Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to echo the Prime Minister's and opposition leader's fine words yesterday to offer my heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of the Hon. Dr Rosemary Crowley AO, a former senator and minister from the great state of South Australia—an incredible contributor to our country, both in those roles and beyond, and an absolute champion for women in SA and across the country. Dr Crowley's impact in this regard cannot be understated.

As the first Labor woman from South Australia to enter federal parliament, her achievements, passion and sheer determination to make a difference are felt to this day. In fact you can see it right across this building, through Australia's first female-majority government. I'm privileged to be able to work with and learn from the incredible women I share these corridors with every time I step foot in Canberra. I'm just as honoured to do the same back home, alongside my state colleagues Minister Zoe Bettison MP and Rhiannon Pearce MP, who represent my constituents in Adelaide in their respective seats of Ramsay and King.

That progress can be traced straight back to the trail blazed by Dr Crowley. The significance of her life and work cannot be understated. And it was not without challenges. I think Senator Penny Wong put it best—that, when doors were put up in front of her just because of who she was, she continued to beat them down, over and over again. It's not good enough that Dr Crowley was confronted with barriers based on gender, regardless of when she entered this place. But she pushed on to do what was right. She called out gender discrimination, not just in politics but in the media as well as sport, and, as a direct result of the perseverance of her and other trailblazing women, our country knows better. Australia is a better place because of it.

She also made a huge mark on the Labor Party and, by extension, the policies Australia wholeheartedly embraces today. As a doctor, Rosemary Crowley knew the importance of accessible health care, and, through her activism and unwavering commitment to that objective, both in this building and across her life, she helped shape the universal healthcare system we cherish today.

Now, the seat of Spence is aptly named after Catherine Helen Spence, a leading suffragist from the 1800s who was the first female candidate to stand for the Federal Convention held in Adelaide; unfortunately, she was unsuccessful in that election. The reason why I raise this is that it was because of people like Catherine Helen Spence doing that hard work to pave the way for women to even contemplate the idea of entering politics that we have ended up with fantastic representatives like Dr Rosemary Crowley, who subsequently encouraged a new generation of female politicians to chase their dreams. There are many that I am very lucky to call colleagues in this place who we probably have Dr Crowley to thank for. I can think of a couple of people back in my home state, like the fantastic Emily Bourke MLC, who I had the good fortune of being at a dinner with recently where she made mention of this; it was an International Women's Day dinner at the Central District Football Club. It was because of her perseverance to pursue a career in politics that Emily followed her passion in standing for the legislative council.

This is important because we need to have strong women in leadership roles around the country for young girls to aspire to be. On the weekend just gone, I was out doorknocking with my very good friend Senator Marielle Smith. With us was 14-year-old Vanessa who is a fantastic student at St Columba College and an aspiring politician who came out doorknocking with us for the very first time. It is because of strong women in political leadership roles that opportunities are provided to our youngest girls to be the best version of themselves—that's what Dr Crowley's legacy is. It makes a lasting impact on the political discourse in this country. It has helped make this government better, because we have got a majority of women in our government, which is something that I'm extremely proud to be a part of.

I know that the decisions we've been delivering over the last three years are so much better for the contribution of the women in our parliament. We are extremely lucky to be in this position. We are, and should be, extremely thankful for the exceptional service that Dr Crowley gave to this place but also, importantly, to the great state of South Australia. On her passing, Australia lost an incredible contributor to this place, an incredible woman in her own right. May Dr Rosemary Crowley rest in peace.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Spence for his contribution to this condolence motion. We had the opportunity to share some of the parliament's thoughts with the family yesterday when the Prime Minister spoke to this motion. It gives me real pleasure to be able to stand and make a modest contribution myself, because Senator Rosemary Crowley was indeed an extraordinary Australian, a real trailblazer in our nation's political landscape and a very fierce advocate for women's rights. She was somebody who, within the Labor movement, inspired me from her very early steps towards ensuring that women's rights were on the national agenda and up for public debate.

