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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-04-09 Daily Xml
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Condolence

O'Donoghue, Dr Lowitja

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:48): By leave, I move:

That the Legislative Council records its sincere regret at the death on 4 February 2024 of Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC CBE DSG and places on record its appreciation of a lifelong commitment to improving the rights, health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and it offers its deepest sympathy to her family and community on the loss of a remarkable South Australian.

Today, I rise to speak on the sad passing, and reflect on the significant achievements, of the late Aboriginal leader Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue. I know that many in Aboriginal communities around South Australia and around the nation continue to mourn her passing, and I once again extend my heartfelt condolences to members of her family, particularly today to Deb, Amy, Ruby and Mahalia, and to her many, many friends and to the Aboriginal community generally that she so relentlessly served over many decades.

Dr O'Donoghue's life was a testament to the power of resilience and the spirit of the human heart. Born in 1932 near Indulkana—Iwantja—on Yankunytjatjara country, she faced unimaginable hardship as a child, including being forcibly removed from her family and placed in the care of missionaries at Colebrook children's home.

The loss of Dr O'Donoghue is a profound moment for the nation and the Aboriginal community. Her passing marks the end of an era, although her legacy will endure in the hearts and minds of all who knew her and in the ongoing struggle for Aboriginal rights and recognition. A very proud Yankunytjatjara woman whose life embodied resilience, fearlessness, tenacity, compassion, generosity and a tireless commitment to advocating for the wellbeing and the rights of her Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, she changed the path of our nation for the better in ways that few people will have the privilege of seeing firsthand.

Despite her forced removal, this traumatic experience did not break her spirit but rather fuelled a determination for justice and equality. The matron of the Colebrook children's home once told her that she would not amount to anything and, as we all know, Dr O'Donoghue went on to become one of the most influential Australians we have seen in the short history of post-colonisation.

It is well known that among Dr O'Donoghue's many groundbreaking achievements she became the first Aboriginal trainee nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, served as the inaugural Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, was the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly, played a pivotal role in helping with the drafting of native title legislation that arose from the Mabo decision and also gave counsel and played a role in the apology to the stolen generations. These accomplishments are a testament to her unwavering commitment to advancing the rights and wellbeing of her people. She broke down barriers, shattered glass ceilings and paved the way for future generations.

A recipient of many accolades, including a NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award, membership of the Order of Australia, Australian of the Year in 1984, an investiture as a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great, a Companion of the Order of Australia, a Commander of the British Empire and being named in 1998 as a National Living Treasure, Dr O'Donoghue's legacy is reflected through institutions like the Lowitja Institute and, of course, the Lowitja O'Donoghue Foundation. Those honours highlight the immense respect and admiration she earned throughout her life, but more importantly they serve as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to achieve equality and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dr O'Donoghue's enduring impact lies not only in inspiring future generations of Aboriginal leaders but quite literally paving the way for others to follow in her footsteps. This sentiment was echoed very loudly at her state funeral on 8 March by many leaders, particularly the Aboriginal women who were present.

I got to know Dr O'Donoghue more than two decades ago, first while working as Chief of Staff to the former and late Aboriginal affairs minister Terry Roberts. Dr O'Donoghue had a reputation as a fearless leader and a tenacious advocate, and I have to say I was petrified when I first met her. It would have been about 2003, when there was a series—there were about a dozen—of suicides of young men on the APY lands, which if you translated them to the population of Adelaide would have equated to thousands of deaths over just a few months.

As the government at the time, the Mike Rann government was looking for circuit breakers in a way that would address some of the issues that led to this, and of course the person the government first turned to and the person who provided that was Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, who was head of the APY lands task force. She was a perfect person for the role, and of course she would do anything for her people. Whilst in this role I got the privilege to see firsthand her unquestionable drive and commitment to improving the rights of Aboriginal people.

