Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sadly, I rise tonight to speak following the passing of two eminent South Australians: Deborah McCulloch and Reg Coutts. I will speak about each of these remarkable individuals in turn, but at the outset I extend my condolences to both of their families and friends.

It was with a heavy heart that I received the news from Jozefa Sobski, the national convenor of the Women's Electoral Lobby, that Deborah McCulloch passed away a few days ago. Jozefa wrote that Deborah was part of the first meeting of WEL in my home state of South Australia in July 1972. Deborah was a feminist and a leader in the women's liberation movement. She wanted to do something useful instead of 'going around defining the problem yet again'. She knew that creating influence was at the heart of making change, and, while she went on to hold positions of authority in South Australia, she really made a lasting impression in all that she did. Deborah began her working life as an English teacher before becoming a lecturer at the then Salisbury College of Advanced Education, now part of the University of South Australia. As an English teacher, she had a profound impact on many young South Australians. My dear friend Steph Key, who came to work with Deborah—and, indeed, represented Deborah as her state MP—tells me she has met literally hundreds of women who volunteered to her that Deborah was a major influence in their lives.

As a teacher 60-odd years ago, Deborah put lessons of literature into social context, inspiring her students to care about politics and the world; and she kept track of their progress as they made their way in the world. And her students were delighted by her. From the rebellious black stockings she wore at a time when beige was the only accepted covering, to the thoroughly marked essays replete with thoughtful feedback and splattered with red wine, it wasn't just that she was bold, which she was, she also took an interest in her students. She encouraged young people to find their talents and figure out how to use them to realise their passions.

Deborah's career took a dramatic turn when she was appointed women's adviser to the Premier of South Australia, Don Dunstan, in May 1976. Given a brief to eliminate sexism in the South Australian Public Service—hardly a small task—she quickly realised this would require a major structural, cultural and systemic revolution and was, therefore, unlikely to happen quickly. She focused on establishing what she called 'alternative services run by women for women'—and they were innovations at the time. And during her period as women's adviser, from 1976 to 1979, the women's information service was established, followed by the working women's centre and the rape crisis centre—and these services led to others, like women's health centres. She helped establish the women's shelter movement in South Australia. She was always a collectivist and always shared the credit among her fellow activists—mostly women but, as she said, also some good men.

At the time she was helping build this infrastructure in the community, Premier Dunstan was introducing the first antidiscrimination legislation in Australia, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and Deborah was appointed to the sex discrimination tribunal, a post she held until 1982. She left the Public Service to become—in what Jozefa assures me are Deborah's words—'a lesbian hippie'. But this didn't mean she ended her contribution. Rather, she took on numerous roles—in violence intervention, in women's health and in disability information and resources. She was active on the executive of the Women's Electoral Lobby South Australia from 1992 to 1999. She also served as a member of the Australian Native Title and Reconciliation Committee from 1991 to 1999 and as a member of Reconciliation South Australia from 1998 to 2004. She was also a client representative of the South Australian Legal Services Commission from 1993 to 2006.

Feminism was Deborah's most significant influence. However, she recognised the breadth of commitment to change that equality demands, working in her later life with Indigenous women and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by Flinders University in 1994, and in June 2005 became a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the community as a proponent of equal opportunities for women, Indigenous Australians and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds—well deserved. I join with the Women's Electoral Lobby and with women across South Australia to pay tribute to Deborah McCulloch's contribution to our community and to feminism. I extend my condolences to her son, David, her daughter, Ella, and all of her close friends.

It was with great sadness that I contributed a message at the memorial service of Professor Reg Coutts last month. Reg was a Labor man—a true believer who dedicated much of his life to the Labor cause. He worked tirelessly for a fairer and more caring society. He believed that, if you want change, you have to stand up and fight, and he did just that when he took up the challenge of representing Labor in the 2018 Mayo by-election. It's not an easy electorate to cover—especially in the short time available in a by-election—stretching from the edge of the Barossa Valley, across the Mount Lofty Ranges, to the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. That Reg took on this ambitious challenge when his party called is a demonstration of his commitment to the Labor project.

It was through this work as a candidate that I came to know him personally and to understand the depth of his dedication to the Labor values of fairness and care for others as well as to nation-building and good public policy. Within the Mayo FEC, and the Heysen and Kavel sub-branches in the Adelaide Hills, in particular, Reg was regarded as an intellectual leader. As one member reflected, 'Reg had a big brain and a big heart.' He helped with galvanising a small group of members who felt their local party meetings needed more energy and leadership, and the consequence is that Labor membership in this area is thriving, with a dedicated group of true believers eager to come together and share the Labor message in their local communities. They will continue to carry the torch that Reg helped to light with his policy and political capacity.

Before relocating to South Australia with his family in 1993 to take up a professorship at the University of Adelaide, Reg and his wife, Pam, were active Labor members in the Victorian branch. Through the 1980s and 1990s they came to know such luminaries as Robert Ray, Race Mathews, Joan Child and Simon Crean. Reg was also a Labor councillor for Oakleigh, in the City of Monash local government area.

In his professional life, Reg was an expert in the fields of commercial radio technologies and telecommunications. He was involved in helping envisage the original National Broadband Network, the NBN, and in 2007 the then communications minister, Stephen Conroy, appointed Reg to the Rudd Labor government six-member expert NBN panel. That appointment was for professional reasons; nevertheless, Reg enjoyed his engagement with Minister Conroy. However, following the election of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government in 2013, he noted, along with many of his fellow Australians, 'It's with a sad heart that I've watched this dream turn to disappointment through the implementation of a revised, second-rate system.' Those opposite have much to answer for in their squandering of this significant opportunity for lasting national infrastructure investment. Reg Coutts was also a member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Reg was a truly remarkable person. He cared deeply about his family, his community and his fellow Australians. He lived his life pursuing the great Australian and Labor vision of a fair go for all. Reg Coutts will be greatly missed by the Labor family and all those who loved him and admired him. I again offer my sincere condolences to Pam, Louise and all of their family for the loss of Reg. I thank the Senate.