy and activism. The most powerful activism is grounded in community and a sense of place. When the Hamer government started purchasing blocks in his area, a young Barry was galvanised to protect the interests of his neighbours, who were mostly migrants or pensioners. He organised his community, taking his fight to the Supreme Court. On the back of this organising, Barry helped found the Fitzroy Residents Association with his life partner Margaret.

He was a Fitzroy city councillor from 1972 to 1976 and became an engineer by trade employed by the then Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development. Barry worked his way up from a survey assistant to a draftsman, a technical officer and a lead engineer and eventually became the department’s director. In 1982 he was elected to the Victorian Parliament representing the seat of Melbourne. In 1988 he became a minister in the very department that gave him his start as a young public servant. He served as the Minister for Housing and Construction from 1988 to 1990. He succeeded in his purpose and vision. A lifelong commitment to public housing saw Barry champion the cause from community activism through to heading policy committees and departments all the way to executive leadership of the housing portfolio. There are few who can demonstrate not only so much passion for their community and their values but also so much success in transforming this passion into meaningful action. He was appointed the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Minister for the Arts in 1989, and in 1990 he succeeded Joan Kirner as the Minister for Education, becoming Minister for Education and Training in 1991.

In 1992 Barry became the Minister for Conservation and Environment, and it was during his tenure as Minister for Conservation and Environment that Barry, alongside his electorate staff, was attacked by a knife-wielding constituent one morning whilst meeting with a group of local residents. It was noted at the time that Barry did not take notice of his injury. Instead he rushed out to follow the attacker to ensure that no-one else was harmed. Despite taking place over a few minutes, those few minutes encapsulated Barry’s dedication to those around him. From meeting with constituents in one moment to tackling and chasing a man with a knife the next, Barry’s concern was always for others and how to do right by them. His time in politics was bookended by a commitment to those around him.

Once he retired from public office it was inconceivable to Barry that he would subsequently retire from advocacy and activism. He was instrumental in advocating for the reopening of Fitzroy High after it had been closed by the Kennett government. His intimate knowledge of the community and how to galvanise it around the important issues is something that will be greatly missed. His legacy continues not just in his community but throughout the Parliament and Victoria. As Minister for Housing and Construction he hired and mentored a young Richard Wynne, a social worker who worked in public housing who would then go on to be a Minister for Housing himself. Barry’s genuine compassion and care for those in public housing was shared deeply by his eventual successor, fostering a culture of empathy and a genuine desire to do good.

These connections and the stories that emerge of mentor and mentee make Parliament the place it is. More than a building, this is a community. It is because of people like Barry Pullen that this community is one I am proud to be a part of. The opportunity to carry on a legacy of kindness and compassion is one that we should all be grateful and thankful to have. He is remembered not only by his daughters Joanna, Naomi and Emma but by the countless lives he touched through his impressive career both as an MP and as a community leader. From a life lived in dedication to the people of Melbourne and Victoria, Barry’s knowledge, wisdom and kindness are a tremendous loss to our community. Vale, Barry Pullen.

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (12:23): I rise to support the Premier in her condolence motion to the house. Barry Pullen, if you read the research for this, was a person who was steeped in his community and in support for his community through his whole working life, including his time in politics. As is always the case when you read the inaugural speech of a member of Parliament, Barry commented on the fact that he was coming to the Parliament when there was a Labor government, and he commended his colleagues who had spent decades on the opposition benches through the Bolte, the Hamer and the Thompson years. He was fortunate to come into Parliament and be part of government, and in later years he got the opportunity to serve as a minister in that government as well. He spoke about the fact that before preparing that speech to Parliament he thought about what the things were that led him to come into Parliament, and that was about his community involvement, including in local government, and the fact that to consider the larger issues he had come across in his community involvement you actually needed to go to the big house on the hill, effectively, to be involved in policy decisions to achieve better outcomes.

As has already been said by other people who have contributed, the issue of the housing commission and the redevelopment of Brooks Crescent in Fitzroy was one of the issues that drove him to be involved and want to go into the bigger house on the hill. The other issue that he spoke about in that speech was the building of the Eastern Freeway through Fitzroy and Collingwood and the fact that at the time that was extremely controversial. He noted that there were up to 600 police deployed there because of the demonstrations against that particular freeway.

As we do these condolence motions, the old is new and the new is old sometimes because we see contemporary issues that are very much the same issues that Barry dealt with as an activist on behalf of his community. I think the article that Brian Howe, a former Deputy Prime Minister, and Richard Wynne, a former minister in this place, wrote about Barry is very, very fitting. Can I just comment that I had the opportunity and the honour of hosting Brian Howe at a shearing shed at Toolleen when he was Deputy Prime Minister. Brian is a tall man. The shearing shed beams were low and he hit his head very severely, and everyone was very worried that they had done a significant injury to the Deputy Prime Minister at the time. But being the rough-and-tumble guy he is, he just rubbed his head and we got on with it. Everyone else was very worried about Brian’s health after he did that. The words that they wrote in the article – I suggest those that have not read it go and research it – are a very good precis of the history of Barry and his activism in the local campaigns in the area before politics, while in politics and post politics, as the Leader of the Opposition said. They said that for four decades Barry and his wife were involved in any issues in that particular part of Melbourne.

