Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to join the Prime Minister in honouring the life of Rhoda Roberts. The coalition acknowledges the passing of Rhoda Roberts, who died peacefully on Saturday at the age of 66. Raised in Lismore in a big family, she started out as a nurse. She once described her entry into nursing, saying she always wanted to be a writer and a journalist but said that when she grew up, 'The attitude was: why would we put you through to year 12? So I went to Sydney to do nursing, and, once I had that under my belt, I started to explore options in the arts.'

Her exploration led to groundbreaking achievements, an indelible impact on the prominence of Indigenous Australians in art and culture in this country. A proud Bundjalung woman, she achieved many firsts, as we heard: the first of a mainstream TV show, the first head of First Nations programming at the Sydney Opera House and the inaugural elder in residence at the SBS. She was the director of the Festival of Dreaming in the lead-up to the fantastic 2000 Olympic Games and the creative director at the visual awakening component of the opening ceremony, a showcase of our history to the world.

On behalf of the coalition, we send our deepest condolences to Ms Roberts' family, friends and especially to the arts communities where her legacy will live on. May she rest in peace.

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