WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.680 So I'm going to start by acknowledging that we're meeting on the traditional lands of the Kaurna 2 00:00:06.680 --> 00:00:14.040 people of the Adelaide Plains and pay respects to elders past, present and recognise and celebrate 3 00:00:14.040 --> 00:00:20.160 the continuing spiritual relationship to country felt by Kaurna people today. I'd also like to 4 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:25.500 extend a very big welcome and acknowledgement to the Honourable Vicky Chapman, Deputy Premier of 5 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:30.820 the Government of South Australia, to my Chair of Trustees at the History Trust of South Australia, 6 00:00:30.900 --> 00:00:37.620 Elizabeth Ho OAM, to several of my Adelaide Festival of Ideas Incorporated Board members 7 00:00:37.620 --> 00:00:46.040 and all of you who are here to pay tribute to Di and to join this little celebration. Now as many 8 00:00:46.040 --> 00:00:53.520 of you know it has since 2001 been the Adelaide Festival of Ideas custom to recognise an individual 9 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:55.060 Australian who's made 10 00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:55.240 the 11 00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:00.000 Adelaide Festival of Ideas an extraordinary contribution to public life and the world of ideas by making 12 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:06.860 a dedication to them in the festival program. I won't name them all but they include early 13 00:01:06.860 --> 00:01:14.260 dedicaties Hugh Stretton, Loaicha O'Donoghue and most recently Philip Adams and Robin Archer. 14 00:01:14.900 --> 00:01:21.620 2021 is the year in which has most happily seen the return of the Adelaide Festival of Ideas after 15 00:01:21.620 --> 00:01:24.980 a three-year hiatus which was perhaps barely 16 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:32.380 noticed in the legion of hiatuses which have beset our world. It is most fitting that in this return 17 00:01:32.380 --> 00:01:39.460 year the dedicatee should be a person who was so intimately involved in this festival's beginning 18 00:01:40.080 --> 00:01:45.900 but more of that later. I do of course speak of Diana Laidlaw, former State Government Minister 19 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:53.220 in the somewhat diverse portfolios of transport, the arts, the status of women and urban planning. 20 00:01:53.880 --> 00:01:54.960 Portfolios which, in the context of the pandemic, have been a great source of inspiration for the 21 00:01:50.580 --> 00:01:50.680 ! 22 00:01:54.980 --> 00:02:01.420 which in many and various ways enabled Di to make better lives for many and diverse people. 23 00:02:02.160 --> 00:02:09.360 So what to say of Di Laidlaw? If one were to rely solely on Wikipedia for basic information, 24 00:02:09.880 --> 00:02:15.100 Diana's entry is modest with no evidence of the self-conscious or self-promoting, 25 00:02:15.100 --> 00:02:23.580 self-editing common to many wiki biographies, myself included. It has therefore, it was therefore 26 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:24.960 necessary to go beyond the 27 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:42.880 wiki but this has not been difficult as I have been able to rely a great deal upon common knowledge plus background from friends and colleagues and from my own observations of Diana in my capacity first as her bookseller later as a constituent and friend. 28 00:02:43.200 --> 00:02:54.780 Now the basic information could be summarised as a former Australian Liberal politician, a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1982 to 2003. 29 00:02:54.780 --> 00:03:09.680 A holder of several ministerial posts. Now that basic information is obviously inadequate and even in the short time available today I can offer a more considered overview of her history and her contribution to public life. 30 00:03:12.160 --> 00:03:17.560 A history that reveals a person and achievements worthy of this dedication. 31 00:03:18.900 --> 00:03:24.760 Di Laidlaw's political apprenticeship was served as a ministerial advisor, that which is now a ministerial advisor, which is now a ministerial advisor. 32 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:31.480 termed a political staffer to the Honourable Murray Hill AM as this state's first dedicated minister for the arts. 33 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:38.900 When she took her seat in the Legislative Council in 1982 she was only the second Liberal woman to do so. 34 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:47.520 Then followed 21 years of parliamentary service including four years of shadow responsibility for transport, women and the arts. 35 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:51.960 And from 1993, eight years of ministerial responsibility. 