Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with deep regret that I advise the House of the passing of Nita Cunningham on the weekend, aged 75 and just short of her 76th birthday. Nita was a local councillor from 1988 until 1991. She was the mayor from 1991 until 1998 and the state Labor member for Bundaberg between 1998 and 2006, including four years as the Minister for Local Government and Planning.

I offer my sincere condolences, of course, to her family on her passing. She was a strong, talented and effective mayor and member of state parliament who is widely respected for her hard work and her passion for the city of Bundaberg and its people.

Nita was a role model for women aspiring to reach leadership positions. Not only did she balance the demanding role of raising a family while successfully operating a business; she did so while she ran the city, while she represented the people Bundaberg in state parliament and even while working as a state government minister.

Nita was still heavily involved in the community in her senior years, showing that experience conquers age. Of course, she achieved it all in a very quiet, dignified manner which is sometimes lacking in today's society. Nita Cunningham will be missed, but her name and her many contributions to the city of Bundaberg will live on.