O’Dwyer reveals who gets her vote – it’s family first

Kelly O’Dwyer has delivered her powerful valedictory speech urging women to aspire to reach their goals.

‘Family means everything’ ... Kelly O’Dwyer with her husband, Jon Mant, and children Edward, 22 months, and Olivia, 3, at Parliament House yesterday. Picture: Kym Smith

After a decade in parliament, Kelly O’Dwyer, the first federal minister to have a child while serving in cabinet, bowed out saying there should be no limits on what girls and women should aspire to and delivering a parting shot at the scuttling of her plan for a default super fund run by the Future Fund.

Her husband, Jon Mant, an investment banker turned primary caregiver to children Olivia, 3, and Edward, 22 months, looked on as she used her valedictory speech to call for more affordable childcare arrangements and to assist women build their financial security.

She called for better pathways back to work for women who have children and more flexible arrangements for “both halves of our population” who want to be a part of their children’s lives.

Ms O’Dwyer earlier this year announced her resignation to help her attempts to bring a third child into her family. “Anyone who knows me knows that family means everything to me and without them I wouldn’t be here,” she said, fighting back tears.

Her valedictory speech joined those of senior Labor women this week as Kate Ellis also bowed out to spend more time with her young children and former deputy leader Jenny Macklin retired.

Ms O’Dwyer called for the government to adopt a “conflict-free, low-fee government default fund” with the backing of the Future Fund to manage the superannuation of Australians who make no choice about their nest egg, in a final parting swipe at Finance Minister Mathias Cormann who scuttled the move.

After a decade as the Member for Higgins, Ms O’Dwyer also defended a legacy of superannuation reform, including closing excessive tax concessions enjoyed by wealthy Australians.

Ms O’Dwyer had withstood criticism as assistant treasurer after capping tax-free pensions for wealthy retirees, saying “ it was the right thing to do”.

She said each generation “has an obligation to try to put the next generation in a stronger position to the one that they inherited”.

Ms O’Dwyer also called for more co-operation between the major parties, urging MPs and senators to overcome “tribal echo chambers” that have “warped perceptions of Australians’ views”.

As Minister for Women, Ms O’Dwyer delivered the first annual Women’s Economic Security Statement which earmarked more than $100 million to help achieve this.

In her speech she gave particular thanks to fellow Liberal MP Julie Bishop for her “friendship and guidance”, along with Scott Morrison, Speaker of the House Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan.

Ms O’Dwyer also said she wanted to “place on record my thanks to Malcolm Turnbull for his friendship and his great support of me when I gave birth”.

One of Senator Ryan’s proposal’s also received support from Ms O’Dwyer — that the Australian parliament adopt a version of the Salisbury Convention. This would mean the Senate would not obstruct government policy for which it won an electoral mandate to implement. She said the Senate had grown to become a “forum to frustrate the government’s agenda and the will of the people” rather than a house of review.