Page 1170 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 25 March 2015
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speaker, Swati Parashar, is a lecturer in politics and international relations at Monash University in Melbourne whose research publications and teaching focus on terror and security studies, feminist international relations and women, gender and political violence in south Asia.
The speakers provided a tremendous forum and gave their views on these very important topics that I guess are very much at the forefront of our thinking after what happened in the local situation with Tara Costigan and other related serious domestic violence issues. The panel discussed gender issues, with a focus on domestic violence, and it was followed by a question and answer session which enabled a fairly large section of the community that IWiN look after to actually get some answers and also to seek some answers to questions that they raised.
Once again, my congratulations to Madhumita Iyengar and her committee for a wonderful event of immeasurable value to the community.
Hon Kate Lundy
MS FITZHARRIS (Molonglo) (5.47): I also rise to pay tribute to our colleague former senator Kate Lundy. As you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, Kate formally called time on her role in federal politics yesterday, resigning as an ACT senator after nearly two decades in public office.
Kate entered politics in 1996 at the age of 28, replacing Bob McMullan when he moved to the lower house. She was Labor’s youngest female representative in the federal parliament at the time. Back in 1996 she turned up for work at the hill with her own PC and software. It was a time when politicians were not expected to use a computer, social media was non-existent and the ubiquity of the internet was still a few years off. I think this small example highlights what a trailblazer Kate was in many areas, and her enthusiasm for new technology stayed with her over her 19 years in politics.
Kate’s story is not that of the average politician. She left school at 16 to start a career in the trades, manoeuvring her way through the somewhat blokey world of building and construction. She was attracted to the union movement soon after, pursuing the ideals of equality and a fair go for all that still hold true today. Soon Kate was working her way up to become a trade union organiser, helping to improve the lives of people like her who worked hard in blue-collar jobs.
Kate says her decision to move into politics was driven by her experience of working on building sites and a desire to contribute to the greater good. In her first speech, Kate cited the ability of Labor to put in place policies that go to the very heart of a just society that distinguishes us from other parties. I believe this ability still holds true today, and Kate has played nothing short of a vital role in establishing such important policies over many years.
During her time in the Senate Kate made a significant contribution to her community, our community, the Labor Party and the country. Her passion for information technology, multiculturalism, sport and women drove a lot of her work and saw her
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