Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this indulgence. I have written to Gough Whitlam to express the commiserations of the Ruddock family on the loss of his dear wife, Margaret. I entered this parliament in September 1973. Gough at that time had already been a member of the House for some 11 years and Margaret was what is known as, in some of the publications I have seen, a political wife.

I have to say that in my judgment the task of being a political wife is quite daunting and Margaret Whitlam fulfilled that role admirably. My own wife, Heather, from time to time has been known to comment that this is one of the professional fields in which you get two for the price of one. I think many of us can understand that in fulfilling one's representative obligations those commitments are often quite demanding and can lead to a spouse having very considerable obligations.

Margaret Whitlam was born in Bondi, as we heard yesterday from the member for Wentworth, married in 1942 and first lived in Cronulla. In 1952, when Gough was elected the member for Werriwa, Cronulla was probably included in it, but as the vagaries of redistributions go, he was in a seat that—I have seen this happen with my own—contracted further and further west. This meant that in 1957 he and Margaret moved to Cabramatta. When you think about it, Cabramatta is a very special place. It has been known as the home of many who came and settled in Australia through migrant centres that were established in its environs and Cabramatta has been the home of so many people of Vietnamese origin who settled in Australia. This was a very special community, one that had a higher level of immigrants. It lacked many of the facilities that other areas had—sewerage, paving, guttering, transport—and there was a need, and Gough Whitlam demonstrated that himself, to take up the demands for expanding basic services in those communities.

Margaret, as is the wont of so many wives of members of parliament, was engaged in the community. She took up a post working in the social area of Parramatta District Hospital. She said that: 'When we went to Cabramatta we were determined to carry on as before—it was a withdrawn form of life that we had been leading—it was no problem. At Cronulla I had been doing WEA courses, discussion groups and things and I started them in Cabramatta. There are always like-minded people wherever you live.' It is a great tribute to Gough and Margaret that they were prepared to relocate so that they truly represented the people of Western Sydney.

I had the pleasure of reading the material that Margaret wrote, as a social worker and journalist, about her own experience as the wife of a member of parliament. I found particularly interesting some of the secrets you do not often hear about. I so often hear members on the other side claiming of Liberals that they sometimes flirted with the Labor Party, or at least may have been asked to join it. But I note Margaret let the cat out of the bag when she said Gough was told by Liberals, when there was talk of him standing as a Labor candidate, that he should have been one of them. She went on to say there was no way he could have joined the Liberals, he was stunned to think that they would not join with them and that there were rumours spread about that. In my own experience as a colleague—and it was a great privilege to serve with him while he was not only Prime Minister but also Leader of the Opposition at a later point in time—Gough and Margaret were generous hosts and hospitable to all of us. My wife, Heather, reminded me of the many occasions in which Margaret was able to host the wives of members of parliament at the Lodge.

Their four children are Antony, Nicholas, Stephen, and Catherine. I have to say that I know them by their shortened names, Tony and Nick. It was a great privilege to also serve in the parliament with Margaret's son Tony Whitlam, who was, I believe, the Member for Grayndler for a short term. But this condolence motion is about Margaret. She was an extraordinarily accomplished woman. After 1977, when Gough left the parliament, Margaret was still involved and I have seen a list of her many achievements. She joined the migrant education service as a volunteer English teacher. She was the director of the Sydney Dance Company between 1977 and 1982 when Gough was overseas as UNESCO. She was the director of the Sydney Teachers College from 1978 to 1981. She was president of the ACT Council of Social Service from 1978 to 1980. She was chair of the national Opera Conference from 1979 to 1981 and president of the council of the Sydney College of Advanced Education in 1982 and 1983. She joined the board of governors of the law foundation in New South Wales in 1982. She was a woman of very considerable public achievements in the many roles that she took on. After Gough went to Paris, she was later herself, in 1989, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, and a council member of the college of seniors. She was recognised for her service to the community by the Order of Australia that was bestowed upon her in 1983.

I am pleased to say that even in their latter years I have had the pleasure of seeing Gough and Margaret at community functions, probably in a colleague's electorate or nearby, particularly with the Serbian community, with which he holds a very special place. It seemed to me, as Gough looked more fragile, that Margaret was often the person who was there to help him. It is, I note, a tragedy that she has passed away, but she had a very considerable life and it is one that I have been pleased to be able to catalogue and pay tribute to.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did want to associate myself with the remarks in recognition and remembrance of Margaret Whitlam. Much has been said about Mrs Whitlam's role as a national treasure and a national figure. All of those points are true. I particularly wanted to talk tonight about Margaret Whitlam's connection to and friendship with Western Sydney and in particular with south-western Sydney.

Of course Margaret was not a child of Western Sydney. As the Member for Wentworth said in the House yesterday, she was a Bondi girl. But she was an adopted favourite daughter of Western Sydney and she never lost that connection. Gough was the Member for Werriwa. Werriwa is now focused on the suburbs of Liverpool, but that was not always thus, as the Member for Berowra, I am sure, would recall. Werriwa. When Mr Whitlam became the member for Werriwa, well before the member for Berowra joined the parliament, Werriwa covered the area from Cronulla to Merrylands, an area now covered by many, many seats in between. He represented a big swathe of southern and south-western Sydney. Gough would often tell me that he was proud to represent four out of the five former wards of Fairfield City Council. There have been several successors as the member for Werriwa since Gough's retirement but, in another sense, there are many of us who regard ourselves as one of Gough's successors in representing south-western Sydney. The seat of Prospect was carved away from Werriwa in 1969 and was represented by the late Dick Klugman, then by the Hon. Janice Crosio and then by me before its abolition and replacement with the seat of McMahon.

The Whitlams lived in Arthur Street, Cabramatta from 1957 to 1973. The house is still there. It comes on the market every so often and is marketed as a prime ministerial residence. I am told that the switchboard is still in existence—the Whitlams had many phone lines in the years when Gough was Leader of the Opposition—and can be reconnected. I am sure it is not up to modern standards but, nevertheless, it is a matter of some historical reference. As an aside, generally speaking, governments should look to preserve some of that prime ministerial heritage. It would be incumbent on all governments to examine those sorts of houses when they come on the market. We have preserved the Curtin and Chifley houses, but we need to have a good process for looking at this sort of heritage to ensure it is never lost.

The connection that the Whitlams made with Western Sydney was never lost, particularly with Fairfield. Gough, in particular, refers to Fairfield as Campobello—obviously Italian for 'beautiful fields'. A few years ago he was honoured with one of Fairfield's monuments, Faces of Fairfield, which I attended, as I recall in my capacity as a backbench MP and, as I recall, both Gough and Margaret came to that particular honorary. The importance of Western Sydney in the Whitlam agenda cannot be underestimated and the importance of the experience of Gough and Margaret living in Cabramatta from 1957 to 1973 cannot be underestimated. His program of urban reform was very much formed by his and Margaret's experiences in south-western Sydney. There were the challenges of urban growth. For example, there was no sewerage when they moved to Western Sydney. Gough, despite all his achievements, claimed that one of his greatest achievements as Prime Minister was bringing sewerage to the western suburbs of Sydney. Some members may scoff at that, but the residents of Western Sydney will always be grateful for that.

Margaret, in her role as the spouse of the MP representing Western Sydney—who, of course, in those days travelled to Canberra by train; he has told me about these experiences—would make his lunch for the train trip, and his dinner, and she would then represent him while he was away, which were longer periods of time than we, with modern travel, have away from our electorates. That stayed with her for a very long time. She worked as a social worker at Parramatta District Hospital between 1964 and 1967. That experience also played a role in her understanding of Western Sydney.

My experience of the Whitlams was post their active political life, post Mr Whitlam's period as a member of parliament. It always struck me that, although they moved away from Western Sydney in terms of their residence, they never lost their connection with Western Sydney. I am sure other Western Sydney MPs have had the experience of going to functions and finding Gough and Margaret there. Sometimes it was a Serbian function. They were patrons of Fairfield Hospital's Whitlam Joint Replacement Centre. It was particularly fitting that the University of Western Sydney, of which the honourable member for Chifley is an alumnus, named the Margaret Whitlam Chair of Social Work in her honour. Margaret was a guardian and benefactor to the Whitlam Institute since 2000—the Whitlam Institute being very much associated with the University of Western Sydney. The stories we hear, and the stories we have heard in this debate, of Mrs Whitlam trying to ground Gough and telling him when he was speaking too much at a function are very true. If you were sitting next to Margaret and Gough was speaking, it would start as a dull roar. She would ruminate and start to moan and grumble. She might whisper to you: 'I wish he'd shut up! I've heard this before,' until, if he did not get the message, she would bang her walking-stick very loudly and say, 'Time to sit down, old man.' We all enjoy Gough's speeches; they are always filled with amazing facts and with an amazing and visionary approach to life. But Margaret was always very keen to ensure that he did not overstay his welcome at the lectern and to remind him that it might be time to sit down and give somebody else a go. The reason I mention that is because it is a testament, having seen that occur so many times.