Senator Crowley was a woman of many firsts. In 1983, when she was elected, she was the first South Australian woman to be elected to the Australian parliament. She was the first woman from South Australia to serve as a minister. Her contributions as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women and later as Minister for Family Services in the Keating government have had a profound and lasting impact on the lives of Australian women and families. I'll come to her legacy in a moment, but it's pretty astounding to think what it might have been like to be a woman in the Australian parliament in 1983. Obviously, this was the parliament sitting in Old Parliament House, where we know they didn't even have toilets built for women. There were very few women; we were a very rare, precious commodity in the '83 environment.

I know that Rosemary would be so proud of a Labor government today having a majority of women for the first time in Australia's history since 1901 when Federation formed. We sit in a parliament where, on the government benches, it is a majority of women. I suspect that was unimaginable—maybe not unimaginable for Rosemary; she always had a big vision—or would have seemed like a very long way away in 1983. Her legacy is not just in the policies that she helped shape but also in the doors that she opened up for women in politics. She understood that breaking barriers was not enough; it was about creating lasting change and ensuring that women had both the support and the structures that they needed to succeed and, importantly, sustain those positive changes over time. She appreciated, as do many of us who've come afterwards, the need to be forever vigilant about those important changes that have been made—never taking that for granted and to be always willing to stand up and be counted in this place, in the other house and, indeed, everywhere that women play, work and have a say.

The other point I want to touch on here is the very pivotal role that Rosemary Crowley played in the establishment of EMILY's List Australia. I've often spoken of EMILY's List's history in this House. Since its founding in 1996, EMILY's List has now supported over 600 women in their political journeys, with more than 320 being elected to parliaments across Australia. The increasing representation of progressive women in our political institutions is testament to the vision that Rosemary Cowley helped bring to life. Without her foresight and sheer determination, the landscape for women in Australian politics would look very different today.

Beyond politics, Rosemary was a tireless advocate for women's rights. She worked to improve access to child care, support working families and strengthen all of those policies that went to empowering women both economically and socially. She understood that gender equality required real, substantive action. She dedicated her career to making that action happen. I stand here today as one of the national co-chairs of EMILY's List Australia, deeply grateful—indeed deeply indebted—to the work that Rosemary not only began but really nurtured for the decades to come. That is such a deep, personal commitment. I really thank her family and everybody who enabled her to be shared and do all that hard work on behalf of so many women that she would not have even known that were coming behind her—those generations of Labor women coming through.

Her vision, her leadership and her commitment to justice have shaped the paths of so many Labor women who followed in her footsteps. I—indeed all of us who sit in this House today—have a lot to be very grateful for in Senator Crowley's work. Today we mourn her passing, but we also celebrate her immense contributions to our nation. The Labor Party is stronger because of Rosemary Crowley, Australian politics is more inclusive because of Rosemary Crowley and the fight for gender equality remains front and centre of Labor's agenda because of Rosemary Crowley. Vale, Rosemary. Your work lives on in the generations of women you have empowered and inspired. Thank you.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to pay tribute and to offer my condolences in this place for the late Senator, the Hon. Rosemary Crowley AO. Dr Crowley is survived by her three sons—Stephen, Vincent and Diarmuid—and two grandchildren—Ella and Leo. It was a great privilege to attend the memorial service just last Saturday for Dr Crowley. In saying that, I did, with profound sadness, enjoy listening to the stories told about Rosemary, particularly by or on behalf of her children. It was a tribute to what a great mum she was, and I really want to acknowledge that.

Senator Rosemary Crowley was the first female Labor senator from my home state of South Australia. She was a fierce advocate for affirmative action and for our Labor caucus to be 50 per cent women—a goal that has now been achieved in the Albanese Labor government and in South Australia's Malinauskas government. I know Rosemary Crowley would have been very proud of this.

My first memory of Rosemary Crowley wasn't of her as a person but of the inside of her office, because she opened up her office for young Labor volunteers working hard on election campaigns. She would come in and give us a bit of encouragement, late at night, sometimes. In those days you had to stand over a photocopier to print the fliers you were going to distribute. My connection with Rosemary went for much longer than that. Even after she had left politics, she was regularly providing support to me in many different ways, most recently attending my fundraisers. That was the commitment she had. You only hope when you leave this place and leave office that you will continue to encourage and inspire others, and that is certainly what Rosemary did for me.

