Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the life and passing of Joy Baluch, whose funeral service I attended last week. Joy was first elected as a councillor to the Port Augusta council in 1970. From 1981 to 1993, and then from 1995 until her death on 14 May 2013, she was Mayor of Port Augusta, having served in local government for over 40 years.

Port Augusta is about 200 kilometres from Adelaide and sits at the top of the Upper Spencer Gulf. It is a gateway to the South Australian outback, but as Joy would frequently remind others:

Proud and fiercely defensive of her region and her city, Joy became Port Augusta's greatest asset. Never one to hold back, Joy did not mince her words and clearly spoke her mind. Nor was Joy timid about taking a stand on controversial and divisive social issues, including the Woomera detention centre, youth curfews and crime and violence issues. However, behind her tough exterior, Joy Baluch was a very decent and compassionate person who drew on her Christian faith and her life experiences in the real world to bring common sense to discussions and decision-making. I came to know Joy during my own time in local government, serving with her for many years on the South Australian local government executive, including during her time as the South Australian local government association president.

In South Australia, few people in local government became as well-known as Joy Baluch, and none that I know of served as mayor for as long as Joy had done. She became a champion not only for her city, but for local government, and I know that she would have been looking forward to engaging in the current debate about the recognition of local government in the Australian Constitution. Even when poor health set in several years ago, Joy was not about to give up, and she toughed it out to the end. She was determined that she was not going to let her health get in the way of what still needed to be done.

Joy's funeral was held in Port Augusta on Tuesday, 21 May 2013. In acknowledgement of her legendary status, people from across the country—including the member for Grey, Rowan Ramsey, and the member for Hotham, the Hon. Simon Crean, who was also one of several speakers at the service—came to show their appreciation and to say goodbye. It was a very fitting send-off to an extraordinary person, whose name was immortalised on 17 May 2013, only three days after her death, with the naming of the new bridge connecting east and west Port Augusta: the Joy Baluch Bridge.

To Joy's family and to her colleagues and staff at Port Augusta City Council I extend my sincere condolences. Joy will be irreplaceable and very much missed, but she will always be remembered by those who knew her.

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