A former prime minister and a former first lady, having been posted overseas, could well retire from public life and never return to Western Sydney and never show any interest in the institutions, but that formative time, their time representing Western Sydney, was one that stayed with them. I know that my predecessor as member for Prospect, the Hon. Janice Crosio, particularly paid tribute to the Whitlams' leadership in south-western Sydney. She was a former Mayor of Fairfield before entering this place, as I was before I entered this place. Her predecessor, the late Dr Dick Klugman, had similar views, although it is interesting to note that he did defeat a Whitlam in preselection for the seat of Prospect. He defeated Tony Whitlam for preselection for the seat of Prospect. Tony Whitlam went on to win preselection for the seat of Grayndler but, in 1969, when the seat of Prospect was created, the son of the leader of the Labor Party, Tony Whitlam, put his name forward but was defeated. The branch members have a particular way of making their views known, and that was to put somebody else into that seat. Nevertheless, Dr Klugman had a particularly good and close relationship with Gough.

I do send my condolences to Gough's family, some of whom I know and some of whom I do not. I know Nick, in particular, well—I regard him as a friend—and I send him my condolences. As to the other members, I know Tony, though not as well as Nick, but I also send him my condolences. The other children, who I have not had the honour of meeting, of course I know would also need to know that the condolences of the House are with them for a fine Australian, a great woman and a wonderful, firm and lifelong friend of Western Sydney.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the condolence motion moved by the Prime Minister in honour of Margaret Whitlam AO, one of Australia's most remarkable women, who was a catalyst for the progress of women's rights, a devoted wife, a loving mother and a life member of the Australian Labor Party. I want to briefly note her contribution to women's rights and liberties.

The Australia that Margaret Whitlam was born into in 1919 was, for women, a vastly different Australia from the nation that we know today. Margaret was born in an era when the public service would require a woman to resign from her position when she married, an era when women had held the right to vote for less than two decades and an era when there were no women members of parliament and no women serving as judges. Far fewer women were in the workforce and those who did work earned a fraction of the pay enjoyed by their male contemporaries.

Her parents' progressive ideas and support set her on her path. Her mother, Mary, was independently minded and encouraged Margaret in the 1940s to become a social worker. Working for the Family Welfare Bureau, she would advise women and their families on how to survive without their husbands and on how to care for their children when their husbands were away—a role she would come to understand all too well as the wife of a federal politician. Her father, Justice Wilfred Dovey, who Margaret referred to as her confidant, pushed her to give university a go and challenge herself. She studied while raising her small children. This balancing act is familiar to Australians today but was very uncommon at that time. As Margaret's life—in partnership with Gough—became increasingly public so did her advocacy for women's rights at a time when the moral, legal and social obstacles confronting women seemed insurmountable. The opportunities available to women today, unthinkable decades ago, are now part of the furniture and are a legacy of her fierce advocacy. Margaret did not hesitate to use her voice and her profile, calling for equal pay, the acknowledgement of de facto relationships and childcare reforms at a time when these ideas were considered not mainstream but rather radical.

Margaret understood the political scene and the difficulty of effecting change, but her ability for straight talking reached a wide and appreciative audience. During the Whitlam government era Margaret held a variety of influential public roles, including as a member of the International Women's Year Advisory Committee, as a television presenter on the program Beauty and the Beast and as a columnist. When reflecting on whether she should be considered a feminist, Margaret fired back: 'I am a feminist in so far as I don't want to be trodden on and I don't want to be used as somebody's handbag. I am not an accessory.' Her spirited and honest contribution was significant in ensuring that Australian women today largely enjoy the same rights and equality of opportunity as Australian men. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, many accomplished women owe a bit of their success to the courage and inspiration they drew from Margaret Whitlam.

Margaret also brought a fresh approach to the role of Prime Minister's wife. She was a confident and outgoing woman with a quick wit, speaking her mind, considering herself an equal and never taking a backward step. Her charismatic and forthright personality were on display on her first trip to London as the Prime Minister's wife. Margaret held her own press conference: 'Ask me an outrageous question,' she said to the media, 'and you will get an outrageous answer.' When asked what she would have done if she had been with Gough on the night of his government dismissal, she plainly stated: 'I say I would have torn up the document of dismissal. I really would have. Also, a mini-revolution would have helped.'

In her capacity as the wife of the Prime Minister, Margaret Whitlam felt a duty to step forward and actively bring about good in the community. She once wrote in her diary; 'What am I to do? Stay in a cage, wide open to view, of course, and say nothing? That's not on, but if I can do some good I will certainly try.'

Margaret was a champion of Labor values, and she and Gough were a formidable team. They were awarded the first life memberships of the Australian Labor Party in recognition of the outstanding contribution they made, as individuals and in partnership, in shaping modern Australia. Gough reportedly said to Margaret, about reconciling personal political aspirations: 'If you want to have anything to do with politics you choose the party that has the most things with which you agree, with which you are in accord. There is no way you are ever going to be in accordance with everything that the political parties put up.' But there is little doubt that from early on Margaret Whitlam belonged on the progressive side of the debate. Gough described Margaret as his best appointment; a fitting description of a woman who had such a profound influence on him and contributed so much to our nation.

Margaret will be remembered by Australians as honest, warm, welcoming to all and, above all, courageous in her ideas and her influence. She was a central figure in creating momentum for the women's movement and giving heart to millions of Australians working hard to dismantle the barriers of gender equality. We still have some way to go in this area, but Margaret Whitlam should be remembered, among her many qualities, for the mighty contribution she made to remove those barriers.

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with mixed emotions that I speak on this debate of condolence to Margaret Whitlam. Obviously, there is sadness because of the loss of a great woman and a great Australian, but there is also pride in what she achieved in her long life, her public life and her devoted life. She was a great Australian, a loving mother and a devoted and supportive wife, but she was really her own person. She redefined the role of a 'first lady' as a Prime Minister's wife because she saw in it the opportunity it gave not to grandstand but to be effective, to pursue issues, to cut through. She was, indeed, an extremely powerful advocate and, significantly, she made a difference. All of it was done professionally and all of it was done nobly.

I had the privilege of knowing Margaret Whitlam and the Whitlam family over six decades, from the early fifties when I came here with my family as a young boy. We spent a lot of time around the house and at the Kurrajong hotel, which is where we all stayed in the fifties. I remember Margaret Whitlam from an early age because she was very friendly with my mum, who is still alive and who also wanted me to pass on her condolences to the family, which I have done. Margaret took an interest in us as young boys. When we saw her in subsequent times, and they were many, she would remember the conversations that she had had with us previously and she would always ask us about our progress. This was important because she made an impression on young people. Imagine what she was like when she engaged this way with older people, as she did so much in her later life.

Of course, in the sixties there was a lot of excitement. The Whitlams were often at our family home with the development of the campaign that took the Whitlam government to power in 1972. In fact, my very first experience working in an election campaign was the one that saw the bandwagon of Gough to Canberra. It was the Corio by-election in 1967. I was at university at the time and the campaign for free university fees, the opening up of the education system and the enabling capacity of that government, the big issues, were exciting. That which gave me political motivation was more fundamentally about opposition to the Vietnam War, and one of the great first acts of the Whitlam government when it won office in 1972 was to bring the troops home. That was the excitement in the sixties. We spent a lot of time with various members of the family, but Margaret in particular was always around, always interested, always active and always embracing the causes.

The period of the seventies was the big opportunity. There was the excitement of winning government for a Labor government after so many years, which Gough had taken us to. In many ways it was the era that made Australia proud and confident on the international stage. It was the leadership, obviously, of the Prime Minister and the government's pride and confidence, but the two of them together gave presence to the substance. Indeed, my mother and father were on the first visit to China in 1973 where Gough led a delegation. It was a recognition which China has never forgotten, because we were there when it mattered. It was a boldness because it was opposed by Gough's political opponents of the day. It was a boldness that really has stamped us as a country that is prepared to stand on its own feet and be proud in doing it. I know that there were many attempts to reflect the anniversaries of that momentous time. They were important, significant and defining for us as a nation. Whilst Gough was there, with Margaret by his side, it gave, as I said, presence, professionalism, stature and a family dimension to the issue itself.

