Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Long before I knew the late Hon. Barry Cohen AM, I knew his books. Growing up, they lined our bookshelves in my family home in Wyong. My personal favourite was Life with Gough, and I gave it to my brother Nick for his birthday as soon as it was released. My dad had worked with Gough as a young staffer, and he was keen to relive the best of times with the great man, told of course with Barry's unique wit, humour and empathy.

Now, as the federal member for Dobell, my electorate neighbours the electorate of Robertson, which was represented solidly by Barry Cohen in the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1990. For 21 years, Mr Cohen represented the people of our community, the Central Coast, with passion, dedication, good humour and great success.

Yesterday, I was reminiscing with a former Labor member for Dobell, Michael Lee, who attended the memorial service, and he wanted me to share some of his recollections of his time working with Barry. He said to me that he remembers Barry as a strong advocate for his electorate, which originally stretched from Asquith to Swansea. He said that, in the Whitlam years, the Regional Employment Development Scheme, known as the RED Scheme, was a jobs creation program, and that Barry was famous for getting so many local projects approved. Surf clubs, senior citizens' centres, scout halls—there were many local projects that benefited from his dedicated lobbying. Another win for the Central Coast, Michael said to me, was when, in 1975, Barry organised the ALP national conference to be held at the Hotel Florida in Terrigal. The member for Melbourne Ports may have some good memories of that conference! I'm told every hotel and motel across the coast was booked out for the conference. Michael also said that, as has been mentioned by the member for Melbourne Ports, Barry was a strong advocate for road and car safety, and he invited the American political activist and author Ralph Nader, who had just written Unsafe at Any Speed, to visit Australia to pressure car companies into improving car safety.

As has been mentioned, Barry held three ministerial posts in the Hawke government between 1984 and 1987. For these three years he was the Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Bicentennial—such a momentous occasion in our nation's history—and Minister for Arts, Heritage and Environment. In 1983 and '84, he was also the Minister for Home Affairs.

As the member for Robertson has noted, his greatest legacy must surely be that he safeguarded some of our most precious natural treasures for our future generations, from Uluru to Kakadu to the Great Barrier Reef, and more locally in our community on the Central Coast. For this work we will remain in his debt.

Barry was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007 for his service to the Australian parliament and to the community through a range of cultural and environmental roles and contributions to public discussion and debate.

After leaving the federal realm, as the member for Melbourne Ports said, Barry had a tilt at the New South Wales state election in 1999. I fact-checked this with Michael Lee yesterday, and apparently my own dad was the one who talked him into running for the seat of Gosford against the incumbent, Chris Hartcher. Unfortunately, Barry didn't win the seat, but Bob Carr did win a second term.

Even after his time in public life had ended, Barry Cohen continued to make a contribution. When he became one of the 400,000 Australians living with dementia, he became a champion for a better deal for older Australians. Just as his written works resonated with me as a younger woman, that passionate advocacy for people living with dementia resonates with me now as I share caring duties for my own father, who lives with dementia. As the member for Robertson and the Labor leader, Bill Shorten, have said, we do not yet have a cure for dementia. As a daughter, a mental health worker and a local MP, I am doing all I can to continue Barry's work towards a cure and to improve the lives of people living with dementia and those who care for them.

When we do find this cure, and we will, some small measure of credit must go to the late Barry Cohen for speaking out about the way it affected him and the way it affects so many others living with this condition. I extend my condolences and those of my family, particularly my mum, Barbara, and my father, Grant, to Barry's wife, Ray, and to his family and honour his contribution to the Australian parliament, the Australian people and the people of the Central Coast. May he rest in peace.

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