Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to the Hon. Dr Rosemary Anne Crowley AO, and in doing so also acknowledge the participation in the parliament, the longevity and the work that the member for Sydney has done as well as former Liberal New South Wales senator Marise Payne. We need trailblazers in this place, and we need women to be able to absolutely champion their causes for social justice.

I've always admired anyone who, before parliament, has worked in the area of mental health, and Rosemary did just that. She was an original member of the South Australian Mental Health Review Tribunal. She was also very much an active voice for women's sport. I'm sure she would have been very proud in recent years of just how far women's sport has come in this country, with the rise of the Matildas and the fact that Australian Rules football is now the fastest growing sport in this nation. She was, as I say, a trailblazer. Certainly I pay tribute to her work and to her pioneering efforts. I also very much pay my condolences to her family and to the overall Labor family. May she rest in peace.

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