Tanya Plibersek
Sydney · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The Redress Scheme has, since 2018, received 80,000 applications and disbursed over $2 billion in redress payments to survivors. Thousands have received apologies or counselling that have changed their lives. That acknowledgement has changed their lives.”
“The scheme's operating expenses are met by taxpayers, who also step in as a funder of last resort for compensation payments, so the financial impacts obviously go beyond the victim-survivors themselves.”
“I want to take the opportunity to note recent media reports, particularly those in the Australian Financial Review , which said: Edmund Rice Education was created in 2007 and now operates dozens of schools affiliated with the Christian Brothers. … The split created a new organisation with the bulk of the Christian Brothers assets.”
“And of course they are also part of the larger group of people that are eligible now, because we've increased thresholds. Thanks to our changes, families now get around $30,000 of paid parental leave. That's more than double what it was when we came to government. But it's not just about paid parental leave.”
“The federal government is gravely concerned about the Christian Brothers Oceania Province's 22 June 2026 announcement that it would seek creditor and court approval for a creditors scheme of arrangement and a moratorium on all current and future civil proceedings in connection with child sexual abuse claims.”
“Thanks so much to the member for Cunningham. I know that she is out and about in her electorate all the time, and she knows that over 1,800 parents benefited from paid parental leave in her electorate just last year. Last week, I met Baby Zoe and her mum and dad. Baby Zoe is number three in a family of three children.”
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“More broadly on family, domestic and sexual violence, across our nation, rates of family, domestic and sexual violence continue to be tragically and unacceptably high. On average, each week a woman is killed by a man's use of violence, and in almost every instance it's a man that she knows. Whether it be young women whose lives were only beginning or older women who had so much more to look forward to, each life taken has a profound impact on the loved ones left behind. Kids face a future without their mum; a daughter, a sister or a best friend is no longer there. And so many more women's lives are forever changed through physical injury and psychological harm by men who choose to use violence.”
“On family, domestic and sexual violence, Closing the Gap target 13, the figures here too are stark. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 33 times more likely than other Australian women to be hospitalised due to family violence and up to seven times more likely to be homicide victims. No-one thinks this is acceptable. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have been calling for targeted programs to prevent violence, and they've been calling for a standalone Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family safety national plan. We've heard those calls, and we're in the final stages of developing that plan and establishing a peak body to oversee the delivery and implementation of that plan.”
“First Nations children have survived and prospered in this country for millennia, but today we find we are going backwards, with too many children entering out-of-home care. We know that the earliest years of a child's life lay the foundations for who they become and what they might achieve. It is not okay that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 12 times more likely to be in out-of-home care or connected to the child protection system. We have to do much better than that. I recently appointed Sue-Anne Hunter as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander commissioner to elevate the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. I'll work with the commissioner and all my colleagues to try to reduce the placement of First Nations kids into care.”
“It is disconcerting that in 2022 just 60½ per cent of people with disability aged 15 to 64 years were in the labour force, compared to 85 per cent of people without a disability. We have to do much more than just provide payments to these people. We need to make sure that we are unlocking opportunities for people to join the labour market. As a government, we need to work to reduce complexity within the social security system and improve communication to encourage people to take up work and to ensure the system supports people to move easily from income support into work. As a government, we are also committed to closing the gap. In my own portfolio, Closing the Gap target 12, reducing the number of children in out-of-home care, and target 13, reducing family, domestic and sexual violence, are top of my list of responsibilities.”
“We've seen amazing employment growth numbers since coming to government—1.1 million new jobs created—and the minimum wage is up by $9,000 a year since we came to office, but too many people are still locked out of the labour market. We need to make sure that our social security settings support and incentivise people wishing to take up work or increase their hours and that we stimulate demand to employ people from groups who have a greater distance from the workforce, especially Australians living with disability. Work is about a lot more than just a pay cheque. It shapes our identity, builds confidence and self-esteem and connects us with our communities. My focus is on supporting more Australians into the benefits of work.”
