May her spirit find peace
I’d like to pay my respects to Australia’s first ever female leader of a political party, Janine Haines who died a few days ago, aged 59.
Haines took over the reins from Don Chipp as Democrats leader in 1986 and proved herself to be a person of great integrity and intelligence. I don’t believe we have seen the likes of her since she left politics and I have often lamented her departure from the political arena. She gave the Democrats real guts, and this was why I was such a fervent supporter of the Democrats in my younger days. The direction that was taken by the Democrats under Haines still resonates today, particularly in people like Stott-Despoja, whom she inspired to join the Party. I was always very glad that Haines’ Democrats held the balance of power during the Hawke years.
Under Haines, the Democrats set about making the Senate into a House of Review, rather than just another battleground between Labor and Liberal. Haines was always firm in her position on every issue. She was vocal and articulate, as well as witty. But she was also determined to negotiate to find the best deal for her fellow ordinary Australians.
Haines also demonstrated how it was possible to combine tolerance and compassion with reasoned argument and strength. She was an effective politician who campaigned for the issues I find to be the most important: reconciliation, the environment, human rights and support for those less well off. You certainly never heard expressions like “the loony left” applied to people such as Haines, because there was no way in which she could fit that description. Haines is one of the best role models any human being can have for the way she conducted herself and for the great personal qualities she had. Australia has lost one of its great citizens.
I will leave the last words (apart from any of yours) to one of her former colleagues, Jean Jenkins, writing at the NHJ blog:
"Janine's grasp of economics, the environment and just about every issue under the sun and, in particular, feminist ones, was immense. At any given opportunity, she would cite the reasons given by male members of Parliament for women not to get the vote and with great derision quote her favourite one: that it would give married men the unfair advantage of two votes - their own and their wife's!
In the party room, Janine was always respectful of all views expressed by her senate team. If anyone held a dissenting view, it was a case of how this was handled rather than trying to change a sincerely-held point of view. Every senator could expect her support and this was reciprocated."