Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to my friend Joan Kirner, a passionate advocate for social justice. Joan was born Joan Elizabeth Hood in 1938. Her father was a fitter and turner, and her mother was a music teacher. Joan took her principles of social justice from her parents. She went on to have opportunities in life, graduating from the University of Melbourne and working as a teacher in state schools. She married Ron Kirner and had three children: Michael, David and Kate. Dave Kirner was a good mate of mine when we were in student politics together. The first time I met Joan was not a great experience, because we had a debate over whether I was leading David astray or he was leading me astray. I think it was probably a bit of both. She was always good fun and great company. She had no malice towards anyone on either side of politics or in society. She uplifted any meeting, group or gathering where she was present. She was an absolute delight to be around.

She came up through the community. She was the President of the Victorian Federation of State School Parents' Clubs—P&C, basically. When she went into the Victorian parliament in 1982, she was still a pioneer. It was still very much a male dominated sphere. She first entered the Legislative Council, and she went on to move into the lower house. She became the Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands and was instrumental in forming the first Landcare groups. Landcare is now accepted throughout the nation as an organisation that has done magnificent work to conserve the extraordinary natural environment that we enjoy here in this great land of Australia.

It was as Minister for Education that she then made an even larger mark. Because of her passion as a parent, she brought, I think, a perspective different from some of the technocratic ways in which education had been dealt with. She was passionate about involving the local community in the way schools were run and was very successful in achieving that. That is why she was promoted to Deputy Premier in John Cain's government and then became, historically, the first woman Premier of Victoria, a position she held from 1990 through to 1992.

She had to cop a fair bit of criticism as the first woman Premier. I went down from New South Wales to work on the 1992 election campaign, assisting the Victorian ALP in what was a difficult campaign after a long-term Labor government. The focus on what Joan wore is something I have never seen, before or since, with any male leader of any political persuasion, but it was very much there. She took it in good humour. In that campaign I remember T-shirts and tea towels being produced—with a bit of irony—that said, 'Spot on Joan'. I remember going to the show in Melbourne and handing out bags with insignia saying 'Spot on Joan' as well. She kept her sense of humour in what were very difficult times and took Labor through to the election knowing that it was highly likely that Labor would not be re-elected.

Even though she left parliament in 1994, she certainly understood that politics was about more than parliament. She continued to engage in the community and the Australian Labor Party. She was absolutely committed to the promotion and mentoring of young women coming through the Australian Labor Party and more broadly. As one of the driving forces behind EMILY's List, I know she was particularly proud of the rise of her friend Julia Gillard to become the first female Prime Minister of Australia. But Joan, regardless of where people lined up factionally in the Labor Party or where they stood on particular issues, supported women across the spectrum with consistency and with absolute commitment.

During my leadership campaign, when I was running against Bill Shorten after the 2013 election, I attended an EMILY's List function organised in Melbourne. Joan Kirner was there sitting at the front—despite the fact that she had serious health issues at the time. She wanted to play her role and she was very supportive of democratisation and giving rank and file members more say in the Australian Labor Party. I continued to have contact with Joan. She would send me messages—indeed I received my last messages from her only last week. She was still emailing me, from hospital, as late as last Friday. She was still putting forward ideas and suggestions in a constructive way. We will miss her. We as a party will miss her, but I think she is also a great loss to the community.

In 2012, when she received the Companion of the Order of Australia, her citation said:

…for eminent service to the Parliament of Victoria and to the community through conservation initiatives, contributions to gender equality, the development of education and training programs and the pursuit of civil rights and social inclusion.

That is an appropriate tribute to the public contribution of Joan Kirner. But today I particularly want to pay tribute to her private contribution as a thoroughly decent, committed human being as well. She will be missed. May she rest in peace.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A lovely contribution.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great honour but a sadness to speak on the passing of Joan Kirner, the former Premier of Victoria. I speak in my own right, but I especially want to speak on behalf of my father, Alan Hunt, who has passed. Dad knew Joan across the chamber as somebody with whom there was a political contest, but he also knew her as a friend both during their respective parliamentary careers and beyond each of their parliamentary careers.

I had the good fortune of meeting with Joan Kirner along the way. Of course there were political differences, but that is not the point. It is that, despite the fact that there were those political differences with me and with my father, she was utterly and always immensely decent. I think that it is very important to acknowledge people for those profound and abiding human qualities, and she possessed profound and abiding human qualities. She and my father, I am sorry to say, probably shared one or two drinks together at a time when the parliament was not as abstemious as it is today—certainly at federal level! She was capable of laughing and capable of friendship. That utter decency and that joy of life characterised what she did.

