John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with colleagues in supporting this motion of condolence on the death of Joan Child. When I became a senator, Joan's time in caucus was drawing to a close. She, of course, was Speaker of the House of Representatives. I was the most junior member of the federal parliamentary Labor Party. Nevertheless, I remember how welcoming she was. Joan Child had an impressive record of achievement, both in the Labor Party and in the parliament. When I arrived in Canberra, no-one doubted that Joan Child was a formidable politician.

Joan Child joined the Australian Labor Party in 1968. By the time of the 1969 federal election, Joan's campaign expertise was very well recognised. She was campaign director in two federal seats, Lalor and Higgins. Albeit unusual, it was an early recognition of her capacity. Joan was Labor's candidate for Henty in the 1972 federal election. She ran a tremendous grassroots campaign, achieving a 9.1 per cent swing—although a 9.2 per cent swing was required. She lost by just 308 votes. By 1974, her hard work had paid off. Joan Child, as we have heard, was elected as the first Labor woman to the House of Representatives. Her term was to be all too brief, as she was swept away in the landslide of 1975. But Joan had built a great campaign team in Henty in the seventies, which was very widely recognised in the Labor Party as the best in the business. But in the 1977 federal election it was to be to no avail. Joan was defeated again.

After the disappointments of 1975 and 1977, Joan made the tough decision to run again in 1980. It paid off. She won, and in the following decade her very strong grassroots campaigning, the wide respect she had in the community and her understanding and empathy for the concerns of her constituents turned the seat of Henty into a Labor stronghold. I think that those years out of parliament after Joan's defeat in 1975 meant pursuing ministerial office would be difficult. I am sure she recognised that. But not all the options were to be closed off. In 1984, she became Chairman of Committees, or Deputy Speaker, after a tight caucus ballot which she won 50 votes to 49 votes, with two deliberate informals. Following the retirement of Dr Harry Jenkins Sr, in 1986, she became Speaker, as we have heard, this time unopposed in the caucus.

Upon taking the chair in the House, the new Speaker said that she expected to be less formal than her predecessor. She also made the point that she did not support the old Westminster tradition of speakers resigning from political parties. She said:

Just because I'm Speaker doesn't mean I'm not a member of the party or interested in its policies. I don't see any conflict of interest.

It was under her stewardship that the role of television in the parliament was greatly expanded. Joan Child was a strong advocate for bringing the parliament into the living rooms of Australia. She told the Age:

Who knows, it might make us all spruce ourselves up a bit, behave better. You never know what might happen—cameras have a remarkable effect on politicians.

Joan Child acquitted herself very well as Speaker, but she never lost her common touch. Many here in Parliament House benefited from her wise counsel and personal support at tough times.

Joan retired in the 1990 federal election a highly respected parliamentarian, many would say a trailblazer. After her retirement, she remained active in the party but, as we have heard, had more time for gardening, always a passion, and to dip into yet another crime novel from her extensive library and, no doubt, to look after the cats—she was a cat lover as well. But she was also a sports lover—test cricket, tennis, the Hawthorn Football Club, not to mention her love of the punt. Robert Ray, himself a veteran of that Henty Labor machine, told me yesterday that Joan still had an active TAB account at 91 years of age. She loved the track.

Labor has lost one of its best, and my sincere sympathy also goes to Joan's family and friends.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.