Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:33): I move:

That this house expresses its sincere sorrow at the death, on 2 May 2026, of the Honourable Norman Henry Lacy, 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 Assembly for the electoral district of Ringwood from 1973 to 1976 and the electoral district of Warrandyte from 1976 to 1982, and as Minister for the Arts from 1979 to 1982, Assistant Minister of Education from 1979 to 1981, and Minister of Educational Services from 1981 to 1982.

I have just a few remarks on the motion on behalf of the government in recognition of Mr Lacy’s contribution to the Parliament of Victoria and to the people of our state. Norman Lacy lived a life marked by service, conviction and a commitment to improving opportunities for others. Years of pastoral work as an Anglican minister shaped his understanding of community life and fostered an interest in education, social welfare and public service that would be of later use in his parliamentary endeavours. Mr Lacy entered Victorian Parliament in 1973 as the member for Ringwood and later represented Warrandyte. He was appointed to cabinet in 1979; as Minister for the Arts, Assistant Minister of Education and later Minister of Educational Services he left a legacy that remains visible throughout the state today.

One of the most significant causes with which he was associated was the campaign to permanently abolish capital punishment. He was a prominent supporter of reform and played an important role in the parliamentary debates that ultimately saw the death penalty removed from the Victorian statutes. In the arts portfolio he oversaw the establishment of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust and the completion of the Victorian Arts Centre, including the iconic spire that has become one of Melbourne’s most recognisable landmarks. He was involved in the creation of Film Victoria, which is now known as VicScreen, helping to strengthen Victoria’s screen industry and cultural identity. He also played a key role in establishing the Museum of Modern Art and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, institutions that continue to enrich the cultural life here.

In education Mr Lacy introduced compulsory physical education in government schools and paternity leave for teachers. He also recognised the importance of early intervention for children struggling with literacy and numeracy. Through the special assistance program he oversaw the training and deployment of specialist teachers to assist children at risk of falling behind. This reflected a belief that education should provide opportunity for every child, regardless of circumstances, much like the premise that guides many of us today. After leaving Parliament in 1982 Mr Lacy built a successful career in management, education and consulting, and through his work in Australia and China he helped train and mentor thousands of managers and future leaders. He later served for a decade as president of Self-Employed Australia.

On behalf of the government I extend sincere condolences to Mr Lacy’s family, friends and all that knew him and worked with him.

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:36): I am honoured to follow the Leader of the Government and to speak on behalf of the opposition on this condolence motion for the late Honourable Norman Lacy, former member for Ringwood and Warrandyte, former Minister for the Arts, Minister of Educational Services and a proud Liberal. Norman was born in Richmond on 25 October 1941. His life was one of remarkable variety and devoted service to our society. Before entering Parliament he was a champion basketball player, apprentice plumber, Anglican priest and learned theologian. Those experiences shaped his belief that opportunity, education and personal responsibility were the foundations of any strong society.

Norman entered the Victorian Parliament in 1973 as the member for Ringwood, later representing the seat of Warrandyte. He served in the Hamer and Thompson governments as Assistant Minister of Education, Minister of Educational Services and Minister for the Arts. Throughout his parliamentary career he was regarded as a thoughtful reformer and a strong supporter of Premier Rupert Hamer’s vision for Victoria. As Minister for the Arts Norman played a significant role in the development of the Victorian Arts Centre, the establishment of Film Victoria, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and the Heide Museum of Modern Art. His contribution helped shape Victoria’s cultural institutions for generations to come.

As Assistant Minister of Education and later Minister of Educational Services, Norman worked alongside education minister Alan Hunt to undertake what has been described as the most significant reorganisation of Victoria’s education system in the 20th century. Based on his solid foundational values, Norman believed schools and communities should have greater responsibility and flexibility in meeting the needs of students, rather than relying on a heavily centralised bureaucracy. It is safe to say that Norman was a man ahead of his time. He understood that reform and progress are achieved by having trust in our institutions and the individuals who shape them. It is that very conviction which guided his work in the all-so-important fields of education, the arts and public life.

