Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I'm going to be a little bit indulgent, because today is Dawn Hurst's 100th birthday. Dawn is my husband's nanna, my children's great-grandma—and boy is she a great woman—and she is my nanna-in-law. I feel really blessed to be a part of this family, and she is an incredible matriarch. She has two sons and three daughters, and Dawn might not use the term 'feminist', but she has been so supportive of her daughter's careers. One is a mathematician/accountant, another an early-childhood-educator/nurse, the other primary school teacher. It's interesting because it Dawn didn't actually get to finish her formal schooling. She only went to school until the age of 14. The thing that has been interesting is seeing the way that her values have disseminated throughout the multiple generations of her family.

I remember when I went interstate to South Australia to go meet my in-laws and was like: 'Oh my gosh, I love this family. I feel like I belong here.' What it comes down to is that this is a family of Labor values. Many of the things Dawn had been able to do were because of Labor governments such as Gough Whitlam's. I feel really blessed to be a part of this family.

I also thank the member for Burke for his letter to Dawn and the member for Adelaide for the certificate for Dawn's 100th birthday. Thank you very much.

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