Of course, that was accompanied by a vision and a determination, a purpose. She was a leader of Victoria, and she was a leader of women in particular. She was a trailblazer, and we must acknowledge her role as the first female Premier of Victoria. That is some extraordinary achievement. For anybody to be a Premier of any state at any time is a lifetime's achievement, but to have become the first female Premier of Victoria is really a massive step forward. It is my sorrow that the Liberal Party did not achieve that, but it is my recognition that Joan Kirner and the ALP did.

Having said that, what I particularly want to acknowledge is that she was one of the progenitors of the national Landcare movement. With my current role in the environment, I see the extraordinary contribution that landcarers make around the country in every state and territory, whether it is the Bass Coast Landcare Network in my own area, or you could be up in the Northern Territory or out in the backblocks of WA. You meet with Landcare groups that are doing practical things on the ground. They are proud of what they do. They do it willingly, and they do it as part of a national Landcare movement. For all of those who helped to create and establish it, they should be immensely proud, and we should acknowledge that Joan's role was critical. She had many career achievements. From an environmental perspective, this is an abiding achievement which I believe will still be a feature of the Australian community landscape 100 years from now.

That brings me, lastly, to her family. She is survived by Ron, her husband of 55 years. That is another major achievement, and I think it speaks volumes of both of them that the most important relationship in their lives was with each other. Their three children are Michael, David and Kate, and their grandchildren are Ned and Sam, Xanthe and Joachim. That is some family, some life, some Premier. She served Victoria well. On behalf of both myself and, in particular, my father, Alan, who has now left, I want to say congratulations on a wonderful life to her family. You have been an adornment to our state and our nation. In particular, Joan was somebody not only whom you loved but of whom everybody should be immensely proud.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a difficult speech to give, but it is an honour to be able to give it. In making this contribution by way of tribute to an extraordinary Victorian, an extraordinary Australian, in Joan Kirner, I do not presume to tell the Joan Kirner story but rather to make some personal reflections in respect of the extraordinary life, the extraordinary contribution, of someone who I am very proud to have called a friend.

Just over a week ago I was supposed to visit Joan. I was very much looking forward to it and I know that she was looking forward to it, because she was looking forward to meeting my colleague the member for Griffith. Joan took an extraordinary interest in politics—federal as well as state—notwithstanding having retired from formal politics quite some time ago. I was struck by her keen interest in everything political but particularly in the new generation of Labor women. She would always be cross-examining me relentlessly on the member for Hotham, the member for Newcastle, the member for Lalor and all of my colleagues—people for whom she, in a very real sense, had blazed the trail. She would always be offering encouragement. I think the member for Grayndler talked about making suggestions. In my experience Joan did not make suggestions; she gave directions, and woe betide anyone who did not follow those directions.

I joined the Australian Labor Party in 1992, when Joan Kirner was Premier. I was very proud to support her premiership and I was very proud, and I remain proud, that the first vote I cast was in support of the government that she led under difficult circumstances. Earlier today I spoke with Caroline Hogg, who was a minister alongside Joan and a long-time friend. What Caroline impressed upon me, and what I would like to impress upon anyone who considers these remarks, was Joan's extraordinary courage. In recent years she demonstrated her courage in her continuing activism and energy despite very difficult health issues, but she also showed extraordinary courage during the time that she was Premier of Victoria. As the member for Grayndler touched on, her premiership was a difficult one in many senses, but it was conducted under the most extraordinary—I would say appalling—coverage. Joan Kirner, when she was Premier of Victoria, was subject to the most extraordinary treatment in the media, particularly the tabloid media, in reflecting on her dress and many other gendered aspects of her role. She was never deterred by that, and she demonstrated no rancour as she went about her business on behalf of the people of Victoria.

Indeed, through this appalling treatment she continued to concentrate as Premier on raising standards of trust in politics. She led by example, and she lived her life that way. I think of the injunction she issued in respect of politics. She said:

There is no such thing as being non-political. Just by making a decision to stay out of politics, you are making a decision to allow others to shape politics and exert power over you. And if you are alienated from the current political system, then just by staying out of it you do nothing to change it, you simply entrench it.

