Tuesday, 30 July 2024

Condolences

Hon. Barry Thomas Pullen

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:04): I move:

That this house expresses its sincere sorrow at the death on 26 June 2024 of the Honourable Barry Thomas Pullen and places on record its acknowledgement of the valuable services rendered by him to the Parliament and the people of Victoria as a member of the Legislative Council for the electoral province of Melbourne from 1982 to 1999 and as Minister for the Arts and Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 1989, Minister for Housing and Construction from 1988 to 1990, Minister for Education from 1990 to 1991, Minister for Education and Training from 1991 to 1992 and Minister for Conservation and Environment in 1992.

On behalf of the government, I would like to extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends and all who knew his kindness and his dedication to public life.

Mr Pullen was born in Melbourne and completed his education in the areas of Moreland and Coburg, later qualifying as a civil engineer. His foray into politics came in 1968 when he joined the Australian Labor Party. His passion for community advocacy was evident through his founding of the Fitzroy Residents Association and his tenure as a Fitzroy city councillor from 1972 to 1976. Prior to his election to the Victorian Parliament in 1982, Mr Pullen was committed to furthering the interests of those that lived in public housing in the Fitzroy area. He was inspired by seeing government policy and how it could affect those in the community in real time. He went on to serve the people in the seat of Melbourne until his retirement in 1999. Throughout his distinguished career he held various ministerial portfolios, as I have outlined. This was in the Cain and Kirner governments. His tenure was marked by his persistent efforts to advocate for the most vulnerable and to ensure their voices were heard.

Mr Pullen’s impact extended beyond his official roles. He was known for kindness, decency and the joy he found in working with people towards common goals. He was a fierce local advocate whose dedication to achieving a kinder state for all Victorians never wavered, and he remained active in local initiatives and the Labor Party. His commitment to his local community and friendship to many in the labour movement will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. On behalf of the government, I do again extend our deepest sympathies to Mr Pullen’s family and friends.

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:07): I rise on behalf of the Liberals and Nationals and join with the government in speaking to the condolence motion on the late Barry Pullen. Barry Pullen was born on 1 November 1939 in Melbourne and died on 26 June 2024 at the age of 84. He and his late wife Margaret were long-term residents of Fitzroy, where they raised their daughters.

Mr Pullen dedicated much of his life to public service, from local grassroots campaigns to serving as minister in several portfolios. Before entering Parliament he worked as a draftsman and a civil engineer in Commonwealth and state public service. Mr Pullen was very active in his local communities, as has been highlighted by the Leader of the Government, as a founding member of the Fitzroy Residents Association and a Fitzroy city councillor from 1972 to 76. It was his direct involvement in fighting for local issues that set him on a path to politics, and he joined the Labor Party in 1968.

From those early beginnings he developed a lifelong passion for and commitment to being a strong voice for better amenity in the inner suburbs on a variety of issues, such as public housing, roads, parks and recreational facilities. In particular, as he recalled in his first speech to Parliament, he was instrumental in organising a community action against the housing commission’s planned demolition of houses to make way for high-rise towers. In that maiden speech I note that he asked if he could take leave to table a number of reports in which he had a direct interest – environmental and traffic issues around the freeway and the lead levels in Alexandra Parade, Hoddle Street and other areas. He was very passionate about looking at those issues that affected the local communities he lived in and was to later represent.

Barry entered Parliament as the member for Melbourne in the Legislative Council in 1982 and retired in 1999. He was a member of the ALP’s Socialist Left faction, where he had obviously a great deal of support. As has been outlined by the Leader of the Government, he held a number of ministries in the Cain and Kirner governments, including housing, education and environment. These were areas he was particularly interested in, not only when coming into the Parliament but prior to entering the Parliament. His experience in local government and direct involvement in local issues served him well during his parliamentary career as a widely respected member and minister.

After retirement from Parliament Barry Pullen continued his tireless advocacy over the next 20 years as a volunteer in community organisations the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Good Shepherd Sisters and the Victorian Council of Social Service, where he shared his extensive experience and where his wisdom was welcome. He and his late wife Margaret remained involved in the local community. From local community advocate to state government minister, Barry Pullen never lost sight of his focus and dedication to making a difference and improving the lives of others. He will also be remembered as being devoted to his family and as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. I extend my sincere sympathy to all those mourning his loss at this sad time.

Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (12:10): I am honoured to join with members in support of this condolence motion for Barry Pullen, just as I was honoured, along with the Premier, to attend Barry’s state funeral held at the Fitzroy town hall on 16 July, which was a celebration of a life of service. The full house at the town hall reflected the profound impact that Barry had as a community activist, a councillor, a parliamentarian and a minister over many decades. In their joint obituary for Barry, former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe and the former member for Richmond Richard Wynne said:

There is no local campaign or community action in the past four decades in inner Melbourne that does not bear the imprint of Barry Pullen on it.

As has been mentioned, with his wife Margaret, Barry was a long-term resident of Fitzroy, and their joint activism, as it was – absolutely joint – was catalysed by the slum reclamation project led by the housing commission in the 1960s. They formed the Fitzroy Residents Association, and it was the first of many forays into community campaigning and activism. Barry and Margaret joined the Labor Party, which then held its branch meetings in the band rotunda of the Edinburgh Gardens. They organised the removal of portables at the local primary school, to improve the local kindergarten and more funding for the local library and for around the proposed commission towers at Brooks Crescent. He was a civil engineer, public servant, councillor, member of this place, member for Melbourne Province for an extended period of time and minister in the Cain and Kirner governments.

In his inaugural speech to this Parliament, Barry spoke about his move into state politics, stating that it was a progression from local community involvement, including in local government, to considering the larger issues and the realisation they can only be resolved at a policy level by the highest house of Parliament. Importantly – and this came through in the service – for Barry it was never about politics, it was about people. He was an advocate for his neighbours and for causes he felt passionate about. One of them, importantly – and this rated a mention extensively in the service – was when the Kennett government closed several high schools in Melbourne. Barry and Margaret and members of the community formed part of the blockade that saved the Fitzroy High School. It was the only school closed at that time that reopened in its original form in 2004 after a change of government. Again from the Howe and Wynne obituary:

Barry took seriously the changes occurring in the inner suburbs and had a vision for transforming public spaces and improving amenities for the local community. For example, he saw the closure of the inner-suburban railway line as an opportunity to advance a range of possibilities that would advantage the community such as the creation of a green linear park where the railway had been; a pedestrian and bike path linking Fitzroy and Carlton; the conversion of a power station to residential accommodation; and accommodation for elderly public housing residents in a parkland setting …

When he retired from Parliament, Barry knew he could not leave the community work behind. He also knew that – in his words – politics is not a perfect game. He served Victoria for a further two decades in a variety of voluntary roles, including at Good Shepherd, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Victorian Council of Social Service. But I think what came through at the service was his dedication to family. At the service we heard some very moving stories from his children and his grandchildren about the things that he taught them – both values but also some skills. Of note were the photography skills they learned in a darkroom he had fashioned in the laundry of their house in McKean Street, North Fitzroy.

On a very personal level, I remember Barry from Labor circles as a child out the back of his office, his bluestone office in Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. I recall listening to the drone of incessant conversations about what were clearly very important things; to young ears, they seemed less so. But it is clear that the work that Barry pioneered and the activism that he showed led to great and profound change in his community, so on behalf of my family and the Labor family I want to extend condolences to Barry’s family, his daughters Naomi, Joanna and Emma and his beloved grandchildren Tashi, Milo and Dust. Vale, Barry Pullen.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:14): I too wish to associate myself with this motion of condolence for the Honourable Barry Pullen. I served with him between 1996 and 1999. He was a quiet person in the chamber but would bring forward a range of different matters – local matters, matters that he wanted to pursue on behalf of his community. He was a person of merit in terms of his engagement across the chamber, a person of decency and a person whose undoubted contribution to his local community needs to be remembered.

I am not going to go through the long list of his background, but he was a significant minister. He contributed especially to the Labor Party’s campaigns over so many years. I think when I came in here there were 34 Liberals and Nationals and 10 Labor, and Barry used to sit here. He was a person that you could talk to and have a civil and constructive conversation with. One of the things that is worth noting is that Barry was the victim of a stabbing in his office; people may not know that story. In, I think, 1992 a person came into the office and stabbed both him and one of his staff, so it is a reminder that there is risk. He was not freaked by that, if I can put it that way, but he was very aware of what had occurred and would occasionally talk about that. I think, though, his advocacy for local issues is what he will be remembered for.

The PRESIDENT: I ask members to signify their assent to the motion by rising in their places for 1 minute’s silence.

Motion agreed to in silence, members showing unanimous agreement by standing in their places.

The PRESIDENT: Proceedings will now be suspended as a further mark of respect, and the Chair will resume in 1 hour.

Sitting suspended 12:18 pm until 1:21 pm.