I had the opportunity to meet with them in Paris a number of times when they were there on the UNESCO post. I was President of the ACTU and had meetings from time to time with the OECD. That too was an exciting time, because there was Gough—in semi-retirement but still representing the big issues of the nation—and Margaret, pursuing all of her interests by his side. When we won government in the eighties we saw them at many different functions, and when I came to this place in the nineties I also had the opportunity. At the turn of the century, when we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the election of the Whitlam government—and that was a big occasion, a big opportunity for memories—Margaret was there, a reminder of her contribution and her commitment.

And that contribution and commitment was significant. As I said before, she did pursue the important issues—issues around the environment and issues of social justice, such as equal pay, which the Whitlam government was instrumental in spearheading in 1972. Significantly, she pursued the arts. To me, as Minister for the Arts, Margaret continued to be a fantastic patron right up until the end. She had been a director of the Sydney Dance Company and very closely associated with and encouraged Graeme Murphy, who now himself is sought after internationally for his creative design and creative prowess. She was the inaugural chair of the national opera conference and was involved with Australian opera, Musica Viva and the State Library of New South Wales.

In summary, the thing about Margaret is that her causes were our causes. She fought the causes because she believed in them. She was a person of passion, a person of dedication and a person of conviction. We look for conviction in our politicians, but to have the partnership of the two of them with that conviction—and a conviction that carried on throughout their life—is the lasting testimony we can acknowledge. She was totally committed. She was dedicated and creative in everything she did, and she very much believed in empowering and energising the individual. She never misspoke, but when she spoke she resonated. You always listened when Margaret had something to say.

As the Prime Minister said yesterday, Margaret was a national treasure and was recognised as that. Two national treasures together is a unique double—but they were a unique double. Her family and those who knew her will miss her. My family will miss her. But she made an extraordinary contribution and commitment to the nation, and it is one that will never be forgotten. Margaret once wrote: 'if I can do some good I'll certainly try'. Well, she did more than try; she succeeded, and she succeeded in so many ways. I offer my sincerest condolences to Gough, who I know is incredibly distraught at the loss of Margaret, and to the family—to Tony, Nick, Stephen and Cathy. We will have the opportunity to remember her still on Friday, at the funeral service. She has made a great contribution to this nation and I am delighted to be associated with the words and the motion of the parliament moved by the Prime Minister.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to join my many colleagues who have paid tribute to Margaret Whitlam AO. I was not fortunate enough to know Margaret, yet, because of her public profile, like many Australians I feel that I did indeed know her. Clearly she was a strong and determined woman, attributes we in this place truly admire. From all accounts she was a woman of strong beliefs and a razor sharp wit. She was caring, considered, intelligent and a fierce campaigner for equality, as we have just heard from Minister Crean. There is no denying that Margaret lived a full life, engaging in many interests. She was a political activist and a community worker. She loved sports, politics and the arts. She was a visitor to the Northern Territory a number of times over the course of her life, including in 1975, when she went to Wattle Creek with her husband, Gough, who was the Prime Minister at the time. More recently, in February 2004, they travelled on the Ghan on its inaugural trip from Adelaide to Darwin.

From all accounts she and Gough were proud of their 69-year marriage, and why shouldn't they be, especially in this day and age when longevity of marriage is more the exception? I think it is beautiful that Gough referred to Margaret as the love of his life. This statement and sentiment says it all. I join my colleagues in this place in offering my sympathies to the Whitlam family on the passing of Margaret.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wanted to start with a quote direct from Margaret Whitlam:

Sneaked in a game of golf this morning and in the afternoon carried on like a suburban housewife in old surroundings. It is a joy to put a load of washing out on a familiar clothesline, to note the growth of the mulberry tree, and to listen to all the talkback radio programs while doing it.

That is a quote taken from a trip back to Cabramatta, in May 1973. I rely upon that quote because probably more than anything else the reason people have such fond memories of Margaret Whitlam is that they recognised her sense of humanity. Despite all the things she would have seen in the sweep of her life, and being involved in some of the most tumultuous events of our time, she still celebrated her own humanity and kept in touch with those around her. As a Western Sydney MP, I know it is why the Whitlams are held in such high regard across our region.

The member for McMahon, the minister for immigration, reflected on some of the things that had been achieved by the Whitlam government, particularly, for example, bringing sewerage to the homes of Western Sydney. This was a big issue for people who were concerned about sanitation and the quality of life and wanted to see things that had been taken for granted elsewhere brought out into Western Sydney.

Margaret Whitlam continued working, even leading up to Gough Whitlam's election as Prime Minister, as a social worker at Parramatta District Hospital between 1964 and 1967. She then said:

I like the work. It was a very good course then because it made you know your community, know what was lacking in the community and know where to find aid.

This was said during an interview with Susan Mitchell, contained in the work The Matriarchs, back in 1987. Again, she dedicated her time to helping the people of Western Sydney and patiently tending to the needs of people who were in need of support. The work they did was reflective of a commitment to Western Sydney. The Whitlams had moved out west and stayed out west for many years. That is something that should be recognised. It has rightly been celebrated in this place.

A number of members of parliament have spoken at great length about her achievements. Many things have been said about a remarkable woman and many reflections have been made about her role as the wife of a Prime Minister and a person steeped in the experience of those times.

My final reflection is one that had a much more powerful impact on me. It was the fact that a couple met in an embrace of a dance or two in the late 1930s and through golden days and days that had less gleam to them they maintained a deep bond, a bond of love. While that physical bond has been released, I and many others, especially at a time where relationships seem a lot more fleeting, feel the break of that connection very deeply. The dance-floor embrace may be a thing of memory now but the warmth of that relationship is what I honour in this place today. To the Whitlam family I pass on the deepest condolences of the people I represent in Western Sydney. I wish them all the best and I celebrate the life of a truly remarkable Australian.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to pay my respects to Margaret Elaine Whitlam, a significant figure in the political history of Australia and whose passing aged 92 will be mourned by many. Born on 19 November 1919 in Bondi, Margaret was the daughter of NSW Supreme Court Justice Wilfred Dovey and his wife, Mary. Margaret was a talented swimmer, having finished sixth in the 220 yards breaststroke at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney and was studying social work when she first met Gough in 1939.

It was at a Sydney University Dramatic Society Christmas Party where the relationship kicked off.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 17:15 to 17:28

Of that night spent dancing, she was to say, 'That was it for the both of us.' There began what became an adventure and a romance of a lifetime, including nearly 70 years of marriage.

As an outsider looking in, Margaret Whitlam appeared to be so much more than the wife of a Prime Minister, indeed, the first Labor wife to be in the Lodge for 23 years. She was a constant for the community, actively engaged in the arts, with the environment and with broader social service. This included as a director of the Sydney Dance Company, the boards of Australian Opera and the New South Wales State Library, chair of the National Council for International Literacy Year, a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO, the board of the ACT Council of Social Service and I am sure many, many more roles too numerous to mention.

On top of this Margaret Whitlam wrote for Woman's Day and was a regular on television talk shows. As the Prime Minister's wife, she would also travel the world with Gough and I have read reports of her being feted abroad. She conducted her own press conference, which she opened with the words, 'Ask me an outrageous question and I'll give you an outrageous answer.' This irreverence and frankness is one of the endearing traits that made the Whitlams not only successful but also admired. All political parties regardless of their persuasion need to have their own heroes. The Whitlams are Labor's.

Today I respect one of Labor's truly endearing, and esteemed, national figures. It is true my politics is at a different end of the spectrum to theirs, but this does not diminish the respect I have for their long and significant contribution to Australian public life. Margaret Whitlam's support for women and women's causes, including equal pay and abortion law reform, is also to be admired. So too her deep and abiding affection and support for her husband, and the role he sought to play, is something to behold. Margaret Whitlam once said she wanted to be remembered as a 'fair, tolerant and reasonably patient person.' No doubt she will be remembered for all of this, and much, much more. Margaret Whitlam left an indelible mark on Australian society and will be greatly missed.

My condolences go out to Gough and the entire Whitlam family, including children Antony, Nick, Stephen and Catherine. I wish you all only good health and you can be assured your mother's memory and contribution will forever live on.

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Higher Education and Skills) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the condolence motion to recognise the passing of an extraordinary Australian woman, Margaret Whitlam AO. Procedurally that is what I seek to do, but at this moment in time in this place, what I am actually doing is celebrating a life of amazing achievement, of family, community, political activism, sporting prowess, culture and arts, a life that creates not only respect among all of those who reflect on it but affection too. It is not often that on the national stage one person encompasses both enormous respect and enormous affection together.