Lowitja herself spoke often about some of the difficulties that had presented in her life. She spoke in a discussion I remember about her experience as a child. Dr O'Donoghue talked often and openly about her removal from her family, her country and her culture. She had a gift, as many Aboriginal people do, to be able to tell her story in such a way that left a great many in the audience emotionally affected. Dr O'Donoghue and others like Dr O'Donoghue sharing their stories meant that we became and are still becoming a more understanding and compassionate society.

As Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in the former Labor government led by Jay Weatherill, I would often be at functions or events where Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue was present and almost inevitably someone would come up and tell me, 'Minister, just so you know, Lowitja is just over there.' I never took this as an invitation, that I had any say in whether I would go and speak to Lowitja O'Donoghue, I took it as a command. I am sure she would not have meant it that way, but I certainly took it that way and whatever I was doing, no matter who I was with, I would go over and see what it was that Lowitja wished to speak to me about.

We start NAIDOC Week most years with an ecumenical service in Adelaide and I would regularly get a call from Lowitja a couple of days before saying, 'Kyam, you are coming, aren't you?' I would go and it would be one of the very few times in any given year that I would see the inside of a church, but I would turn up because Lowitja had asked me to. Even with her health failing in the last few years, when I could have probably got away with it and it might not have got back to her that I was not there, I was still too scared just in case she found out. I suspect it will be a feature of the rest of my life that I will keep going to this service just because somewhere with the ancestors and the Dreamtime Lowitja might just hear that I did not turn up.

It is not just her reputation as a fearsome advocate and someone who was so passionate about her people but her personal generosity that I think shines the most brightly with so many people. I will be forever grateful to Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue. We will mourn her loss as a nation and all who knew her well will mourn her loss, too.

Lowitja, you have done so much over the years for your people and for all Aboriginal people. Now it is time to rest peacefully. Nyuntu waarka palya tjuta palyanu iritinuru Aboriginal munu Anangu tjutaku. Kawari pilunpa ngari nyuntumpa waltja tjutangka.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:56): I rise on behalf of the opposition to speak on the condolence motion for Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, a woman awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great, a papal honour conferred by Pope John Paul in 2006.

An extraordinary individual from South Australia, Dr O'Donoghue's impact on Aboriginal Australians will be everlasting. Dr O'Donoghue was not only a leader but also a tireless advocate for the advancement of Aboriginal rights and wellbeing. Beyond advocacy, she was a catalyst for change, breaking barriers and achieving numerous milestones for Aboriginal Australians and for women in general regardless of their race.

Born in August 1932 on a cattle station in South Australia's APY lands to Lily Woodforde and Thomas O'Donoghue, her early years were marked by the separation from her family and residence at the Colebrook children's home. Despite these challenges, she pursued education, attending various schools before eventually embarking on a nursing career.

Despite barriers, she successfully lobbied for admission to the Royal Adelaide Hospital's nursing program, becoming its first Aboriginal trainee nurse in 1954. This paved the way for women of her time of Aboriginal descent to enter the nursing profession. She dedicated a decade to nursing, rising to the position of charge nurse before leaving the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1961.

She then gained a placement in India working with Baptist missionaries to further her nursing and upon returning to Australia Dr O'Donoghue continued her advocacy. She co-founded the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia and worked as a nurse and welfare officer for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in various locations across the state and in familiar outback towns such as Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta.

Her efforts were instrumental in the 1967 constitutional referendum that granted recognition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Throughout her career, she held influential positions, including membership of the National Aboriginal Consultative Committee and as the first Aboriginal person to serve as regional director for the South Australian branch of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

Her significant contributions were recognised with prestigious honours, including being awarded the title and position of Australian of the Year in 1984, as well as being declared an Australian National Living Treasure in 1998.

Dr O'Donoghue continued to shape policy and advocate for Aboriginal rights, serving as the inaugural Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and addressing the United Nations General Assembly in 1992. South Australia's current Governor, Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, was in the audience during Dr O'Donoghue's address to the General Assembly. She was a young diplomat at that time and said that Dr O'Donoghue's address was, and I quote:

…deeply moving. It was quite shocking but, as with everything she did, it was done with grace...