Rosemary Anne Willis—later Crowley—was born in Melbourne in 1938, the second of six children. Her Roman Catholic upbringing and her primary and secondary education instilled a passion for social justice and a vocation for community service. Rosemary later completed a medical degree at the University of Melbourne before undertaking a residency as a medical officer at St Vincent's Hospital. She later worked as a pathologist at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. On return to Australia from Berkeley, California, in 1969 Dr Crowley joined the Australian Labor Party and experienced the excitement of the Whitlam government in 1972 and the subsequent disappointment of the 1975 dismissal. Rosemary then contested the seat of Mitcham in the South Australian parliament in 1977 and 1979, before being elected as fifth on this Senate ticket in the 1983 double-dissolution.

In her maiden speech in the Senate on 4 May 1983, Senator Crowley spoke of her campaign theme, 'Bread and Roses', a song with origins in the Industrial Workers of the World songbook. She shared these words to capture what she wished to offer in her contributions to politics, adding 'The quality of people's lives is very much part of what "bread and roses" means.' In her speech and throughout her time as a senator, Rosemary sought to improve the quality of life for people by improving education and support for people in the community to manage their own lives without fear of discrimination, and by being involved in decisions that impacted them through the Hawke government programs of consolidation and care.

Senator Crowley was subsequently re-elected in the eighties and nineties, and in 1993 was appointed by Prime Minister Keating as Minister for Family Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women. I think this was very fitting because, as many previous speakers have said, her fierce advocacy for women's right to be in the parliament cannot be understated. Through her 19 years in the Senate, Rosemary was the only female Labor senator from South Australia. It was her putting her hand up and, as we heard at her memorial, the subsequent preselection battle that really inspired so many other women to put their hands up. She really did pave the way within the party to put one's hand up for preselection.

At the memorial it was really lovely to hear former senator Chris Schacht talk about the way she did this. She did this in a way where she called everyone, left no stone unturned, but forthrightly put forward the contributions she could make to the Senate, and she was preselected. I have to say that, in doing so and through her subsequent career in the Senate, she really demonstrated that the preselectors absolutely got it right. Not only her legacy and her contribution—whether it was advocacy for Medicare or her advocacy for needs based childcare—but her advocacy for women really did pave the way in the South Australian branch of the Labor Party for people like myself to put their hand up for public office.

There are now three female Labor senators from South Australia, and the Labor Party continues to preselect and elect women not just in your marginal seats but in safe seats, in very winnable seats, so that women can take up their rightful place. Rosemary understood that, if we are going to get policies that serve families and serve women in this place, then we need to have women at the table, and she paved that way for so many women. For me, her personal support well after she left politics was really appreciated. As I said, she turned up to fundraisers. You wonder if you have to do that after you leave this place, but she continued to turn up to my fundraisers and continued to support me in my role as the member for Kingston, and I would be very appreciative. She was an inspiration to me and many others. I look to her as a real trailblazer within the Labor Party and within the South Australian branch of the Labor Party. To be quite frank, without people like Rosemary Crowley I wouldn't be in this parliament today. Vale Rosemary Crowley.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on the motion on the Hon. Dr Rosemary Crowley. Like the member for Kingston, I too attended the state memorial service in South Australia, together with the member for Makin, the premier and many others that were there to celebrate Rosemary's life and to hear of her achievements and her trailblazing political story, as we've heard from other speakers here today. When you think of Rosemary Crowley, it's an extraordinary story to break through that barrier, that blokey culture, that existed back then not just up here in Parliament House but within the Labor Party itself. If you think back to those years—where she continuously pushed for affirmative action and continuously pushed for women to have a greater say in this great historical political party of the Australian Labor Party—and think of where we are today, as the member for Kingston eloquently put it, with 50 per cent women in our caucus and the same with our state Labor Party in South Australia, it's due to women like Rosemary Crowley and the role that she played in the early eighties to ensure that this came to fruition and became a reality.