36 00:03:52.320 --> 00:03:54.760 Initially for transport, the arts and the arts. 37 00:03:54.780 --> 00:04:23.180 The legal 38 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:24.700 and she set about doing so. 39 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.520 In her opposition years, Di travelled widely in the state 40 00:04:28.520 --> 00:04:30.500 and one thing she learned was that 41 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:34.300 even the relatively straightforward sealing of a rural road 42 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:36.320 could save rural families, 43 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:38.420 and the women and mothers in particular, 44 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:40.800 hours in each day. 45 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:43.740 And she could tell you exactly how many hours. 46 00:04:43.960 --> 00:04:46.700 Such was her mastery of the detail. 47 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:51.160 She knew well she needed to successfully argue for such projects. 48 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:54.600 The oft-mocked one-way southern expressway 49 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:58.300 delivered a third arterial road to the forgotten south, 50 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:01.940 and the missing link in the Adelaide-Darwin rail corridor 51 00:05:01.940 --> 00:05:03.460 was finally completed. 52 00:05:03.700 --> 00:05:06.160 And she even learned to drive a city bus 53 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:09.740 to better understand the conditions and concerns 54 00:05:09.740 --> 00:05:11.180 of her transport workers. 55 00:05:12.220 --> 00:05:15.160 And while Di's legacy in the arts is perhaps the most visible, 56 00:05:15.340 --> 00:05:17.920 she would be justly, equally proud 57 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:20.200 of her transport and other achievements, 58 00:05:20.440 --> 00:05:21.140 such as the fact that she was able to do so 59 00:05:21.140 --> 00:05:21.220 with the help of her colleagues, 60 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:24.020 such as the first Australian domestic violence legislation, 61 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:26.640 vacation care in the public sector, 62 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:30.920 and supporting the work of the Women's Information Service, 63 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:32.920 protecting significant trees, 64 00:05:33.140 --> 00:05:36.700 and the package of system improvements in the Development Act. 65 00:05:37.760 --> 00:05:40.760 As to the arts, first let me quote from Shane Maloney, 66 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:43.840 a Melbourne writer of politics-based fiction, 67 00:05:43.940 --> 00:05:46.720 describing the arts scene to a new minister. 68 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:50.280 The first things that you need to know about this job, POW, 69 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:51.120 is that it's a job that you need to know about. 70 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:51.140 And that's why I'm here today. 71 00:05:51.140 --> 00:05:53.100 But in this town, the arts are a minefield. 72 00:05:53.520 --> 00:05:56.080 Everything from the pitch of the Philharmonic 73 00:05:56.080 --> 00:05:58.160 to the influence of landscape painting 74 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:02.960 in the national psyche is a matter of public debate. 75 00:06:03.400 --> 00:06:06.240 You've got more experimental filmmakers, 76 00:06:07.020 --> 00:06:09.520 dramaturgs, and string quartets 77 00:06:09.520 --> 00:06:11.660 than you can poke a conductor's baton at. 78 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:16.740 And every last one of them has a direct line to the media. 79 00:06:17.300 --> 00:06:19.560 So it may have been back in 1993 80 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:21.100 when Diana assumed that she was going to be a director. 81 00:06:21.100 --> 00:06:21.120 But it was not until she was a minister 82 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:22.460 that she assumed this very public portfolio. 83 00:06:23.960 --> 00:06:26.560 At that time, there was even a weekly arts column 84 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.720 in the Advertiser written under the pseudonym of Basil Arty. 85 00:06:29.880 --> 00:06:34.800 It had many authors, and some of them are still writing today. 86 00:06:35.760 --> 00:06:39.720 While in this town, artists may well have had a direct line 87 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:43.480 to the media, and to Basil in particular, they quickly learned 88 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:46.080 that they also had a direct line to a minister, 89 00:06:46.220 --> 00:06:49.020 who was always willing to squeeze in chat with one 90 00:06:49.020 --> 00:06:50.760 of her arts people to, 91 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:53.060 listen to their thinking and ideas. 92 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:56.940 As with transport, Di was well prepared for this portfolio, 93 00:06:57.100 --> 00:06:59.580 and she understood and valued the creative process. 