Page 697 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 1 May 2007
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MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra—Leader of the Opposition): The opposition joins with the government and the Chief Minister in offering our condolences to Audrey’s husband, Chris; her daughter, Clair; and stepchildren; Andrew Phillips; her family; and all her colleagues in the AFP. The scholarship announced by the Chief Minister is a very fitting way for Audrey’s memory to live on. She would be greatly appreciative of that gesture. The opposition applauds that.
We in the ACT and Australia have lost a fine servant of the people. We have lost a fine police officer whose loss will be felt not only in the ACT but Australia wide. She was the ACT’s first female Chief Police Officer. In that respect, she was a role model not only for women in the AFP but women generally aspiring to top jobs and careers.
I first met Audrey when she was a young constable over 20 years ago, working from the city police station. Audrey steadily climbed through the ranks. I recall that even then, in her early years in the police force, she was a very easy person to deal with—pragmatic, very practical and absolutely dedicated. She had a fine style about her and she exuded warmth. She was professional, had an attention to detail and demonstrated a sheer dedication to the job even then, which I think was responsible for her steady rise from constable to Chief Police Officer of the AFP. She exuded not only extreme and thorough professionalism but warmth. That touched all of those who came into contact with her.
At one stage, I recall, she was the only female detective in criminal investigations. At that time, I understand, she got all the sexual assault cases. In those cases and in cases generally, she had a great rapport with witnesses, people who were victims and people who would give evidence generally in cases before the courts. The DPP certainly did not lose too many cases when Audrey Fagan was involved.
It was a delight for me to see her rise through the ranks of the police force. Her work in the territory and nationally, as the Chief Minister so ably expanded on, was exemplary. One of her most recent achievements, something she was very proud of, was persuading the government to take on board an additional 60 police officers—a recent and very timely achievement indeed.
I have many enduring memories of Audrey. One of the main ones is her lovely smile. I see that is a trait that her daughter, Clair, has inherited. When you met Audrey, she had that ability to make whomever she met feel special. It was always a joy for me to go and talk to her; her face would light up; she exuded warmth; and she exuded decency. She did that with everyone.
It is with much sadness that I remember some of our more recent conversations, one not very long before her death where she was telling me about her trip with the family to Vietnam. She stayed with a mutual friend, Darren Rath, our AFP man in Saigon. They had a wonderful time there. That conversation was only a few weeks before her tragic death.
Many jobs in our society are difficult but none more so than being a police officer. It is difficult for the most junior constable, and it gets harder the further you go up the
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