Thursday, 3 April 2025

 Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Minister for Finance) (09:55): I rise to remember the life of David Keith Cragg. Craggy was a fantastic stalwart of the Labor Party. He was always positive and always upbeat. David was from a time when the Labor Party really struggled here in Victoria. His views and his world were shaped by the reverberations of the split. He got to know Laurie Short, who ran the Federated Ironworkers Association out of Sydney, and had originally been a member of the Communist Party but then gravitated more to Santamaria and the groupers.

David understood that real change came about through constant work and incremental gains, and he recognised that there was a role to be played in relation to just being persistent and advocating. I was really delighted that David became a life member of the Labor Party. He became a life member of the great Australian Workers’ Union. David played a really important mentorship role for younger activists in the party. I had a fantastic working relationship with David. He would always give you two thumbs up, ‘God bless ya’ – really, really positive. He was just such a great person. I recognise the great contribution he made to our labour movement and the Labor Party. Vale, David Cragg.