In 1993, after the Mabo decision in the federal High Court, Dr O'Donoghue worked directly with then Prime Minister Paul Keating in negotiating native title. Dr O'Donoghue's involvement in the national apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2008 marked a poignant moment in her advocacy journey. She retired from public life that same year, receiving the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

Her passing, on 4 February this year, marked the end of an era. Throughout her life she challenged stereotypes, championed change and amplified the voices of Aboriginal Australians. Her legacy lives on through the impactful work of the Lowitja Institute, an Indigenous-controlled health research institute that continues to influence policies and initiatives benefiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. With over 200 research projects, a majority of which are led by Indigenous researchers, and significant investment, Dr O'Donoghue's vision endures. Vale Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC CBE DSG.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:01): I rise as, I believe, one of two Greens speakers to offer my condolences to the family and loved ones of Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC CBE DSG. Dr O'Donoghue was known not only to South Australians but right across the world. She is an incredibly inspiring household name, known for her staunch advocacy and of course her involvement in the development of First Nations rights for her country, our country.

She was born in 1932 and was a proud Yankunytjatjara woman and a fierce advocate for and leader of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At the age of two years, Dr O'Donoghue was removed from her mother and placed with missionaries at Colebrook children's home in Quorn in our state of South Australia. She reunited with her mother only in 1967, more than 30 years later.

In 1954, Dr O'Donoghue became the first Aboriginal person to train as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and thus began the start of her journey as one of Australia's most celebrated leaders. She overcame low expectations and immense discrimination. She was always told that she would not be able to do it, and yet she did it.

It is no wonder that she has inspired politicians, not just our own Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs but former Premier Don Dunstan and former Premier Steven Marshall, and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former Prime Minister Paul Keating. They all count Dr O'Donoghue as an inspiration in their lives, with the impact that she had.

It is little wonder that she received many awards. In 1976, she became the first Aboriginal woman to be awarded the Order of Australia. In 1977, she was appointed the foundation Chair of the National Aboriginal Conference and Chair of the Aboriginal Development Committee. In March 1990, she was appointed the founding Chairperson of ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission). During this time, she played a key role in drafting the native title legislation that arose from the High Court's historic Mabo decision. Between 1996 and 2003, Dr O'Donoghue became the inaugural Chair of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health, which was later renamed the Lowitja Institute in her honour.

She has worked with politicians from right across all sides of politics. Her other numerous awards and accolades include being made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1983 and Australian of the Year in 1984, during which time she became the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly. She also won the Advance Australia Award in 1982. She was made a National Living Treasure in 1998, was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1999 and was named a Dame of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great (DSG), a papal award, in 2005—quite an extraordinary achievement.

In that address in 1992 in New York, as part of the International Year for the World's Indigenous People, Lowitja O'Donoghue, who spoke as an Aboriginal woman, was the first Aboriginal woman to address the United Nations General Assembly. She, along with Torres Strait Islander leader George Mye, a lifelong friend of Eddie Mabo, addressed that assembly. I gather it was sparsely filled and no heads of government attended. Indeed, it was on the same day as the Redfern speech of former Prime Minister Paul Keating. That speech that she delivered to the UN went thus:

It took the Indigenous people of Australia until 1967 to be recognised as Australians under the Australian Constitution. This year we celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of that Constitutional recognition. We were also given cause to celebrate this year as a result of a decision by the High Court of Australia in what is now known as the Mabo case. Mabo, a Torres Strait Islander, pursued indigenous rights unrelentingly. As a result, the highest court in the land overturned the doctrine of terra nullius. After 204 years Australian law has finally recognised that indigenous people did own their land at the time of European settlement in 1788. This recognition is greatly welcome. Indeed, it is more than two centuries overdue. But it remains to be seen what its practical effects will be. Our land and our culture are the two things in this world that we cherish above all else. We have been dispossessed and dispersed. Our culture has been threatened as a result of colonisation. Many of our languages have been lost. Our spiritual beliefs have been ridiculed. We have become marginalised in our own country. In this International Year for the World's Indigenous People we proudly celebrate one thing—our survival. But our survival has been against overwhelming odds.

Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue lived a life, I think, that prevailed against extraordinary odds. She was removed from a loving relationship as a child. She was not loved as a child is something that is reflected in the biography that I have read of her life. I just want to put on record that she is loved, not just by the South Australian people but by so many right across this nation. She is very loved, she is very respected and she will not be forgotten.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (16:07): I rise to support this motion and to recognise the remarkable life and contribution of a truly great South Australian, Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, and pay tribute to her remarkable legacy. I also join with my parliamentary colleagues in extending my sympathy to her friends and family.

Dr O'Donoghue was born in 1932, and her life and commitment to social justice was shaped by her experiences as a young child. At just two years of age, missionaries acting on behalf of the Aboriginal Protection Board took Dr O'Donoghue from her mother and placed her in the Colebrook children's home in Quorn. There, her given name, Lowitja, was changed to Lois, she was prohibited from speaking her own language and she did not see her mother again for more than 30 years. In a media release back in 2001, Dr O'Donoghue said:

I know that my Aboriginal mother would have had no legal recourse, nor any moral support, in resisting our removal…her grief was unbearable.

Dr O'Donoghue's experience mirrored that of tens of thousands of other members of the stolen generation, and her courage in speaking up and sharing her experiences has helped in our nation's journey towards reconciliation.

She said that the seeds of her commitment to human rights and social justice were sown in her childhood and, as has been noted in this place, the matron of the Colebrook children's home said that she would not amount to anything. We know how wrong that was. Dr O'Donoghue grew up to become one of the nation's most influential people.

At age 16, Dr O'Donoghue was encouraged to work as a nursing aide at the local Victor Harbor Hospital. When she later applied to complete her nursing training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital she was refused the opportunity because of her Aboriginal heritage. In 1994, she said of that discrimination:

I'd resolved that one of the fights was to actually open the door to Aboriginal women to take up the nursing profession and also for those young men to get into apprenticeships.

This was a fight that Dr O'Donoghue took on with great commitment and great passion. She joined the Aborigines Advancement League, which had taken up the fight to allow Aboriginal women to enter the nursing profession and this experience, I understand, provided the opportunity to meet Aboriginal rights activists from across the country and led to a lifetime commitment to politics.

In 1954, after a long struggle to gain admission, including a personal appeal to the then premier of the day, Sir Thomas Playford, Dr O'Donoghue was finally admitted and worked hard as a trainee to overcome the negative expectations of staff and discrimination, going on to become the hospital's first Aboriginal nurse—a significant achievement. This was one of many barriers that Dr O'Donoghue broke down in her life. She remained there for 10 years, being promoted first to a charge sister, despite confronting those ongoing experiences of racism.

In the 1960s, Dr O'Donoghue travelled to northern India and worked as a nurse with the Baptist overseas mission. When she returned to Australia in 1962, she worked as an Aboriginal liaison officer with the South Australian government Department of Education and later transferred to the SA Department of Aboriginal Affairs and was employed as a welfare officer, based mainly in Coober Pedy.

It was during her 10 years in this work that she built a reputation for her ability to advocate for justice for Aboriginal people, and this ability shone through in her campaigning on the 1967 referendum—a turning point in the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. In 1967, she joined the newly established Department of Aboriginal Affairs, and from 1970 to 1972 she was a member of the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement. In 1977, she became the founding Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Conference.

At age 47, Dr O'Donoghue met Gordon Smart, a medical orderly from the Adelaide Repatriation Hospital, whom she married in 1979. In 1990, Dr O'Donoghue was appointed the inaugural Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), where she won universal admiration for her leadership, her tenacity and her integrity. A highlight was her pivotal role in that tense and complex negotiation period that enabled the creation and passing of Prime Minister Keating's native title legislation, which of course arose from the High Court's historic Mabo decision.

As has been noted by my colleagues, Dr O'Donoghue was the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly in 1992. She also campaigned in 1993 for the Australian republic. She was somebody who made an absolutely fundamental contribution not only to South Australia but to our nation.

