The details came during a tribute speech made by member for Albury Greg Aplin to the NSW Parliament.

Members of Lloyd Lange’s family were present late last week when the Parliament thanked the late upper house member for his 12 years of service.

Mr Lange was remembered after his death in Sydney in November, aged 76, as a hard-working yet humble behind-the-scenes advocate for the Albury region.

In his speech, Mr Aplin drew attention to a newspaper suggestion that Mr Lange had played “a key role” in the ascension of Mr Greiner to the leadership by uniting the upper House Liberals.

Mr Greiner served as opposition leader for five years before becoming premier, holding the office until 1992.

Mr Aplin said a Sydney Morning Herald profile in March 1984 had described Mr Lange as “one of the strongest members of Mr Greiner’s team — and one of the least known.”

The Herald said Mr Lange’s questions and speeches were among the few Mr Greiner took note of “because they are almost without exception, laden with details which have been meticulously researched”.

In November, former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer praised Mr Lange for his dedication to the people of Albury.

Mr Fishcer said Mr Lange was known for his work in making the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation a more effective organisation.

Mr Aplin told Parliament Mr Lange was not as well-known now as perhaps he deserved “for he was a quiet person who never made a fuss”.

“Indeed, because on January 6, 1986 he retired from Parliament when it was not sitting, there is not even a valedictory speech to record his parting message,” he said.

“But this quiet disposition masked a most forceful mind for change, and Lloyd Lange forever changed the way the NSW Parliament goes about its business.”

Mr Aplin quoted another Herald article in which economic scribe Ross Gittins called Mr Lange a taxpayers’ hero.

“He established an upper house committee on financial accounts which recommended, among other things, the reconstitution of the moribund public accounts committee, with wider powers and more resources,” Gittins wrote.

Mr Aplin said Mr Lange made real change happen “by closely watching patterns in the numbers”.