Upon concluding his services in the Victorian Parliament after the 1982 state election, Norman continued contributing to public life and our state in the fields of management and industry leadership. With the life he lived, Norman did not end his services to the community when he left this place. Norman became a leader in Australia’s emerging information technology sector, helping to strengthen professional standards during a period of significant technological change. Through senior roles with the Australian Computer Society, the Swish Group and the Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association, he contributed to the growth of a vital industry that has become central to our daily life today. Norman was also a passionate advocate for self-employed Australians and small businesses. As president of Self-Employed Australia, he worked tirelessly to advance the interests of independent contractors and support reforms that strengthened protections for small business operators. In recognition of his contribution, he was appointed a life member. It was a fitting honour for a man whose life was defined by service and a belief in the value of the individual.

Norman passed away on 2 May 2026. He will be remembered by many as a dedicated parliamentarian, a reformer, a leader, a man of morality and a significant contributor to the cultural and educational life of this state. On behalf of the opposition, I extend my sincere condolences to his wife Gayle; daughters Fiona, Sharon and Kirsten; son Henry; and his friends and all those who had the privilege of working alongside him. May he rest in peace.

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:41): I am honoured to associate myself with the motion to recognise Norman Lacy, Assistant Minister of Education from 1979 through to 1981, Minister of Educational Services from 1981 to 1982 and, importantly from my perspective, Minister for the Arts from May 1979 through to April 1982. He did preside over a very significant change in the arts and creative industries portfolios. He took on the mantle that Sir Rupert Hamer had left as Premier. But in that period of 1979 to 1982, during his arts incumbency he was responsible for the establishment of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust and for the construction of the theatres, the concert hall and, as the Leader of the Government has pointed out, the spire. There was a challenge in completing those on time and on budget, and there were design challenges, including acoustics, that did provide points of public criticism. Nonetheless these are very important institutions that have been built and put in place and serve us well, and I note they are being refurbished in the current phase.

He also was active in 1981 with the Victorian College of the Arts. He had legislation passed through an act through the Parliament. Its purpose was the reconstitution of the Victorian College of the Arts that followed the repeal in 1980 of the Victoria Institute of Colleges Act 1965, and this has been an important foundation for our creative sector in the years that have followed. As has been pointed out, he was also active in the creation of Film Victoria in October 1981, establishing a new statutory authority to be responsible for government activities related to the production and distribution of film in Victoria, including film for educational purposes. This has stood the test of time, and increasingly, even now, that institution is playing a very significant role. He was also active in the acquisition of the property Heide II in Bulleen, in Melbourne – the east of Melbourne – and collections of works from John and Sunday Reed and in the ongoing steps for the establishment of the Heide Museum of Modern Art, which was officially opened in November 1981. He oversaw new development of museum policy and the Meat Market craft centre in North Melbourne. All of these are very significant institutions that have survived and continue to play a very significant role in the state’s creative and cultural life.

The Australian Children’s Television Foundation was an institution that was very much his work. He convinced the New South Wales education minister to come on board. He also convinced the Commonwealth, through Senate committees and others, and every jurisdiction in the country – I think with the exception of Queensland – to contribute financially to the establishment of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, which arguably has had a very significant role through all of those intervening years.

This was a career focused on achievement and outcomes that have stood the test of time. I place on record my sadness at his passing and give my condolences to his family.

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:45): I rise today to associate myself with this motion to pay tribute to a remarkable Victorian, a visionary minister, the Honourable Norman Henry Lacy, and extend my deepest condolences to his family, his friends and his former colleagues. Norman Lacy made a substantive contribution to the Parliament and to this state. He was elected in 1973 to the seat of Ringwood and later served as the member for Warrandyte.