We heard stories on Saturday of her political career and how she actually campaigned within the party to achieve this against a wall of that blokey culture which existed back then. Rosemary was an extraordinary person. As we heard, she did medicine in Melbourne and then moved to Adelaide. She was really politicised when she came back from the US, especially when the Fraser government came into power. She had advocated for better health services through Medibank at the time that that was abolished. Even though she wasn't a member of parliament in that period, she campaigned for its reintroduction through her medical contacts and the forums that she had as a medical practitioner to ensure that Medicare came back. We know that Rosemary played a massive role in issues involving women's health and issues that involved health itself.

Of course, Rosemary was elected. It was a continuous campaign for her to get elected. We heard on Saturday from Chris Schacht, a former senator and minister from the Hawke-Keating era, about how she campaigned to get that preselection, and she left no stone unturned at a time when, being a woman, it wouldn't have been as easy to get preselection. Some of the comments and remarks she was getting from some of that blokey culture back then were things like, 'We will support whoever is the best candidate,' which we know was an excuse back then to not preselect women, but she left no stone unturned. She telephoned every delegate, every union and every member of every branch until the ballot and was successfully preselected for the Senate ticket to contest the Senate election.

I considered Rosemary a friend and a supporter. In fact, she attended the federal electorate council meetings right up until she moved to Melbourne and would still raise issues regarding health. She would still raise issues about strengthening Medicare and ensuring that people had access to public health. I think she would be proud of the announcements that have been made in the last few weeks by this Labor government. We are in the position that we're in today because of the foundations that people like Rosemary Crowley laid back down in the eighties. As I said, she was a great supporter of mine. When I was first preselected in 1998 for the seat of Hindmarsh, which was considered an unwinnable seat at the time with a 8.9 per cent margin, there wasn't a lot of support or help around the place, as people were focused on the most marginal seats, but Rosemary called me and said: 'Is there anything I can do? I know that you've got good contacts in the electorate. I know that you're committed.' She basically helped as much as she could and continued to support me right up until we actually won the seat in 2004. I owe a lot to Rosemary for her support, her guidance and for believing in me at a time when—not that other people didn't believe in me—there were other more pressing seats to focus on. I, too, may not be here, like the member for Kingston, if it wasn't for the support of people like Rosemary.

Our condolences go out to her family, and we pay tribute to everything that she has contributed to the Labor movement, to the women's movement and to health in Australia. Our condolences go to her children, her family, and her grandchildren. Vale Rosemary Crowley.

Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to offer my deepest condolences and to honour the life of a truly remarkable woman, former senator Rosemary Crowley. Rosemary was a trailblazer, a dedicated advocate for women's rights and a tireless champion for justice and equality. Her passing marks the end of an era, but her legacy continues to inspire us all, including myself and, I'm sure, many generations to come.

Rosemary was born in Melbourne on 30 July 1938, which was a tumultuous period to spend some of your most pivotal early years. Like me, Rosemary was from a large Catholic family; hers had six children. Her mother, Monica, kept a busy home humming, while her father, Everard Willis, worked as an accountant. Rosemary's Roman Catholic upbringing and education at Kilmaire Brigidine Convent in Hawthorn instilled a passion for social justice and a vocation for community service within her. She was a bright young girl in a period that did not value girls' education. Despite this, she obtained a Commonwealth scholarship to complete a medical degree at the University of Melbourne.

In her early years, Rosemary worked as a resident medical officer and as a pathologist. In 1964 Rosemary married James Raymond Crowley, and they moved to Berkeley, California. During this period, Berkeley was a hub of political activism, from the civil rights movement to the anti Vietnam War movement and the beginnings of the women's movement. I imagine being witness to it all left a deep impression on Rosemary. In 1969 Rosemary and James returned to Australia, this time to Adelaide, where she lived with their three sons, Stephen, Vincent and Diarmuid. In Adelaide Rosemary worked at children's hospitals as a parent education counsellor, as a lecturer on childbirth and as a foundation member of the South Australian Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Rosemary's experience at Berkeley was matched with a period of significant political and social movement in Australia. Notably for Rosemary, it was the election, leadership and then dismissal by the Crown of Gough Whitlam, one of our most momentous and progressive leaders. It was during this period that Rosemary joined the Australian Labor Party. By 1983 Rosemary was on the Labor ballot and won a spot in the Senate for South Australia. I very much enjoyed hearing my previous colleagues' recollections of how she gained success in that endeavour. She was one of the first two female Labor senators for South Australia. Her election to the Senate was not just a personal achievement but a powerful statement in a time when women's voices in politics were still very much the exception rather than the rule.

