Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I pay tribute to Lina Cabaero from Asian Women at Work, who recently died. Lina dedicated her professional life to protecting women from being exploited at work. She was based in Campsie and, through Asian Women at Work, changed people's lives every day. Lina was one of the many proud trade unionists who spent her life helping people who had been left behind. We will all miss Lina.

Jean Stewart was a giant of my local community. We lost her last week. At the anniversary dinner for Canterbury Hospital, which she'd supported her entire life, dignitaries—from ministers to former premiers—were present, but Jean was the person we all wanted to be photographed with. It's easy to forget that members of parliament haven't always had offices. When her husband, Kevin, was the member for Canterbury and the health minister, the lounge room was the office, and Jean would look after the local constituents' inquiries. Kevin and Jean were an institution in the community, in the Belmore branch of the Labor Party and at Saint Joseph's parish, Belmore, where I first got to know them. They shared an instinctive generosity and sense of humour. In short, they were loved.

We lost Kevin in 2006 and their son Tony in 2012, and now Jean joins them. My deepest condolences go to their daughters, Anne—who manages my office—Frances, Margaret, Mary and Helen; their surviving son, John; and all their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who won't be able to be at the funeral. In these times of COVID, the funeral will be too small, but the family should know that there are thousands of us sending their sympathy and grieving with them.