Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In my inimitable way, I have actually put off putting pen to paper until the eleventh hour for this speech, as in my mind the process was akin to drafting my own obituary. I have received so many offers from different quarters who wanted to take the opportunity to assist me to ensure that I canvassed certain matters of interest. I suspect that I have probably failed them in their quest, but I know with certainty that this is no obituary and no goodbye.

I am honoured to follow the trailblazing footsteps of Dame Ivy Wedgwood, the first Liberal woman to be elected in the Senate from Victoria in 1950 and the first woman to chair a Senate committee. Together with Dame Elizabeth Couchman, the then president of the Australian Women's National League, she negotiated a tough deal with Sir Robert Menzies that enabled the formation of the Liberal Party of Australia in 1945 demanding that women were equally represented throughout all structures of the party. This structure continues today and provides a pathway for women to engage with politics. The Senate position held by Dame Ivy Wedgwood has been held by only a further three Liberal senators, all women, including two cabinet ministers: Dame Margaret Guilfoyle, Dr Kay Patterson and myself. I have to say that it saddens me that on 1 July this tradition will be broken and for the first time in 64 years Victoria will not be represented by a Liberal woman in the Senate.

What I did not know when starting out was the breadth of knowledge and expertise I would develop along the way. I owe my understanding of pelagic fisheries the Senator Colbeck. For those of you who have not been paying attention, I seek leave to table an exhibit for those who need to visualise what I am talking about—a small fish! I might give this to the attendants.