From the outset, Rosemary carried with her a fierce determination to make sure that women's perspectives were not just heard but acted upon, particularly when it came to health care and social welfare. Rosemary's prior experience in health care and community care deeply influenced her time in parliament. In reflection on her political put career, she said: 'My medical work was very much highlighting ill health that no individual doctor could solve. There was a lot of ill health, unemployment, lack of transport, and politics seemed the arena where decisions could be made to try to solve these problems.'

Like Rosemary, I worked in health care and as a nurse for two decades. I saw how class and poverty were strongly interlinked with poorer health outcomes. Rosemary's passion for fighting the implications of class on health is something that's always inspired and resonated with me. I have tried to carry on this fight throughout my time in parliament and as the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health.

In her own time in this building, Rosemary served as Minister for Family Services from 1993 to 1996. During this time, she fought relentlessly to improve the lives of Australian families, particularly women and children. Her contributions were not just about policy and politics; they were about people—something that we all should endeavour towards. She knew that true leadership required empathy, understanding and a commitment to uplifting those who were most vulnerable. As a Senator in the Hawke-Keating governments, she helped deliver instrumental changes to family payments, maternity allowances, disability support programs, carers' pensions, student assistance and youth training allowances. These initiatives have poured whole generations out of poverty, supported the first person in the family to go to university and enabled women, people with disability and pensioners to live with dignity. I think what many women empathise with is that you cannot have self-determination or autonomy without financial freedom. This is an understanding that is exemplified when you have more female voices in the room.

It was not only her policy achievements that made Rosemary such an extraordinary leader. Rosemary was one of the founding members of EMILY's List Australia, an organisation that has been instrumental in promoting progressive women's voices in our parliaments. Her work with EMILY's List was not just about getting women elected. It was about making sure that women's issues were front and centre in our political debates and decision-making. EMILY's List is the reason abortion is legal across Australia. It's the reason we have paid parental leave and the reason we've had our first female prime minister, Julia Gillard. With EMILY's List, Rosemary played a key role in the Australian Labor Party's historic adoption of affirmative action measures in 1994. She was integral in the push for the party's commitment to having women preselected for 35 per cent of winnable seats by 2002. This was a bold, ambitious target at the time, and Rosemary was one of the most passionate advocates for seeing it realised. I believe this target is part of the reason that I am speaking with you today.

Rosemary's work laid the foundation for the incredible progress we've seen within the Labor Party over the past few decades with regard to women. Very proudly, I can say that we're now the first party in Australia to achieve a majority female government, with women making up over 50 per cent of our parliamentary caucus. This is not just a symbolic achievement. It has real, tangible impacts on the way we govern and the issues we prioritise. Rosemary's legacy can be seen in so many of the decisions we make today.

Just recently the Albanese government announced a historic women's health package: an investment of over half a billion dollars to improve healthcare access and outcomes for women across the nation. From funding for endometriosis and pelvic pain treatment to more affordable reproductive and menopause medications, this package will change the lives of countless women. We believe no-one should miss out on health care because of the size of their wallet or because of their sex. This is a core value and focus not just for me but now for the whole Labor Party. Once again I say that, if you have more women in the room, your priorities change.

I'm incredibly proud to be part of a Labor Party that now better reflects the diversity of our society and that actively works to promote women's leadership, but I acknowledge that we still have a long way to go for accurate representation, including of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, those from the LGBTIQA+ community and people with a disability. EMILY's List has stood as an example for newer movements within Labor, including Rainbow Labor, multicultural Labor networks and Labor disability action networks. I can't wait to see what they achieve.

