Joan Child pioneered a political age long gone

Joan Child

WHEN Joan Child was elected as the Parliament's first female Speaker in 1986, Bob Hawke said it was a "great personal achievement'' and a "strongly symbolic one'', but it was also an honour "richly deserved''.

Child was a trailblazer for women in politics, becoming Labor's first female Member of the House of Representatives in 1974.

But Child was more than a feminist icon; she was symbolic of a generation for whom integrity, conviction and a sense of purpose drove their involvement in politics.

Widowed with five sons in 1963, Child gravitated to Labor as the economic and social issues of the day energised her political activism.

While cleaning houses and working in a factory, she set her sights on entering Parliament.
In 1972, she narrowly failed to win a seat at the election that swept Gough Whitlam to power.

While she was elected in 1974, her seat of Henty was lost at the next election in 1975. But Child never gave up. She ran again in 1977, and lost. Finally, in 1980, she was back in Parliament.

When I spoke to her a few years ago, she emphasised the importance of Labor being a parliamentary party, not simply a protest movement. Political power, she argued, was fundamental to achieving Labor's goals.

"Parliament,'' Child argued in her final parliamentary speech, was "the instrument for the advancement of our cause''. The speech was drafted by legendary speechwriter Graham Freudenberg, but reflected her view about parliamentary politics.

Child argued that the House reflected the true expression of the will of the voters. In contrast, the Senate was a chamber where "temporary public opinion'' was registered.

It was fitting, therefore, that she became the Parliament's presiding officer. Watched by her five sons seated in the gallery, Child defeated Allan Rocher for the speakership (who was nominated by the coalition parties) by 78-64 votes.

As Speaker, Child earned respect for her toughness and impartiality. But she never forgot that she was a Labor MP.

Child rejected the idea that she could become an "independent'' speaker. Her beliefs were intrinsic to who she was.

Her hero was Ben Chifley, whom she described as "a truly great Australian and Labor man''. He embodied Labor's purpose of "progress and equality''.

As the Labor faithful farewelled one of its own yesterday, it was a reminder of the pioneers who defined a political age that is long gone.