Condolence Speech – Bruce Baird
House of Representatives,
Parliament House
Wednesday, 14 October 2026
I rise to pay tribute to Bruce Baird and offer my condolences to his family. Bruce Baird was my local member of parliament when I was growing up. Before I had any experience of elected officials, I knew him as somebody who took an interest in his community and in the people he represented. As a 19- or 20-year-old, I decided I wanted to become a Justice of the Peace, and you had to apply to your state member of parliament. It was Bruce Baird who happily nominated me to become a Justice of the Peace.
Then, in 1995, with the Labor Party looking for suitable cannon fodder to run in one of the safest Liberal seats in the land, I put my hand up for Labor Party preselection, expecting that I would be running against Bruce Baird. He stepped down as the member for Northcott, and I found myself standing against Barry O'Farrell. At the age of 22, I secured an eight per cent swing for the Labor Party, which I was confident at the time was entirely due to the fluoro posters that we nailed up onto telegraph poles and our enthusiastic campaigning. I suspect, in retrospect, though, that eight percentage points was about the size of Bruce Baird's personal vote, which shifted to us with a new Liberal candidate on the field. Bruce Baird's departure, I suspect, did far more for my electoral prospects than any number of leaflets—and Barry O'Farrell was still elected with a 24 per cent margin, which kept my achievements in perspective.
It said a lot about Bruce and his role as a state MP that people saw him beyond his party affiliation, that they trusted him as their state MP. He made big achievements in state parliament. As a New South Wales minister, he carried the responsibilities of transport and, as many others have mentioned in this debate, helped secure Sydney's bid for the 2000 Olympics. Later, as the federal member for Cook, he brought his experience to the parliament, and it is a loss to this parliament that he didn't have the opportunity to serve as a minister in this place. He continued making serious contributions to public life long after leaving elected office.
One of the things that struck you about Bruce Baird was his kindness. There was a 2007 profile of Bruce by Jeremy Halcrow, which told a story about him. Bruce had taken up the case of a young Iranian asylum seeker, a young man who'd fled after a deadly attack on his house church. Bruce pursued the case with immigration minister Philip Ruddock, who intervened to grant the man refugee status. Later, Bruce presented the young man with his Australian citizenship certificate in his Caringbah electorate office. By then, the young man was studying engineering and translating for his Farsi-speaking congregation. As Bruce related that story, he said it was 'immensely satisfying' to have helped change the course of the young man's life. His advocacy for refugees required courage, particularly in the time he served in this parliament. He was willing to disagree with his own government when he believed that people were being treated unjustly. His Christian faith placed obligations on him, including an obligation to act for people with very little power of their own. At his funeral his daughter, Julia, said: ‘For him the line between stranger and friend was very thin.’
It's a beaut description of someone who was willing to welcome others into a better life, and it's a spirit that I see very much echoed in the work that my grandparents Roly and Jean Stebbins did in Melbourne as part of the Ivanhoe Methodist Church in welcoming refugees to Australia.
Bruce Baird's values are reflected in his children. I know Mike and Julia and have huge regard for them both. Mike made big contributions as Premier of New South Wales, bearing the pressures of leading a government but also engaging in a bit of fun, such as his social media video he did on ‘reading mean tweets’. His work in business and his subsequent leadership of HammondCare have brought his abilities to a whole lot of different institutions, showing his capacity to have a big impact in government, in the not-for-profit sector and in business. The Asylum Seekers Centre has recalled that, as Premier, Mike secured access to fee-free TAFE courses and subsidised public transport for people seeking asylum. You can see there echoes of the work that Bruce Baird had done.
Julia Baird is one of Australia's most astonishing writers. Through Phosphorescence, she's helped readers consider what can sustain them through the hardest periods of their lives. She's written honestly about vulnerability, about swimming, about cancer and about paying close attention to the sources of hope around us. I also want to acknowledge Steve, whose leadership against modern slavery carries forward that same concern for human dignity. Bruce and Judy's example has found expression in the lives of each of their children.
To the Baird family I offer my deepest sympathy. The public tributes here and elsewhere speak to the vast esteem in which Bruce was held. Your loss is much more intimate and of course much greater.
I remember Bruce as the local member who encouraged someone from the other side of the political fence when I was a whippersnapper, and as a parliamentarian whose compassion helped people he might otherwise never have met. He helped to increase the regard with which people view public service. I'm grateful for the service that he gave to the community and to have had the chance to know him.
Ends