“Currently, many organisations have to apply for numerous small grants over long periods of time and piece together the funding they need to work holistically with individuals and families. With every grant program comes a range of duplicative and unnecessary administrative burdens. The key takeaway from our partners in the community and the not-for-profit sector is that we need to move towards funding models that are simpler, longer term, more relational and which reward success. Reporting should be focused on outcomes and provide meaningful insights back to the sector about what is and isn't working so that we can continue to improve outcomes for people who need a hand.”
“This term will see me focus more on place based approaches which require local and joint decision-making with investment guided by locally developed, data driven plans. We now have an opportunity to bring together the many place based approaches which are working in different parts of Australia to share effective practices and to extend these benefits to more communities. Our $230 million Targeting Entrenched Disadvantage package has laid the groundwork for place based work in Australia, and we'll continue to do that work with the community and the not-for-profit sector. Community sector organisations help to advance many of our social goals. These organisations run parenting programs, playgroups, counselling services, crisis response teams and so much more. They foster community resilience, cohesion and wellbeing.”
“Australia is an enormously prosperous country, and we've got one of the best-performing economies in the world, but the benefits of economic growth haven't reached everyone equally. There are 235 communities in Australia that, together, account for the top 10 per cent of disadvantage in the country. Of these communities, 65 are home to more than half of Australia's most disadvantaged people. These communities face complex and persistent social and economic challenges that can't be solved by one-size-fits-all universal programs. This is where place based work comes in. Local leaders who are embedded within their communities know the solutions that are needed in their communities. But aligning the services of government departments with the community sector and philanthropy is challenging.”
“Those processes have changed the thinking of communities, and they've helped drive really durable change. The equivalent today is the advice of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, known to most people as EIAC. The Albanese government has the great good fortune to draw on Jenny Macklin's skills and enthusiasm as the Chair of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee. Some of EIAC's 2025 report considerations reflect its interest in making sure that we integrate services and invest early in prevention rather than focusing once disadvantage has already taken hold. I'm very grateful to EIAC for their work and I'll continue to work with them to make sure that our system is fair.”
“Since the election of the Albanese government, we've made considerable strides in improving JobSeeker, Commonwealth rent assistance and paid parental leave payments and arrangements. That really makes a difference in people's lives. A single age pensioner in receipt of a full pension now receives $1,178.70 a fortnight—about $5,000 more each year than when we came to government—and an additional $1,800 per year if they're renting. We value a system where resources are directed according to need and we're always looking for ways of making sure our system is fit for purpose. We've been very lucky over the years to receive expert advice: the Henderson poverty line, the McClure report on the adequacy of social security payments and Jeff Harmer's report on pensions and other payments.”
“Neal Blewett, Brian Howe, Carmen Lawrence and my very dear friend Jenny Macklin have held this vast and vital portfolio since the 1980s and have led some of the most important reforms that Labor governments look back on with pride. To give a sense of the scale, the payment system supports around 5½ million people, family payments support around a million families, and the Child Support Scheme supports around 1.1 million children. Overall, the system supports more than six million Australians, and in 2025-26 that'll be at a cost of $152 billion—almost 20 per cent of all government expenditure. It shows why it's so important to steward this scheme correctly and to make sure that we've got the settings right.”
“We undertook a range of fantastic projects around Australia, including supporting a bid to include the original 1978 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade route on the National Heritage List and include the Melbourne and Broken Hill trades halls on World Heritage listing for workers' architecture around the world. Since that time, of course, Minister Watt has been doing a wonderful job in this important portfolio, and I wish him all the very best. I'm delighted to take on the portfolio of Social Services, and I'm very grateful to Minister Rishworth for her extraordinary work and skilled stewardship of the portfolio in our first term. The Social Services portfolio is where you see Labor's DNA.”
“We invested $550 million to protect threatened species, including Lord Howe Island's phasmid and little mountain palm. Lord Howe Island is a beautiful part of my electorate. We increased recycling by more than 1.3 million tonnes a year, stopping paper, soft plastics and difficult-to-recycle plastics going into landfill. I was the first environment minister to block a coalmine. We protected almost 100 million hectares of land and sea, an area bigger than Italy, Germany and Norway combined. We massively expanded the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve and the Macquarie Island Marine Park, amongst others. We began the World Heritage listing process for Murujuga and Cape York. We set up new Indigenous protected areas, expanded the Indigenous Rangers Program and stopped Jabiluka from being mined for uranium.”