Norman Lacy brought a deeply modernising philosophy to the Victorian Parliament, to the Liberal Party and to Victoria more broadly. A lot of people have quite interesting journeys to Parliament, but I think Norman Lacy’s may be unique. Serving as a vicar of St John’s Anglican church in Healesville, he had a number of Liberal MPs amongst his congregation and also a fair few Liberal Party branch members there, who all very actively encouraged him to seek preselection at the time. They say that the Liberal Party is a broad church, but back then a church was a very common place you would find Liberal Party politicians. I am sure he felt very much at home trading the pulpit for the Parliament.

When we look back on the Hamer and Thompson governments, Norman’s role was profound. As Minister for the Arts and Minister of Educational Services he made a significant contribution. As my colleague Mrs McArthur pointed to, he championed the administrative reorganisation of the education department. He saw greater autonomy for school councils, parents and principals as a serious and profound reform. He understood that those on the ground knew what their students needed much better than a centralised department in Melbourne, which of course is a key Liberal principle. As Minister for the Arts Norman recognised the immense cultural and economic value of the creative industries. As has been discussed, when he was minister he was responsible for the construction of the Victorian Arts Centre, the theatres and the spire, so he has left a legacy of bricks and mortar in addition to culture. He embodied the very best of the Liberal tradition: a steadfast belief in individual enterprise, a commitment to institutional reform and a deep-seated desire to lift people up through educational and cultural enrichment. He understood that true conservatism is about evolution, not revolution – a small-l liberal in every sense.

Victoria is richer, more culturally vibrant and a better educated state because of the service of Norman Lacy. His loss is felt deeply across the political spectrum, which is a testament to a life lived with purpose and a commitment to the public good. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this time. May he rest in peace.

 Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:49): I too offer my condolences to his children and their mother – his wife. Of course we are speaking of Norman Henry Lacy, who was born on 25 October 1941 and passed away on 2 May 2026. He was, as we have heard today, the member for Ringwood from 1973 to 1976. When looking at Norman’s background, it struck me that like very many of us in this place, I suppose, his early years shaped the person he became. Having lost his mother at the age of 14 to lung cancer and then some short four years later losing his father, he then took up residence at Melbourne University, where he completed his own education. He combined his experience of that education at Melbourne University with his love of Healesville High, where he was taught and where he then went on to teach. Obviously that informed and drove in him a passion for education that we saw in later years, as the assistant minister in that portfolio. But as has been said today, it also drove his passion in the space of the arts. We have heard from speakers today about his contribution. I can only hope that any member in this place has a contribution that has a list of this nature, which includes among the things he managed to achieve as a minister Film Victoria, as we have heard; the Victorian Arts Centre; the Australian Children’s Television Foundation; the establishment of Heide; achievements in the teaching space, including specifically of course the thousand special assistance response teachers to help with literacy and numeracy; and in addition to all of that his work in the reconstitution, as we have heard also today, of the Victorian College of the Arts.

As we wind down the number of weeks we have in this place, there perhaps will not be too many more condolence motions to be had – at least I hope not. It is one of those novel traditions and conventions we have in this place, and I think it is one that when I eventually leave this place in its entirety I will cherish, because I cherish the opportunity for each of us to get up from different political viewpoints and from different political parties and pay our respects to ministers, plural. The truth is that in this place each and every one of us as members, much less ministers, makes a contribution that we hope will achieve something – a contribution which takes an enormous amount of time. I appreciate that the burden for ministers in this place is even greater. The amount of time that they spend in their portfolios, which is also true of course of leaders and premiers, is extraordinary. So to continue this tradition – to pay our respects today to Norman Lacy and his family and to speak to the other condolence motion today – is something that I will leave very thankful for and also appreciative that we continue it to this day, because I think it is not often we sit and reflect upon the contributions of those around us.

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

The PRESIDENT: As a further mark of respect, proceedings will be suspended in regard to both motions. The house will resume in 1 hour.

Sitting suspended 12:55 pm until 1:58 pm.