Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) | Hansard source

It's a real privilege to stand and make a few remarks during this condolence debate, although it's a very sad occasion to do so. I acknowledge Trish's family up in the gallery here today.

Trish's sudden passing, just weeks after she celebrated her 70th birthday, has shocked and saddened everyone who knew, cared for and loved Trish. Listening to the contributions already in the chamber today and reflecting on her memorial, three words keep coming to mind: principled, passionate and pioneering. She was principled in her fight for fairness and equality for women, for First Nations people, for anyone who endured discrimination and, of course, her constituents, the people of the Northern Territory. She was passionate about her adopted home of the Northern Territory and all the people who call it home. I think her proud record in this Senate clearly demonstrates how committed she was to representing First Nations Australians in this chamber, and, in many ways, it goes to my third point of pioneering, and how Trish was a woman of many firsts.

She was the first woman to represent the Northern Territory in this parliament. Before that, she was the first full-time industrial officer in the Territory for the National Tertiary Education Union. She was the founding chair of the Northern Territory Working Women's centres, which continue to work today, and, as we've heard from Senator Wong and others, the co-sponsor of the first marriage equality bill ever brought to the Senate. She was the first speaker of First Nations language in this chamber and the first to apologise to the Stolen Generation. In her first speech, Trish said it was important that more women be directly involved in the decision-making bodies of this country so that they looked like the electorates they represented.

I didn't have the opportunity to work directly with Trish in this place, as our paths were narrowly misaligned in terms of our service in this chamber. But looking around the chamber today, with a woman leading every party in this chamber, I think Trish would have been pretty proud of how much progress has been made. She was a strong advocate and champion for the National Women's Alliance to create a better, more informed and representative dialogue between women and the Australian government. Again, I think she was pleased and would be proud to know that, when I met with them earlier this year, they're still carrying on the work that she supported so actively throughout her career.

In her time in parliament, Trish fought for better retirement outcomes for women, for paid parental leave, for closing the gender pay gap. Back in 2011, she put it simply:

The concept of equal pay for equal work of equal value seems like such a simple and logical concept …

And yet the gap persisted. She led major amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act and Fair Work Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, same-sex marriage or relationship status, gender identity and to remove breastfeeding as grounds for discrimination in the workplace. She argued for better wages for childcare workers, and, very fittingly, she was instrumental in establishing the childcare centre right here in Parliament House, so that no parent in this building would have to choose between their work and their children the way so many women of her generation had. I thought of her this morning as we gathered in the marble foyer to recognise the extension to paid parental leave that is coming in, in a week's time, where we had women members of parliament with their babies on their hips—some of whom attend the childcare centre that Trish was instrumental, along with others, in establishing here. In that sense, this morning I was thinking of how much the work she did, working with others in the party and across the parliament, is impacting the lives of serving members, and senators in this chamber, right now.

When you look back and read about Trish's work, it is striking how relevant much of it remains today. The work she did in all those areas I've just touched on, around gender equality and women's policy—they are still things that all of us on this side and across the parliament continue to work on today. In many respects, she was years ahead of her time in some of her pursuits of those issues. For us on this side of the chamber, this is work that we now have the responsibility to continue. But we know that we are building on the work of those like Trish Crossin. These changes don't come just from a change of government; they come from years and years of campaigning for change, and she was always there doing that. As a serving woman in politics, I know that the capacity to contribute and work the way I do over my career is because of the work the women of Trish's generation started. We hope to continue that and build on that in this parliament.

I was reading Trish's valedictory, because I want to make a few comments about Kate as well. I noticed, in that speech, she talked about Kate riding on a Teletubby scooter around the parquetry floors of the Senate chamber. It's always struck me: how does this young professional woman know so much about the Senate? I learned from Kate pretty much on a daily basis. Kate, when I read your mum's valedictory, of how you used to sit and watch how the counts were done from a very young age, it made a lot of sense to me—and the image of you sliding around the floors as a two- or three-year-old will not leave me as I continue to work with you! To Kate and to the entire family—to Mark, to Paul, Melinda and Amanda, to Trish's grandchildren and to the many friends and colleagues across her career throughout the Territory and the broader labour movement—the collective arms of everyone who knew, cared for and loved Trish are wrapped around you at this really difficult time.

I watched Trish's memorial a few weeks ago when it was held, and I thought it was lovely. I thought it was perfect, and it really showed—from listening to stories from her family and friends and to memories of Trish, and recognising the extraordinary contribution that she made to public life, not just to the many communities that she was a vital part of and a constant advocate for and organiser of—just how much she contributed and, also, how much family and friends were so central to who she was and the gift she has given to others. I send my condolences to Trish and her family. She was a great Labor senator. She had a great career in this chamber—15 years. I know she saw that as a privilege, but we were privileged to have her as part of the Labor team.