Rosemary has changed Labor and Australia for the better forever. But, beyond her achievements, I think it's also important to remember that Rosemary was more than just her career discography. Above all, she was a deeply compassionate and generous person. She mentored many women, offering them her wisdom, her guidance and her friendship. She was someone who genuinely cared about people, their stories, their struggles and their successes. To her family, friends, colleagues and all those whose lives she touched I offer my heartfelt condolences. It's difficult to lose someone of such importance, but we can take comfort in the knowledge that her legacy will continue to shape our nation for the better. Rosemary Crowley's name will be remembered not only as a pioneer in Australian politics but also as a powerful force for change. Her legacy is embedded in the very fabric of our party, in the policies we champion and in the progress we continue to fight for every day. May she rest in peace knowing that her work was not in vain but has made great change. Rosemary, we honour you, we thank you and we promise to carry your vision forward.

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

Often it is not until a person is no longer with us and we then reflect back on their life that we appreciate how truly important their life was and the impact that they have made on the lives of so many others. Such was the case with Dr Rosemary Crowley, who left an extraordinary legacy when she passed away on 1 March.

Dr Crowley was a senator for South Australia between 1983 and 2002. She was, indeed, the 371st senator to come to this place and the 68th from South Australia. But, more importantly, she was the first woman Labor senator to come to this place and the first woman Labor senator to serve in the ministry. Interestingly, as others have already noted, throughout all of her time here, she was the only Labor woman senator in this place. It must have been a very different era in terms of the proceedings of this place, when you had so few women in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, for a woman to be a part of the parliament of Australia. Yet Rosemary did that and did that with an incredible amount of determination.

Perhaps her determination arose from her upbringing, which others have spoken about, and the fact that, throughout her own personal career, she served not only as a medical practitioner but as a tutor at Flinders Medical Centre, a lecturer in childbirth at the Mothers' and Babies' Health Association, a member of the mental health review tribunal from 1979 to 1983 and so on. Those kinds of roles, particularly when you're dealing with families, certainly shape the person that you become.

Interestingly, she came to this place after having to put up her own fight, which others have already spoken about. But as someone who can remember the 1980s in South Australia—and Rosemary was a member of the centre-left faction, which, at the time, had considerable influence—I can recall many of what I would call the 'internal factional fights' about who was going to get here, and I can well understand the comments made by Senator Chris Schacht, one of the speakers at the state memorial service that was held last Saturday in Adelaide, when he spoke about the challenges she faced in coming to this place.

When she came to this place, and even after, she went on to serve in many different roles that, in fact, are way too lengthy for me to list here. As I look at them, there are two full pages of different roles in which she served throughout her life, which just highlight two things: the level of interests she had as a person in this place and also the work determination that she pursued once she got here. She took the view that she was here, and that she was here to make a difference, and that's what drove her. She didn't waste her time here; she actually used it effectively from the day she got here.

When I listened to the many comments from both her family members and other personal friends, including Chris Schacht, who himself is a former senator, and Barbara Weise, who served as a member of the Legislative Council in South Australia and who herself was also a trailblazer—and we also heard from Kathryn Harby Williams, who is a legend in her own right because of her netball career—it was clear that Rosemary's influence extended so far throughout the community. It was an influence that others have spoken about, particularly in terms of pursuing what we refer to as 'women's issues'—issues that, at the time when she came to this place, were not even on the agenda, yet she put them on the agenda, against considerable resistance. In doing so, just with that dogged determination, she ultimately ensured that the matters that she was raising were noted by this parliament and by the Labor Party itself, and ultimately she won the day on most of the issues she would raise.

I thought that the memorial service was incredibly interesting, in that we not only heard from her family members; we heard about a woman who, apart from her public life, was an incredible mother as well. You could just sense in the comments made by both her son and her grandchildren that she was someone who valued her family as much as she valued everything else in life.

