Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ipswich is mourning the end of an era with the passing of trailblazing Labor activist, community champion and matriarch Colleen Freeman. Colleen was a dedicated, caring, driven woman who worked tirelessly for a better community. She was born in 1933 and died recently in Ipswich in 2024. I was honoured to be at her funeral service last month. Colleen was born in Rosewood to a father who was a railway fettler and the life and blood of the local Labor Party. Her mother was a tailoress who used her skill to produce cloth for the local Catholic church and to give to the needy.

After leaving school Colleen first worked as a bookkeeper for a short time before taking up a position as a nurse assistant at St Andrew's hospital in Ipswich. This was followed by her dream job, training and working as a midwife in Gympie. On her way back to Rosewood she met a local coalminer, Des Freeman, at a local dance. In 1955 they were married and started a partnership that would last for 65 years.

Colleen's grandparents were founding members of the Labor Party in North Queensland. Colleen joined the Labor Party because it was the party that stood up for people. Colleen and Des both joined the local Labor Party branch at North Booval and were active in the 1950s and 1960s, at a time when it was unusual for a woman to be actively involved in politics.

In 1973 Colleen was elected the state president of the Labor women's network in Queensland and held the position for five years. On taking up the role, Colleen was helpfully advised by a senior male Labor figure that the role wouldn't be too onerous because all the woman had to do was make sandwiches and cups of tea. In her very direct manner, she told him where to stick the sandwiches and that Labor women would be developing policies around health, education and families.

Colleen's role as president of the Queensland Labor women's network had two firsts. In 1975 she had the distinction of being the first woman to stand as a Senate candidate for Labor in Queensland—not a good year for the party. Unfortunately, the Labor Party preselected Mal Colston one above her in the Senate, so she was unsuccessful. But a trailblazer she was. She laid the path for Margaret Reynolds, who was successful a couple of elections later.

In 1978 Colleen became the first woman ever elected to the Labor Party's Queensland state administrative committee. She was a central figure in the Labor women's movement and provided strong support to women in the party, including Rachel Nolan, who became the first female state member for Ipswich. Later, Colleen became the mayoress of Ipswich, when Des was elected as the mayor for Ipswich in 1979. He served for 12 years with distinction.

Colleen's Labor values came to the fore in her role during this time, when she quickly established the mayoress's welfare committee, which distributed funds to assist disadvantaged children—a first in Queensland and possibly Australia. She'd go on to be actively involved as patron, president, secretary, treasurer and board member in dozens of community organisations—Ipswich Junior Eisteddfod Society, Meals on Wheels, the Ipswich Art Gallery, West Moreton Orchid Group, Ipswich Women's Health Centre and Ipswich Hospice Care, just to name a few. The Special Branch of the Queensland police, under Bjelke-Petersen, kept tabs on Colleen during these activities. Colleen was heavily involved in issues such as the right to gather in street marches and peaceful protests, family planning and women's issues. She was very proud of her Special Branch file. These were issues she was agitating for for a long time.

In her latter years in Ipswich, Colleen went on to form the True Believers group to provide a forum for older Labor Party members who would give up going to meetings for various reasons to come together and discuss politics and solve the problems of the world. She was involved in SeniorNet Ipswich, which helped older people connect online and taught them IT skills.

At one meeting in 2016, I was honoured to present Colleen with an award in recognition of her 50 years of service in the ALP, along with several other Labor stalwarts. One of these was her husband, Des, a local legend. Des and Colleen were like mentors to me, and I pay tribute to Des in my first speech. Des was the first person I ever voted for when he stood for election as mayor. Colleen and Des helped Bill Hayden win in 1961.

In the years thereafter, Colleen served as a Lifeline counsellor for many years and was awarded life membership of Lifeline for her service. Similarly, she was also awarded life memberships of the Blue Nurses and of course the Labor Party.

She fought for social justice, for a more fair and equitable society. But for her now, the fight is over, and she can rest in peace, knowing she made a significant contribution to her family and to the Ipswich community. My sincere condolences go to her extended family.

Vale Colleen Freeman, and thank you for your service to the party, to Ipswich and to the nation.