Motion – Recognising the service of the Hon Ivan Dean MLC

Ivan Dean, former Member for Windermere – Tribute 

Ms WEBB (Nelson) – What a pleasure to get up and be able to make this address today.  The respective terms of myself and the former member for Windermere, Mr Ivan Dean, overlapped for a relatively short period of time, the last two years of Mr Dean’s 18-year tenure and my first two years in this place.  It will not be a surprise to many here the one thing Ivan and I agreed on during our time as colleagues in this place is that we did not agree on that much.

Mrs Hiscutt – We can all agree on that, yes.

Ms WEBB – However, you can disagree with someone, sometimes a lot and sometimes quite vigorously while still respecting them enormously.  I must say as a new member, being seated between the member for Murchison and the former member for Windermere was an incredibly valuable opportunity to observe up close two of the hardest working members of this place in action.  In fact, it was fairly daunting to see the former member for Windermere in action.  He was diligent, thorough, at times pedantic even, in the application that he brought to his work in this place, particularly at scrutiny and review.

I am not alone when I say I respect Ivan enormously for his tenacity in this place with which he pursued the issues he took on, sometimes on behalf of constituents, sometimes on behalf of other stakeholders from the community and sometimes just because he believed it was right thing to do. 

Examples of those others have shared many already and the ones that jump to my mind would include Ivan’s, could we say, dogged pursuit of the Fox Taskforce and the fox-related matters.  Also, his drive to rectify the AFL’s failure to support a Tasmanian team and others have discussed here in detail Ivan’s work on these and other issues close to his heart that they saw more of than I did in my time. 

I certainly also admired his determination and rigour he brought to his attempt and work to forge a healthier Tasmania when he tackled the significant public policy issue of reducing Tasmanian’s addiction to tobacco products.  While I shared and continue to share Ivan’s very deep concerns about the negative impact of smoking and tobacco that has being wrought on Tasmanian’s lives, the state’s health system and more broadly in our community we did disagree on the best way in which to use the public policy tool of legislation as part of that campaign to turn around our current smoking rates. 

However, no matter where we individually may have stood on those proposed reforms, an important ongoing legacy of the former member for Windermere’s work pursuing that Public Health Amendment (Prevention of Sale of Smoking Products to Under-age Persons) Bill 2018 is a recognition it is not only our scrutiny and review role in this place but also it is a valid role for the Legislative Council to propose public policy.  It can also be a responsibility for us to do so in the public interest and to help progress those discussions.

Indeed, I think that legacy points to the fact we have a responsibility to undertake all parts of our role here, including that one.  I respect and thank the former member for Windermere for his work in demonstrating that vital role of this place.

Another significant lesson demonstrated by the former member for Windermere I witnessed occurred during last year’s debate on the End-of-Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) Bill 2020.  This was, as we are well aware, an extraordinary and challenging and sometimes difficult, often emotional debate for all involved and for me a particularly moving contribution was made by the former member for Windermere.

He demonstrated it is okay, if not the responsible course of action to do so, to change a position and, therefore, vote in light of new information, research or social developments.  In fact, I had at least one person who was watching the debate from afar say to me that despite bracing for emotional and emotive contributions, they had not expected it to be the speech by Mr Ivan Dean that brought a tear to their eye.

That is quite remarkable and it certainly struck me as well so thank you for that particularly memorable contribution.

I am conscious others are still yet to speak and I will finish up with one last point.  When we all end our terms as representatives in this place for our fellow Tasmanians, we will hope to have contributed to a stronger and fairer Tasmania, that we would have left a legacy in some shape or form and a critical part of Ivan’s legacy from his work here with which he and I – our infurious agreement is the vital importance of the role of independence in this place.  While, of course, there is a role for political parties within the parliament, history reinforces that it is a unique contribution of independence in a House of Review that helps to facilitate debate focussed on the merits of issues, rather than predetermined and all too frequently inflexible party positions.

Ivan continued to act on his commitment to ensure those many Tasmanians who do not subscribe to a party platform can still be represented by independents and he advocated for that, even after he had formally retired in the lead up to this year’s May election.  That dedication and commitment to acting on one’s beliefs is to be respected and admired, no matter where one sits on the political spectrum.

In conclusion and as one independent representative to another former independent representative, albeit, representing alternative perspectives on many matters of debate, I add my voice to those of your other former colleagues here in thanking you for your diligent work on behalf of many Tasmanians and wishing you and your family all the very best for your future endeavours.

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