“How great to see those new homes going into my electorate. We passed landmark legislation to lift federal government funding for public schools, which had been capped at 20 per cent by Malcolm Turnbull when he was prime minister. So much has been done across the board. I'm always very proud of what we manage to achieve in the environment portfolio as we move towards net zero. In just three years, I approved 83 renewable energy projects, enough to power 10 million homes. That's every home in Australia. Renewables are powering well over 40 per cent of the national grid now, and we're on track to achieve that 82 per cent target by 2030. In recent weeks, about 40,000 households have taken up our support for much cheaper home batteries as well.”
“We are cutting the average student debt by $6,820 and delivering $183.9 million in direct financial relief to 26,972 individuals in my electorate. Our fee-free TAFE funding has been wildly successful, and it's benefited over 3½ thousand students in the Sydney electorate. We now see across the country same job, same pay, which is now law. The gender pay gap is the lowest it's ever been, with women $1,900 a year better off because of that. We're building 1.2 million new homes in Australia, and we're also making the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in many years. I was just delighted recently to visit a new project in Waterloo which City West Housing is building with the assistance of the state government and the federal government and some assistance from local government as well.”
“We've helped 6,330 households in the Sydney electorate in 2025 with increases to Commonwealth rent assistance, which is particularly important in an electorate like mine, where rents are so expensive. We funded a 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators and aged-care workers, while making sure that childcare centres cap their fees to support affordability and fairness. We are making sure that early childhood education is more affordable for families. Out-of-pocket costs were cut by an average of $7,000 for a family earning $168,000. We introduced 60-day prescriptions and tripled bulk-billing incentives, saving electors in the electorate of Sydney around $9 million so far. We've wiped $3 billion from student debt for more than three million Australians. In Sydney, more than one in five voters will benefit from that.”
“I can't wait to see further progress on these very important local commitments. Voters in Sydney and across the country voted Labor because of the difference that we made in the lives of ordinary Australians: cost-of-living relief for millions and tax cuts for all Australians. In fact, there are 147,000 taxpayers in Sydney, and 123,462 of them received a tax cut. We provided two years of energy bill relief for every household and small business. In the Sydney electorate, 101,373 households received energy rebates, and 75,015 small businesses received rebates as well. My electorate has benefited from our historic increases in Commonwealth rent assistance.”
“There is also a commitment of $27,000 in funding to support eight events to be hosted by the Newtown Synagogue in 2025 to promote community cohesion. That is so important in light of yesterday's revelations about the Iranian government involvement in antisemitic attacks in Sydney. Of course, Newtown Synagogue was one of the places that were attacked during that spate of horrible antisemitic attacks. With Penny Wong, we also made a commitment of $2.6 million to the Museum of Chinese in Australia, located in Haymarket. And, with the Prime Minister, we made an $8.5 million commitment to funding for the Jewish Museum, which, of course, has now moved into the Wentworth electorate. We're also rebuilding the Griffin Theatre in Darlinghurst. This is a much-needed investment of $5 million, an announcement made with Catherine King.”
“I want to take this opportunity as well to mention a few of the ministerial staff from my previous portfolio who have moved on: Dan Doran, David McElrea and Rachel Durrant. They're not the only staff who moved on, but each of those had been with me for over a decade. It's hard to say goodbye to people, but they've all gone on to bigger and better things. During the campaign, I was very pleased to announce several important commitments in my electorate, including $10.2 million to deliver a new harbour pool at World Heritage listed Cockatoo Island/Wareamah, on beautiful Sydney Harbour, west of the harbour bridge. That'll be a great day out for people, who will be able to go there for the cost of a ferry ride and spend the day and swim in our beautiful harbour.”
“It doesn't happen without an incredible amount of hard work from party members, and I'd particularly like to mention: Alberto Castillo, Connah, Ann Daly, Vicki Clay, John Dixon, Halcyon Done, Brian Frankham, Jonathan Gilliland, James Godschalk, Michael Hatrick, Shane Healy, David Hetherington, Marco Ho, Susan Kable, Clara Klemski, Nicholas Lin, Tom Loveluck, Zann Maxwell, Wayne Moody, Vanessa Bourke, Michelle Perry, Luke Pratt, Judy Quirk, Linda Scott, Tamira Stevenson and Kate Sullivan. Of course, they are not the only ones who worked very hard during this campaign, but I do need to mention them for their really outstanding effort. I also want to thank Campaign Director Christine Hawkins—an incredible effort from Christine—and Kerry, Will, Nell, Luke and Toni in the office.”
