Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to 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.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to 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.