Page 3537 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 20 November 2007
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stepsons, Chris Olsen and Scott Olsen. Judith was one of a kind, a fine person who will be missed by all who knew her.
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra—Leader of the Opposition): On behalf of the Opposition I rise to express our condolences on the passing of Judith Therkelsen. Judith passed away suddenly, as the Chief Minister said, at the young age of 54. She was a longstanding public servant in the ACT. Before her untimely death she was in a very senior position in the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services.
Amongst other things, Judith had been a member of the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters, and she was involved in a very wide range of social justice matters, including a roundtable conference on cultural diversity in 2003, which drew together people from right across the country. She was also a director of the ACT Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Before joining the ACT government just before self-government, she also had a very long and exemplary record of service in the federal government, which the Chief Minister has outlined. On coming into the ACT public service, Judith worked in the ACT Schools Authority. She then worked her way through a number of positions in the Department of Education and Training, before joining the Chief Minister’s Department and, more recently, the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services.
She was highly respected amongst her peers. She was a consummate professional. She kept everything in balance with good humour and an infectious laugh. She will be greatly missed as a dedicated and committed public servant who has made a very significant contribution to the life of Canberra.
To lose a much loved and respected family member, work colleague and friend is always an occasion for sadness and grief. But I hope that those who knew and loved Judith will remember the happy times and the very positive things she achieved for her fellow citizens. On behalf of the opposition, I extend to her family and friends our sincere sympathy.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Minister for Health, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Disability and Community Services, Minister for Women): Today I would like to formally acknowledge in the Assembly the loss of Judith Therkelsen, who was part of the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services, and to remember her contribution to the ACT community.
The Chief Minister has spoken about Judith’s contribution as a policy maker and a person who shaped our community. Her record of exceptional work over such a long period in Canberra’s development is well known. She chose a career in the ACT public service because she believed strongly that it would provide an opportunity for her to make a real difference, and the entire community benefited from her passion and experience. Her working life covered various roles in the ACT public service—in supporting government, in education and in the Office for Ageing. What stands out in all those roles is Judith’s unwavering commitment to the people she worked for and with.
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