Many fine sentiments have been expressed about Margaret Whitlam in this place and more of course added as we have just been hearing from members opposite. The Australian yesterday had a headline in the Plus section which, in my view, summed up Margaret best. It said she was 'a towering figure in her own right', and I think that very well encompasses Margaret. She is a part of Australian history. I was reflecting yesterday on just how long she had been a part of our history. She was born before there was a Sydney Harbour Bridge. Her lifetime spanned the making of modern Australia. She was a champion swimmer. She was the mother of four fine children, a grandmother and a great-grandmother to many in the family. She was a community activist in southern Sydney and Western Sydney, especially during the time Gough Whitlam represented the division of Werriwa in this place. She was the only social worker at the time in a Western Sydney hospital, as her son Nicholas mentioned in one of the weekend's newspapers. She was a patron of arts and culture. Margaret campaigned in her own right during the 1969 and 1972 federal elections. She was a columnist and commentator. She was Australia's first lady and, in doing that job, forever changed the role of the Prime Minister's partner. Margaret was an Australian national treasure. And above all she was, as Gough said in a beautiful and gracious tribute upon her passing, the love of his life.

As is well known the Whitlam partnership lasted almost 70 years. Margaret was, as Gough as has said, his best appointment. I admired Margaret from afar for all of my adult life. I did have the privilege of meeting her and Gough on many occasions, and indeed the last time I saw her was at the Mount Kembla hotel in my electorate which was, for a time, owned by Nick and Judy Whitlam. Just as the member for Wentworth has had the pleasure of representing the patriarch and matriarch of the Whitlam family in his electorate, I have had the pleasure of representing the Whitlam's second son and daughter-in-law, Nick and Judy Whitlam, in this place. I would like to put on the record that Nick has indicated to me that, as his local member, he would be very pleased if I acknowledged his comments. He said to me: 'Please simply say that I am the proud son of a wonderful mother to four children.' As a mum, I think that is a tribute from a son that would bring joy to any mother.

I loved Margaret's wit, graciousness, wisdom, and outspokenness. Margaret was one of those people who always brought a smile to your face from the sheer pleasure of talking to her, of seeing her interviewed or even just thinking about her contribution, and many of the comments and contributions by people in this condolence motion have brought smiles to the faces of those of us sitting around the table listening to them, for the very simple fact that she was one of those people in life who always brought a smile to your face. It is reported that in 1973 she started a press conference, as the member for Kooyong said, with the statement to the press, 'Ask me an outrageous questions and I will give you an outrageous answer.' I think she lived an outrageous life in the very best sense of the word.

Margaret made amazing achievements in whatever she turned her mind to. She was a woman prepared to speak her mind. It has been remarked that Margaret kept Gough in check when his speeches wandered off into their second hour. I indeed saw this at a function a couple of years ago at the Sutherland workers club. I was seated at a table next to Gough and Margaret. Gough was into one of his speeches that, I must say, was crammed with details and memories which were very interesting. However, on this occasion, the speech was into about its fortieth minute—too much for Margaret, who loudly interjected, 'You've been going on too long now; people want to eat their dessert,' and we promptly managed to eat our dessert.

It was an honour and a privilege to know Margaret. She was a pioneer in so many ways for so many Australians. The grief of her family is one we all share for someone special and irreplaceable, and our heart goes out to them at this time in their lives. I also want to say that she will remain a person in my life, until the day I pass, who I will remember with fondness, respect and great admiration.

Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Deputy Chairman , Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join all members in speaking on this condolence motion for the late Margaret Whitlam and commend the parliamentary secretary, the previous speaker, for her remarks. I think they captured what all of us who have spoken have tried to capture, and that is the dedication of Margaret Whitlam to her party but also to her country. We celebrate a wonderful life well lived, of 92 years, and, as the parliamentary secretary said, that captured all of that period of time from 1919, before the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built. As the parliamentary secretary was speaking, I was thinking back to 1919, a year after World War I, and all the change that Margaret Whitlam saw and obviously saw very closely not just as an Australian citizen but as someone who was very much a part of the change as the wife of a former Prime Minister but critically as someone who worked very hard to make a difference for what she believed in as well. As all the speakers have also captured, she was a lady of forthright views and great wit. Many people have spoken of many anecdotes. The parliamentary secretary just had another which illustrated once again that this wit was always on display.

Another former member of this place from the other side, Barry Cohen, who most of us have got to know, who himself has a great wit, wrote a wonderful piece in the Australian just a few days ago where he spoke of his first encounter with the Whitlams after being preselected for the marginal seat of Robertson in 1968. I think he won that election in 1969, just a few years ahead of the election of the Whitlam government. He spoke in the Australian of going to the Whitlam's house, which he called 'the lodge in waiting', at Cabramatta and listening to the leader very much in the vein of which the parliamentary secretary spoke. He said:

As a new candidate I listened attentively and grunted agreement at the appropriate time. The meal was progressing nicely.

We listened while "He" spoke. Suddenly Margaret found a way to include the guests in the discussion: "Excuse me Leader, would you pass the butter?"

It is a great anecdote, but what is really special in this condolence motion as we remember a wonderful life is just how many of them there are. On this motion we honour her contribution. We remember her very full life and we pay our condolences to the Whitlam family, to Gough in particular and to that very large extended family that is so much a feature of Australian political life.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I start off by saying what truly moving and heartfelt speeches we have heard from both sides of the House since the passing of this very inspirational Australian woman, Margaret Whitlam. And it is highly evident that her wit, charm and kind nature touched many people in the political sphere and I am sure many more outside of it.

Margaret was of course the wife of one of Australia's great political powerhouses, Gough Whitlam. He is a Labor icon, a Labor legend. But a place by his side was never in his shadow. I remember growing up as a young girl in the 1970s in suburban Melbourne and being very aware at a very young age of the role Margaret Whitlam was playing. She had a huge influence on my mother and my sisters during that time and she was one of the first role models for me not only of a woman in a position of power but of what a marriage should be as well. She showed that marriage should be an equal, respectful relationship and partnership where two people are joined in love and mutual admiration. I know Gough's commitment to Margaret—as many have said today and over recent days, he said it was his greatest appointment—showed that a man can actually be married to a woman who is strong and who expresses her view. He in a way was a role model of what a husband can be being married to a women of that nature.

The 1970s were a time when women were starting to discover their own voices. Germaine Greer was becoming a household name and the women's liberation movement was changing the way society functioned. Margaret's place in this world was, I believe, to help women redefine themselves and in turn redefine their role in society. She was a role model through and through but most importantly she had influence and she knew how to use it, particularly at a time when throughout the world women were becoming more empowered in so many ways. She threw out the rule book on how to be a Prime Minister's wife and used her position to help others and to instigate social change. Margaret spoke out on issues she felt very strongly about, particularly when it came to women's rights. She spoke out on issues such as abortion law and contraceptive advice. She was able to connect with Australian women as only a woman can do. And Australian women loved her for it. In fact, I was speaking about Margaret Whitlam with my mother on the weekend. My mother really did love her and apparently she had been in tears since hearing the news. Margaret had a huge impact on women, particularly those women, as I said, who were becoming empowered and gaining their own voice in the seventies. She was at the forefront of that and she was very much loved by women particularly of that generation.

She had a way with the media pack, who I bet she enjoyed working up into a lather until they were eating out of the palm of her hand. We have heard some stories today and also in recent days about how they were eating out of the palm of her hand. Lucky her.

Margaret had a way about her. She had a self-confidence and a talent not only for political life but also for public life. She had ambition and she inspired many women. She made it clear that being a wife was about more than cooking, cleaning and raising kids—that was very important, but that women had a range of choices and that being a wife included more dimensions to life than that. She absolutely redefined the role of the 'first lady' and showed the world that women with high-profile husbands can achieve success in their own right and should not be ashamed to seek it out. I am sure Gough was much better off because of Margaret's personal ambitions and achievements.

The member before me really underscored for me the fact that she actually lived through a great deal of social change in this country and throughout the world, particularly for women. She would have seen the end of the marriage vans and she would have seen women emerging into society, as I mentioned before, gaining voices, gaining empowerment, gaining greater control over their fertility and gaining greater access to education—thanks to the reforms her husband introduced in the seventies. She saw so much. The beauty of Margaret Whitlam was that she was at the vanguard of that.

In closing, I would like to pass on my deepest condolences to the Whitlam family. Although I never met Margaret Whitlam, I feel as if I have known her for a very long time. I am sure many other Australian women feel the same way. I know my mum does. She will be missed. She was a true inspiration for generations of women and her legacy will live on.

