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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-04-29 Daily Xml
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Shanahan, Chief Supt Joanne and McNeill, Ms Tania

The Hon. C. BONAROS (16:10): I move:

That this council—

1. Expresses its deep regret over the tragic death of pioneering South Australian police officer, Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan, and St Peters woman, Tania McNeill, in a tragic road accident on Saturday 25 April 2020;

2. Acknowledges the exemplary service, commitment, dedication and outstanding contribution Chief Superintendent Shanahan made to the South Australian community through her highly distinguished and decorated career in the South Australian police force, spanning four decades;

3. Expresses its appreciation for Chief Superintendent Shanahan's pioneering role in working with domestic violence support agencies to make the lives of hundreds of women and their children safer;

4. Acknowledges Chief Superintendent Shanahan's leadership role in SAPOL's response to the coronavirus pandemic; and

5. Recognises the outstanding contribution Chief Superintendent Shanahan made to the SA Greek community, where she was highly regarded and respected.

I rise to speak on the motion in my name to express my deep regret over the tragic death of pioneering South Australian police officer, Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan, and St Peters wife, mother and businesswoman, Tania McNeill, in a tragic road accident on Saturday 25 April 2020. From the outset, I offer my condolences to both their families. They were loving and devoted wives, mothers and daughters and will be so sadly missed by their loved ones.

Our community is a much poorer place today following the loss of these two much-loved and respected women, and I doubt my following words will do justice to the exemplary service, commitment, dedication and outstanding contribution that Joanne made to the South Australian community throughout her distinguished and decorated career in the South Australian police force, spanning nearly 40 years. Specifically, her pioneering role in working with domestic violence support agencies has had a profound effect on the lives of hundreds and possibly thousands of vulnerable women and their children by making them safer.

The much-loved daughter of proud Greek immigrants, Mr and Mrs Panayiotou, Joanne has left such an immeasurable and indelible mark on so many lives it's hard to fathom—and perhaps we never will. Not many of us have had such an impact. In 2002, Joanne was promoted to the rank of inspector and worked as a manager and leader in several units with a particular focus on domestic violence. She was eventually appointed the inaugural officer in charge of the Family and Domestic Violence Branch, and last year was awarded the Australian Police Medal. Most recently, Chief Superintendent Shanahan had played a leadership role in the police response to coronavirus. It was a lifetime of community service and dedication that started in 1981 when Joanne commenced her career with SAPOL.

In 2002, she was promoted to the rank of inspector and worked as a manager and leader in several units, including officer in charge of the Elizabeth CIB. It was during this time she led the horrific investigation into the state's largest criminal neglect and child abuse matter that became known as 'the house of horrors' case. In 2013, she was integral to the development of the Multi-Agency Protection Service (MAPS), leading the cross-government project team from concept stage to implementation in 2014 when she was appointed as the inaugural officer in charge of the Family and Domestic Violence Branch. Her close police colleagues say this period of her career was arguably her greatest achievement during her distinguished police career and that she was so incredibly proud of the impact her team had on so many lives during that time.

Most recently, Joanne has played a leadership role in the police response to coronavirus. She was only the third woman to be appointed chief superintendent in SAPOL and also served as acting assistant commissioner. Joanne was a trailblazer anyway you look at it—something that was recognised last year when she was awarded the Australian Police Medal. The outpouring of grief following her tragic death has been palpable.

Police commissioner, Grant Stevens, was so visibly moved when he held a media conference to advise the community of the death of his close colleague and friend. He said of her, and I quote:

Not only have we lost a beautiful person but we've lost an officer with a wealth of knowledge. Detective Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan leaves an overwhelming mark on SAPOL. We've been overwhelmed with the outpouring of grief as a result of Joanne's passing.

The Police Association of SA President, Mark Carroll, was also full of praise for one of the state's finest police officers. Again, I quote:

The SA police community has suffered a crushing loss with the untimely death yesterday of Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan. A major crash on Cross Road, Urrbrae, claimed her life and injured her husband, former sworn member and now general counsel to the Commissioner, Peter Shanahan. Joanne was a highly accomplished police officer who had given more than 38 years' loyal service to policing.

A woman of solid intellect and great application, she had worked in a range of investigational and other fields after beginning her police career in 1981.

Joanne was widely known and respected among Police Association members and enjoyed the recognition of her interstate counterparts.

Her death adds to the pall of grief which already hangs over the Australian police family after the loss of four Victorian officers four days ago.

For many of those who worked with Joanne and/or knew her on a personal level, the pain of losing her, so suddenly and unexpectedly, is certain to be overwhelming.

The Police Association is grateful for the messages of condolence which have come from around the nation.

Interstate police have known not only Joanne through policing but also Peter through his long-time chairmanship of Police Health.

The Police Association is proud to have counted Joanne among its members and is as deeply devastated as her closest friends and colleagues.

Joanne was thoroughly devoted to her family—Peter and their two adult children. The true measure of the value of her presence in their lives will be evident in the decades to come.

