Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (12:08): I move:

That this house expresses its deep sorrow at the passing of Neale Daniher AO – footballer, coach, Victorian of the Year, Australian of the Year and co-founder of FightMND – who faced motor neurone disease with extraordinary courage and grace, transforming personal hardship into hope for millions, and whose legacy will endure in Victoria and across the nation.

Barracking for Essendon in the 1980s was not like it is today. It is hard to believe, but at the time there was success on the field, there were finals to go out and celebrate and, more than that, there were the Daniher brothers, four of them, donned in the red and black. That is how Victorians like me first came to know Neale – as a footballer from country New South Wales who made his mark in the VFL and the AFL, then later as a coach for Melbourne for 223 games, including that grand final against his old club Essendon in 2000. Again, those of us who were there remember that as the ‘Baby Bombers’ final. As a coach, Neale was known as the Reverend – a deep thinker, a fierce competitor, a man who understood football but also who understood people.

Earlier this year Neale kindly sent me a copy of his book The Power of Choice. That title says a lot about Neale, because Neale, more than most, understood that in life we do not get to choose everything that happens to us. We do not get to choose every hardship, every loss, every cruel turn, but we do get to choose how we meet it, how we carry it and what we do with the time we have.

After he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2013, Victorians came to know Neale in that way too – not just as a footballer or a coach, but as a man who made a choice to turn his own suffering into something that could help others, and through that choice his influence reached far beyond the football field.

In November 2024 I had the immense honour of presenting Neale with his Victorian Australian of the Year Award. By then MND had taken so much from him – his voice, his movement, things that most of us never have to think about – but it had not taken his spirit. When Neale came up onto the stage to accept that award, he rose from his wheelchair and stood proudly with that famous grin on his face, Jan by his side, and the whole room rose with him. It was a deeply powerful moment because everyone in the room that night knew what it had taken for Neale to stand strong and proud. There he was standing, smiling, determined.

That is what came to define Neale in the eyes of so many across our state: an unwavering sense of optimism and hope, even in the face of the worst anyone could be asked to endure. He gave strength to other people, even when he had every reason to keep that strength for himself. He did not pretend it was easy. He did not hide the cruelty of it. No-one would ever have blamed Neale if he had stepped away. No-one would have blamed him if he had said, ‘That’s it. It’s too much’, because it was too much. It was cruel, unfair and relentless. But as we know, Neale made a very different choice. He chose to let people see what MND does, because he knew that if people understood it, they might help fight it.

For a long time a diagnosis of MND carried a terrible darkness: too few answers, too little awareness, too little research, too little that families could hold on to. Neale changed that. He made people look at it. He made people learn its name. Because of him there is now a stream of light where there was once very little. There is more research, more support, more awareness, more hope. Neale did that. As a result, thousands joined the annual Daniher’s Drive, tens of thousands bought the blue beanie and countless more donated to FightMND. This is the army that Neale built to fight this cruel disease, and it will keep going to honour the man, to pay tribute to his legacy and to keep raising research funds to help beat MND.

No-one carries that fight alone, and no-one should think that Neale carried this alone, because you cannot talk about Neale’s fight or the hope he gave to so many people without talking about Jan Daniher. To Jan, who fought beside him, who carried so much and who helped make so many of Neale’s achievements possible, we thank you. To Neale’s children and grandchildren, you loved him and were loved by him. He was a man that this state deeply admired, not just because of his football, not even because of his fight against MND. It is because of how he lived – with courage, with humour, with love and with the determination that made all of us better. Victoria thanks him. Victoria thanks you, Neale. In your honour, Neale, Victoria will keep fighting. Vale, Neale Daniher.

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (12:14): I rise today to add my condolences and pay tribute to a truly remarkable Victorian, a man whose quiet courage and strength of character inspired millions, Neale Daniher For many of us our legacies will be measured by trophies won or offices held. Neale Daniher’s legacy is measured in something more intangible but also something far more profound. It is measured in hope – hope for those facing unimaginable adversity, hope for people confronting a devastating illness, hope for the families grappling with the unimaginable toll on their loved ones and hope that one determined individual can drive a national conversation to change how we tackle motor neurone disease.