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Margaret Whitlam was the wife of a prime minister who, to me as a teenager, was right there with her husband all the time. She was actually in the game. Lots of prime ministers' wives were there as the 'first lady', but Margaret was there in the game. I think that was the first thing that really set her aside. Let us not cast aside anything; the early seventies were a fantastic time for Labor and they would not have been so without the Whitlams or without Margaret Whitlam at the front. We will always remember the 'It's Time' ad with Margaret and Gough singing at the front. I have heard Gough sing at certain functions and I bet you they muted his microphone.

There were a lot of similarities for me. Although I grew up in a very small country town in south-west Queensland right in the heart of Country Party territory—and my father would no sooner have voted Labor than fly to the moon—the similarities were that Margaret Whitlam was a lot like my mum. In the days when women did not work once they had children, my mum worked. My mum was there with her husband, with her partner, in the family business. And that is what Margaret did. Yes, it was on a bigger stage, but she was there with her husband, with her partner, in the family business.

That was the big difference with the Whitlams. While there could never be any doubt as to which one was the Prime Minister, they were a dead-set partnership. They set the template for the Hawkes and the Howards who followed so well in their wake. I never met either Whitlam. In fact, the closest I got to that was drinking a bottle of Nick Whitlam's wines—actually quite a few bottles of Nick Whitlam's wines. They were very good. The thing about Margaret Whitlam was that you felt you knew her. Even for someone like me who never got anywhere near her, you felt like that if you met her you would like her and that she would like you. You felt that she would be a person with whom conversation would flow easily. You felt that she was a person who would have an absolutely fabulous sense of humour—and the speeches so far in both the main chamber and here reflect that genuineness of nature. I am extremely jealous and envious of the member for Wentworth, who showed yesterday he had such a genuine love for this woman and will obviously miss her.

Both my grandmothers lived well into their nineties. Both were incredible women who, while nowhere near as famous as Margaret Whitlam, had a lot in common with her in that they truly loved their husbands; they were true partners in every success and failure of their partnership. They were always incredibly independent women.

The world is the poorer for Margaret Whitlam's passing. When I heard of her death my feelings were exactly the same as when Don Bradman died: you just wish that you had met them; your life would have been a little bit richer for having done so. But all our lives are richer for having lived during the time of Margaret Whitlam. There is one final thing: 70 years of marriage and they were still talking to each other! I have barely got to 10 and we barely speak a word! Probably that should not go in Hansard! But I do love my wife very, very dearly. All the way to the end of Margaret's life the one thing that never left them was the obvious love these two people had for each other. They were inseparable and I think that is the most wonderful thing given every day after day that they spent together. My condolences go to the entire Whitlam family, to all three surviving generations, and I ask sincerely that she rest in peace.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too feel very privileged to be taking part in this condolence motion for a remarkable Australian. The contributions we have heard surely show the warmth that people share and hold for Margaret Whitlam. I think many of us have reflected in the last couple of days on the numerous conversations we have had since she passed away and what she meant to us and to our lives. That really is quite remarkable. I think we have all had so many conversations with so many different people about what she means to all of us. Along with all Australians, I wish to express my very deep regret on the passing of Margaret Whitlam, a truly remarkable Australian for so many of the reasons we have heard in this condolence motion debate.

She was born Margaret Elaine Dovey in Bondi, New South Wales, on 19 November 1919—many years ago. She was indeed a national treasure and icon, lost to us on 17 March this year. She was, in fact, a trailblazing First Lady, an absolutely remarkable woman who did not live in the shadow of her husband. Instead she revolutionised what it meant to be a Prime Minister's spouse—an extraordinary woman who inspired generations and still continues to inspire so many generations of Australian women. As we have heard from many speakers, she was, thankfully, outspoken on many issues and was a regular on the guest-speaking circuit as well as a columnist and a broadcaster. In fact, she really tore up the rule book and did things her own way, hosting her own show, called With Margaret Whitlam, and also writing a regular column in Woman's Day and making such great contributions.

We have heard too from many speakers of her strong commitment to community, her strong commitment to equality and social equity and the deep compassion that she had. Of course, she pursued a great career as a social worker. She was committed to so many of the issues we have heard people speak of and she had such a strong passion and commitment to that huge variety of issues—from local issues to do with her local library through to so many really important issues in relation to women's rights and international affairs. That truly is remarkable when you look at the history of her life and the different causes she was involved in; there was such a wide variety of them. I was very interested to read that it is because of Margaret Whitlam that childminding centres became known as childcare centres. That is because she said that 'after all, minding a child was hardly the same as caring for one'—yet another wonderful comment by Margaret that shows the depth of her commitment. As has been commented on by many people, Margaret Whitlam would have made a very formidable politician herself, and she was out campaigning on many occasions. She did have very strong political instincts and indeed was a natural leader. Of course, she was a perfect match for the very fiercely driven Gough and matched him not only in wit and intellect and ideas but in their towering height as well. What a remarkable couple they were.

She had so many talents and so many skills. She was able to play the piano, to sing, dance, act and of course swim. It is remarkable that at age 18 she became the Australian breaststroke champion. And throughout her life she had so many different roles. She chaired many different boards, committees and councils across a variety of different fields, in her beloved field of social services but also in law, opera, dance and international literacy. What a remarkable life. From all of the accounts we have heard from many different people, she was incredibly warm, light-hearted, sharp-witted, proud and modest, refusing to let go her grip on life. Apparently, recently she commented, 'Well, I'm on to my third pace-maker. Ridiculous, isn't it? While I keep going, I will keep going.' That comment is very much like her.

Sadly for Australia and for all of those who loved her dearly, a fall led to her declining health and ultimately her death on 17 March. Her beloved husband, and former Prime Minister, Gough, describes her as the love of his life. Their marriage has been a great Australian romance, a partnership of equals, and in Gough's words, his best appointment. Her life has been so full, and she contributed greatly to Australia. While we mourn so deeply along with her family, we can rest assured that her place in history, and our affections, is absolutely assured. Our thoughts are at this time with the Whitlam family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this very difficult time. They should know that she was a woman who was loved by so many Australians, and I commend the motion to the House.

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to add my voice to this condolence motion and congratulate the speakers who have spoken before me for their very moving words, and particularly the Prime Minister and the opposition leader. I never had the pleasure of meeting Margaret Whitlam. I was not old enough at the time to really see the full flight of Margaret Whitlam and Gough Whitlam. I was just a few years old when he was Prime Minister and she the first lady. My remarks are very much based on the accounts of what other people have told me about her and what I have read about her, and what I have seen about her in her later years.

From all accounts she was indeed a very much loved person, particularly as the first lady, but also in the latter parts of her life, where she continued to make an extraordinary contribution after exiting the Lodge with her husband. Being a spouse of a politician is not an easy job and it is very much at times a thankless job. By reflecting on Margaret Whitlam and her life, in some respects we are also reflecting on the spouses of all of us, those of us in this chamber who have spouses and the spouses who have been beforehand, and reflecting on the remarkable contribution that each one of them makes. None of us here in this chamber could do our job without their support, particularly those of us who have children, as I do. I know that I simply could not do this job without the support of my wife, Teri. Others I know are in a similar situation. So in reflecting on Margaret, we also reflect upon those people.

Of course, being the spouse of a Prime Minister must be one of the most difficult jobs, and from all accounts Margaret Whitlam carried out this job with great poise and with great dignity, and made an incredible contribution in and of herself. She herself pointed out how difficult that job was. She said, 'On the one hand, if you say nothing you're just dumb. If you talk a lot, you're told you are talkative.' Somehow they must navigate that and strike the right balance. Margaret, from what I have been told, was known as an incredibly sunny, optimistic and confident person who, as many people before me have said, redefined the role of a spouse of the Prime Minister. She championed many very good causes in her own right, and particularly equality of women and some of the issues which affect women. She represented many people who did not always feel that they were part of the inner circle of Australian society. I was taken by a comment she made—she being a very tall woman herself, being all of 188 centimetres tall—that, 'I came to represent all the ungainly people, the too tall ones, the too fat ones, and the housebound, as I had been, who would never go to China or Buckingham Palace and went through me.' I think that was a very nice thing to say, and I think that many people across our community could associate with those comments and, through Margaret Whitlam, indeed feel as if they were going to Buckingham Palace or going to China and having some of those experiences.

In her later years she branched out further and involved herself in numerous activities and continued with her writing. I know that, for members opposite, her advice was always sought after, that her views were always listened to and that her friendship was very much valued right up until the last days of her life. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her service to our nation. It was indeed an incredible service and we should all stop and reflect on that service and thank her for it. My thoughts and prayers are with her husband, Gough Whitlam—her husband of 70 years, as the member for Herbert colourfully pointed out—and the rest of the Whitlam family.