It will lie in all the precious family moments of which an unjust death has robbed a close, loving family.

We, of course, extend our greatest sympathy to Peter and the children. But words are of little, if any, value in the face of a loss so profound.

Our aim should be, and is, to provide Peter and the children, and our grieving members, with all the support it is within our power to provide.

'Look after my family' is the simple but heartfelt request Joanne would have made of us, and we will not fail her.

As I have mentioned, Joanne left an indelible mark on so many people through her pioneering police work, particularly in the domestic violence field. Women’s Safety Services SA CEO Maria Hagias said of Joanne:

I had the privilege to work alongside Joanne. She was a dear colleague to all of us... she was a leader, a pioneer and a truly beautiful soul.

Through her leadership, South Australia saw many firsts—the Multi Agency Protection Service and she also worked tirelessly to setup the multi-agency hub at Women’s Safety Services that I believe is truly a first in the nation where police officers are based in a women’s service and together we work on real-time information sharing and developing responses to ensure the safety of women and children in our state.

She lit up the room when she would walk in and it was quite infectious... we have lost an amazing colleague.

The thing I really want people to know about Jo is her compassion.

The work that she did was driven and informed by those people that were affected by violence.

She not only listened—but she heard what they had to say and it was her mission to make South Australia really safe for women and children.

Prominent and well respected anti domestic violence campaigner Arman Abrahimzadeh OAM first met Joanne in 2014, the year before he and his two sisters established the Zahra Foundation in honour of their beloved mother, who was murdered by her estranged violent husband in 2010 when Joanne was in charge of establishing MAPS. Their friendship and respect for each other grew from there. He too was glowing in his praise of Joanne:

My thoughts and prayers are with Joanne Shanahan’s family and loved ones.

My heart aches—especially for her husband, Peter and their two children.

Detective Chief Superintendent Shanahan APM was a highly decorated, committed & passionate policewoman, a loving wife & mother, a loyal friend & work colleague, & a champion for many causes—especially domestic violence.

She was one of a handful of people outside of the domestic violence sector who understood the complexities of family and domestic violence.

If it wasn't for her work, we as a state would not be where we are today in relation to preventing domestic violence tragedies and taking care of our domestic violence survivors.

MAPS is only one of her many professional legacies.

She will be missed but not forgotten. May she RIP.

Those words moved me to tears the first time I read them.

It was not only her police work where she was so well respected and loved. As I mentioned earlier, Joanne was also very highly regarded in the South Australian Greek community and was also very proud of her ancestry. In an interview about her Australia Day award in The Advertiser last year, Joanne revealed she did not really speak English until she started attending school. To quote Joanne from that article:

Coming from quite a strict Greek background and going into the police force as a female was quite significant for my family.

They were totally shocked that their daughter wanted to be a police officer. But when I was accepted, they were proud as punch.

I think it is fair to say that from a very young age her parents, Mr and Mrs Panayiotou, recognised that their daughter would indeed do a great deal of good in the police force. But the Greek community was also very proud of Joanne. Bill Gonis, the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia, had this to say about Joanne:

Our community is devastated at the tragic loss of one of SAPOL's finest officers in Detective Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan.

Joanne was a wonderful and compassionate person, someone who never forgot her heritage, and who was very proud of her upbringing and loving of all things family, Joanne loved to tell stories of growing up in the early days.

Joanne Shanahan was a friend of the Greek Community and to everyone that knew her; always willing to help and provide guidance, Joanne was likeable and always with a smile on her face.

I think it is worth recapping that Joanne was a beautiful person and a police officer with extensive knowledge. Chief-Supt Joanne Shanahan was only the third woman in the history of the state's police to rise to the rank of chief superintendent and everyone who knew her was proud of her achievements.

I believe a career highlight for Joanne was when she was selected by the Commissioner to travel to the UK and investigate innovative improvements in the way SAPOL supervises domestic violence and child protection matters.

On her return, she developed the Multi-Agency Protection Service—MAPS—an inter-agency information sharing model to manage domestic violence and child protection matters for the whole of South Australia—a legacy for SAPOL that she was honoured with.

At last year's International Women's Day function, hosted by the Greek Orthodox Community of SA (GOCSA), Joanne made two very poignant statements that express and stand out about who Joanne Shanahan was. She said this:

I have been in SAPOL 38 years and it still exciting as when I first joined. I still enjoy coming to work every day.

I was the first Officer in management to have children and still am the only woman in our Executive group with children.

I must say that I have been able to do what I have in my personal life and professional life because of my family and friends, they are important.

It has been my mother, father and husband that have cared for the children when I have been at work, it has been my friends that have inspired me and kept me going when I have failed and it is the same people that I share the great moments with and laugh with. I thank those people.

The second point was:

For me, International Women's Day is about a lot of things—it's about the women before me like my mother and other migrant women who hopped on a boat with no idea what was before them, paving the way for my generation of women and making a better life for our daughters and granddaughters.