As has already been said, he came to the Labor Party through community involvement and community activism more so than through the union movement, as some other Labor members of Parliament do. He was committed to his community as a councillor and to the redevelopment I spoke about. He was always interested in the collective and making things better for the people of his particular community. As has also been said, post politics for the next 20 years he devoted his time to the Good Shepherd sisters, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Victorian Council of Social Service rather than actually taking on paid employment in consultancy or board membership. He gave back to the community that he came from. That article from Brian Howe and Richard Wynne is something that I commend for people to read.

In his time in government, as I said, in the latter years he got to serve in a number of ministries: as Minister for the Arts, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Minister for Housing and Construction, Minister for Education, Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Conservation and Environment. I also note that in his 17 years in Parliament he stayed on in opposition for the seven years of the Kennett government as a shadow minister. For someone that had been a minister and been there for a number of years I do not imagine it was always easy for him as a shadow minister in the heady days of the Kennett government, but he was Shadow Minister for Environment, Shadow Minister for Conservation and Environment and Shadow Minister for Natural Resources and contributed over that time to his community and to his party.

I note that when he and Caroline Hogg stepped aside and decided not to contest the 1999 election to allow renewal in the Labor Party, the now Premier was one of the candidates that was preselected to enter this Parliament. I congratulate the Premier on her time in the Parliament, because she went on, after being preselected, to win the seat of Bendigo East.

We speak in these condolence motions regularly about people that entered Parliament for the reason of service to their community. I think Barry Pullen is an outstanding example for the reasons he came into Parliament and the service he gave to his community. So to his family in the gallery and to his extended family, our condolences, and we wish for them to celebrate a life that was so well lived.

Steve DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh – Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:29): Barry Thomas Pullen was the son of a plasterer who grew up in the Brunswick and Coburg housing commission areas, as has been stated. Forced to leave school early to earn his board, he worked at a variety of semiskilled jobs. It was a time of postwar migration, and his workmates included many highly cultured and well-educated new Australians. They taught him how to play chess and encouraged him to study further, which he did, as the Premier referred to. Barry spent over two decades in the public service as a civil engineer and administrator. He was a man who slogged away carefully and for the most part quietly, first at the grassroots level at the Fitzroy Residents Association, as has been mentioned, then as a local councillor and party member and finally as a backbencher in the upper house for six years before being elected Minister for Housing and Construction in 1988.

He was a proud Labor man who considered himself incredibly fortunate to enter this place. Barry started his career in the community he loved and knew that the issues he was facing could only be resolved at the highest levels, the houses of Parliament. During his time in the public service he often had to carry out programs developed by governments and understood how important the link is between effective machinery to carry out those actions and the development of effective policy at the government level. He understood how the system worked like nobody else. He had the invaluable knowledge of all tiers of government, which made him so successful in the delivery of policy. Following his elevation to the ministry in 1988, Barry bravely took on some of the most difficult portfolios, as have been mentioned: housing and construction, agriculture and rural affairs, the arts, education and conservation and environment. He lived in a single-storey Victorian brick house in Fitzroy, apparently entangled in the sort of overgrown lush garden you would expect from a would-be conservation minister.

Whilst his enduring passion lay in housing rights, Barry was a keen environmentalist and budding conservationist. In 1992 he was appointed as Victoria’s Minister for Conservation and Environment. He took a particular interest in our stunning Yarra Bend Park, calling it:

… the lungs of central Melbourne and its enhancement and extension should be a priority for any civilised government.

As conservation and environment minister he advocated for an increase in open space in Melbourne, saying that:

… Melburnians must be extremely vigilant in protecting parks from erosion.

Barry understood the importance of our natural environment from the beginning of his political career, and during his time in the upper house he served as deputy chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on natural resources and the environment. During these early days he was also involved in developing the state conservation strategy and the timber strategy. Barry Pullen was a pioneer in the work that I am continuing today and the Allan Labor government is continuing today.

Barry’s interest in conservation was no doubt influenced by his friend Joan. Joining the Legislative Assembly at the same time as Barry, Joan Kirner was a true conservationist from the start. At the time Joan was Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands – all good people have been minister for the environment at some point –

Jacinta Allan interjected.

Steve DIMOPOULOS: and those who have not, a Premier – while Heather Mitchell was president of the Victorian Farmers Federation. Together they created a network of groups from different walks of life which worked together to achieve land restoration with departmental assistance. That was 1986. It proved to be a very practical grassroots movement and, by 1990, 70 groups had formed. Landcare was born in Barry Pullen’s government through the efforts of Joan Kirner and the whole government. It then spread to other states, whereupon a national Landcare program was developed. This was during the entire time that Barry was in government. During Barry’s tenure as Minister for Conservation and Environment Bob Hawke declared the 1990s the decade of Landcare. By early 2000 there were 4000 ‍Landcare groups in Australia. The Landcare model has been adopted in New Zealand and is being introduced in the United States, Iceland, Canada and parts of Asia.

