Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): I rise to join my colleagues in gratitude and tribute to our former Premier John Cain, a true visionary, a political giant and a humble gentleman. John and his family share a close connection with the electorate of Northcote. He was born in Northcote in 1931, where his father, John Cain, Sr, was the local member. As a boy he attended Bell Primary School in Preston and then went on to attend Northcote High School, a school that owes its existence in large part to his father, who fought tirelessly for its establishment amidst great opposition at the time. Next time I am at Northcote High there will be a tinge of sadness as I pass by the library, named in the great man’s honour.
Northcote back then was largely a working-class suburb. Migrants from Europe began settling in our suburbs around the 1950s and 60s, drawn by the local manufacturing industries: clothing and footwear factories, leather tanning, steel fabrication, furniture making and of course, the paper mill in Alphington.
John would have seen our suburbs change dramatically over his lifetime as first-generation migrants made way for second and now third, as new families filtered in and our diverse mix bubbled away to become the celebrated, eclectic and sought-out area it is today. He also would have seen the struggles of many families faced with disadvantage, racism, and discrimination—a generation that fought to find their way not just towards modernity but towards equality.
As many have noted, John Cain, Jr, is Victoria’s longest-serving Labor Premier. I was born at the end of 1986, during his second term, and what I know is that the world I grew up in would not have been the same were it not for the reforms of those years. And let us not forget they were challenging years economically, socially and politically. But the Cain years set the mould for what Labor governments could be in the modern era, and that is something that Victorians have embraced. Since 1982 Labor has been the party that Victorians have trusted to govern for 27 of the last 38 years. John set the mould for governments in Victoria that lead with a heart, that care about fairness and that put equality at their core, and in truth he set the mould for strength in policy.
Others have spoken about his many achievements, but given the great strides that John Cain made in modernising the Labor Party and in working towards equality for women and girls, it is perhaps fitting that I recall policy discussions from my time working as an adviser to the former Minister for Prevention of Family Violence. When creating policy to establish an agency to drive prevention of family violence efforts was being discussed, it was the Transport Accident Commission that was looked to as the model for success. The TAC, an agency set up by John Cain in the 1980s, responded to a social crisis of more than 1000 Victorians being killed each year on our roads. This was world-leading administrative infrastructure that has changed the way we view safety on our roads and changed what it means to be a victim of road trauma. It is envied by other states.
Late in the parliamentary year just gone, the government passed the Workplace Safety Legislation Amendment (Workplace Manslaughter and Other Matters) Bill 2019. I am pleased that John Cain saw these laws passed in his lifetime, because we know of the profound drive and impact that he and his government had when it came to occupational health and safety. My colleagues have spoken of the fact that Mr Cain was also responsible for the creation of WorkCare in 1985, now WorkSafe. Until then the safety and compensation of workers was the business of private insurers that delivered high premiums and inadequate support for injured workers. Since then more than 1 million injured workers in Victoria have received compensation, rehabilitation and medical services—1 million Victorians. These are just two examples of what typified a government that was measured, thoughtful and driven to deliver real action and real reform for the betterment of Victorians.
John Cain governed for a reason: to advance his fellow man and importantly to advance women. From appointing more women to cabinet to introducing anti-discrimination legislation, he challenged the status quo to achieve tangible outcomes for women across the state. As a young mother and member of Parliament, I owe a lot to my family and my supporters, but I must also acknowledge the great strides that Premier Cain took in removing barriers for women. It heartens me to see the legacy of this great Victorian recognised.
For my own part, in the months before he passed away, I had the privilege of spending some time with the former Premier. I invited him to my office in Northcote, where we spoke about some of the things he had been working on and what he wanted to achieve—and yes, he was still thinking about how to get the next thing done. We spoke about his fondness for the inner north and his wish to see the John Cain Memorial Park in Thornbury become an emblem worthy of his father’s name. John’s sharp mind struck me instantly, but what I recall most was his manner: polite, understated, warm. At one point he did quiz me on what the final Northcote electorate results had been in 2018. I gave a ballpark figure for the primary result, and said I was just grateful for having gotten across the line. John wanted more—down to the last vote. ‘I would have known mine’, he quipped. This was a man with an attention to detail.
Before Christmas John unexpectedly called the office. I thought he might be calling to tell me to get a hustle on with the things that we were working on. Not so; he called me to tell me that he could see I was doing a great job, to keep going, to keep pushing for the things that I believed in, and he wished me a merry Christmas. I will never forget that phone call. John, you were a true gentleman, a visionary, an innovator and a leader. To Nancye, John, James and Joanne, thank you for sharing him with us. Vale, John Cain.