94 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:03.460 She was also intensely proud of her arts constituents, 95 00:07:03.840 --> 00:07:07.060 and never missed an opportunity to promote and support them. 96 00:07:07.760 --> 00:07:09.760 Di made arts people front and centre, 97 00:07:09.880 --> 00:07:12.240 and the rest of the state took notice. 98 00:07:13.140 --> 00:07:15.100 She even managed to have cabinet mandate 99 00:07:15.700 --> 00:07:19.520 that each department identify and report on those activities 100 00:07:19.520 --> 00:07:20.960 which involve the arts. 101 00:07:21.660 --> 00:07:24.500 The arts statement tabled in Parliament disclosed the breadth 102 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:27.960 of activity previously unrecognised in the public record. 103 00:07:28.820 --> 00:07:31.800 And in many instances, her personal interest and enthusiasm 104 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:35.380 was crucial in making an idea a reality. 105 00:07:36.020 --> 00:07:37.420 You've heard of the elevator pitch? 106 00:07:37.580 --> 00:07:41.380 Well, this very Adelaide Festival of Ideas came to fruition very quickly 107 00:07:41.380 --> 00:07:44.860 after a sandwich stamp, sandwich shop pitch. 108 00:07:45.140 --> 00:07:50.060 Way back in 1998, Di and I both happened to be queuing for our lunch 109 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:51.080 at a Hindley Street stand. 110 00:07:51.080 --> 00:07:51.620 The sandwich bar. 111 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:55.160 As her bookseller and chair of Adelaide Writers Week, 112 00:07:55.260 --> 00:07:58.000 I had a reasonable, already a reasonable rapport with Di. 113 00:07:58.720 --> 00:07:59.980 I saw the potential of the moment. 114 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:01.920 I took a deep breath and I made my pitch. 115 00:08:02.140 --> 00:08:04.860 And literally, before the tops were on the sandwiches, 116 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:06.980 the minister was organising a meeting 117 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:08.500 with the Adelaide Festival Corporation 118 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:11.580 that produced Adelaide Writers Week, an organisation 119 00:08:11.580 --> 00:08:14.580 that already had the necessary experience and infrastructure. 120 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:20.420 Sat out on her office balcony, famous balcony, Di puffed away, 121 00:08:21.080 --> 00:08:24.940 and asked that her department CEO, Tim O'Loughlin, join us. 122 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:26.960 And I acknowledge Tim, who's here this afternoon. 123 00:08:27.280 --> 00:08:30.420 She asked how much I needed to kickstart a pilot effort. 124 00:08:30.640 --> 00:08:35.400 She told Tim that I needed $100,000 and my pilot festival was born. 125 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:39.740 Of course, I had a gut instinct that Di would be open to new ideas. 126 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:43.820 She had already supported the proposal for what has since become the enormously 127 00:08:44.520 --> 00:08:49.180 successful Adelaide Cabaret Festival and South Australia's Living Artist Festival, 128 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:50.660 or SALA, as it is known. 129 00:08:50.660 --> 00:08:53.180 You had to create these spaces that had had these researchers 130 00:08:53.180 --> 00:08:53.520 that had had these researchers create these spaces. 131 00:08:57.320 --> 00:08:59.360 You had to create these spaces that had these researchers 132 00:08:59.360 --> 00:08:59.880 create these spaces that had these researchers 133 00:08:59.880 --> 00:09:01.460 create these spaces that had these researchers 134 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:03.360 create these spaces that had these researchers 135 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:03.700 create these spaces that had these researchers 136 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:04.120 create these spaces that had these researchers 137 00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:04.440 create these spaces that had these researchers 138 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:04.940 create these spaces that had these researchers 139 00:09:04.940 --> 00:09:05.420 create these spaces that had these researchers 140 00:09:05.420 --> 00:09:06.260 create these spaces that had these researchers 141 00:09:06.260 --> 00:09:07.540 create these spaces that had these researchers 142 00:09:07.540 --> 00:09:09.440 create these spaces that had these researchers 143 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:11.420 create these spaces that had these researchers 144 00:09:11.420 --> 00:09:12.240 create these spaces that had these researchers 145 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:13.240 create these spaces that had these researchers 146 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:14.320 create these spaces that had these researchers 147 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:15.940 create these spaces that had these researchers 148 00:09:15.940 --> 00:09:18.560 create these spaces that had these researchers 149 00:09:18.560 --> 00:09:20.640 create these spaces that had these researchers 150 00:09:20.640 --> 00:09:26.820 The amazing Brink Theatre Company was created and a new film fund was attached to the 2002 Adelaide Festival, 151 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:34.640 which saw the commissioning of award-winning films including The Tracker and Aussie Rules as part of the 2002 Adelaide Festival. 