Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

The 16 days of activism on domestic and family violence is a timely reminder that gender equality is still unfinished work. Progress is possible only because we stand on the shoulders of the women who paved the way.

Earlier this month my team and I had the pleasure of celebrating one of those very remarkable women, Sara Dowse, an extraordinary volunteer who turned 87. Sara is a prolific author, feminist and visual artist. Her novel West Block was one of the first works of fiction set in Canberra, and her book Sapphires won the 1995 ACT book of the year. But it was her career in public service that was truly ground breaking. In 1972, under the new Whitlam government, she was seconded to the office of then Minister for Labour, Clyde Cameron, where she championed equal pay, child care and part-time employment.

Following this, Sara became the inaugural head of the first women's unit in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, a role which earned her the nickname Supergirl from the media. Under her leadership, the unit evolved into what we now know as the Office for Women. She then served under Prime Ministers Whitlam and Fraser, and she later shaped the ALP's women's policy for the 1983 federal election and led platforms such as expanded legal aid, family court jurisdiction and the ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Today, Sara has a formidable part to play in the ever-growing story of Warringah. Her's is a prolific story with passion, and I thank her for her incredible passion.

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