Authors: Rita Lee Chapman
Every Department had a Parliamentary Liaison Officer who was the contact for MPs and their staff to help them through the departmental bureaucracy and provide quick and accurate responses to our inquiries.
95% of them were skilled professionals and without their help it would be impossible to service our constituents’ inquiries.
Of course there were always the odd exceptions who were not particularly helpful or quick, but the majority are a pleasure to deal with.
(I’m sure they say the same about us!)
A lot of immigration inquiries were directed to Parliament House and a lot of my time was spent following up these cases.
In addition, Jim often required me to research information for a speech – often at very short notice.
It was nothing for him to say “I’m giving a speech in the House on so-and-so in an hour’s time – see what you can dig up for me”.
The Parliamentary Library was wonderful for these occasions.
They had a dedicated, hard-working staff who would happily pull out masses of information, which I could then sift through.
There was of course a pecking order, which meant that the Ministers requests were given priority, then the Government MPs followed by the Opposition Ministers and lastly the Opposition backbenchers.
It was just a matter of luck whether they were rushed off their feet at the time of your request. I discovered it certainly paid to be very nice to the researchers and to beg rather than demand in times of need!
I was very proud when one of Jim’s speeches, for which I had provided most of the material, was hailed by his colleagues as his best yet.
(I think some credit should probably go to Jim’s use of the material and his delivery!).
It was an odd life when Parliament was sitting.
I would fly down Sunday night, stay in a motel all week, work odd hours and then fly back Friday morning the first week and Friday night the second week, when the House sat a day longer.
The first week I would go straight from the airport to the Electorate Office and try to get on top of the Electorate work and then it would be back to
Canberra
again on Sunday night.
Although we had a very good casual who came in for those weeks, I liked to do my own filing. If Jim needed something quickly I had to know exactly where to put my hands on it.
The highlight of the Parliamentary week was Wednesday evening, when the House rose at 6.30 pm and everyone went out for dinner.
I had become friendly with a couple of other girls and we usually went to one of the restaurants in Manuka Wednesday nights.
Manuka was particularly popular and would be buzzing with groups of Parliamentary staffers and, quite often, Members as well.
We were lucky that we were also ate very well during the rest of the week as the staff canteen was exceptionally good, with many choices of hot and cold food, entrees, desserts, cakes for morning or afternoon tea, fruit and even small bottles of wine.
Despite all the running around it was easy to put on weight.
By 1988 when the new Parliament House was opened I was no longer travelling down to
Canberra
for the Sitting weeks.
Colleen was employed permanently in
Canberra
and she was very proficient in her role, with the added advantage of having previously worked in Parliament.
In her thirties, Colleen was single and very popular around Parliament House.
She was very tall, blonde and had piercing blue eyes that defied you to tell her an untruth.
I know she was constantly being asked out by other staffers and politicians alike but she was smart enough not to mix politics with pleasure!
It was Colleen who oversaw the move to the new building – the old Parliament House had become redundant.
I must admit to feeling a little sad at the thought of never trotting down those famous halls again.
She told me over the phone that when the guys came to move Jim he just waved his hands and said “put everything in exactly the same place in the new office” and left them to it.
The Parliament was formally opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 9 May 1988
and on the first sitting week in August there was to be an inaugural Dinner in the Great Hall, hosted by the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke. As Jim’s wife was unable to attend due to another commitment in
Sydney
, Jim invited me along and I eagerly accepted.
It was a good opportunity for me to familiarise myself with the new layout as I was still doing relief work in
Canberra
from time to time.
What an amazing building!
From its impressive entrance to its huge marble pillared forecourt, sweeping staircase up to the Members’ offices and the beautiful Chambers it is an architectural marvel that all Australians can be proud to call their seat of Government.
Much of it is made of glass and it is a very spacious, light and airy building.
I marvelled at our
suite
of offices – a huge office for the Member, with ensuite; a large reception area and desk plus another office, a filing room and a kitchenette!
In addition it is set in large grassed grounds overlooking the mountains.
There are tennis courts for the use of Members and staff and underneath is a huge parking area.
By this time I was driving down to
Canberra
as I found it more convenient to have my car there and by the time I went to the airport and then waited for a car the other end, there was not much difference in the timing.
It was tiring but it sure beat those occasions when a plane strike was called on a Friday evening, deliberately aimed at the politicians and we were all sitting at
Canberra
airport wondering if we were going to get home that week-end.
I went back to my motel and changed quickly and returned to the House.
Drinks were served and as Jim was circulating I was left pretty much on my own.