152 00:09:34.900 --> 00:09:39.980 And she argued successfully for delaying the sale of the government-owned Kingsford property 153 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:48.280 and so secured for South Australia the production of what became the long-running and multi-awarded television series MacLeod's Daughters, 154 00:09:48.280 --> 00:09:51.580 all with the attendant economic benefit that followed. 155 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:54.800 Nor were the state's treasure houses neglected. 156 00:09:55.260 --> 00:10:01.940 Each of the state's collecting institutions on North Terrace benefited from her fights for the funds with the Treasurer for their redevelopment. 157 00:10:02.160 --> 00:10:06.400 And when it was not simply money that was needed, Di was willing to help in other ways. 158 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:14.320 She understood that not having just the right stone for the floor of the art gallery's new building exhibition space really mattered, 159 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:17.200 albeit stone from a long-closed quarry. 160 00:10:17.260 --> 00:10:18.260 And so she had to do it. 161 00:10:18.280 --> 00:10:21.860 She was happily set about influencing the decision to reopen the quarry. 162 00:10:22.020 --> 00:10:22.700 Not quite. 163 00:10:23.520 --> 00:10:25.740 Well, I'll let you correct that. 164 00:10:25.900 --> 00:10:28.080 Maybe I'm taking a little bit of licence here. 165 00:10:28.660 --> 00:10:32.440 Di would acknowledge that, sadly, not all the news could be good. 166 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:37.000 The overall budget conditions resulted in the closure of two fine South Australian institutions, 167 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:40.300 the Constitutional Museum and the Film Library. 168 00:10:40.560 --> 00:10:43.660 And community radio did experience less support. 169 00:10:44.020 --> 00:10:47.540 These actions were very unpopular and caused her personal pain. 170 00:10:47.540 --> 00:10:50.880 Di had never shied away from the hard decisions, though. 171 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:53.220 Rather, she acknowledged and explained them. 172 00:10:53.520 --> 00:10:56.080 And, of course, not everything went according to plan. 173 00:10:56.340 --> 00:11:03.640 I recall that each of the Adelaide festivals held on her watch attracted drama and controversy in some way or other. 174 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:10.940 So much so that a high level of pre-festival drama became the expected indicator of a successful festival to come. 175 00:11:11.400 --> 00:11:16.740 Somehow, and usually through time, patience and quite some hours on her famous balcony, 176 00:11:16.740 --> 00:11:21.240 Di managed to ride out the almost weekly resignations of one festival director 177 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:24.760 or the beyond reasonable financial requests of another. 178 00:11:25.060 --> 00:11:28.960 And the strength of her commitment to artistic independence was truly tested 179 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:36.660 when her colleagues asked her to direct that the Adelaide festival withdraw an allegedly offensive festival poster. 180 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:39.580 We all remember the Madonna and accordion. 181 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:45.720 Di was prepared to resign rather than give such an order. 182 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:49.400 From 1993, there was even less money than usual to go around, 183 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:54.480 particularly for an arts portfolio generally viewed as being either a vote winner, 184 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:57.960 neither a vote winner nor a vote loser. 185 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:00.740 And so this minister's approach had to be smarter. 186 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:02.640 Particularly... 187 00:12:06.460 --> 00:12:07.020 Particularly... 188 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:08.880 That was the previous line. 189 00:12:09.020 --> 00:12:13.780 It may not be appreciated that cabinet meetings were not an easy forum 190 00:12:13.780 --> 00:12:15.700 for the one woman in front of her. 191 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:18.460 It was a matter of a dozen men and thirteen men arguing for arts projects. 