Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I pay tribute to Dr Katie Allen and her life of exemplary public service. Katie's long career of service began first in medicine and research. Many people have asked me whether I knew Katie just because I was a doctor. I just want to clear this up now. I really didn't, because Katie was a paediatric doctor, and I was an adult doctor. In medicine, there's a professional and cultural firewall between these two disciplines. There shouldn't be, but there is. I actually learned the most about Katie sadly at her unbelievable memorial service. People will be talking about this memorial service for years to come. Seeing was believing. When I listened to the eulogies from people who knew her well, all I could think about was relentless service and excellence in each of those chapters of her life, as Senator Sharma said. I think, honestly, she set a new benchmark for the rest of us on how to live a good life—a benchmark which I think is unattainable for me, certainly.

She was a consultant paediatrician at the Royal Children's Hospital for nearly 30 years and a leading researcher and academic, holding senior roles at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, including as division head for population health and director of the Centre for Food Allergy Research. She also held professional appointments at the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the University of Manchester and authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications—an extraordinary output. Her research helped change how paediatric food allergy is understood and managed. Particularly pioneering was the establishment of the HealthNuts study, which was the first population-based epidemiological study that accurately measured food allergy in infants. It turns out that Australia—Melbourne—is the food allergy capital of the world, thanks to Katie's groundbreaking research.

Katie then stepped into political life, serving as the member for Higgins from 2019 to 2022. During my own time as the member for Higgins it was clear that she was respected and well-loved and was seen as an active local member. Constituents widely respected her and said to me, so many times that I lost count, how much they admired her principled stance on what was then a very controversial move—when she crossed the floor on the Religious Discrimination Bill. The constituents of Higgins are a highly informed and educated group of people, and they knew exactly what that meant—the significance of it—and they paid tribute to her for her courage.

During her political term, Katie advocated strongly on behalf of the rebuilt and now absolutely state-of-the-art Very Special Kids, in Malvern. This facility really is a benchmark for the rest of Australia. There are only two or three palliative care facilities for children in Australia, compared to more than 60 in the UK. This is something I learnt thanks to Katie's advocacy. Katie of course built on the incredible legacy of the Hon. Kelly O'Dwyer, who was instrumental in refurbishing and rebuilding Very Special Kids. Katie also championed better care for people affected by eating disorders, including as an ambassador for Eating Disorders Families Australia. There is now, thanks to her advocacy, an eating disorders clinic in Armadale, run by Alfred Health, my old workplace. It's funny, right, the sync?

To Katie's husband, Malcolm, and her four children—Monty, Jemima, Arabella and Archie—and all those who loved her, I extend my deepest condolences and acknowledge her contributions across medicine, research and parliamentary service. Hers was a life well lived but taken too soon. Vale Dr Katie Allen.