“Supporters in their hundreds stood at bus and ferry stops, train stations, light-rail stops and outside markets and shops to let people know about our first-term achievements and to tell them of our plans for our second term. I'm very pleased to say that the federal electorate of Sydney achieved 55.15 per cent of first-preference votes for Labor. That is the highest first-preference vote for Labor in the entire country. And, of course, our two-party preferred vote was also outstanding, at 70.95 per cent of two-party preferred votes.”
“I'm delighted to be able to deliver this address-in-reply to the Governor-General's speech on the opening of the 48th Parliament. It's not my first rodeo; I've been to a few of these. But I have to say this election is a particularly special one because Labor now holds 94 seats out of the 150 in the House of Representatives and 29 out of the 76 Senate spots. So we have 123 representatives across both chambers. Our caucus is now 57 per cent female, cabinet is 52 per cent women and we are a modern, diverse government with more representation of our diverse Australian community than any previous government. That's important because, because of that, we make better decisions. We represent all Australians. We had a terrific result in the electorate of Sydney thanks to the hard work and commitment of volunteers and supporters.”
“That freeze has saved people affected by deeming about $1.8 billion over the period. But, as people do a few hours of paid work, it's not fair for them to be punished in comparison to people who receive income from their investments, so we will be unfreezing those deeming rates. (Time expired)”
“That comes on top of all of the other cost-of-living measures—the cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, energy bill relief, cuts to student debt, free TAFE and, of course, the $43 billion Homes for Australia plan. On 20 September, we'll also see another change for social security recipients, and that's a change to our approach on deeming. Some social security recipients with financial assets will see a change to their payments as a result of the unfreezing of deeming rates. During COVID, we on this side supported the Morrison government to freeze deeming rates. They were frozen by the Morrison government for two years and, on coming to government, we added another three years to that freeze of deeming rates. But, as other COVID measures have come to an end, so too is it time to gradually unfreeze deeming rates as well.”
“Those people who are on the full rate of the age pension will be about $30 a fortnight better off because of those increases coming on 20 September. That means that someone on the full rate of the age pension is about $5,000 a year better off since we came to government. It's also true of people on JobSeeker. They are about $4,000 a year better off since we came to government. Rent assistance, as the housing minister continues to remind us, has also increased by about 45 per cent. If you're a single-rate age pensioner paying $550 a week rent, you're about $1,800 a year better off because of the increase to Commonwealth rent assistance on its own.”
“I want to thank the member for Corangamite for her question and for being the wonderful local member she is. Of course, we are proud, on this side of the chamber, of the economic management that's seen the creation of more than 1.1 million jobs. We're proud of the fact that those on the minimum wage have seen that minimum wage increase by around $9,000 since we came to government. We're also proud of the fact that, when people can't work, we stand up for them and we help them out. That's particularly true for age pensioners. That's why I'm so very pleased to say that, from 20 September this year, we'll see increases again, for more than five million social security recipients, in what they will see in their bank accounts each fortnight. That includes 2½ million age pensioners.”
“The petition has been certified as in order by the Petitions Committee, and I have checked with the opposition that it's acceptable to them for me to table it today. This is a petition which calls for a publicly accessible national animal cruelty offenders register. It's gathered more than 4½ thousand signatures. As I said, I can confirm that it's been certified by the House Petitions Committee. We absolutely should always be encouraging the direct participation of our citizens in our democracy. I take real pleasure in tabling a broad range of petitions. I know that citizens who take the time and put in the effort to gather signatures like this do it because they're passionately committed to the issues that they're campaigning on and because they want to see our parliament recognise the importance of this issue to them.”
