The Australian Alby, we look back at your achievements and see that you were a man of principle and purpose; brave, bold and magnificent.

 

Margaret Thatcher famously claimed "I am not a consensus politician. I'm a conviction politician". Few Australian politicians have earnt this label recently, but former member for Hume Alby Schultz wore conviction on his sleeve.

 

Alby, who died in his home town of Cootamundra on Tuesday after 33 years of local representation, always understood the enormous privilege and obligation of representing others. 

 

He first served on the Cootamundra Council, representing Burrinjuck in the NSW Parliament for a decade from 1988, before moving to the Federal parliament, winning five elections in Hume from 1998 until 2013. He served in each of these roles with rare passion, energy and authenticity. 

 

Alby’s origins were humble, and this made him proud. He met the love of his life, Gloria, while he was still very young. He became a meat-worker, and worked his way into management. Never forgetting his origins, Alby was as comfortable in an abattoir as in the corridors of power. 

 

He received unfailing support from Gloria over 53 years of marriage, whose understatement and level-headedness brought balance to their remarkable partnership. Together they had two sons, Dean and Grant, and six grandchildren. He would call his boys, his 'brothers' reflecting the close and loving relationship they shared.

 

In giving his valedictory speech in 2013 he noted “This is the second speech I have written. I wrote [the first] one, and my wife said to me, 'You're not seriously going to bring that into the chamber, are you?' She said, 'You really do have to write something a little bit softer than that, love.' So I have succumbed to that wise counsel…..as I have done for many of the 51 years that we have been married.” 

 

In fact Alby and 'Glo' were so close he would describe themselves as 'the team' with the electorate getting 'two for the price of one'. Gloria, Alby confessed, 'was the bigger drawcard at the ballot box than I was!'.

 

Alby gained energy and purpose by helping others. In the electorate of Hume, there is an unending stream of people who were helped or touched in some way by Alby’s compassion and humanity. He collected food and clothing for thousands of drought stricken farmers and their families. He assisted many men as Patron of the Lone Father's Association, men who had been driven to despair and sometimes suicide by the breakup of their families. In each case Alby was a voice for those who weren't heard and gave a hand up to those who needed one.

 

Just a few weeks ago, when he was very sick, he was still talking passionately about helping people. This time it was how we could help men with prostate cancer. He was trying to solve people’s problems right to the end. 

 

In the Parliament and in the Party Room he spoke out often. He was the first to his feet and always speaking from the heart. He championed deregulation of the wheat industry, led the charge against wind farms and was a staunch monarchist. As a proud rural Liberal his policy positions sometimes clashed with his colleagues from the Nationals but this never deterred him from speaking his mind.

 

Alby lost his left eye in 2003 in an accident. He joked that being a conservative, one eyed politician, it was important that he retained the use of his right eye.

 

Indeed his commitment to hard work drove his politics. Terry Sheehan, the previous Labor member for Burrinjuck was aware that Alby’s grandfather was great friends with Ben Chifley. Sheehan asked Alby why he was a Liberal. With typical directness he responded: ‘Terry, with due respect, I am also a worker, and I wanted to work and I kept getting sent home on strikes, so that turned me off Labor politics forever.'

 

Despite firm, unwavering views, he nurtured many relationships with political foes. Alby respected decency and honour more than anything. Martin Ferguson, Simon Crean, Dick Adams and Tony Windsor were amongst his many friends across the parliament.   

 

During the life of the Howard Government he was on the Parliament's Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry when the  Prime Minister wanted to appoint someone as Committee Chair who had no requisite experience in the sector. Alby wouldn't have a bar of it. With Tony Windsor moving a motion to make him chair, a vote was unexpectedly called which Alby won. This said it all; he was prepared to take on his superiors and break convention if it was right to do so.

 

Alby’s unrelenting strength was clearly demonstrated through his long battle with cancer. Whatever the expert medical predictions, he continually beat them. He was as he described himself 'a tough old bugger' but with an underlying gentleness that not everyone saw.

 

As someone who had worked in all three levels of government, and as the longest serving federal member for Hume, Alby Schultz will be remembered for his extraordinary public service, his towering strength of character and his great love of family, community and Australia. 

 

The final word should go to Alby. “To say the past 15 years in this place has been a magnificent experience is an understatement.” Alby, we look back at your achievements and see that you were a man of principle and purpose; brave, bold and magnificent.