Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on indulgence: I would like to say a few words in tribute to Jane McGrath. I join with all in the Sutherland shire community in expressing our heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences to Glenn McGrath and to their children, James and Holly, for the tragic loss of their wife and mother, Jane, who passed away yesterday morning at their family home in Cronulla. Jane and Glenn chose to make their family home together in our shire community after Glenn first moved there in the early nineties. After their marriage, and the birth of their two miracle children following Jane’s first battle with breast cancer, their children attended local schools, and as a family they enjoyed together all the great things that make the area such a great place to live and raise a family. Jane and Glenn understood these qualities, and it has been a privilege to have Jane amongst us at the centre of the McGrath family. On behalf of all of those who live in the shire, I say that we want Glenn, James and Holly to know how deeply our community feels for them at this time and mourns the loss of their wife and mother, Jane.

Jane was an inspiration to all of us. Her courage and determination were matched only by her compassion and generosity of spirit towards those women and families who faced the same challenges. Jane gave these women and their families, through her example and her work, that precious commodity we all need when going through difficult times—hope. Her work together with Glenn will continue through the efforts of the McGrath Foundation. The placement of breast care nurses in our hospitals is a worthy cause. Jane said:

Having access to a breast care nurse allowed me to be Jane McGrath, the friend, the mother and the wife—not just Jane McGrath, the breast cancer survivor.

This work has particular resonance in the shire, where the McGrath Foundation receives strong local support. On Australia Day we hold the Jane McGrath Classic at Cronulla, which was made even more special this year through the joint recognition of Jane and Glenn as members of the Order of Australia. Yesterday a minute’s silence was observed at Toyota Stadium—Shark Park—in memory of Jane, and this year’s Sharks players have committed to helping the McGrath Foundation by pledging $500 for every try scored in 2008. So far the tally is at $20,000.

As we pay tribute to Jane at this time, may we also take the opportunity to make a contribution to her ongoing work and ensure that we continue to remember this work in the years ahead. Jane’s work placed great value on womanhood, as did her life. We all have mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces and aunts. When we see the tragic loss of one of these so early in life, it is a true tragedy. Mothers are the great carers and nurturers of our society, and in Jane McGrath we have lost a great mother in our community—a mother who cared lovingly and warmly for her children and did all she could to give them the best possible chances in life and to allow them to inherit from her a sense of values that will guide them for all their lives.

Seeing the tenderness in the relationship between Jane and Glenn, we also know that together they were able to achieve another of life’s great successes, a healthy marriage. Above all, Jane was a fighter who fought for the most precious of all things in life: time with our family and those most dear to us. Her passing is a reminder of the gift we all have in family and community. As we reflect on Jane’s all too brief life and pray for Glenn, James and Holly as they cope with this great loss, may we also continue to be inspired by the way Jane lived her life for her family and others and do the same for those around us.

I conclude with some comments of Jane’s in the interview she and Glenn gave to Andrew Denton as they discussed the challenges they had faced together:

It all goes into making you the person you are, and for me now, just to wake up in the morning—it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or the sun’s shining. It really doesn’t matter, ‘cause every day’s a great day, you know? And … it really is the simple things in life that count …

We need more mothers like Jane McGrath. We need more wives like Jane McGrath. We need more daughters like Jane McGrath. We need more friends like Jane McGrath.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, similarly, on indulgence: I would like to extend the government’s sympathies to the McGrath family and associate us with those comments. The member for Cook obviously has a close personal friendship, and I think that when you have local heroes in your community it is good, as a local member, to be able to acknowledge them. We all know in this House that Jane McGrath was also a national hero, and I think that it is really a very sad time for the parliament.

I am pleased that the member for Cook was able to mention the breast cancer nurses, an initiative which I think is due to come online on 1 July and which received very strong bipartisan support. I am sure it will not be much solace to the family in the current circumstances, but it is something that will be of lasting benefit to the many families that will still have to fight breast cancer in the future. I am sure, and I hope, that that is something that will provide in the coming years some comfort to the family. So I would like to associate the government with the comments made by the member for Cook. I am sure there will be other appropriate occasions to recognise this. Our love and best wishes also go to the McGrath family in this difficult time.