“I'd also like to tell you, Deputy Speaker Haines, and to tell this place that the government has doubled support for food relief organisations. National organisations OzHarvest, Foodbank and SecondBite have, between them, seen a doubling of food available, and we've seen another organisation join the ranks for the first time—Good360, which does much the same for goods like toiletries and small consumer goods as the food relief organisations. They redistribute perfectly good stuff, which would otherwise end up in landfill, to the people who need it. It's good for the people who receive the assistance and it's good for the environment as well if we stop good consumer goods with very small errors in their packaging from ending up in landfill. As I draw my comments to a close, I want to end by tabling a petition.”
“In my own electorate, the Salvation Army, Anglican Community Services, Mission Australia, Prosper, Serving Our People, St Vincent de Paul, Workskil Australia and Wesley Community Services will receive, between them, $3.8 million over the next five years, giving them the vital ability to help people who are really doing it tough—people who need a supermarket voucher to buy some food for the kids or who need immediate financial support. These organisations are also helping with financial counselling, to help people through longer-term changes to their financial wellbeing, and gambling counselling; we know that too many Australians are experiencing the negative consequences of problem gambling. These organisations are the ones that help people who are falling through the cracks when there is no other support available.”
“And Gardeners Road Public School has set up a fantastic new inclusive playground for children with disability to support the kids in the inclusion classes at Gardeners Road. I'd also like to mention that the most recent round of financial wellbeing and capability grants run by my own department has seen a number of organisations right across the country, including in my own electorate, receive funding to continue the vital work they do in supporting Australians who are really doing it tough.”
“I'm delighted to speak in the adjournment debate today about some of the organisations in my electorate of Sydney that have been successful in recent grant funding rounds, and the marvellous work they do. Most recently, 11 organisations in my electorate were successful in the Stronger Communities Program. While I can't go into all the details of the work that each of them does, I will give three examples. The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales was successful in receiving a grant to support its participation in the 2025 NAIDOC Week celebrations. Rainbow Lodge, an amazing organisation that supports men who have just come out of jail to transition back into the community, received a grant to provide new furniture for their accommodation.”
“Joint Standing Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme—Ms McKenzie and Mr L O'Brien. Joint Standing Committee on Migration—Mr Caldwell, Ms Le and Mr Pike. Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories—Mr Caldwell and Mr Pike. Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme—Ms Le and Mr Thompson. Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia—Mr Thompson and Mr Willcox. Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library—Mr Pasin and Mr Small. Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth—Ms Sharkie and Mr R Wilson. Joint Standing Committee on Treaties—Ms McKenzie, Ms Penfold and Mr Pike. Question agreed to.”
“Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services—Mr Hamilton and Mr Violi. Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights—Mr Rebello and Dr M Ryan. Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement—Mr Batt and Mr L O'Brien. Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission—Mr Conaghan and Dr Haines. Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit—Ms Aldred, Mr Joyce, Mr Kennedy and Mr Young. Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works—Mr Willcox and Mr R Wilson. Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs—Mr Chaffey and Mr Venning. Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters—Mr Caldwell and Mr R Wilson. Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade—Mr Batt, Mr Boyce, Mr Hamilton, Mr McCormack, Mr Rebello, Ms Spender, Mr Thompson and Mr Wallace.”
“Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation and Science—Ms Boele, Ms Landry, Mr McCormack and Mr Venning. Standing Committee on Petitions—Mr L O'Brien, Mr Rebello and Mr Wallace. Standing Committee on Primary Industries—Mr Chaffey, Ms Landry, Ms Sharkie and Mr Venning. Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests—Mr McCormack, Mr Small, Mr Wallace, Mr Wilkie and Mr R Wilson. Standing Committee on Procedure—Mr L O'Brien, Mr Rebello and Mr Small. Publications Committee—Ms Aldred, Mr Batt and Mr Small. Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport—Dr Haines, Mr Joyce, Ms Penfold and Mr Venning. Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs—Ms Chaney, Mr Hamilton, Mr McCormack and Mr Thompson. Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings—Mr Batt and Mr Pike.”