192 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:22.900 Di prepared her arguments well but understood that there could be other means 193 00:12:22.900 --> 00:12:27.120 such as using to advantage her now long gone smoking habit. 194 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:28.980 Because who else shared the habit? 195 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:31.120 Well, the treasurer of the day. 196 00:12:31.280 --> 00:12:34.440 And the permitted smoking breaks saw said treasurer 197 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:36.840 out the back of the State Administration Centre, 198 00:12:37.140 --> 00:12:39.060 often in the cold or wet, 199 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:43.080 captive to Di's considerable powers of persuasion, 200 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:46.700 and mastery of the detail that you need to win arguments. 201 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:50.740 Or, when needing support for the acquisition of a major collection 202 00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:52.520 for the Art Gallery of South Australia, 203 00:12:52.780 --> 00:12:55.720 why would you beg the Premier when a friendly chat to his wife 204 00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:57.840 might produce the same support? 205 00:12:58.060 --> 00:12:58.980 And it did. 206 00:12:59.540 --> 00:13:01.960 In holding the portfolio of arts and transport, 207 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:04.100 Diana found some unique opportunities, 208 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:06.960 particularly once she was given the authority 209 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.040 to manage the budgets across her portfolios. 210 00:13:10.780 --> 00:13:12.820 A slip in the schedule for delivering, let's say, 211 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:15.840 an airport runway was initially a major frustration 212 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:19.060 for a transport minister who daily instilled the need 213 00:13:19.060 --> 00:13:21.200 for project rigour and timely delivery. 214 00:13:21.520 --> 00:13:24.160 But the delay quickly became an opportunity 215 00:13:24.160 --> 00:13:28.240 for an arts minister seeking to secure a film production for the state. 216 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.400 The runaway money cash-flowed the film production, 217 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:34.100 and upon completion of the film, 218 00:13:34.180 --> 00:13:36.460 the funding was returned to the transport budget. 219 00:13:36.640 --> 00:13:38.260 The film, of course, was shined 220 00:13:38.260 --> 00:13:41.060 and subsequently achieved Best Actor Academy Award. 221 00:13:41.800 --> 00:13:42.440 Creativity. 222 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:44.080 It comes in many guises. 223 00:13:45.040 --> 00:13:48.720 As was Dyer's linking of the same portfolios 224 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:52.100 into introducing rail commuters to South Australia's poets, 225 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.980 or in giving a breakfast briefing, 226 00:13:54.220 --> 00:13:56.920 sausages included, to the city's taxi drivers 227 00:13:56.920 --> 00:13:59.220 before each Adelaide Festival and Fringe, 228 00:13:59.300 --> 00:14:02.960 knowing that taxi drivers were the original influencers 229 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:05.680 and could send many patrons in the direction 230 00:14:05.680 --> 00:14:07.380 of the city's Mad March offerings. 231 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:10.600 It would be totally remiss of me not to also acknowledge 232 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:12.620 that Diana played an instrumental role 233 00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:12.800 in the development of the film industry, 234 00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:14.740 and luring the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra 235 00:14:14.740 --> 00:14:17.620 from the distant ABC studios at Collinswood 236 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:20.240 into Hindley Street in Adelaide's West End. 237 00:14:20.400 --> 00:14:23.200 As part of a push for an arts-led urban renewal 238 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:24.220 of Adelaide's West End, 239 00:14:24.880 --> 00:14:27.320 Dyer exercised vigorous encouragement 240 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:28.900 to the Adelaide Festival Corporation 241 00:14:28.900 --> 00:14:32.500 and to the Adelaide Fringe to head west, and they did. 242 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:35.800 Likewise, Dyer's own arts agency, Arts SA, 243 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:38.540 up stumps from the east end of town 244 00:14:38.540 --> 00:14:41.800 to get with a program at Adelaide's West Coffee Palace building 245 00:14:41.800 --> 00:14:42.740 in Hindley Street. 