This is a powerful injunction, and I note that the entirety of Joan's adult life was lived that way: her activism as a parent; her activism in the community; and her role before, during and after her involvement in parliamentary life. She set a very high standard and she encouraged all those around her, particularly the women she encountered in the community and in the Labor movement, to live by that injunction. In doing so she made an extraordinary difference. She also did so by way of example. Firsts are always important; they set the standard for those that follow. And what a standard Joan Kirner set as Victoria's first female Premier. In the way she went about her role as our state leader, she made possible a different sense of politics—a different sense of politics that we are yet to fully realise, unfortunately.

Earlier today I also spoke with Peter Batchelor, another former colleague of Joan's and at one stage, as she would jokingly put it, her boss. Peter has been engaged in the preparations for what will be an extraordinary show of support and love for Joan on Friday at her state funeral. He reminded me of Joan's wicked sense of humour but also of his sense of her as the essence of community or, perhaps, community being the essence of her.

This was a theme across her entire adult life, continuing with her role under the Bracks and Brumby governments as Victoria's community ambassador—a role that continued when the government changed. In this role, she added a keen interest in advancing social inclusion to her lifelong passion for social justice.

Also after she left formal politics she continued to engage in reshaping how we do politics, most famously through her commitment to achieving the organisational change in affirmative action that has transformed Labor's parliamentary ranks. She created the organisational space, building on the example of her personal leadership, to see Labor's parliamentary ranks much more closely resemble the communities we represent. So many women have entered parliament, particularly in Victoria—and I am very pleased to have my colleague and friend the member for Bendigo here, who no doubt will have some personal reflections on these issues—because of this organisational change. She did not rest with achieving organisational change, because she was always offering her personal support, encouragement and, as I may have touched on earlier, often direction to women to fulfil their potential, never sit on the sidelines and always take their place in the centre of the Labor movement and the centre of our public life.

She was not only a mentor to women; she was a great mentor to me. I will always remember her extraordinary kindness to me. I have thought in recent days of the extraordinary faith she had in me. To date, that has proved somewhat unwarranted but she presents me—and, I think, all of us—with a great challenge to do something to repay that faith and follow the example she set.

What an example that was. As a Victorian, when I think of the Bracks and Brumby governments and now the Andrews government, I see governments mirrored in the image of her example. For so many people, particularly the nine women who presently serve in the Andrews cabinet, a path was blazed by Joan Kirner. I think of her great friend Julia Gillard, Australia's first woman Prime Minister. I think of my parliamentary colleagues here, people such as the member for Jagajaga and the member for Ballarat, who have achieved enormous things in no small measure due to Joan's influence and support.

I think, of course, of Joan and her family. I hope and I am sure that Joan will rest in peace, although I am sure she will watch over all of us in this place and those in Spring Street as well. My thoughts today are with Ron and the rest of Joan's immediate family and also with some of those who could speak far better to Joan than I can but do not have the opportunity today. I think in particular of our mutual friend Hutch Hussein, whose baby born yesterday will bear a lifelong tribute to Joan and Joan's influence. I think of Kay Setches, Gavin Jennings and Jill Hennessy. I am sure they will be tremendously sad but will continue to be inspired.

I hope that as Ron and the family, in their sadness and through their reflections, think of Joan, they will take some consolation from the fact that the Labor family will always treasure Joan's memory. We will pay tribute to that memory by continuing her work.

Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is quite possibly one of the hardest contributions that I will make in this House. It is hard to come up with the words to describe and reflect on Joan Kirner and the legacy that she has left behind, particularly in my home state of Victoria. I first met Joan when I was very new to the ALP's women's policy committee. Being young and active, I was very keen and determined to push forward Labor Party policy in the area of women's affairs. Joan came and spoke to our committee. She had this twinkle in her eye. She pulled us younger members aside at the end and said, 'Never lose the spark. Never lose the energy. Make sure you keep fighting.' This was after Joan had had her career in politics. This was after she had been one of the cofounders of EMILY's List. She still had the energy, the passion and the encouragement, and she would infect all of us with that energy every time she spoke, whether it be at a fundraiser, whether it be at a conference. She had a cheekiness about her and a determination and always words of encouragement, particularly for younger women.

I think at this time of my state colleagues. We in Central Victoria have progressive Labor women, EMILY's List women, representing us. At the federal level, I was the first woman to be elected to represent the seat of Bendigo. Jacinta Allan is the state member for Bendigo East. She was the youngest woman ever to be elected to state parliament, and she is the first woman to be elected to represent Bendigo East. Marie Edwards is the state member for Bendigo West. She was the first woman to be elected to the state seat of Bendigo West. We also now have Mary-Anne Thomas, elected in the lower part of the Bendigo electorate to represent the seat of Macedon, Maryanne being the second woman to be elected to the seat of Macedon. Prior to her, Joanne Duncan, another progressive woman, held the seat. All of us come together and work closely together and all of us know that we would not have these opportunities if it were not for the previous generation of sisters, people like Joan Kirner, who really took up the fight to say: 'We can too. We can represent our communities just as good as the men, and we deserve a place in this parliament too.'