“by leave—I move: That Members be appointed as members of certain committees in accordance with the following list: Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration—Ms Aldred, Mr Pasin, Ms Penfold and Mr R Wilson. Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water—Ms Boele, Mr Boyce, Mr Kennedy and Ms Steggall. Standing Committee on Communications, the Arts and Sport—Ms Aldred, Ms Penfold, Ms Steggall and Mr Venning. Standing Committee on Economics—Mr Kennedy, Mr Pike, Ms Spender and Mr Violi. Standing Committee on Education—Mr Birrell, Ms Chaney, Ms McKenzie and Mr Rebello. Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations, Skills and Training—Ms Le, Mr Small, Mr Violi and Mr Young. Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability—Mr Birrell, Mr Caldwell, Dr M Ryan and Dr Scamps.”
“The Albanese government is getting on with the job, delivering our election commitments and taking pressure off Australian families.”
“They are just one of 180,000 families that benefit every year from these changes. Of course, this was at risk during the election in May. The Liberals' costings show that they would have cut paid parental leave, and, of course, it was the member for Goldstein who said: … the PPL to me is a very bad scheme and I make no ambiguity about it … It gets better. He said: … that is not my choice that women have children … It's genetic. I say to the member for Goldstein: thank goodness women do have children, and thank goodness that families pour their love and their labour into their kids. Children are the best gift to any parents, and we want new families to be able to spend those precious first days together with less financial pressure.”
“They're getting more money with higher payments—around $200 a week more—and, of course, they're getting superannuation for the first time on paid parental leave, meaning that they'll be about $4,500 better off in retirement because of that payment. There's more flexibility, with parents able to take more time off together, and more people are eligible, with thresholds increasing—so more time, more money, more flexibility and more people eligible. Of course, when mums and dads go back to work, cheaper child care will leave families thousands of dollars a year better off, as well. The member for Banks introduced me and the Prime Minister to a lovely family in East Hills—Stefan, Julia and baby Artie—and they told us what a huge difference the extra support makes.”
“I want to thank the member for Moreton for her question and congratulate her on an absolute corker of a first speech and say how lovely it was to have little Margaret visiting mummy at work today. A number of terrific changes for Australian families were seen on 1 July, and one of the best is the expansion of paid parental leave. Before the Rudd and Gillard governments, Australia was one of very few developed nations that didn't have a paid parental leave scheme. Labor started paid parental leave, and Labor has expanded it. Under this prime minister, and with the work of Minister Rishworth, Australians have been receiving about $12,000 more in paid parental leave since 2022, and that's because they're getting more time—an extra two weeks of entitlement this year and another two weeks extra next year.”
“As a mother of three children and a grandmother, Rosemary Crowley was a reminder to many women considering a career in politics, including me, that you don't have to choose between being a parent and being an active participant in politics. For that as well I think my generation of female politicians owes Rosemary Crowley its thanks. To Rosemary's family, friends and colleagues, on behalf of the Australian Labor Party and indeed on behalf of our parliament, I offer my deepest condolences. May she rest in peace knowing that her work has made this country a better place.”
“I think it's fitting that, during her first speech in May 1983, she used the suffragette phrase 'bread and roses' which inspired the song, 'Bread and Roses', which she also quoted on more than one occasion. This phrase symbolised her belief that Labor could help ensure people had access to the basics but also access to life's joys and pleasures. She said in her first speech: To me the rose is a symbol of strength, of beauty and of passion. It is the symbol of the Socialist International. It represents vigour, depth, power and justice and it has its thorns as well as its flower. It says that what it represents must not be trivialised. One of the roles in our society which is constantly trivialised is mothering. To me mothering is very much about strength and passion, and about thorns as well as flowers.”
“After leaving parliament, Rosemary Crowley continued to serve her community, particularly through her work with children's charities and advocacy groups. Her dedication to the welfare of Australian children never wavered, and she remained a champion for equity in education, healthcare and social services long after she left the formal political stage. Rosemary Crowley was a fighter for fairness. She believed in a society that uplifts the vulnerable, supports working families and gives women an equal place at every table. Her legacy will live on in the policies she helped shape, in the lives she improved and in the countless women she inspired to step up and lead.”
“Her office was decorated with the work of women artists including a life-sized sculpture of a woman with a hat that sat proudly in the entrance to her office and scared more than one visitor or Parliamentary staffer. I know that Susanne and Rosemary Crowley's staff will be thinking of her in the weeks following her death and remembering with fondness many of Rosemary's quirks and characteristics, including, as Susanne mentioned, quite a bawdy sense of humour. I think people who didn't know Rosemary Crowley well would have seen her as a senator, as a former doctor and as a very well put together and very nice lady. When you got to know Rosemary, there was a real sense of mischief under that and a sense of humour that I sometimes found shocking and surprising.”