Many Victorians first came to know Neale through his remarkable contributions to the great game of AFL. First, he was a talented player for the Bombers. He was one of four Daniher brothers to play for Essendon, starting out in 1979 and playing 82 matches in all. He won the Bombers best and fairest in 1981 and was named captain for the 1982 season at the very young age of 20, a testament to his skill, potential and ability to lead others. That courage and resilience in the face of adversity that he demonstrated later in life was evident during his playing career, too, as he confronted multiple injuries that limited his time on the field. Undeterred, Neale’s love of the game continued as he stepped into coaching roles at Essendon, then Fremantle and then eventually at the Melbourne Demons. It was at the Dees that he picked up the name the Reverend, earned for his fiery and motivating speeches to his players. He coached 223 matches in all at Melbourne before serving as general manager of football at West Coast. Inducted into the halls of fame at Windy Hill and Melbourne, he is truly one of the greats of our great game. Perhaps it was the length and depth of his career devoted to footy that made him such an effective advocate for the fight against the disease he would later confront.

Neale was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2013. We would all be forgiven in these circumstances for choosing to retreat from public life, but Neale chose differently. He chose to step forward, to step up. With extraordinary courage he transformed his personal battle into a national cause. Together with his family, friends, supporters and the wider footy community, he established FightMND and began one of the most successful fundraising and awareness campaigns Australia has ever seen. Through the Big Freeze at the MCG, countless community events, tireless advocacy and public engagement, Neale captured the attention and the generosity of Australians.

Neale started with an idea: to raise awareness about MND and to raise funds to help fight it, to cure it. What began as an idea became a movement through Neale’s tenacity: a movement that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for research, care and support; a movement that has accelerated the search for treatments and ultimately, we hope, a cure; and a movement that has given a voice to those living with MND and those who love and care for them. Many of us in this place have been dunked. We have had ice buckets thrown on us as part of Big Freeze events. Suffice to say, it takes someone pretty extraordinary to get people from all walks of life, from politicians to athletes to actors to pop stars to be dunked into the ice.

It might be tempting to assume that what Neale built was easy, but it takes persistence, determination and years of hard work to establish a movement that captures the attention of a nation. It is easy to assume that everyone would have just gone out and bought a blue beanie for fun, that celebrities would have slid into ice baths of their own volition. But the truth of it is, the success of FightMND is a testament to Neale’s relentless pursuit to push the cause forward at a time in his life when most people would step back. He raised $140 million to fight the beast, as he called it, of MND. But he did more than just that: he raised awareness among the Australian public, destigmatising a disease that affects thousands of Australians and their families. He gave a name to a disease that for too long people have suffered with largely unseen and in silence Neale gave them a voice.

That is only part of Neale’s story. Neale’s greatest contribution to our state, to our country, has been his personification of resilience, of grace and of dignity. In the face of adversity he demonstrated resilience. In the face of suffering he showed grace. In the face of a disease determined to diminish him, he displayed a dignity that inspired an entire nation. He showed us what courage is in the 21st century. He showed us that courage is the determination to keep moving forward, despite fear, despite pain, despite the unknown. Every day, Neale chose to show up. He chose to persist, to move forward, to further the cause he fought so hard for.

Neale penned three books, the third of which, The Power of Choice, was written after MND had taken his ability to speak. In it he writes:

Life is part chance, part circumstance, part choice. You don’t get to choose everything that happens to you, but you always get to choose who you become in response.

These words are as good to live by as any I have ever heard. Neale was truly among the best of us. He was a husband, father, brother, friend and role model – someone who faced one of life’s cruellest challenges with a level of courage, grace and good humour that few of us could ever hope to match.

I want to take a few moments to acknowledge Neale and his wife Jan as members of the community in my electorate of Kew. Just two nights ago I was with the Kew Rovers, one of our fantastic local footy clubs, where Neale himself coached over the years. They were doing their Big Freeze fundraiser this weekend, as so many local footy clubs do across this country. The sadness at the ground on Sunday was palpable. We did not just lose a hero, we lost one of our own – a local, a friend, a neighbour, a family member. I have had the privilege to meet and get to know Jan Daniher through her involvement in the Kew Rovers. I want to pay tribute to Jan, who has shown an immense and quiet strength through her husband’s illness. She is a person who has been by Neale’s side, supporting him not just through the challenges of MND but in his untiring efforts to drive change. She is herself an incredible example of resilience, strength and courage. She has worked just as hard to champion this cause, and I know she will continue to do so. I am certain that her strength will steer her and her family now, as they navigate their grief and confront a life without their beloved Neale.

