Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

On the weekend, Australia lost one of the brightest stars from the Australian constellation. Rhoda Roberts AO found a way to pack multiple lifetimes into just one. A proud daughter of Bundjalung country in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, she was a towering presence in the cultural and journalistic life of our country. Crucially, she never stopped working to put Indigenous culture centre stage. Just one peak in her long and varied career was her use of the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. She showcased First Nations culture as part of our great welcome to the world.

Rhoda captivated and entertained. She informed and inspired. She shaped and advised, never losing sight of an Australia that was even truer to its heart. And she was a mentor to so many, including the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy. She was often the first—including the first Indigenous host on mainstream Australian TV—but she made sure that she wouldn't be the last. Rhoda Roberts now walks in another place, but she left the clearest possible footprints here for others to follow. May she rest in peace.

See this speech in context