246 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:45.580 Diana, at the end of your political life, 247 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:48.300 the arts in South Australia were better known 248 00:14:48.300 --> 00:14:50.580 and more valued than when you arrived. 249 00:14:51.300 --> 00:14:54.260 It's a proud record that most of your initiatives, 250 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:58.120 and not just in the arts, remain a part of our lives. 251 00:14:58.340 --> 00:15:01.180 And I'm aware that the end of your political life, 252 00:15:01.260 --> 00:15:03.500 at the end of your political life, 253 00:15:03.640 --> 00:15:05.620 it was not the end of your public service. 254 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:08.960 You remain a quiet, effective, practical, 255 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:11.860 and generous contributor and volunteer, 256 00:15:11.900 --> 00:15:12.800 particularly in the public. 257 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:34.000 You are the legal legal 258 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:38.260 doctorate from Flinders University and as a member of the Order of Australia. 259 00:15:38.620 --> 00:15:43.400 Ladies and gentlemen, in a while we will raise a glass and therefore we'll 260 00:15:43.400 --> 00:15:48.320 experience together the sound of one hand clapping. So as I invite Di now to 261 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:53.420 the lectern to respond to my words, I ask that you join me in a rousing round of 262 00:15:53.420 --> 00:15:55.780 applause. I give you the Honourable Diana Laidlaw. 263 00:16:06.400 --> 00:16:14.780 That's because Greg must have... Did you spit? So this has been sprayed for me. Thank you. 264 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:24.900 Wonderful words, Greg, and so many memories. Over recent days I have been 265 00:16:24.900 --> 00:16:31.780 wondering what this dedication might contain, what it might feature. I decided 266 00:16:31.780 --> 00:16:33.980 it would probably unfold in a moment. 267 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:43.680 I'm not sure if I'm doing this for something like a eulogy, but unlike a eulogy I would be here to hear what she said and I would be here to respond if I 268 00:16:43.680 --> 00:16:51.700 needed to. And my family and others know that I do like having the final say. But 269 00:16:51.700 --> 00:16:58.460 first I do wish, like Greg did, to acknowledge that we stand on the land of 270 00:16:58.460 --> 00:17:02.080 the Kaurna people, that they're the custodians of the land that we meet on 271 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:03.140 today. 272 00:17:03.400 --> 00:17:03.980 I'm so pleased to be here today to speak on behalf of my family and my family members. 273 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:07.560 I also acknowledge Vicky Chapman, the Deputy Premier, 274 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:13.400 just a force of strength in this government and in this state, Vicky. 275 00:17:13.540 --> 00:17:15.780 And I was with Vicky just recently. 276 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:20.620 I just casually mentioned that I had this fearful occasion coming up today. 277 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:22.360 Would you like to come? 278 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:23.880 She wrote a scribbled note. 279 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:26.300 I never believed you would turn up in person. 280 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:28.740 I just... It's a great thrill that you're here. 281 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:29.660 Thank you. 282 00:17:29.660 --> 00:17:37.600 I also thank Greg and the powers that be in the University of Adelaide, 283 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:42.020 John Carty and others as curator of this festival, 284 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:49.320 for returning the festival to the very space where it started some 22 years ago 285 00:17:49.320 --> 00:17:56.520 and also asking me to be the dedicatee on this occasion. 286 00:17:57.060 --> 00:17:59.280 It's such a beautiful word, isn't it? 287 00:17:59.300 --> 00:17:59.640 Dedicatee. 288 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:06.640 But I have to say I didn't readily accept it when I was invited to be this person. 289 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:15.460 I really wondered if I warranted the honour and I wondered even if I wanted it 290 00:18:15.460 --> 00:18:21.540 because I have now been some 18 years out of public life 291 00:18:21.540 --> 00:18:27.820 and I've worked very hard to move from a public life to a private one 292 00:18:27.820 --> 00:18:29.640 to find the person. 293 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:32.080 I'm not just the political me. 294 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:40.680 And up on this stage today, it's a test of strength to be here. 295 00:18:41.340 --> 00:18:44.920 But it's also a thrill. 