But she was also—and I have to say this surprised me a little, because I knew Rosemary. I didn't know her well, but I met her on several occasions and I certainly came to the view very early on that she was a formidable person, someone that you needed to take seriously because she was—how can I say it?—a very strong person in pushing the views she had. But she was a person who also loved life in every sense of the word. It seems to me that I don't know too many people—when you look at the list of things that she did in her life, in terms of her fitness interest, her love for the environment, her love for music et cetera, it just seems that she loved life in every sense of the word.

But she also was a person who knew that things had to change. One of the things that I certainly appreciated was the fact that, when she was elected to this place, one of the first thing she did was go to Pine Gap to support the women at Pine Gap who were protesting against the arms race and the establishment of Pine Gap up there. This, in the day, was probably not something that you might've thought others would do, but Rosemary did it because she believed in it. Again, in my view, it just highlighted the character of the person.

I thought the memorial service on Saturday was very fitting, and I say that as I reflect back on her achievements and life, which is something that, before Saturday, I perhaps might not have even given a thought to. But after listening to the different speakers, it became clear it was very deserved. But I think it also inspired other people.

I have to say that, at the memorial service, which Senate leader Penny Wong MCed, Penny gave a very personal and wonderful tribute to Dr Rosemary Crowley. I thought Penny's comments about Rosemary were wonderful in terms of highlighting the respect that Penny had for her and the influence that Rosemary had on Penny herself, who, as we all know, has now become a leader in her own right. But it was fitting when we also heard from all of the others. When you put it all together, you realise that she was someone who deserved all of the accolades that have been said about her.

When she retired from this place, she didn't retire from her pursuit of the matters that were important to her. The Rann government in South Australia appointed her to several roles, where she continued to work to make changes in family matters, health care and social justice more broadly. In fact, it was really the social justice and environmental areas where I think most of her work was focused.

I'm glad I was able to get to the memorial service on Saturday. It was so well done and such a fitting tribute to a person who made so much difference to the lives of so many people but, even more so, so much difference to the direction that this country has taken as a result of her being there. My condolences to each and every one of her family members and close friends, who, I know, will miss her dearly. I thank her for the contribution she made to Australia both in the time that she was in the Senate and throughout her life more broadly.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you so much to the member for Makin for those lovely words about the former senator Rosemary Crowley.

I'm rising today to honour the life and legacy of the late Dr Rosemary Crowley AO, a trailblazer in Australian politics and a dedicated advocate for social justice, for women's rights and for the welfare of children. Rosemary was a woman of fierce intelligence, deep compassion and an unshakeable commitment to making Australia a better, fairer, kinder place.

Like so many women of her time, she had a thirst for social justice that was first awakened when she was a student of the nuns in Melbourne at the Kilmaire Brigidine Convent. A brilliant student, she became a doctor and moved with her then husband to Berkeley, California, from 1965 to 1969. What an amazing time to be in Berkeley California! Rosemary Crowley came back with a burning desire to be more involved in politics in Australia.

When she returned to Australia, she joined Whitlam's Labor Party and was particularly interested in the antinuclear and peace movements at that time, as well as, of course, the women's movement. Within the ranks of the Australian Labor Party she had an extraordinary career and made an enormous difference. As a senator from South Australia from 1983 to 2002, Rosemary was one of the first women to serve in the federal parliamentary Labor Party, and she was, of course, the first female Labor minister from South Australia.

Her work in government left an indelible mark, particularly in the areas of women's rights, child care, nuclear disarmament, health care and sport. She also led the government investigation into women, sport and media, which resulted in the creation of the women's sports unit within the Sports Commission, Canberra.

As Minister for Family Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women in the Keating government, Rosemary championed policies that improved the lives of Australian women and their families. She was instrumental in shaping early childhood education and childcare policies, understanding that the access of children to quality early learning was of benefit for those children. Of course, it supported their families and their working parents, but it also gave children the very best possible start in life. She was a tireless advocate for women's rights, always pushing for greater equality, better workplace conditions and stronger protections against discrimination and protections against violence.

