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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-10-26 Daily Xml
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McCulloch, Ms D.E.J.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:02): Deborah Elizabeth Jane McCulloch AM died on 16 October, just four days before her beloved younger sister, Karla. I would like to quote from the memorial card from her service on Saturday, which reads:

Deborah passed away in her sleep after a long illness in her 83rd year. She was loving mother to David and Ella and delighted and doting grandmother to Katelyn, Vincenzo and Emilia.

A high school teacher who joined the women's movement, in 1976 Deborah was appointed inaugural Women's advisor to the South Australian Government. Here she oversaw development of innovative services for women and went on to champion gender equality, an end to systemic racism and recognition of abilities rather than disabilities.

A gardener, traveller and lover of languages, Deborah was endlessly curious about lives different from her own. She brought to all she did, a joyful enthusiasm and a deep sense of justice.

I would like to quote from an obituary, this time from The Advertiser. Deborah McCulloch was:

Born in Sydney 25 February 1939…Educator, author, poet, activist. High school teacher and tertiary educator. Prominent leader in the Australian Women's Movement. First Women's advisor to the South Australian Government. Tireless champion for women, First Nations People and people of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Remembered for her joyful enthusiasm, boundless compassion and sense of justice. Loved by family and many treasured friends.

I know the family want to extend their thanks to Rosemary, Rick, Maria and other carers and staff at the Fullarton Lutheran Homes who cared for Deborah until her last day.

I would like to place on record some of the remarks from the abstract of the 2018 article by Angela Woollacott, written with the support from an Australian Research Council Discovery grant. The article reads:

When Gough Whitlam appointed Elizabeth Reid in 1973, she was the first Women's Adviser to a head of government anywhere. But the idea took off quickly across Australia. Between 1976 and 1986 all seven Australian states and territories appointed women's advisers. In South Australia, in April 1976 the influential, reforming ALP Premier Don Dunstan appointed Deborah McCulloch as his Women's Adviser; the third appointed at the state level following Victoria and Tasmania.

It continues:

…both McCulloch and Dunstan [were responsible for] major achievements... If Dunstan was slow to prioritize women's rights, in some areas, such as the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, SA led the way and the Commonwealth followed in 1984. Dunstan came to see women's rights as 'the challenge of the social democracy,' whereas McCulloch took great satisfaction in improving women's lives. [Deborah] went beyond her brief to focus on the public service, to provide innovative social services to all women—

and that was actually highlighted at her memorial service—how much she actually did to change the Public Service and drag it into the next century.

Deborah's memorial last Saturday was an uplifting and sadly joyful reflection on this amazing woman's life, and her son, David, gave a wonderful insight on behalf of the family. I only knew Deborah briefly by comparison to her legion of friends and acquaintances, as I was about a decade behind her reforming period. But, as a new MP, I sought her advice and guidance and she was generous on both counts, eventually even becoming a member of the Muriel Matters Society. She supported our concept of making sure fun was incorporated in everything we did in the name of activism.

We all owe Deborah much, and her groundbreaking influence, always coming from her deeply held beliefs in justice and fairness and equity, will be felt forever. Women here in South Australia, in things like the Women's Information Switchboard and the Women's Legal Service, and I know our former parliamentary colleague Steph Key, and others who have gone before us in this place, would want to put on record their thanks and admiration for all Deborah did.

As was said at the memorial service, at the time they could not believe some of the things that still remained and needed to be changed, and it was Deborah’s role to make sure women had the opportunities denied them in the Public Service in those days and, sadly, still before us now. After the memorial service, many of her friends went on to reminisce about the good old days, as we often say, and it was great to see so many of Adelaide's reformist women activists together in the one spot.

We made the commitment to make sure we do not wait for the next funeral before we all get back together again, for there is much to be done, much still in the vein of Deborah's work to be carried on. We will remember always her enthusiasm for those reforms. Vale, Deborah McCulloch.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Florey, for that moving tribute and for bringing that tribute to the house.

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