Page 699 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 1 May 2007
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Protection, where she oversaw the activities of the Australian Protective Service. She was awarded, for all of these activities, the Australian Police Medal in 2004. She was also awarded the Australian Institute of Police Management scholarship award in 2001.
What was perhaps most striking about Audrey Fagan was the breadth and width of her achievements. She was qualified, not only in terms of her experience but also in terms of her formal learnings. She was conferred with a Bachelor of Science from the Australian National University; she held a Graduate Certificate in Applied Management from the Australian Institute of Police Management; she held a Graduate Diploma in Executive Leadership from the Australian Institute of Police Management; and she was a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She was also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, the former chair of the commonwealth women in law enforcement strategy and a member of the Australian Human Resource Institute, as well as of the National Community Crime Prevention Advisory Board. She was indeed a high achiever in all regards.
In my time as minister, working with her, I always found her to be calm and measured in her approach, genuine and sincere in her commitment to the work that she had to do, staunchly loyal to her staff and her officers and focused entirely on the importance of improving and maintaining a strong community policing presence in the ACT. It is difficult to comprehend her not being with us any further. It is difficult to have a meeting now with the AFP and not see her amongst the cohort of officers walking down the hallway.
She was very much a leader in every respect. She did not often need to present herself in the tough, macho way that we would expect from police officers. Instead, her calm and measured attitude and her gentleness were hallmarks of a strong personality who was committed to and principled in the work that she did.
It is difficult to comprehend her passing and the nature of her death. We can only speculate on what she was thinking and the issues she was confronting in the days leading to her death. Her passing is a moment to reflect not only on her achievements and her commitment and contribution to our community but also on the pressures, often unseen, that those who hold significant office face.
We in politics perhaps appreciate that more than most, but we also know what we sign up for. Often though, those who hold other high offices but who are not elected to such positions face a level of scrutiny which sometimes brings a toll which we do not always appreciate or comprehend. It is important that we reflect on that as we go about our business day to day and as we go about our discussions with others about the pressures and the challenges that those in those positions face.
I pay a particular tribute to the officers of the AFP who have so gently and with such warmth embraced Audrey’s family and her friends following her death. Their support to them has been outstanding. They are a family who look after one of their own. For that, they are to be applauded and commended. Without that support, it is difficult to know how Audrey’s family and her friends could have sustained themselves through this very difficult period. I extend my most sincere and deep sympathy to Audrey’s
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