The Greek Community of South Australia said:

Joanne put others first. She remembers her upbringing and Greek heritage. The GOCSA will always remember Joanne for who she was. We salute you. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Shanahan and Panayiotou families for their heartbreaking loss of Joanne. Together we grieve with you and the entire South Australia Police family during this most difficult time. May she rest in peace.

I was at the International Women's Day function, hosted by the Greek Orthodox Community of SA, humbled and extremely honoured to stand alongside Joanne as an invited speaker at that occasion. We also shared the stage that evening with the Australian actress and writer Elena Carapetis. My husband, John, was with me that night and I vividly recall him saying how immediately engaging Joanne was. We had had a chat with her and her family and, when we reflected on the evening this past weekend, his words were empathetic, a little bit corny, 'She had us all at hello. She was engaging.' He was right, she was engaging and she did have us all at hello.

There is no question that our migrant communities are exceptionally proud when one of their own reaches milestones within the broader Australian community. It is, after all, the reason why our parents and grandparents sacrificed so much to give their children and grandchildren the best of opportunities. That night nothing could have been clearer. Joanne had everybody who was present at Olympic Hall beaming with pride. There was a clear sense of, as her parents would say, 'perifania' (pride) by all, but especially by them, Mr and Mrs Panayiotou.

I know there are undoubtedly many other people in this place who knew Joanne better than I did. Ours were chance encounters at events like the one I just mentioned, but the effect that she had on people was profound and it was always clear. As her son, Nick, said on Monday:

Mum was loved—and she touched so many people's lives—and that's really good because this is what she loved doing.

To her daughter, Eleni, she was indeed the most amazing woman in the world, not just to you and the family that she adored but to so many others who knew her as well. Jo was indeed universally loved.

Being of Greek background myself, yet following completely different paths in life, so many aspects of Joanne's life experiences growing up in a Greek family resonated with me that night and I was so proud that a member of the local South Australian community but also the South Australian Greek community was making such strides and was having such a meaningful impact on the way we live our lives in this state.

In closing, I would like to commend those involved in lighting up some of Adelaide's iconic buildings with blue on Monday evening to honour Joanne's life. I think it was a truly beautiful and fitting gesture. To the family, also, of Mrs McNeill—a wife, daughter, mother and successful businesswoman—I offer my sincerest condolences on behalf of the entire SA-Best team and I am sure everyone else in this place. We know your pain is just as deep and your family is just as broken.

To Joanne's husband, Peter, her children, Nick and Eleni, and her extended family, we are all so very sorry for your loss. To her parents, Kyrie kai Kyria Panayiotou, ta silipitiria mas (our condolences). This state lost two wonderful women last Saturday—ANZAC Day, a day when we pause to remember the service and commitments of others to protect their fellow citizens. May they both rest in peace.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (16:27): I rise today to support the motion that has been moved by the Hon. Connie Bonaros and pay my respects and offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of Detective Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan. I know my colleagues in another place, the Leader of the Opposition and member for Croydon, who is a former police minister, and also the member for Elizabeth, Lee Odenwalder, who is a former member of South Australia Police, have both spoken on this topic in the House of Assembly.

Chief Superintendent Shanahan, along with Tania McNeill for whom I would also like to pay my respects and offer my condolences, was taken from us in a tragic car crash on Saturday afternoon. My thoughts are also with the two other people who were injured in this crash. Chief Superintendent Shanahan was described by police commissioner Grant Stevens, who said:

…she had a passion for helping people and she cared about people—not just for her friends and family—but people she genuinely held concerns for and supported during very difficult times as a police officer.

He also described her as 'one of our finest senior police officers'. Chief Superintendent Shanahan had a 38-year career with South Australia Police, which she held across most of the organisation. She had a particular interest in tackling domestic and family violence. She worked as a manager and a leader in many units and became the officer in charge of a localised service area domestic violence unit. This would eventually evolve into the Multi-Agency Protection Service that does so much critical work to keep people safe.

Chief Superintendent Shanahan was then appointed as the inaugural officer in charge of the Family and Domestic Violence Branch. In 2003, she was awarded Most Outstanding Female Leader at the Australasian Council of Women and Policing Excellence in Policing Awards. In 2019, she received the highest honour award available to a serving member of the Australian Police Force, the Australian Police Medal. The public outpouring of grief and support for Chief Superintendent Shanahan since Saturday has shown just how many lives she has touched, how many lives she has improved and how much she was loved and respected by all who knew her. She will be missed.

It is always hard to lose a family member or friend, but it can be especially hard to do when something is as sudden as a car accident. This tragic event serves as a reminder to all South Australians about the importance of safety on our roads and the need to keep other people's safety in mind, something that the Chief Superintendent did every day,

In closing, I note that South Australia was one of the first places in the world where women were involved in operational policing. In recent years, SAPOL has actively sought to increase the recruitment of women, something that is of great benefit not just to the force but to the wider community. Chief Superintendent Shanahan was a mentor, and will remain an example to the men and women of SAPOL.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. D.G.E. Hood.

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