Our country is a better place because of the leadership of Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue. I know that her remarkable story will continue to inspire future generations of South Australians and Australians. I join with my colleagues in extending my sympathy to her friends and family. I thank the Attorney-General for putting forward this motion today.

The Hon. C. BONAROS (16:14): I, too, rise, very briefly, to offer my condolences and, like others, pay my respects to Dr O'Donoghue's family and friends, to echo the sentiments expressed by other honourable members in this place today and, of course, to thank Dr O'Donoghue for her lifelong leadership.

When I read the words of Dr O'Donoghue's family in saying that, 'Our Aunty and Nana was the Matriarch of our family, whom we have loved and looked up to our entire lives,' I was instantly reminded of those other wonderful words, 'Because of her, I did,' which I know ring true to many of us in this place for all sorts of reasons.

When I read the family's words about Dr O'Donoghue's lifetime of work for the rights and health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the message that I convey to her family is, like you, and in standing side-by-side with you, we, too, in this place thank and honour Dr O'Donoghue for all that she has done and, in your words, 'for all the pathways she created, for all the doors she opened, for all the issues she tackled head-on, for all the tables she sat at and for all the arguments she fought and won.'

We very much look forward to you carrying on the legacy of your aunty and nana for generations to come and for the betterment not just of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but of course the rest of us whose lives have also been so enriched by Dr O'Donoghue.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (16:16): I rise to add my voice to the tributes honouring Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC CBE DSG, and to offer my sincere condolences to her family, members of Aboriginal communities and all those close to her. Dr O'Donoghue lived an extraordinary life with many impressive achievements, many of which have been articulated by the Prime Minister, the Premier, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and colleagues here in this place and others.

Most of us understand the many barriers faced by women in Australia as they fought for equality throughout the 20th century. We need to reflect, however, on how much greater those barriers were for women of Aboriginal heritage. Dr O'Donoghue's ability to overcome those barriers and achieve so many firsts in her life was truly remarkable.

This included joining an organisation known as the Aborigines Advancement League, which in the early 1950s had made one of its main causes the fight to allow Aboriginal women to enter the nursing profession. Dr O'Donoghue won her first battle for equality in 1954 when she successfully lobbied Premier Sir Thomas Playford for the right to train as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She remained at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for 10 years and achieved promotion to the position of charge sister.

She was the first Aboriginal woman to be inducted into the Order of Australia in 1976 for service to the Aboriginal community, and she was the first chairperson of ATSIC in 1990. In 1992, she was the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly, as has been mentioned, and she played a pivotal role in developing native title legislation following the ruling of the High Court in the Mabo case in the same year.

Her achievements for Aboriginal people are extraordinarily well-known and rightly so. It is worth noting that she was a trailblazer not only for Aboriginal women but for women more broadly. For example, she joined the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in 1967. Three years later, when she was appointed regional director of the organisation's Adelaide office, she was the first woman of any heritage to become a regional director of an Australian federal department.

As we know, Dr O'Donoghue spent a significant part of her life in regional South Australia, having been born in the remote north-west of the state. Sadly, she was removed from her mother at the age of two and raised in a church mission home in Quorn in the Flinders Ranges. She also worked as a nursing aide in Victor Harbor and later accepted a position as a nurse in Coober Pedy, which I understand led to her being reunited with her mother, who was at that time living in Oodnadatta. At her state funeral, Bishop Chris noted that Dr O'Donoghue was a leader of many but also a servant of many, and that her faith carried and supported her throughout her entire life.

According to the NAIDOC website, she was with the Mother Teresa program in India in 1961. She gained a broader perspective on Indigenous cultures, and that strengthened her desire to fight for the rights of Indigenous peoples. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Dr O'Donoghue for her leadership and for her tireless efforts in fighting with passion and with grace for the better Australia that we enjoy today. There is still, of course, much to be done.

Dr O'Donoghue was an inspiration to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to people in regional and remote areas, to South Australian and Australian women, and more. That inspiration will always continue. Vale Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue.

Motion carried.

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