Joan was a sister and a great supporter for so many. Yesterday Jacinta Allan, a good friend of mine, was reflecting on Joan's uncanny ability and knack to know when to reach out and give people a call. She was engaged in politics until the very end. Whether she be watching question time or reading a newspaper report, she just knew if people had had a bad day and would give them a call. Shortly after I was preselected, a big fundraiser was held very close to her home town. Joan said, 'If you are going to do a fundraiser, let's make some money.' She wanted to make sure that women candidates contesting elections had the dough. She was a big subscriber to the idea that early money is like yeast: it makes the dough rise. She would really only participate in fundraisers if they could make money to help out women candidates. I am one of the newer MPs, and the last election was my first election, but even when Joan's health was not good, she would still be there. She would still be encouraging women and trying to support progressive women to get preselected. Like many others, my Facebook and social media have been awash with tributes to Joan Kirner and the great role that she played—the mentoring role, the supportive role—to encourage a generation of women to step up and get involved in politics. But it was not just in politics and encouraging women to get involved where Joan was a great sister. She was also a great supporter and sister for working women.

I remember, when I was an organiser at United Voice, it was Joan who came to launch a report that we had done into the crisis going on in Melbourne's luxury hotels. It was a report that spoke about the working conditions of housekeepers, predominantly migrant women. This is long after she had finished in parliament. She came and met with these members, these hard workers, and learnt their stories. It was not a fly-in visit—pop in, do the media conference, launch the report. Joan would take the time to hear their stories, to share their stories. She had a great ability to listen, to reflect and also to encourage and motivate. On this particular day, the housekeepers were quite nervous—not because they were about to talk to the media and share their stories, but because they had the opportunity to meet Joan Kirner, the first woman premier of our state. How shy they were, these wonderful union members and very strong committed workplace delegates. That was the impact that Joan had on so many women—not just women in parliament, but women in our community. Her leadership, her passion and her convictions encouraged so many women to step up; and her legacy will not just be a legacy that people like myself and other women in parliament will seek to see expanded and to build on, but is also about the encouragement she had for so many other women in our community.

Joan was a fierce political advocate and it should be noted that establishing EMILY's List was about preselecting and supporting progressive women. You had to subscribe to a certain set of values to be an EMILY's List candidate. It is something that Joan never wavered from. She would also encourage, seek out and support progressive men—men who, in this place, would support policies that saw gender equality; who would support policies that advanced the status of women. She was not anti-men; she just said that men need to be supportive of women, and that is another part of Joan's legacy that we need to note at this sad time: the role she played in advancing the status of women in terms of public policy.

There will be a number of public areas that we acknowledge over the next couple of days, towards Friday. Some of those will be the role she played in helping to advance the status of women both in parliament and in public policy; the role she played in education, being such a strong public advocate for public education; the role she played in the environment in helping to bring together farmers and conservationists to help form Landcare, which is still very active and strong today; and the role she played in the state of Victoria in helping a government and a state get through some very troublesome times. She—as the previous speaker, my good friend from Scullin, said—also took a sledgehammer to the glass ceiling. She said that women can be leaders. She challenged a media that would pick on her for her clothing and that would make some pretty appalling comments, from the dog-whistling that would happen in the parliament to outside. She stared them down and said, 'You must not only respect me as a person but respect the office.'

It is because of women like Joan that it is possible for young women like myself to put my hand up and come into a Caucus, into a party and into a parliament that is inclusive. I do not face the same barriers that Joan faced when she first entered parliament because she helped break down those barriers. I will forever be grateful for what she has done for the state of Victoria, for women in parliament and for women in politics. I just hope that my generation of young politicians, of women, can step up to the bar—which she set very high—to make sure that more and more women have the same opportunities that Joan so strongly wanted all of us to have.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise with great sadness to speak here today to honour the life of a Labor giant, Joan Kirner. I want to commend the member for Bendigo and the member for Scullin, who I know knew Joan very well. This is an emotional time for many Victorians to whom Joan was more than just a political figure; she was actually our friend.

