Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge and pay tribute to Colleen O'Byrne, an extraordinary mentor, friend and life member of the Australian Labor Party, who passed away at the age of 80 on 2 July. I attended Colleen's funeral service in what was standing room only, such was the respect that Colleen had in the Labor movement and the community. It was a beautiful service for a beautiful woman.

Since Colleen's passing, I've heard many stories from her friends and family and from her union, HACSU, about Colleen's generosity—the generosity she gave of her time, the generosity she gave of her knowledge and the generosity of providing invaluable support to a remarkable number of people. Colleen was a stalwart in the Tasmanian branch of the mighty Labor Party. Colleen made me laugh, she provided advice but, most importantly, she listened. And the kindness she showed towards me was not only for me but for the many people who sought Colleen's wise counsel. She became known as the 'matriarch of the north'.

Colleen was truly an inspiration for not only me, but countless others who were lucky enough to have crossed paths with her. And that was the trick of Colleen, her extraordinary ability to make each of us feel stronger, important and that your opinion mattered—sending you on your way feeling so good in yourself, smiling knowing Colleen had worked her magic and all was good in the world.

Colleen grew up in Deloraine, a regional town in central north of Tasmania. She trained as a nurse. Colleen's caring nature flourished as a disability support worker at St Giles where she worked tirelessly to ensure that others received the care and support they deserved. This dedication to others continued throughout her work as a Lifeline counsellor and hospital cleaner. Working at St Giles, Colleen began her lifelong fight to improve the working conditions for hospital workers as a union delegate for cleaners. Colleen passionately advocated for workers' rights her whole life. This was demonstrated, particularly in her final months, when Colleen distributed union pamphlets from her hospital bed advocating for student nurses.

During the presentation of her life membership by the then Labor leader Bill Shorten, Colleen recounted a story of when she was handing out how-to-vote cards for Gough Whitlam. When a man slapped her across the face for campaigning for Gough and said, 'How dare you,' her response was calm, strong as she replied, 'I dare'—again demonstrating her resilience, strength and commitment, attributes that all have been used to describe Colleen over the years.

Colleen was a proud woman whose principles and values were plain for all to see. Those principles and values were passed on to her children, Michael, Michelle and David O'Byrne. But Colleen's proudest achievement was her family, and she was a devoted mother and grandmother to all her children and grandchildren. She was so proud that both Michelle and David were elected to parliament as members of her beloved Labor Party. I know how proud Colleen was that David and Michelle both served as ministers of the Crown in a Labor government and both served in cabinet.

As we bid farewell to my dear friend, I am reminded of Colleen's significant contribution to the Tasmanian Labor Party and the greater labour movement. Her legacy as a trailblazer and advocate will forever be remembered. Colleen was one of a kind and will be sadly missed, but always remembered in our thoughts and in our hearts. Vale, Colleen O'Byrne.