Beyond her ministerial work, Rosemary Crowley was a very important mentor and inspiration to many women in politics, including me. I first knew Rosemary Crowley when I worked on the Senate side for Senator Bruce Childs. Rosemary Crowley and Bruce were very good friends, and I saw a lot of Rosemary Crowley in those years. She was enormously encouraging to me and to my involvement in politics at that time, and I was fortunate enough to serve with her. She left the Senate and in 2002; I was elected in 1998. So, as well as knowing her when I worked for Senator Childs, I was a caucus colleague of Rosemary Crowley for those years.

She was a terrific mentor and support to me and to many, many others, including through her support of EMILY's List. She knew how difficult it could be to navigate the halls of power as a woman, and she was always generous with her wisdom, encouragement and support. She led with both strength and warmth, providing a great example and showing that good policy and good politics come from listening, from understanding and from acting with integrity.

I was friends with her loyal staffer Susanne Legena. I contacted Susanne earlier this week to ask her to share some of her favourite memories as one of Rosemary's former staff. She said:

Rosemary had a wicked, sometimes bawdy sense of humour, was a yoga enthusiast and maintained friendships and care for people from both sides of the chamber. Her office was decorated with the work of women artists including a life-sized sculpture of a woman with a hat that sat proudly in the entrance to her office and scared more than one visitor or Parliamentary staffer.

I know that Susanne and Rosemary Crowley's staff will be thinking of her in the weeks following her death and remembering with fondness many of Rosemary's quirks and characteristics, including, as Susanne mentioned, quite a bawdy sense of humour. I think people who didn't know Rosemary Crowley well would have seen her as a senator, as a former doctor and as a very well put together and very nice lady. When you got to know Rosemary, there was a real sense of mischief under that and a sense of humour that I sometimes found shocking and surprising.

After leaving parliament, Rosemary Crowley continued to serve her community, particularly through her work with children's charities and advocacy groups. Her dedication to the welfare of Australian children never wavered, and she remained a champion for equity in education, healthcare and social services long after she left the formal political stage.

Rosemary Crowley was a fighter for fairness. She believed in a society that uplifts the vulnerable, supports working families and gives women an equal place at every table. Her legacy will live on in the policies she helped shape, in the lives she improved and in the countless women she inspired to step up and lead.

I think it's fitting that, during her first speech in May 1983, she used the suffragette phrase 'bread and roses' which inspired the song, 'Bread and Roses', which she also quoted on more than one occasion. This phrase symbolised her belief that Labor could help ensure people had access to the basics but also access to life's joys and pleasures. She said in her first speech:

To me the rose is a symbol of strength, of beauty and of passion. It is the symbol of the Socialist International. It represents vigour, depth, power and justice and it has its thorns as well as its flower. It says that what it represents must not be trivialised. One of the roles in our society which is constantly trivialised is mothering. To me mothering is very much about strength and passion, and about thorns as well as flowers.

As a mother of three children and a grandmother, Rosemary Crowley was a reminder to many women considering a career in politics, including me, that you don't have to choose between being a parent and being an active participant in politics. For that as well I think my generation of female politicians owes Rosemary Crowley its thanks. To Rosemary's family, friends and colleagues, on behalf of the Australian Labor Party and indeed on behalf of our parliament, I offer my deepest condolences. May she rest in peace knowing that her work has made this country a better place.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to the Hon. Dr Rosemary Anne Crowley AO, and in doing so also acknowledge the participation in the parliament, the longevity and the work that the member for Sydney has done as well as former Liberal New South Wales senator Marise Payne. We need trailblazers in this place, and we need women to be able to absolutely champion their causes for social justice.

I've always admired anyone who, before parliament, has worked in the area of mental health, and Rosemary did just that. She was an original member of the South Australian Mental Health Review Tribunal. She was also very much an active voice for women's sport. I'm sure she would have been very proud in recent years of just how far women's sport has come in this country, with the rise of the Matildas and the fact that Australian Rules football is now the fastest growing sport in this nation. She was, as I say, a trailblazer. Certainly I pay tribute to her work and to her pioneering efforts. I also very much pay my condolences to her family and to the overall Labor family. May she rest in peace.

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) 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, and I ask all present to do so.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

I thank the Federation Chamber.

Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.