Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to offer my deepest condolences and to honour the life of a truly remarkable woman, former senator Rosemary Crowley. Rosemary was a trailblazer, a dedicated advocate for women's rights and a tireless champion for justice and equality. Her passing marks the end of an era, but her legacy continues to inspire us all, including myself and, I'm sure, many generations to come.

Rosemary was born in Melbourne on 30 July 1938, which was a tumultuous period to spend some of your most pivotal early years. Like me, Rosemary was from a large Catholic family; hers had six children. Her mother, Monica, kept a busy home humming, while her father, Everard Willis, worked as an accountant. Rosemary's Roman Catholic upbringing and education at Kilmaire Brigidine Convent in Hawthorn instilled a passion for social justice and a vocation for community service within her. She was a bright young girl in a period that did not value girls' education. Despite this, she obtained a Commonwealth scholarship to complete a medical degree at the University of Melbourne.

In her early years, Rosemary worked as a resident medical officer and as a pathologist. In 1964 Rosemary married James Raymond Crowley, and they moved to Berkeley, California. During this period, Berkeley was a hub of political activism, from the civil rights movement to the anti Vietnam War movement and the beginnings of the women's movement. I imagine being witness to it all left a deep impression on Rosemary. In 1969 Rosemary and James returned to Australia, this time to Adelaide, where she lived with their three sons, Stephen, Vincent and Diarmuid. In Adelaide Rosemary worked at children's hospitals as a parent education counsellor, as a lecturer on childbirth and as a foundation member of the South Australian Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Rosemary's experience at Berkeley was matched with a period of significant political and social movement in Australia. Notably for Rosemary, it was the election, leadership and then dismissal by the Crown of Gough Whitlam, one of our most momentous and progressive leaders. It was during this period that Rosemary joined the Australian Labor Party. By 1983 Rosemary was on the Labor ballot and won a spot in the Senate for South Australia. I very much enjoyed hearing my previous colleagues' recollections of how she gained success in that endeavour. She was one of the first two female Labor senators for South Australia. Her election to the Senate was not just a personal achievement but a powerful statement in a time when women's voices in politics were still very much the exception rather than the rule.

From the outset, Rosemary carried with her a fierce determination to make sure that women's perspectives were not just heard but acted upon, particularly when it came to health care and social welfare. Rosemary's prior experience in health care and community care deeply influenced her time in parliament. In reflection on her political put career, she said: 'My medical work was very much highlighting ill health that no individual doctor could solve. There was a lot of ill health, unemployment, lack of transport, and politics seemed the arena where decisions could be made to try to solve these problems.'

Like Rosemary, I worked in health care and as a nurse for two decades. I saw how class and poverty were strongly interlinked with poorer health outcomes. Rosemary's passion for fighting the implications of class on health is something that's always inspired and resonated with me. I have tried to carry on this fight throughout my time in parliament and as the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health.

In her own time in this building, Rosemary served as Minister for Family Services from 1993 to 1996. During this time, she fought relentlessly to improve the lives of Australian families, particularly women and children. Her contributions were not just about policy and politics; they were about people—something that we all should endeavour towards. She knew that true leadership required empathy, understanding and a commitment to uplifting those who were most vulnerable. As a Senator in the Hawke-Keating governments, she helped deliver instrumental changes to family payments, maternity allowances, disability support programs, carers' pensions, student assistance and youth training allowances. These initiatives have poured whole generations out of poverty, supported the first person in the family to go to university and enabled women, people with disability and pensioners to live with dignity. I think what many women empathise with is that you cannot have self-determination or autonomy without financial freedom. This is an understanding that is exemplified when you have more female voices in the room.

It was not only her policy achievements that made Rosemary such an extraordinary leader. Rosemary was one of the founding members of EMILY's List Australia, an organisation that has been instrumental in promoting progressive women's voices in our parliaments. Her work with EMILY's List was not just about getting women elected. It was about making sure that women's issues were front and centre in our political debates and decision-making. EMILY's List is the reason abortion is legal across Australia. It's the reason we have paid parental leave and the reason we've had our first female prime minister, Julia Gillard. With EMILY's List, Rosemary played a key role in the Australian Labor Party's historic adoption of affirmative action measures in 1994. She was integral in the push for the party's commitment to having women preselected for 35 per cent of winnable seats by 2002. This was a bold, ambitious target at the time, and Rosemary was one of the most passionate advocates for seeing it realised. I believe this target is part of the reason that I am speaking with you today.

Rosemary's work laid the foundation for the incredible progress we've seen within the Labor Party over the past few decades with regard to women. Very proudly, I can say that we're now the first party in Australia to achieve a majority female government, with women making up over 50 per cent of our parliamentary caucus. This is not just a symbolic achievement. It has real, tangible impacts on the way we govern and the issues we prioritise. Rosemary's legacy can be seen in so many of the decisions we make today.

Just recently the Albanese government announced a historic women's health package: an investment of over half a billion dollars to improve healthcare access and outcomes for women across the nation. From funding for endometriosis and pelvic pain treatment to more affordable reproductive and menopause medications, this package will change the lives of countless women. We believe no-one should miss out on health care because of the size of their wallet or because of their sex. This is a core value and focus not just for me but now for the whole Labor Party. Once again I say that, if you have more women in the room, your priorities change.

I'm incredibly proud to be part of a Labor Party that now better reflects the diversity of our society and that actively works to promote women's leadership, but I acknowledge that we still have a long way to go for accurate representation, including of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, those from the LGBTIQA+ community and people with a disability. EMILY's List has stood as an example for newer movements within Labor, including Rainbow Labor, multicultural Labor networks and Labor disability action networks. I can't wait to see what they achieve.

Rosemary has changed Labor and Australia for the better forever. But, beyond her achievements, I think it's also important to remember that Rosemary was more than just her career discography. Above all, she was a deeply compassionate and generous person. She mentored many women, offering them her wisdom, her guidance and her friendship. She was someone who genuinely cared about people, their stories, their struggles and their successes. To her family, friends, colleagues and all those whose lives she touched I offer my heartfelt condolences. It's difficult to lose someone of such importance, but we can take comfort in the knowledge that her legacy will continue to shape our nation for the better. Rosemary Crowley's name will be remembered not only as a pioneer in Australian politics but also as a powerful force for change. Her legacy is embedded in the very fabric of our party, in the policies we champion and in the progress we continue to fight for every day. May she rest in peace knowing that her work was not in vain but has made great change. Rosemary, we honour you, we thank you and we promise to carry your vision forward.

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