Shortly we will hear from the member for Pakenham, and I want to pay tribute to her strength and incredible courage as she too confronts the beast. Emma is someone who commands the respect of everyone in this place for her persistence and incredible grace. Emma, on behalf of all of us, we know today is a hard day, but we stand with you every day.

Finally, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to Jan and to their children Bec, Ben, Lauren and Luke for sharing Neale with us and supporting him in his work. On behalf of the Liberal and Nationals coalition, I offer you our sincerest and heartfelt condolences as you mourn his passing. And I say this to you: Neale’s legacy will endure. It will live on in the researchers pursuing breakthroughs to treat MND, in the families whose diagnosis is yet to come and who will receive greater support because of Neale’s work and in every future victory against the beast that his efforts have helped make possible. May we remember Neale Daniher not for the disease he fought but for the hope that he created. His legacy is one of hope, of resilience and of courage in the face of adversity. I quote again from his book The Power of Choice:

The past is over. The future isn’t promised. But what you do next is your choice for the taking. It’s where the change happens. Choose wisely.

Vale, Neale Daniher. May he rest in peace.

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (12:23): Today we pay tribute to Neale Daniher – not just a football great but a great Australian, admired across the country and deeply, deeply respected. His passing is a loss felt by all of us. Born on 15 February 1961 in West Wyalong and raised in Ungarie in the Riverina, he grew up as one of 11 children, the second of four sons in a proud farming family of wheat and sheep farmers. He began his schooling at St Joseph’s catholic school in Ungarie before continuing at St Patrick’s College in Goulburn and later Assumption College in Kilmore, that well-known football nursery. In his early years he played local football for Ungarie in the Northern Riverina league before progressing through Assumption and eventually making his VFL debut for Essendon in 1979 at just 18 years of age. He was forged on country footy fields and became one of regional Australia’s great sporting stories – four Daniher brothers, who all went on to play VFL/AFL, and who could forget the four of them lining up in State of Origin together for New South Wales in 1990.

Neale never forgot where he came from, and he never lost those country values. He was shaped by regional Australia and spent his life reflecting the very best of it. At Essendon and later at Melbourne he made his mark not just as a player and coach but as someone who brought people together and earned respect through action rather than words. He was known as a leader who valued character as much as talent and who always put the team first. At the Dees he was known as Coach or the Reverend. Diagnosed with motor neurone disease – or the beast, as he called it – in 2013 and given just a few years to live, he faced that battle with courage, determination and dignity. In true country fashion, when adversity came he did not step back, he stepped up, co-founding FightMND and helping raise more than $140 million for research.

He turned a deeply personal fight into a national cause, bringing Australians together in a way that very few people can. His message was simple but powerful: play on and fight on – words that captured exactly who Neale was. From the paddocks of Ungarie to the hearts of a nation, his legacy is one of courage, humility and service.

Neale Daniher will be remembered for his fight for MND sufferers and their families. Through FightMND he helped drive unprecedented national awareness, turning MND into a cause recognised right across Australia. At this point I also pay tribute to the member for Pakenham for her work in here and out of this place as well.

He was clear the goal was never sympathy; it was action, research and ultimately a cure that would benefit future generations. Neale’s leadership helped transform fundraising into a national movement, particularly through the Big Freeze at the MCG, which united Australians in support of sufferers. He showed that even in the face of an incurable disease, you can create meaning, purpose and change for others.

His enduring message was the importance of hope and action in the face of adversity. Neale once said:

Life just gives you an opportunity and a handful of cards and it’s up to you how you play them. And if you get a bad hand, you still have to look for the opportunity.

I note the comments from the family at the time of Neale’s passing. They said:

His wish was simple but powerful – to help create a world where no one has to face this disease. But beyond that he wanted to leave a legacy that says this “No matter the odds, no matter the diagnosis, we all have the power to fight, to smile, and to do.