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

I join colleagues in paying tribute to Margaret Whitlam AO, a truly extraordinary Australian. Other speakers have talked about Margaret Whitlam's life, her achievements and her personal qualities which clearly endeared her to all Australians. From my observations, like many other women of her generation, Margaret Whitlam portrayed herself as a very supportive and loyal partner. But I suspect that in truth she was much more than that. She was clearly a confidante, a wise adviser, a tower of strength and an obvious influence on the life of Gough Whitlam. Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister of this country between 1972 and 1975, and he became Prime Minister after many, many years of government by the Liberal Party of Australia. So he led the Labor Party back into government. I can clearly recall those three years, and they were indeed very tumultuous years. It would not have been easy for either the Prime Minister of the country or, indeed, for Margaret, his wife. And I have no doubt that, during those very difficult years in which we had a double dissolution in 1974, her strength and her support of Gough would have been invaluable to him in carrying on in the role of Prime Minister.

Other speakers have made the point, and made it very well, that, as Australia's first lady between 1972 and 1975, Margaret Whitlam did all Australians proud. I share that view because I can clearly recall her role as first lady of Australia. I did have the pleasure of meeting Margaret Whitlam when she came to South Australia in the late seventies and came out to a community event in the electorate of Bonython, as it was then called; today it is the electorate of Wakefield. At that community event her presence was as noticeable and as significant as that of Gough himself, and I recall yesterday the minister for health speaking about Margaret Whitlam going to a community event in her electorate and saying that, when Margaret made comments to the effect that, 'Wouldn't you rather Gough as opposed to me?' the minister for health quite properly said, 'No, we want you there.' That was also clearly the case when she came out to Bonython in the late seventies. Her presence was noticed, because she made everyone there feel special and she made a point of meeting everyone in that room on the day. It is those kinds of qualities and characteristics that are rare, but that make people unique. She was indeed a unique person.

I will comment on another matter with respect to her and Gough's characteristics. The Whitlams were good friends of the Italian community, as they were good friends of all newcomers to this land. It was in fact during that era that Al Grassby became minister for immigration. I think few would disagree that it was Al Grassby who put multiculturalism on the political landscape and in the political vocabulary. It was Al Grassby who made it absolutely clear for the first time in a long time that this is a land that has people from across the world and they should all be respected and treated equally. That all happened during the era of Gough Whitlam. I suspect that Margaret Whitlam was as much supportive as anyone else.

Australia is a better place for the life of Margaret Whitlam. I take this opportunity to extend my condolences and deepest sympathy to Gough and to their four children.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Margaret Whitlam was a great human being and she and Gough were a formidable couple.' That is how the president of the Wagga Wagga branch of country Labor, Glenn Eliott-Rudder, described the late Mrs Whitlam, who died in a Sydney hospital on Saturday morning aged 92 years. 'She made such an impression on so many and she will be sadly missed,' he said. 'Certainly, she will not be forgotten by those who lived during the 1970s—such an era of change for Australia and Australians.' Griffith country Labor branch vice-president, Peter Knox, has a recording of It's Time, Labor's 1972 campaign jingle, personally signed by both Margaret and Gough. The recording is one of the most treasured mementos of Mr Knox, who is Labor through and through and a former candidate for the seat of Riverina. 'Our members are very sad and sorry about this wonderful woman's passing,' Mr Knox told me this afternoon. 'I joined Labor around the time Gough became Prime Minister, and I remember the period well. Margaret was a tremendous asset to Gough as Prime Minister and she leaves a wonderful legacy of service to our nation.'

As the member for Riverina I offer my condolences on behalf of all Labor supporters in the electorate, as well as for all of those people I represent in this parliament who mourn the loss of an Australian who contributed mightily to the nation as the wife or one of our larger-than-life prime ministers and also very much in her own right. We celebrate her life, we remember the mark she made and we acknowledge with respect and thanks that she did her best to make our country a better place in which to live.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I feel very privileged to be able to speak to this condolence motion. Margaret Whitlam was a role model to me; she was somebody I looked up to. She was unique. I congratulate everybody on the speeches they have made to this motion. The member for Wentworth demonstrated in his speech in the House that he really knew Margaret Whitlam. His speech captured the essence of the woman, as did the speeches of the member for Griffith, the Prime Minister and other speakers in the debate. She was a woman who was in herself an enigma. She changed the face of the role of Prime Minister's wife. She was a leader in the area of women's rights, changing the face of what a woman's expectations in life could be. She studied and became a social worker, and she worked as a social worker after she was married. Even that was unique at the time. She balanced study, work and family, and she did all of it really well. She showed other women that it is possible to do all those things, that it is possible to have a life outside of being a mother and a wife. I think she gave people, like myself, the inspiration to reach for that other life. She was a real person, and that has been demonstrated by the speeches that have been made here in the House, both in this chamber and downstairs. She was not a person who was concerned about appearances or about presenting in a certain way. She was an athlete, she was intelligent and she was witty. She represented Australia at the Empire Games and, as previous speakers have highlighted, she probably would have won a medal if she had not been sick.

I mentioned the fact that Margaret gave a new definition to the role of Prime Minister's wife, and how she always raised women's issues. She used to attend the Labor Women's Conference, and she was an active member of the Labor Party. I first met Margaret Whitlam when I was a young woman with a very young child. I was the secretary of the Double Bay branch of the Labor Party at that time—and I see that my friend the member for Hunter is really surprised to learn that! One of the highlights of my life at that particular time was issuing Margaret and Gough Whitlam with their Labor Party tickets. They had just moved to the area, and I was overwhelmed by the occasion. From where I lived I would walk down to the corner shop, child in tow, and would see Margaret Whitlam walking down to the shop; she was just like any everyday person. I hate to disappoint my friend the member for Hunter, but at the time I may have been in the electorate of Wentworth.

Margaret always had time to talk to people. As I said, at that time I was just a really ordinary person, nothing special—a mother with a young child. I certainly was not in a strong financial position. And she talked to me. She would acknowledge me as a person. And just as she would acknowledge somebody like me at that particular time, she could then move on and socialise with people from the highest echelons of society and converse with diplomats and other representatives from overseas. She spent time in Paris with Gough. And I think that is really unique: to be able to converse with and relate to people from different levels of society, and every one of those people feels that you are communicating with them and care about what they have to say. She certainly was able to do that.

Margaret Whitlam's life was a life of service to every community in which she lived. My condolences to the family. It is a life that will live on. She will continue to be a role model for women into the future. People will look at society back when she studied at university, raised children and was the Prime Minister's wife and see that you can achieve much and change the community's expectations of that position and individual expectations of perceived roles and even the stereotypes of what a woman can achieve. I think that is something Margaret Whitlam did so well. She was able to take her place on boards within Australia. She was awarded the Order of Australia. She was a positive woman who always looked forward. She achieved things and she encouraged other women to reach their potential. She and Gough were married for nearly 70 years. If she had lived in Shortland electorate she would have got a bunch of flowers as well as a congratulatory message and a card from me because I think being married for 70 years is a real achievement. And there was still that spark in their relationship; they still enjoyed each other's company. They were always 'Gough and Margaret'—each an individual but together as a couple. They were members of the ALP for 60 years and were given national life membership. And their marriage was the longest marriage of any Prime Minister in Australia's history. That is another achievement.

Everyone Margaret Whitlam touched is richer for having known her. They knew her either personally or through her public life. I thank her family for sharing her with us and I once again offer them my condolences.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great pleasure to join with the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Griffith, the member for Wentworth and all members who are making a contribution to this very important condolence motion in honour of Margaret Elaine Whitlam AO. There are many ways to describe Margaret Whitlam—intelligent, compassionate, talented, sincere, generous, benevolent, witty and honest—but, based on my dealings with her, I believe the best description of all is 'tough'. She was a tough woman. It was a brave person who challenged her in any way—and I am sure former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam learnt that on many occasions.

Being the wife to any PM is of course a tough gig. It takes great strength to both stand by your Prime Minister—in this case your husband—and to deal with public criticisms of him, his government and the broader family. More and more, including in Gough's time, the media intrude greatly into the family behind the scenes of office. Gough was a great reformer and, as a result, picked plenty of fights; being a great reformer is, by definition, also about picking fights. It is well known that the greatest fight of all was that which occurred in 1975. Throughout that turbulent period Margaret was Gough's rock and held herself in a most dignified way.