296 00:18:46.460 --> 00:18:52.200 Essentially, I think I've always seen myself in very basic terms, 297 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:55.320 striving always to do my best, 298 00:18:56.060 --> 00:18:59.640 being supported by my family and two of my sisters-in-law, 299 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:01.220 my brothers-in-law here today. 300 00:19:01.320 --> 00:19:02.720 And I thank you very much for coming. 301 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:05.040 My cousin also, Trina Ross. 302 00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:14.540 Supported by my family, I have a capacity to have a strong, positive outlook on life, 303 00:19:15.320 --> 00:19:19.860 a capacity to assess and manage risk. 304 00:19:21.380 --> 00:19:28.400 I also have what most women have in common, and that's a superb crap detector. 305 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:29.640 And I can tell you that. 306 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:32.680 I can tell you working with all the men that I worked with over the years, 307 00:19:32.840 --> 00:19:35.060 that was possibly my greatest strength. 308 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:42.400 Along the way, I also learned a lot, that there was a lot of wisdom in a story 309 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:46.600 that my father liked to tell about the golfer Gary Player, 310 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:54.240 who, following a blistering punt on the 18th green to win his third British Open, 311 00:19:54.380 --> 00:19:56.100 that was back in 1974, 312 00:19:57.120 --> 00:19:58.600 he told reporters, 313 00:19:58.600 --> 00:20:01.800 well, the harder I practice, the luckier I become. 314 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:08.480 And in my parliamentary career, there is no doubt that I enjoyed a lot of luck. 315 00:20:08.620 --> 00:20:15.300 And it includes that day in 1988, Greg, when I met you at the sandwich shop. 316 00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:23.200 And I remember it vividly, because the morning had been just full of irritating meetings, 317 00:20:23.520 --> 00:20:25.000 and lots of them. 318 00:20:25.080 --> 00:20:28.580 And so by lunchtime, I decided to defy my personal, 319 00:20:28.600 --> 00:20:32.600 personal assistant and the controller of my diary, Cynthia Richardson, 320 00:20:32.860 --> 00:20:34.180 who is sitting here today. 321 00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:35.560 Thank you for coming, Cynthia. 322 00:20:36.740 --> 00:20:40.100 Not a woman generally to be defied, but I defied her this day. 323 00:20:40.260 --> 00:20:42.060 And I played truant. 324 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:49.200 And it was such a liberating experience that by the time I met Greg in the sandwich shop, 325 00:20:49.320 --> 00:20:53.580 in the sandwich queue, I was in high spirits and in good humor. 326 00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:57.520 And so your pitch to me about this festival was, 327 00:20:57.560 --> 00:20:58.580 you know, I was in a high spirit. 328 00:20:58.580 --> 00:21:00.420 I was perfectly timed. 329 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:02.740 Another day, perhaps not so good. 330 00:21:02.860 --> 00:21:06.980 But this day, yeah, I was ready to receive a good idea. 331 00:21:07.040 --> 00:21:07.980 I was having fun. 332 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:10.480 I was out of the office. 333 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:26.420 It is true that Chance Encounter has seen a really successful festival in this state, 334 00:21:26.540 --> 00:21:28.280 and one that has been emulated. 335 00:21:28.580 --> 00:21:34.520 I understand almost in every state across Australia and overseas as well. 336 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:42.160 So a real credit to Greg and all who ensured that this festival came about. 337 00:21:42.360 --> 00:21:50.100 And I remember the day vividly too, because I was in another meeting and it was going on and on. 338 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:52.400 And I was getting more and more irritated. 339 00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:56.740 I needed a cigarette, but I also needed to be here for the first session. 340 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:58.560 And it was a brilliant day. 341 00:21:58.560 --> 00:21:59.000 It was a brilliant session. 342 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:00.360 I sat up the back. 343 00:22:00.780 --> 00:22:06.160 The session was just war or a just war. 344 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:12.060 And it was a huge subject, even before Australia went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. 345 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:14.240 Big issues to consider. 346 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:17.860 And then I stayed on to hear about the ethical issues arising 347 00:22:17.860 --> 00:22:22.500 from cloning, surrogacy, and sperm injection. 