Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition joins with the government in supporting this motion of condolence. Joan Child was a trailblazer in the Labor Party who never lost her humility. Joan Child was born in 1921, a date to which I will return. Her father was a postmaster of Beechworth. She later attended Camberwell Church of England Girls Grammar School.

I am obliged to point out that Mrs Child lived inLaunceston in Tasmania for some years. Her husband, who was a business manager there, regrettably died there in 1963, leaving Joan a widow with five sons between the ages of seven and 18 to support. She worked on an assembly line in a knitting factory, as a sales assistant, as a cork in a geriatric hospital and as a house cleaner to provide for her family. She then worked as an electorate officer and research officer for several Labor MPs, including—no descriptor necessary—Jim Cairns. How that worked, given her right-wing affiliation, I am not sure. But I am sure they somehow managed.

In 1974, Joan Child won the Victorian seat of Henty on her second attempt. In her early 50s, she became the Labor Party's first woman in the House of Representatives—71 years after women were first able to stand for election. She was the fourth woman so elected. Of course, this side of politics takes great pride in a fellow Tasmanian, Dame Enid Lyons, who won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1943, some 31 years earlier. Joan Child was defeated in the 1970 landslide but came back in 1980 having spent at least 10 hours a week doorknocking.

In February 1981, she asked Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and Speaker Sir Billy Sneddon to cease referring to MPs as 'honourable gentlemen'. This was not because the gentlemen were not honourable but because she wanted them to refer to 'honourable members'. Sir Billy replied:

The point is well made. I apologise deeply and profusely.

But he slipped up again shortly afterwards. On the qualities needed to enter parliament, she said:

I think you need to be very decisive. You must have the ability to say, ‘The buck stops with me’. I am a pretty bossy woman.

Clearly, she had some authority because she was Deputy Chairman of Committees and Chairman of Committees. She was then Speaker of the House from 1986 to 1989. She was the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.

I noticed that various media reports state that Joan Child was 48 when she first won the seat of Henty. By my calculation, on the basis of being born in 1921, she must have actually been 53. In fact, I noticed similar anomalies in every report of her trailblazing career. But that is an aside; it does not take away from what was a fantastic career. She was able to hide that part of her life exceptionally well and undoubtedly that is what made her so well suited to the intricacies of Labor Party politics. In relation to her age, she said on becoming Speaker:

I don’t discuss it. If you want to discuss it I’m in my late fifties. I just will not be pinpointed on exactly how old I am.

By my calculation, her late-50s was actually 64 at the time. She seems to have got away with it her whole career and good on her. Clearly, being in her mid-60s only enhanced Joan Child's abilities and authority, given her life experience.

Although she found the position of Speaker to be an often lonely one, her decisiveness stood her in good stead. Her first review as Speaker said she came down so hard on everyone that they were reeling in shock. She was even compared to one of my heroes, Margaret Thatcher. The comment was that after her 'iron-fisted' performance members of both sides would have to restrain themselves to avoid a verbal lashing. Leaders were not immune either: Mr Peacock was ordered to stop talking out of turn and Mr Hawke was told, 'Okay, get going,' once she had obtained silence. Coalition members adapted well to calling the Speaker 'Madame Speaker', but Prime Minister Bob Hawke did on occasion stumble, addressing her as, 'Mr—er—Madame Speaker'. Joan Child eschewed the Speaker's ceremonial robes, saying:

… when I put my clothes on in the morning, I don't put on my dignity with them. I always have it with me.

And she did. Whilst I personally do not mind the robes and traditions, I will observe that in recent times we have seen that the more the robes and regalia the less the dignity.

I refer to a media report of March 1988, headed: 'MPs binge: Speaker offers to reimburse $1,000.' It is a story about the Speaker, Mrs Child, offering to:

… pay more than $1,000 of her own money to meet the expenses incurred last Thursday, when hundreds of people went on a binge through the bars and dining rooms of Parliament House and consumed $10,000 worth of free food and drink. Mrs Child said last night that the joint House department, which is in charge of parliament's catering service, would advise her of the final net loss and she would personally reimburse parliament for the outstanding amount.

Mrs Child said she accepted responsibility for the huge loss incurred because it was she who authorised the cafeteria and bars to remain open in spite of the work ban.

So a bit of industrial disputation undoubtedly was in play at the time.

But her plea—

and this is the interesting part; it is a pity the gallery is so empty—

that everyone involved should pay back the money they owed has fallen on many deaf ears. MPs and senators have agreed to pay up. The press gallery, however, has laid low. "Sales from the non-members bar were significantly higher than a normal trading night," she said. This bar, which is frequented by journalists, suffered the biggest loss of all—$2,830, of which only $114 has been returned. Interestingly, Mrs Child sent a letter last night to the president of the press gallery—

guess who that was at the time: Paul Kelly—

asking him to urge his members to reimburse parliament and, of course, taxpayers.

I am just wondering if it is too late to have a Senate estimates committee and call Paul Kelly before it to inquire as to whether full payment was made!

During her time as Speaker, Joan Child had to deal with some particularly torrid exchanges. She had to face an opposition censure motion when the government stonewalled on questions and Treasurer Keating disagreed with Mrs Child and Mrs Child would not make the Treasurer withdraw a reflection against her. She certainly had dignity and grace. She made it a point not to criticise individuals within the parliament. After 3½ years in the speakership, she retired. The smile never left her face.

Amongst her outside interests, besides being an Elvis Presley devotee and an avid gardener, she was a Hawthorn supporter. She must have had some prescience about what agreements were going to be reached between the city she used to live in, namely Launceston, and the Hawthorn Football Club.

It was rumoured that she could become Australia's first female Governor-General, a job she later said she would not mind taking on. Regrettably, she never achieved that role. But deservedly, in 1990, she was awarded an AO in recognition of her service to the Australian parliament. The coalition salutes her service to our nation and extends condolences to her sons, Peter, Andrew, Geoffrey, Gary and Roger and the extended family.