Margaret Whitlam lived a very long life and had been around for a very long time. I am one of those in this place—there are quite a few of us, of course—who had the pleasure of knowing her, not very well but sufficiently well, I think, to appreciate her and to understand her. My maternal grandparents lived in Bellingen, just inland near Coffs Harbour. I remember she and Gough visited to open a nursing home when I was only a child. I still vividly remember that day, not meeting them but seeing them and watching the very significant fuss that surrounded them on the visit to that very small town. Even though I was a child, I remember how tall they both were and therefore how big they were in stature as well as in reputation. They were certainly very warmly received on that occasion. That is my first memory of the couple.

I also have this vague memory of accompanying Margaret to the Cessnock Town Hall, which no longer exists. I have been trying to remember all afternoon when that was and why she was in Cessnock. She was alone. Gough was not with her. She was there to make a speech of some sort. After the speech I was very busily making sure that I took the opportunity to introduce her to as many people as I could. She had a real crack at me, in a very grumpy way, about working her too hard in that respect. The point I make is how upfront and determined she was about letting me know she was not too happy about all this hard work I was giving her. Beneath that, however, there was also an appreciation of having had the opportunity to meet with so many of the local people. They certainly appreciated her.

Gough is, of course, still with us. He is almost 96. I spoke with his son Nick on Saturday. Obviously Gough is far frailer now than the Gough we have all known so well. We all think of him this week. It was a very long partnership. He must be feeling this loss very sadly and deeply. I extend again my best wishes to him. Nick, who I have come to know well I am proud to say, is a great guy. I have not had the opportunity to get to know other members of the family but you only need to know Nick to know that Margaret and Gough gave him a very fine upbringing and that they are very decent people. They will be feeling this loss very deeply.

Margaret Whitlam walked tall—literally and figuratively. She was a great Australian, not just famous for being Gough Whitlam's wife but famous in her own right. She was an individual, someone who had her own causes, who argued her own cases and criticised when she thought criticism was deserved. She was a sporting hero. She was learned. I end where I began: she was intelligent, smart and witty. She was all of that. I join with others in mourning her loss and thanking her for her very significant contribution to this country and again in extending my deepest sympathy to Gough and the rest of the family.

Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Margaret Elaine Whitlam was a giant amongst Australian women, a colossus amongst Australian Labor women, a political leader and a trailblazer in her own right. I can think of no better words to open this contribution than those spoken by another trailblazer, another colossus, for Australian Labor women: Jessie Street. In an ABC radio program, in April 1944, she said:

To put this in a nutshell, I believe that in a democratic, free society women should be at liberty to choose whether they will take up home life or work outside the home; that men and women should receive equal pay and equal opportunity; that home life should be made less of a tie and the burden of raising a family be lightened. If we can face these peacetime problems with the spirit of determination and conciliation with which we’re facing our war problems, we may hope to solve them.

Jessie Street and Margaret Whitlam were contemporaries for many years. By any fair analysis Margaret Elaine Whitlam did not make the choice between taking up an effective home life and having an effective life outside the home.

When she died this Saturday 17 March at St Vincent's Hospital she was surrounded by her family. She was aged 92 and she had had an extraordinary life. She was born Margaret Elaine Dovey, the daughter of Wilfred Robert 'Bill' Dovey, a New South Wales Supreme Court judge. She attended the Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School in Darlinghurst, where she excelled in sport. A number of speakers have already commented on the fact that she competed for Australia in the 200-yards backstroke in the 1938 British Empire Games. Photographs from the games show the rangy 188-centimetre-tall Margaret, who described herself as a great long streak, with her hair in long black plaits.

Margaret met Gough Whitlam four years later at a science party while she was waiting to be called up to the RAAF. They married soon after, in April of 1942. She was two years into her diploma of social studies at the University of Sydney.

Margaret never made any apologies for the relative privileges that her background gave to her. Instead she chose to dedicate her career to helping those who were less fortunate than her. She saw what was wrong in the community and worked to fix it, as part of the Family Welfare Bureau. She and Gough had four children, Nicholas, Anthony, Stephen and Catherine.

Gough was first elected to federal parliament in 1952 and became a federal opposition leader. He became parliamentary leader of the Australian Labor Party in 1967. During this time Margaret was working as a medical social worker at the Parramatta District Hospital. Upon Gough's election as Prime Minister, Margaret quickly became known as an outspoken advocate for issues, including women's rights and, particularly, abortion law reform and conservation. She was influenced by many leading feminists at the time, including Germaine Greer. She was known for breaking the mould. When it came to parliamentary spouses and prime ministerial spouses she refused to submerge herself into the role of a political handbag, as was often expected of women in those days. She quickly saw that her position gave her a great platform upon which to engage with the social issues of the day and to effect real change.

She once wrote that you must not get too great a sense of yourself or your own importance. Her sense of humour was famous and infectious. It was that sense of humour, that wit and that grasp of many of the important social issues of the day—a great sense of political history—that made her a regular and popular guest on radio and television and a columnist for the Australian Women's Weekly.

Margaret was very outspoken against the dismissal of her husband by Governor-General Sir John Kerr, in 1975. I interrupt to say that there is not an Australian of my generation or older who cannot tell you exactly where they were on that day in November 1975. I was too young to remember it at the time, but if I had I am sure I would have laughed when I learnt that Margaret's response to the dismissal was to tell Gough: 'How ridiculous. Why didn't you just tear it up?' The dismissal did not tarnish her reputation as political royalty and nor did it halt her supreme philanthropic efforts. She did not retreat from public service. In fact, the citations and the community and national organisations that she was involved in from the time Gough left public service, in 1978, until her passing on the weekend would exhaust a person half her age.

She was truly loved by all within the Labor movement. The member for Cunningham earlier today passed on the words of Margaret's son Nick, who is now a resident of the Illawarra and well known to me and the member for Cunningham. I can think of no better tribute to any woman than to pass on the words of Margaret's son Nick, when he said, 'Just please say that I am the proud son of a wonderful woman.'

The Whitlams are the nearest thing that we have to royalty in the Labor Party, and we are not that fond of royalty, it must be said. But it was not just because of the achievements of her husband. If she were not such a wonderful woman she would not be eliciting the great tributes from members of all sides of House that she has received in this debate and the outpouring of affection that she has seen from the Australian community since the events of last Saturday. I am very proud, as a Labor person, to be speaking on this motion. I pass on my condolences to Nick and Judy, residents of the Illawarra, and to the entire Whitlam family.

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I rise to offer my condolences to the Whitlam family. Many words have been spoken by many different people about Margaret Elaine Whitlam in the past few days. Some have been spoken publicly and some privately. I have just received an email from one of my branches offering their condolences to the family. What this tells me is that Margaret Whitlam touched so many people throughout her life. People in every walk of life, from every background and, dare I say it, from every political persuasion, have recognised her massive contribution to Australia's public life.

When I first considered the words I would use tonight, my immediate thought was to focus on Margaret as an individual. I wanted to speak of her contribution in her own right, not as the wife of, in her words, 'the old boy'. It seems to me that she represented all that was good about her generation of women and that her contribution was Margaret's unique contribution, not as an accessory to a prime minister. On further consideration, I decided that such an approach would be doing Margaret a disservice, because theirs was from the start a partnership of mind and spirit, and it is impossible to speak of one without the other. Gough and Margaret Whitlam were a formidable combination.

There are some pointers about how Margaret became the person she was in Susan Mitchell's book The Matriarchs, all the more illuminating because the words are Margaret's. Ms Mitchell explains how the interview with Margaret came about. It seems to have been a long process. When they finally met, Ms Mitchell said, 'I found it hard to believe that I hadn't known her all my life.' That, in essence, is who Margaret was. It was difficult to believe after a brief meeting that you had not known her forever.

In speaking of her childhood, Margaret acknowledged the various influences from her family. She described her reaction to attending SCEGGS as different from some of the other girls, who were sooky. Margaret explained, 'I always feel when something ends something new is going to begin, and it's all going to be so exciting.' In her life Margaret experienced many new beginnings and dealt with each with commitment, passion and enthusiasm. I was particularly struck with her description of her time as a social worker. After her marriage she was completing the second year of a social work diploma and doing the practicals on her holidays. She was later employed by the family welfare bureau. She recalled from that time going out as a field officer on home visits to provide advice to members of the community. On one occasion Margaret was visiting a woman in hospital to reassure her about the care of her children and how they were going to be received at a particular home during the mother's illness. The woman asked Margaret whether she would send her children to that particular home. Margaret stated that the question would become her gauge in future decisions. In considering placements, particularly for children, she would ask herself whether she would send her own relatives there.