This has been an all-too-familiar ritual in recent months as we in the Labor movement have seen what is largely the end of an era. There are so many people we are losing who we respect and honour in our movement. For the Labor women, and especially those of us from Victoria, Joan's death has not just taken from the history pages an admired figure, but has also deprived us of a confidant, a supporter and a friend—because for so many Labor women, and for many of the progressive men within our party, Joan was the one who led the way. She supported us when we ran for preselection and then stood by us as we made our way here to the House of the people.

In 2001, when I was first elected, Joan sent me a lovely card and a portrait of another great woman who had lit that torch—Eleanor Roosevelt. I am proud to say that that portrait still sits above my desk in my electorate office to this day. Her message to me at that time was 'Have the courage of your convictions.' I am also very proud that Victoria's first female Premier has a close connection with the area I represent, Ballarat. Before turning to life in politics and all its opportunities to make change in society, Joan was on another path, where she also saw the power to transform lives—that is, in education. After graduating from Melbourne University, Joan became a teacher at the Ballarat Technical College—an area that was the stomping ground of her then successor in parliament, Steve Bracks, and they formed a friendship there.

However, under the rules of the time, just two years later, when she married Ron, she, like so many intelligent, brilliant women, automatically forfeited the right to a career. Married women could not work in government employment. It seems extraordinary today that this was the case, but it was. Knowing Joan, it was no wonder she saw this as an act of great injustice. It no doubt inspired her to move from a career improving individual lives through the power of education to a vocation where one could make great changes to society through the power of politics.

As we look around this parliament now, and indeed all parliaments across this nation, a woman in the House is no longer a rare object to be remarked upon in tones of wonder. But not so many years ago this was not the case, and one of the reasons for this is, of course, Joan Kirner. In her book that she authored with Moira Rayner—The Women's Power Handbookand I strongly recommend that every young woman read it—Joan relates a fabulous anecdote of how, whenever she and a small band of her women colleagues in the Victorian parliament would meet for a chat in a corridor, as we do, men would constantly walk past and, in patronising tones, say: 'Hello, hello, hello. What are you all talking about?' Finally, Joan developed a response, and her response was: 'We're plotting your downfall.' And it stopped. That, of course, was not quite what she was up to—although she may well have been! It was a signal from Joan that the women were coming and they were demanding a bigger role in the running of Victoria, and indeed in every other parliament.

Joan was not the first woman to lead an Australian government—Rosemary Follett here in the ACT deserves that honour, and Carmen Lawrence of course became our first female Premier. But Joan's elevation so soon after that of Carmen's was, I think, important for signalling to the country that this was not a one-off, and that women were now moving from the backbench to take an equal role in the running of the government. Joan, like Carmen, was only given the chance to lead when her party was at its lowest ebb. Both had little real prospect of any long term in power. But, as the first woman Premier in Victoria, she was a mentor and an inspiration for so many women, including me and our first woman Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. As Julia said when news broke of Joan's passing, Joan was 'the truest of friends'.

Through her leadership of EMILY's List, Joan helped change our party's rules and was always the fiercest warrior in the corner of any woman standing for Labor pre-selection and then for election. Not satisfied with 60-40, Joan led the campaign for equal representation and took a transsexual marching bands with her to the ALP's special conference debating these rule changes.

Some who did not know her well may have been surprised at the generosity of the tribute paid to her by the man who ousted her as Premier—Jeff Kennett. But those who were around at the time remember the great affection and respect the two political opponents had for each other. Jeff has even gone so far as to suggest a statue of Joan be erected in Melbourne.

But, like all great women, politics was not the entire story of her life. As all those who have seen her belting out I Love Rock N' Roll know, Joan was a woman with a great sense of humour and a raucous laugh that more than once got her into trouble. She was also devoted to the Essendon Football Club, and she was particularly devoted to getting more women involved in the AFL. But most of all she was also devoted to her lifelong partner, Ron, her children Michael, David and Kate and her gorgeous grandchildren Ned, Sam, Xanthe and Joachim.

As I stated at the outset, we in the Labor movement have had to make too many of these speeches in recent times to mark the passing of the great of our movement: Gough Whitlam, Neville Wran, Wayne Goss and Tom Uren, to name just a few. But Joan Kirner rightly deserves a place right alongside every one of them. I stand here today as a proud Labor woman to say thank you, Joan. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your leadership and most of all for your support, for your friendship, for showing the way for so many of us. We love you dearly, and we are so sad that you are no longer with us, but your legacy lives on in every single one of us.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to follow the member for Ballarat this morning—so very pleased. In the last conversation I had with the Hon. Joan Kirner AC, she told me that I reminded her of one Catherine King. I cannot think of a higher honour, and what a lovely moment it is to have to remember.

