Page 1311 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 2021
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for her dignity and integrity and for the support and assistance that she extended to parliamentary institutions in developing countries, especially in the South Pacific.
Margaret has received many awards and acknowledgements over the years, including the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Order of Australia in 2004 for her service to the Australian Parliament and the ACT community.
Despite her seniority in parliament, she remained an active local member and knew many Canberrans by name. She was respected by the electorate and her parliamentary colleagues for her personal values, generosity of spirit and commitment to our city and our country.
A little closer to my heart, I am personally very grateful for the ongoing support that Margaret has given and continues to give to me—words of wisdom, good counsel, an extraordinary sense of community and a wicked sense of humour. I was very privileged to have Margaret speak at my campaign launch last year. Every single person at that event was blown away by Margaret’s warmth and steadfast support for my candidacy and also her extraordinary ability to essentially memorise my CV in delivering a speech with no notes, to show her support.
When Mia was born, Margaret gifted her a collection of classic Australian children’s books, including the beloved Possum Magic. These books hold a very special place in Mia’s bookcase and will for years to come. Thank you, Margaret, for helping instil in my daughter the love of knowledge, the love of learning and the love of classic Australian literature.
It truly was a great loss to the ACT and to the Australian Senate when Margaret left parliament in 2003. In one of her last speeches to the Senate, she detailed the devastating events of the 2003 Canberra bushfires and recounted with pride the courageous and resilient response of the Canberra community.
Beyond politics, Margaret continues to be a fierce advocate for the aged care sector, serving for many years as the patron for Goodwin, whilst also being active with dozens of other community organisations in Canberra. Margaret once said, “A lot of the things you do are small, but they all mean something to somebody.” That is advice that resonates deeply with me and will stay with me for a long time.
Today, on behalf of the Canberra Liberals, I congratulate Margaret on 40 years since her election and thank her for her continued friendship, leadership and support and ongoing contribution to our city, our Canberra.
Environment—fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty
MS CLAY (Ginninderra) (4.55): Today I tabled a motion calling on this Assembly to support a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. This is part of a global movement calling for the treaty. It is a treaty that would stop the proliferation of fossil fuels by stopping their supply. It is modelled on a successful antinuclear weapons movement.
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