The esteem in which Margaret was held was expressed well by my sister, Myrna, who met Margaret and Gough on several occasions. In fact, Myrna's thoughts strongly reflect the thoughts of all my family in their recollections of Margaret. In 2010 I celebrated my twentieth anniversary as the member for Banks with a function in the electorate. The Whitlams were not able to attend. However, I asked them to be my guests for lunch on the date of the actual anniversary at a venue of their choice. On 24 March 2010 we four lunched at the Australian 18 Footers League in Double Bay where Margaret was a member. My sister, Myrna, recalls that Margaret presented her with a gift of a beautiful, miniature, purple orchid called 'Little Lady'. Her card read, 'For the woman behind the man. Congratulations and admiration, with fond wishes, from Margaret and Gough, 24 March 2010.' Much to Myrna's delight, that orchid is still thriving today. My sister also kept the visitor's slip, which Margaret signed, to allow us into the club.

That was typical of the impact that Margaret had when she met people. Myrna says that Margaret's generosity of spirit, sense of humour and candour on that day overwhelmed her. She remembers feeling sad when the afternoon came to an end. Myrna also recollects Margaret being very amused by my choice of desert—plain ice-cream. She asked me where my sense of adventure was, and of course I replied that I had none. My sister best remembers Margaret through her comments made this afternoon, 'A very inspirational, down-to-earth woman, who left me with a lasting impression of the type of person I could only ever aspire to be. God rest her soul.'

I offer my personal condolences and those of my family to Gough, Tony, Nick, Stephen and Catherine and their families.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I came to personally know the Whitlams sometime after winning the Werriwa by-election in 2005. As Gough was supporting another candidate for pre-selections, our beginnings were a little frosty. You might anticipate there was, somewhat, fear and trepidation knowing that the Whitlams were against me. At least that is the way I viewed it at the time.

Like most Australians of my generation, the Whitlams were revered and much loved. People of my generation have much to be thankful for, particularly in respect to education. My wife, Bernadette, struck up a special relationship with Margaret. Bernadette describes her as having a razor-sharp mind but with a genuine sense of compassion and an interest in everybody around her. She was a person admired not only for her achievements and experience but for her outlook to a modern and inclusive Australia. She was a highly intelligent woman who dared to have a view.

Coming from an era when wives were largely stay-at-home mums and were dedicated to supporting their family while the husband was the bread-winner and had the day-to-day contact with the outside world, Margaret Whitlam largely redefined many of those stereotypes. Without compromise to her unconditional love and support for her family, she was confident and comfortable enough in promoting her own views, particularly on social justice as well as reshaping the community's relationship in furthering the interest of Australians generally. She was a feminist, yes, but one who did much to advance the cause for equality of women, while remaining a wife, a mother and a person who was much loved and respected by a nation. Margaret Whitlam showed a genuine concern for her community, particularly for those who were less well off. As a former social worker she had a real understanding of those issues that go to make up a modern community and the problems that sometimes beset various sectors of a community. As I say, she had genuine compassion. She was a person who possessed the drive, the courage and the determination to be an elite athlete. She represented Australia at the Empire Games in swimming, and she showed those qualities throughout her life—a strength of character that remained evident to all of us throughout her public life. Along with Gough, and certainly not because of Gough, Margaret was awarded the first life membership of the Australian Labor Party. One half of one of our nation's most respected couples, and a marriage just short of 70 years, and an inspiration to a nation. We are deeply saddened by Margaret's passing but marvel in her achievements and celebrate the legacy that she did so much to create in this nation.

On behalf of Bernadette and me, and the community I have the honour to represent, particularly the people of Cabramatta where the Whitlams raised their family, to Gough, their children Tony, Nick, Stephen and Catherine and their families, I offer my deepest sympathy.

Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to acknowledge the remarkable life of Margaret Whitlam, who died surrounded by her family on Saturday at Sydney's St Vincent's Private Hospital. Margaret Whitlam has been praised for blazing a new trail for first ladies, however, my impression was that she never saw herself in that way. As Margaret told biographer Susan Mitchell during a 1987 interview, 'I just saw the role of the Prime Minister's wife as being human towards other humans and not treating them badly.'

I first met Gough and Margaret when I was the new federal member for Fremantle when they came to Perth for the annual John Curtin Memorial Lecture, and we had a lovely dinner afterwards organised by another great Labor personality the Hon. John Cowdell. Margaret was an incredible presence that evening. Comfortable in her own skin and listening to Gough talk in his usual expansive way about the Australian political universe, but also happy to let him know when she thought he had said enough and of course to offer her own opinions. Margaret Whitlam was not content to play the compliant, silent wife. As she put it, 'What am I to do? Stay in a cage wide open to view and say nothing? That's not on, but if I can do some good, I will certainly try.' It is telling to me that her response to being asked her view of the first lady's role was often to say, 'I'm still finding it.'

Even today, Margaret Whitlam's outspoken frankness, much like the prime ministerial legacy of her beloved husband, Gough, resonates with the Australian community. Margaret came from a relatively privileged background but from a young age she assumed a responsibility to help those less fortunate than herself and would become, in the Whitlam family's words, an outspoken advocate for women's rights, social issues and the arts. It was as Sydney University, where she studied for a degree in social work, that Margaret Dovey first met 'dreamy' Gough whom she recalled falling in love with in an instant. She represented Australian swimming at the 1938 Empire Games and practised social work at Parramatta District Hospital in Sydney's west.

She and Gough married in 1942 and their relationship remained one that was based on mutual love and deep respect. Gough Whitlam admired her wit and intellect, and she ensured that he remained grounded. Their relationship was described by the Whitlam family as a true political and personal partnership. The couple would have celebrated their seventieth wedding anniversary on 22 April this year. The political partnership of Gough and Margaret was an extraordinary time in Australian political history. Just as Australia as a whole has benefited from the massive legal, social and cultural reforms brought in by the Whitlam government, so have Australian women been fortunate to have had such a feisty role model in Margaret Whitlam at the dawn of the modern women's liberation movement with the many important changes that have improved the lives of women. Margaret stood alongside the Whitlam Labor government when it made the broad, sweeping, modernising impacts that have changed our country in many ways, and for the better: the Family Law Act; the Racial Discrimination Act; the Sex Discrimination Act; the first federal legislation on human rights, environment and heritage; the Trade Practices Act; the Legal Aid Commission; Medibank; free university education; the Australian Film, Television and Radio School; the National Gallery of Australia; the Law Reform Commission; the Australia Council; the consumer affairs commission; and the Heritage Commission, among many, many other measures. I know that Margaret Whitlam, as a passionate advocate for social justice, equality for women and the arts, would have wholeheartedly approved of these changes and quite likely had an influence on at least some of them.

Later in life Margaret's contributions to the arts ranged from acting as the chair of the inaugural Australian opera conference to serving on boards of the Sydney Dance Company. Graeme Murphy, a leading Australian choreographer, referred to her as 'a beautiful lady'. In 1983 Margaret was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for her extraordinary contribution and service and in 1997 she was made a National Living Treasure. Margaret Whitlam was a gutsy, passionate and warm-hearted woman who has been an inspiration to many Australians. She will be missed. Our thoughts are with Gough Whitlam and the rest of the Whitlam family at this time.

Harry Jenkins (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with the many eloquent contributions that have been made to this motion of condolence for Margaret Whitlam AO. I am by self-admission an unreconstructed Whitlamite. The fact that Gough Whitlam led us out of a long 27 years of political wilderness is something that was of great importance in the way in which it has assisted modern Labor to look at itself as a true party of government. But it has been obvious from the contributions that have been made to this debate that Margaret Whitlam was very much part of a partnership that made that possible. Although I met Margaret, I have not had the opportunity that others have conveyed in this debate: to have been able to engage in discussions of issues with such an intelligent and bright person. But I am motivated in making this contribution because, as from time to time I am reminded, I am second generation, and my parents would want me to make a contribution that expressed, in the case of my late father and my mother, their high regard and esteem for Margaret, which I know came through because of the friendships that were of that period.

I know that for many people that I represent, especially migrants and families who came here in the postwar period and who developed the outer suburbs of the north of Melbourne and are the same people that have been represented here by a number of contributions—for instance, from those that have represented the western suburbs of Sydney—Margaret Whitlam was somebody of great merit and moment, somebody that they looked to. On their behalf as much as on behalf of my family, I express my deepest condolences to Gough and to the Whitlam family. In the passing of Margaret Whitlam we have lost a great Australian.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand it is the wish of honourable members to signify at this stage their respect and sympathy by rising in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

I thank the Federation Chamber.

Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.