“She was a terrific mentor and support to me and to many, many others, including through her support of EMILY's List. She knew how difficult it could be to navigate the halls of power as a woman, and she was always generous with her wisdom, encouragement and support. She led with both strength and warmth, providing a great example and showing that good policy and good politics come from listening, from understanding and from acting with integrity. I was friends with her loyal staffer Susanne Legena. I contacted Susanne earlier this week to ask her to share some of her favourite memories as one of Rosemary's former staff. She said: Rosemary had a wicked, sometimes bawdy sense of humour, was a yoga enthusiast and maintained friendships and care for people from both sides of the chamber.”
“She was a tireless advocate for women's rights, always pushing for greater equality, better workplace conditions and stronger protections against discrimination and protections against violence. Beyond her ministerial work, Rosemary Crowley was a very important mentor and inspiration to many women in politics, including me. I first knew Rosemary Crowley when I worked on the Senate side for Senator Bruce Childs. Rosemary Crowley and Bruce were very good friends, and I saw a lot of Rosemary Crowley in those years. She was enormously encouraging to me and to my involvement in politics at that time, and I was fortunate enough to serve with her. She left the Senate and in 2002; I was elected in 1998. So, as well as knowing her when I worked for Senator Childs, I was a caucus colleague of Rosemary Crowley for those years.”
“She also led the government investigation into women, sport and media, which resulted in the creation of the women's sports unit within the Sports Commission, Canberra. As Minister for Family Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women in the Keating government, Rosemary championed policies that improved the lives of Australian women and their families. She was instrumental in shaping early childhood education and childcare policies, understanding that the access of children to quality early learning was of benefit for those children. Of course, it supported their families and their working parents, but it also gave children the very best possible start in life.”
“Rosemary Crowley came back with a burning desire to be more involved in politics in Australia. When she returned to Australia, she joined Whitlam's Labor Party and was particularly interested in the antinuclear and peace movements at that time, as well as, of course, the women's movement. Within the ranks of the Australian Labor Party she had an extraordinary career and made an enormous difference. As a senator from South Australia from 1983 to 2002, Rosemary was one of the first women to serve in the federal parliamentary Labor Party, and she was, of course, the first female Labor minister from South Australia. Her work in government left an indelible mark, particularly in the areas of women's rights, child care, nuclear disarmament, health care and sport.”
“Thank you so much to the member for Makin for those lovely words about the former senator Rosemary Crowley. I'm rising today to honour the life and legacy of the late Dr Rosemary Crowley AO, a trailblazer in Australian politics and a dedicated advocate for social justice, for women's rights and for the welfare of children. Rosemary was a woman of fierce intelligence, deep compassion and an unshakeable commitment to making Australia a better, fairer, kinder place. Like so many women of her time, she had a thirst for social justice that was first awakened when she was a student of the nuns in Melbourne at the Kilmaire Brigidine Convent. A brilliant student, she became a doctor and moved with her then husband to Berkeley, California, from 1965 to 1969. What an amazing time to be in Berkeley California!”
“They pick them up early in the morning and take them to the gym, to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence. They do exercises with them, boxing and other exercises, and make sure they have breakfast and get to school. I'm so proud of the work they do. A special shout out—there was an international day for social workers last week—to the social workers who work at Youth Off The Streets and in so many organisations across my electorate: thank you.”
“The other program, Tribal Warrior, is an organisation that I'm very familiar with. I've worked with it over many years, and I really have to pay tribute to Uncle Shane Phillips and the team at Tribal Warrior in Redfern. It is an organisation committed to cultural preservation and youth empowerment. They are working so well with the next generation of young people, particularly in Redfern. Shane Phillips is a community leader who has done so much good work in our local community. I'm so very pleased to say that Tribal Warrior will receive a million dollars from the Albanese government to continue the excellent work it does. It's the first time that this organisation has received federal funding. I want to say that one of the amazing things that Tribal Warrior has done is work with young people.”