The Hon. Joan Kirner was honoured as a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2012 for eminent service to the parliament of Victoria and to the community through conservation initiatives, contributions to gender equality, the development of education and training programs, and the pursuit of civil rights and social inclusion. Joan's contribution to Victoria began much earlier than her political career. She was a community builder and a community advocate long before she entered parliament. As a teacher, she contributed. As a community activist, she contributed. As a parliamentarian, she made significant contributions in education and the environment. As a Premier, she broke a ceiling that was yet to be named.

And beyond politics her contribution continued. Of course, many have spoken about EMILY's List and Joan's role as a founding member and key driver and her role in introducing affirmative action into the Labor Party. Many have spoken on these. I want to speak more about her local influence, her contributions to the west of Melbourne, her insistence that social housing have a place in large developments like the Rifle Range estate, her leading the campaign to save the Williamstown rail line, her fighting to ensure the Yarraville Community Centre remained open and her being a founding patron of the Williamstown Literary Festival. She found a way to embed her values of social justice and equality and equity into the community through her influence over so, so many years.

There are so many women in the west that were supported by Joan. Much has been said about the support and friendship between my predecessor, our much loved and heralded former PM, the Hon. Julia Gillard, and the Hon. Joan Kirner. Theirs was a special relationship, a very special relationship. However, the reach of Joan Kirner went much wider, to Lynne Kosky, to Terry Bracks, to Jill Hennessy, to Nicola Roxon—all great women who have served and are serving the west—and to some of the men: Steve Bracks, Wade Noonan, Tim Watts and the member for Scullin, here today, Andrew Giles, who has spoken so fondly of the influence of Joan on his life. There are Hobsons Bay city councillors: Linelle Gibson, Angela Altair, Luba Grigorovitch and the current Mayor of Hobsons Bay, Colleen Gates. There are the staff of members of parliament, who make important contributions to Victoria and to the country—these women from the west: Rondah Rietveld, Michelle Fitzgerald, Lori Faraone, Hutch Hussein,Catherine Van Vliet and Kerry Lewis. All are mourning the loss of a great and dear friend. Her contribution was at every level. She was influential in the lives of those active on school councils—people like Cathy Danaher—the leaders in the community centres and the schoolteachers, the small business owners, the artistic and the disabled. Joan found ways to provide support.

And what did this mean? What were her actions that so influenced so many women? The most important thing that Joan Kirner did was hold a mirror up to women, and by her actions and her words she said to us: 'You already do this work. You work every day building community and making a contribution. You can lead.' She challenged us to take the next steps, to not demur but to become the president, the spokesperson, the change agent. And she did not just put out the challenge. She followed up with support and infrastructure. The obvious example is EMILY's List, but there are so many others—her work with Victorian communities, driving grassroots community development and support. Her beloved iPad in recent years provided a window to the world. So many speak of receiving links to interesting articles, encouraging emails when times were tough, supportive text messages with a witty word at just the right moment.

Joan had another passion, referred to by the member for Ballarat, and one that I share: the Essendon Football Club. Yesterday they acknowledged her contribution in their tweet:

She was about change ahead of change. She was about challenging the status quo.

Obviously, she was a great servant of the Essendon Football Club, and highly valued.

I was in a meeting when the news came that Joan Kirner had passed away. I was struck with overwhelming sadness that a bright mind, the brightest mind, had been quieted. But there was also relief that the pain she had endured so stoically was gone. That was typical of Joan. She had shown such resilience across her life, such determination, that her stoicism was not a surprise. But that fight was over. Joan Kirner, you worked to make lives better and fairer until the last.

I heard the member for Grayndler mention receiving an email from Joan so recently. There is another story of someone ringing Joan in hospital, trying to organise a visit to come and see her. On the other end of the phone, Joan said—and this is just days before her passing—'I have to check the work diary.' And that is typical of Joan Kirner.

Joan Kirner, you dragged us, pushed us, led us and danced with us. You bonded us to action, to appreciation, to understanding, to argument. You inspired us. You acted on our behalf and in our best interests. You took the job. You raised our aspirations. You lifted us up. Your commitment to fairness, to equity, to lifting us all up has been boundless. You taught us that we still had to fight.

I would like to conclude by thanking Ron and his family and to offer them my condolences and my deep thanks for sharing your wife, mother and grandmother with the rest of us for such a long time.