One of the other Shadow Ministers, whose Parliamentary office was close to ours, kindly came over to talk to me with his wife.
However, when she realised I was not Jim’s wife she gave me a look of disdain and quickly moved him along!
I was not only embarrassed, but humiliated. I knew I had flushed bright red as she obviously thought Jim and I were having an affair.
Jim was not a womaniser and I was certainly not interested in anything but a professional relationship in my working life.
I determined not to let this spoil my evening.
Fortunately it was not long before we sat down to dinner, underneath the famous, if somewhat contentious, painting “Blue Poles”.
The Prime Minister gave a welcoming address and the rest of the evening passed pleasantly – the food was delicious and even the speeches were mostly entertaining.
I stayed in
Canberra
for the rest of the week and soon became familiar with our new setting.
Without the rabbit warren of corridors of the old Parliament House it was easier to find your way around and the building was spacious, filled with light and surrounded by lovely courtyards with grass-edged pavers and trees.
Tables and chairs were strategically placed – some in the shade for those few warm days and the rest in the direct sun.
The staff cafeteria was a huge area with an improved selection of food – it was like eating in a restaurant every day.
Although I didn’t go to the bar, it was very well frequented in the evenings, by members and staffers alike.
However, I couldn’t help hankering just a little for the camaraderie which existed in the old Parliament House.
Our grand new office suites were quite self-contained, so there was very little need to venture outside them. It was really only at the photocopier or cafeteria that people met up.
There was less whispering in the corridors and I missed the gossip!
I went into Question Time one afternoon.
The new gallery was very modern and the glass wall which cut you off from the politicians was so clear you felt you were actually in the Chamber.
A couple of times I took papers into Jim whilst the House was in session – there were seats at the rear of the Chamber for politicians to converse with their staffers.
Life in
Canberra
was an entirely different world – a mini-city with a feeling of surrealness, dislocated from real life.
2.
Kareem
Kareem Hazif contacted me a couple of times whilst I waited to hear back from the Minister’s office.
He was always very polite and courteous, but obviously very distressed about the lack of information regarding his brother.
The Minister’s response, when it came, was not very helpful.
Apparently the Australian Embassy in
Cairo
had spoken to Ramy’s aunt and uncle when Kareem had first contacted them and they were unable to give much information. When they checked again, no further postcards had been received nor had Ramy made any contact with them.
The airline’s records showed that he had taken the flight to Abu Simbel but there was no record of him taking a flight back, nor of him leaving
Egypt
.
The good news was that no-one matching Ramy’s description had been found through the morgues or hospitals. The Minister’s letter concluded by assuring the family the Embassy would continue to search for Ramy and advise of any developments.
I rang Kareem to let him know that the reply had arrived.
He was anxious to receive it as soon as possible and wanted to pick it up on his way home from work. “If you can wait until I can get there, I’ll buy you coffee” he said.
I didn’t normally become friendly with constituents on a personal level but I actually found him quite charming, so I decided to make an exception.
Kareem arrived around six. He was wearing a brown sports jacket and dark brown trousers with a white shirt that accentuated the olive colour of his skin.
I handed him the Minister’s letter.
He read it slowly and put it carefully into his inside jacket pocket.
His huge eyes searched my face inquiringly.
“What do I do now
?” he asked.
“Well,” I replied
“
I think you have to wait and see if the Embassy can find out any more information.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said “Come on, I’ll buy you that coffee I promised you”.
“There’s really no need” I responded, feeling awful that I didn’t have any better news for him.
‘No, please, I would like to talk to you.”
We walked around to the coffee shop and both ordered a cappuccino. Kareem sat quietly for a while, drinking his coffee. “I must go to
Egypt
and search for my brother. My parents expect it of me” he said by way of explanation.
He sighed as if he was relieved to have made a decision that involved some action on his part.
Then he smiled at me.
“But enough of my problems.
Tell me something of yourself”.
I told him a little of my background and my job and we chatted amicably for a while.
I was impressed by the way he listened intently as I spoke, how his eyes locked into mine and how he asked interested questions without probing too far into my personal life.
I explained to him that both my parents had died at quite a young age and I had no brothers or sisters.
I could see it upset him a little to know that I had no-one close as family was obviously very important to him.
We sat there for a couple of hours before
he paid the bill, saying “I have enjoyed your company, Anna.
I would very much like to have dinner with you before I leave for
Cairo
.
Can I ring you once I have made my bookings?”
‘Yes, Kareem” I replied” I would like that.”