Wednesday, 19 February 2025

 Mathew HILAKARI (Point Cook) (10:01): Vale, Carole Marple. Carole was a dedicated unionist and ALP member before becoming the first member for Altona in 1992. She had a strong work ethic and a passion for social justice, equality for women and fairness for workers. But she was also known for her campaign ute, which was full of balloons. That was effective, because in the two elections in Indi between 1980 and 1983 she achieved an 11 per cent primary swing towards Labor. She was an advocate for the environment, a member of the noxious weeds board and instrumental in the development of Landcare. In her first speech she said:

I believe a society is only as rich as the poorest of our fellow travellers and that we will be judged on our time here by whether we put people first and how we treated those among us who do not have all the skills needed to survive in a modern world.

She was especially proud to be the first representative of Altona, saying:

One of our best kept secrets is that Altona is a bayside suburb. The water that laps our shores also laps the shores of Brighton.

She knew her place in the world. Carole will be deeply missed by all those who she helped, and she will be fondly remembered by the member for Kororoit and Point Cook ALP branch members, especially president John Ballestrino. My condolences to Luke, Kate, Marion, Tony, Patrick, Sophie, Lewis, Shannon and Peggy, and thank you to her grandson Lewis for providing ALP branch members and me with the story of Carole’s life. Vale.