Because the mark of a person isn’t what they say, “it’s what they do”.

To Jan and all the family and all those who loved or were inspired by Neale, the best way we can honour Neale Daniher is simple: play on and fight on.

 Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (12:27): I rise on behalf of the Victorian Greens to speak on this condolence motion recognising the incredible life of Neale Daniher – footballer, coach, MND fighter, Australian of the Year. I only got to meet Neale once in this place. I think it was shortly before or after I was dunked in a freezing cold container of water. I have to say it is only someone like Neale – or perhaps you, Emma, the member for Pakenham – who could get me to do that. I hate the cold, but he was that kind of person that inspired people to follow him.

Although I only got to meet him once, the life of Neale Daniher actually loomed quite large in the Sandell family household when I was a kid. My dad was an absolutely mad Demons supporter and would sing – the kids, all of us – the ‘grand old flag’ before we went to bed at night. I knew those words; they are burnt into my memory. I knew them before I knew the words to my own team song, before I knew the words of ‘Tigerland’, and I think that I will die having those words burnt into my memory. We always knew the incredible kind of man that Neale Daniher was through Dad’s stories.

Professional footballers often occupy some kind of godlike position in Melbourne society – deserved or otherwise – for being elite footballers. Talent and courage on the football field is of course a rare commodity, but rarer still is the ability to display that greater talent, courage and achievement outside a football career when the adoration may have faded. The Reverend was a nickname given to Neale on the football field but perhaps was more applicable to the role he ended up playing after his football career was over. To not only be able to look the adversity of MND in the face but then to show such courage and optimism, and to bring hundreds of thousands of people into the fight alongside him, is something that very few people achieve. In particular, the personal support that he gave and the personal hope that he gave to people with MND and their families – that level of humanity and compassion towards others was a really wonderful thing.

My electorate has a lot of the big medical research institutes in it, and one of the great pleasures of my job is to be able to go and meet researchers all of the time and incredible scientists who are often working behind the scenes. I know that a lot of them say that they may not be able to do the work that they do if it was not for people like Neale going out there and rallying that support for work that happens in a lab or behind the scenes.

I know Neale’s family carried so much of that work behind the scenes, as so many families do when a family member faces a serious disease or when a family member is simply in the public eye trying to do something big. I want to also thank and acknowledge the work that Neale’s family did and the work I am sure all of the people around him will continue to do to fight MND. Should auld acquaintance be forgot, vale, Neale Daniher.

 Emma VULIN (Pakenham) (12:30): Last week was a very difficult week for many Australians. We lost a true hero in Neale Daniher. I think all of us knew that it would come eventually, but that did not make the news any less shocking or heartbreaking. Like so many people across the country, it hit me hard. To be honest, I do not know a lot about football, but I heard he was pretty good at it.

Today I am going to speak about the difference he made for people like me who are living with motor neurone disease. Back in 2014, when Neale publicly announced his diagnosis, many Australians had never heard of MND, let alone understood the devastating impact it has on individuals and their families. Together with his family, co-founders, friends and the incredible team behind FightMND, he changed that forever. Over the past 12 years Neale helped raise not only extraordinary funds for research, treatments and care but also something equally important – awareness. He helped Australians understand the reality of this disease while also giving hope to those living with it.

When I was first diagnosed Neale reached out to me personally. He did not have to, because he did not know me from a bar of soap, but he invited my partner Matt and me into his home. We sat with Neale and his beautiful wife Jan and had an honest conversation about what was ahead. He did not sugar-coat things. He told me what I needed to know about maintaining independence, about equipment I would need, planning ahead and the realities of this disease. But he also gave me and my family something incredibly important: he gave his kindness, generosity and hope. Since then I have heard the same story from countless others living with MND: Neale reached out, he made time and he took people under his wing.

To Jan, Bec, Ben, Lauren, Luke and the extended Daniher family, his carers and everyone at FightMND and beyond, our hearts are with you. Today is a day of sadness, but it is also a celebration of an extraordinary life. Neale Daniher may be gone, but his legacy, his courage, compassion and determination will live on for generations. Vale.

Debate adjourned until tomorrow in accordance with resolution of house today.