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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-03 Daily Xml
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Kirner, Hon. J.E.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:28): I am very sorry that I was unable to be in this house for the condolence motion earlier today for the Hon. Joan Kirner, former premier of Victoria. I rise to echo the sentiments of my parliamentary and community colleagues around the country, and to say goodbye to and pay tribute to a mentor, trailblazer, passionate activist and feminist hero, to a woman who lived and fought for her values.

I first met Joan Kirner in 1994 in the lead-up to and then at a national Labor women's conference held here in Adelaide. It was the year we proudly celebrated our South Australian centenary of getting the vote for women, it was the year that our Labor Party passed our affirmative action rules and it was the year that the idea of EMILY's List was born. Joan Kirner was instrumental in all these activities and so many more. Joan represented, for women of my generation, the pinnacle in political achievement for women. She was the original trailblazer, the proverbial glass ceiling smasher and a beacon of hope for all women, inside and outside of the party, with any ambition to make it in a man's world.

For me, Joan fought for so many of the things that I am passionate about and that make a real difference to the lives of women across our nation and, indeed, across the globe. She was a fierce advocate for equal representation, choice, diversity, equal pay and quality affordable child care and education. Joan inspired me and many others to have the courage and confidence to take our values into the political arena and fight for what we believe in. Our parliaments and our communities are better, fairer and stronger places because of Joan.

Joan was also just a little bit wild and a whole lot of fun. She also taught me and many others that, whilst you are fighting for what you believe in, it is okay to be yourself, to be irreverent and to have a whole lot of fun. As well as being captured by her words, actions and spirit at that national Labor women's conference and everything that followed, I will never ever forget that moment when she came onto the stage at our conference dinner in her leathers and proclaimed in fine voice that she loved rock 'n' roll and urged us to 'put another dime in the jukebox, baby'. I will also never forget dancing alongside her and a number of other women in this place long and hard that night.

Joan also always understood and lived a leadership principle that I hold dear, and that is the principle of using one's leadership to support and empower others to lead and to give them a voice. Joan was endlessly generous in her support for other women and selfless in encouraging women to enter parliament. She knew what support and encouragement women needed to do so, and she tirelessly gave it.

Thank you, Joan. Thank you for your big heart, thank you for your open and clever mind, thank you for your generous mentorship and friendship to so many, thank you for your courageous spirit, thank you for living and fighting for your values, and thank you for what you in turn have given me and many others the courage to do. I will remember your practical, stoic and sage 'just get in there and get on with it, woman' words of wisdom and attitude as I contemplate my future steps, and I will know and remember that I and so many others take our future steps because of you, a progressive giant.

Vale Joan. Your spirit for our fight—and our fight will continue–will continue to inspire current and future generations of women who want to change the world. In closing, I send my love and deep sympathy and condolences to Joan's son, Dave, Julie, their children and all of the Kirner family. I am thinking of you at this very sad time.

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