JOURNALIST:
Well Prime Minister Pro Hart passed away overnight, a sad loss for Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
A very sad loss and I send my sympathy to his family. He was a very unconventional artist. The feature of his work that his son drew attention to was that he painted people in their environment and that was the key, in my view, to his great popularity.
JOURNALIST:
And obviously a great loss for the art community in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh yes he was different. He had that wonderful identification with Broken Hill, he lived there all of his life. He was a wonderful and dedicated family man and I know that his wife and children will miss him greatly.
JOURNALIST:
And how do you think Australians will remember his artwork?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think they'll remember the colour, they'll remember the unconventional methods and they'll remember the identification with a city which is part of the history of this country; a very special part.
[ends]