In fact in that short time he was environment and conservation minister – I just want to read a few of the things he did as a bit of a reference – he released the Victorian Decade of LandcarePlan; he supported initiatives in the Royal Botanic Gardens, including a new multimillion-dollar watering system; he helped plant pine seedlings as part of the millionth hectare of softwood plantations in Australia; he sought to prohibit misleading environmental claims through amendments to the Fair Trading Act; he sought to amend the National Parks Act 1975 via the National Parks (Wilderness) Bill ‍1992 to protect high-quality wilderness areas, including 20 new wilderness areas; he fought for a better recycling and waste management system in Victoria via the Environment Protection (Resource Recovery) Bill 1992; and he introduced initiatives to help ecologically sustainable development in Victoria. I could go on. There were many, many environmental achievements in this short time, which just reminds everybody I think, and his family, of the legacy – that for Barry and for our government, for Labor Party governments, the environment movement is a Labor movement, because we started that grassroots movement.

Barry believed that his Labor government would bring about a greater degree of social justice, and he was interested in the overlap of social issues and economics. You could not find a truer Labor man. His values lay in his community and for those who were the most disadvantaged of us. His passion to help is what brought him here; in fact it is what brings us all here.

Following his exit from politics Barry continued advocating for his beloved Fitzroy community, as we heard, for the rest of his life, and indulging in his love of the outdoors: camping, hiking, bushwalking and other activities with his family. Barry was known by all as a hard worker with a passion for detail and a sense of humour. In true legacy the Pullen family has requested that in lieu of flowers tributes may be made in the form of contributions to Aboriginal Housing Victoria.

As the current Minister for Environment and on behalf of the portfolio and all the people interested in his work as environment minister and as a member of the Labor government, I want to commend the giant that he was in this movement. My sympathies to his family. This government continues the good work that he and that government started. Vale, Barry Pullen.

Nina TAYLOR (Albert Park) (12:35): We pay our deepest respects and celebrate the life of a remarkable man, the Honourable Barry Pullen. His journey, marked by a profound commitment to public service and his community, has left an indelible mark on the state of Victoria and on all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Barry was born on 1 November 1939 in Melbourne to Thomas Pullen, a fibrous plasterer, and Ellen Roderick. He grew up in a modest home where the values of hard work, dedication and community service were instilled in him from an early age. Barry’s educational journey began at Moreland State School and continued through Moreland Central School and Coburg High School. His pursuit of knowledge led him to the University of Melbourne and RMIT, where he studied to become a civil engineer.

Before entering the political arena Barry was a founding member of the Fitzroy Residents Association, and he served as a Fitzroy city councillor from 1972 to 1976. His work with the FRA was pivotal in addressing urban and social issues from preserving local heritage to improving housing conditions. This early advocacy laid the foundation for his distinguished career in public service. Barry spent over two decades in the public sector before being elected to the Victorian Parliament in 1982. His roles ranged from a survey assistant and draftsman to a civil engineer and the Victorian director of the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development. These experiences equipped him with a deep understanding of the issues facing our state, which he carried into his political career.

As a member of the Victorian Parliament from 1982 to 1999 Barry represented the Legislative Council seat of Melbourne. He was a dedicated minister in the Cain and Kirner Labor governments and held a number of ministerial portfolios. Today I shall focus on his tenure as Minister for Education. He spearheaded crucial reforms, including the introduction of the Victorian certificate of education, aimed at enhancing the quality and equity of education in Victoria. His commitment to curriculum reforms, equity in school funding, teacher professional development and the integration of technology in education set a new standard for our education system. Barry’s legacy in education is further exemplified by his unwavering support for the Fitzroy High School blockade – as has been quite rightly discussed – in 1992, standing alongside parents and residents to fight for the school’s reopening.

His dedication to community causes did not wane after his parliamentary career. Barry continued to serve through his involvement with the Good Shepherd sisters, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Victorian Council of Social Service, where his insights and experience were deeply valued.

Beyond his professional achievements Barry was a devoted family man. He was married to the late Margaret Pullen, and together they raised three wonderful daughters Naomi, Joanna and Emma. Barry’s family was his anchor, providing him with the strength and support to pursue his relentless work in public service. He was also a proud grandfather to his beloved grandchildren Tashi, Milo and Dust, who brought him immense joy and pride.

Master of ceremonies Mark Madden, Barry’s former media adviser, aptly described him as ‘a true servant of the people of Victoria’. He said, ‘He was a person of impact, he made a difference.’ Indeed Barry’s life was a testament to his belief in the power of service, advocacy and community.

Barry Pullen passed away on 26 June 2024 at the age of 84. In lieu of flowers the Pullen family requested that tributes be made to Aboriginal Housing Victoria, continuing Barry’s lifelong commitment to social justice and support for the most vulnerable in our community. Today we remember Barry not just as a politician or a public servant but as a compassionate human being whose life was dedicated to making a difference. His legacy of advocacy, his contributions to education and his unwavering support for his community will forever be cherished. We are grateful to Barry for his enduring commitment to Victoria and for the countless lives he touched. He will be missed, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all. Vale, Barry Pullen.

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 Barry Pullen, 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.