348 00:22:23.540 --> 00:22:28.500 I followed that with a session on robots in the workforce. 349 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:28.540 And I was very excited. 350 00:22:28.540 --> 00:22:36.860 And then the research underway to intercept meteorites or meteors were heading to Earth. 351 00:22:37.100 --> 00:22:40.060 It was a very heady, thrilling experience. 352 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:48.380 The program was broadly focused with growth productivity and global issues at the fore. 353 00:22:49.300 --> 00:22:58.180 This year, the sessions have been, in my understanding, quite different in their focus. 354 00:22:58.180 --> 00:23:00.320 No less energising and challenging. 355 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:08.900 But in tune with our times, the issues addressed have been much closer at home, personal relationships, 356 00:23:09.320 --> 00:23:12.220 community, cultural, and environmental dynamics. 357 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:17.460 Many presentations have been introspective, reflective, and from the heart. 358 00:23:18.260 --> 00:23:24.160 Stories that have been testing to tell and often, well, perhaps I should speak for myself, 359 00:23:24.320 --> 00:23:28.160 often hard for me to hear and hear again. 360 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:42.780 You're all so kind. 361 00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:43.640 You're so kind. 362 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:43.960 You're so kind. 363 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:45.040 You're so kind. 364 00:23:46.760 --> 00:23:47.720 You're so kind. 365 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:48.560 You're so kind. 366 00:23:48.760 --> 00:23:49.220 You're so kind. 367 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:50.340 You're so kind. 368 00:23:50.520 --> 00:23:50.980 You're so kind. 369 00:23:51.320 --> 00:23:51.920 You're so kind. 370 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:51.940 You're so kind. 371 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:52.220 You're so kind. 372 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:52.880 You're so kind. 373 00:23:52.900 --> 00:23:54.000 You're so kind. 374 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:56.620 You're so kind. 375 00:23:56.620 --> 00:24:05.020 kindness and generosity of spirit extended to him by the American indie rock band Yo-Ya-Tengo, 376 00:24:05.300 --> 00:24:09.720 the group that he had wronged years earlier. 377 00:24:10.780 --> 00:24:19.380 It was this man at the top of his game in the food industry making these confessions 378 00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:28.760 to us publicly for the first time was a powerful experience to behold. 379 00:24:30.300 --> 00:24:36.980 What I also loved about his presentation was that he told us, and it was his firm belief, 380 00:24:37.080 --> 00:24:39.540 that a strong person is a kind person. 381 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:47.180 You know, today we have so many bullies and abusive people, road rage and people screaming 382 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:49.260 and yelling all over the place. 383 00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:51.780 And they think they're strong and powerful and making a point. 384 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:57.820 And here was some Benjuri reminding us, strong person is a kind person. 385 00:24:58.220 --> 00:25:03.380 And that was a wonderful reinforcing lesson to me. 386 00:25:04.080 --> 00:25:12.200 We were also challenged in terms of our perspectives and values by the session Fair Game. 387 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:18.960 As Gavin Wanganin, Bruce Jaitai, Tanya Hosh, Taryn Lee, 388 00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:26.520 and Pauli Wangerberg, they talked with candor about their personal experiences 389 00:25:26.520 --> 00:25:30.380 with racism in sport and in our society. 390 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:38.060 Each one proposed thoughtful measures to help break down these prejudices. 391 00:25:38.360 --> 00:25:42.820 And as I listened, it just struck me like a bolt of lightning. 392 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:48.760 I had never thought this through before, but thanks to being in this very room two nights ago, 393 00:25:50.700 --> 00:26:07.100 I had had so many times of legal 394 00:26:07.100 --> 00:26:07.380 You know, these propositions. 395 00:26:07.380 --> 00:26:07.680 You know, these propositions. 396 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.960 You know, these propositions. 397 00:26:10.320 --> 00:26:12.000 You know, these propositions. 398 00:26:12.060 --> 00:26:13.940 You know, these propositions. 399 00:26:14.180 --> 00:26:16.020 You know, these propositions. 400 00:26:16.360 --> 00:26:19.360 You know, these propositions. 401 00:26:19.360 --> 00:26:22.120