CONDOLENCES
Senator McDONALD (Queensland—Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (16:04): I rise today on behalf of the Nationals to acknowledge the passing of former senator Trish Crossin AM, and to extend our sincere condolences to her husband, Mark; her children, Paul, Melinda, Amanda and Kate; her grandchildren; and all those whose lives she touched through her decades of service to the Northern Territory and to Australia.
Senator Crossin served the Territory with distinction over many years, first as an educator and later as a senator. While we sit on different sides of politics, there is so much to be said in recognition of a life dedicated to public service, community involvement and improving opportunities for others. Born in Melbourne in 1956, Trish Crossin's life took a defining turn when she moved to the Northern Territory as a young teacher.
Like so many who go to the north and to the Territory, she found something special there and made it her home. Before entering federal politics, Trish spent more than a decade working in education. Most notably, she taught in north-east Arnhem Land, including at the Yirrkala bilingual school.
Those years were formative, not only in shaping her understanding of the Territory and its people but also in demonstrating a lifelong commitment to education and public service. Teaching in remote Australia demands patience, resilience, adaptability and a genuine belief in the potential of every student. It requires people willing to leave the familiar behind and commit to communities that face complex issues and challenges.
Those who worked alongside Trish in Arnhem Land have spoken warmly of her dedication, her willingness to listen and her determination to make a difference. Former colleagues recalled her as a teacher who always sought to do the best she could do for her students and who earned the respect of the local Indigenous community. Relationships she built during those years remained important throughout her life.
They helped shape her understanding of remote communities and informed, as we have heard, much of her later work in public office. In 1998, Trish Crossin entered federal politics, becoming the first woman to represent the Northern Territory in the Commonwealth parliament. That achievement alone secured her place in the Territory's political history and allowed many other women to come behind her.
Being the first is never easy. It comes with expectations, with scrutiny and responsibility. Yet, by all accounts, she carried that responsibility with determination and a strong sense of duty.
She blazed a trail for northern Australian women to participate in political life, and, as the first Northern Territory woman elected to the federal parliament, she demonstrated that leadership and public service were open to everyone. Her appointment to the Senate in June 1998 marked the beginning of a parliamentary career that would span more than 15 years.
She served five terms before retiring in 2013, and throughout that time she was a strong and consistent voice for the Northern Territory. Territorians expect and, indeed, need their representatives to understand the unique circumstances of life in the north—the vast distances, the remoteness, the challenges of service delivery and infrastructure, and the opportunities that exist in one of Australia's most remarkable regions.
Senator Crossin understood those realities because she had lived them. Whether speaking about education, regional development, community services, Indigenous affairs or the challenges facing remote communities, she sought to ensure that the Territory's voice was not only heard but understood in Canberra. Her contribution to the Senate extended well beyond the chamber itself.
Over the course of her career, she served on parliamentary committees dealing with education, legal and constitutional affairs, Indigenous affairs, foreign affairs, regional communities and parliamentary administration. As we know, committee work is rarely glamourous. It attracts little public attention, yet it is often where some of the most important work of parliament takes place.
It requires diligence, attention to detail and a willingness to work constructively with colleagues from different political backgrounds. Trish Crossin earned a reputation as a hardworking parliamentarian who approached these responsibilities seriously. Whether serving as a member, the deputy chair or the chair of a committee, she contributed to the detailed scrutiny that is such an important part of our parliamentary system.
Many of the tributes offered following her passing have highlighted her deep commitment to Indigenous Australians and to reconciliation. Those commitments were shaped by her experiences living and working in remote communities and, of course, by the friendships she formed throughout her life. Others have spoken of her dedication to education, her concern for vulnerable Australians and her determination to ensure that regional and remote communities were not overlooked in national conversations.
What emerges from these reflections is a picture of someone who genuinely cared about the people she represented. Politics can be a difficult profession. It invariably involves disagreement, contest and conflict.
Yet when parliamentarians pass away, we are reminded that beyond political differences lies a shared commitment to public service. Many who worked alongside Trish Crossin, including political opponents, have described her as determined, hardworking, approachable and deeply committed to the Northern Territory. These qualities earned her respect across the political spectrum and, after leaving the Senate, she remained active in public life and continued contributing to the community through a range of roles.
In 2023, that contribution was formally recognised when she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the Parliament of Australia and to the people of the Northern Territory, and it is a fitting acknowledgement of decades spent serving others. Public life often demands sacrifice. It requires long periods away from home, endless travel, missed family occasions and a commitment to causes larger than oneself.
Behind every parliamentarian stands a family that shares those burdens and makes those sacrifices possible. Today, our thoughts are especially with Mark and the Crossin family. Recent tributes from her family paint a picture not simply as a senator or public figure but of a devoted wife, a mother and grandmother whose greatest achievements may well be found beyond politics.
Their reflections speak of a woman deeply involved in her community, generous with her time and devoted to those that she loved. That is perhaps how many people will choose to remember her, not only for the positions she held but for the relationships she built and the lives she touched. While political differences are an inevitable part of parliamentary life, occasions such as this remind us of the common purpose that brings people to this place—a desire to serve their communities and contribute to the nation.
Trish Crossin devoted much of her life to that endeavour. As a teacher, she sought to expand opportunity. As a senator, she sought to represent the people of the Northern Territory with conviction and shared commitment, and, as a community member, she gave generously of her time and energy to causes she believed in.
Her passing marks the loss of a significant figure in the political history of the Northern Territory and of northern Australia, and of a woman whose contribution to public life spanned many decades. And perhaps the most wonderful legacy for Labor and for the Senate is in Kate. May her family find comfort in the respect, gratitude and affection that so many Australians hold for her years of service.
Vale Trish Crossin.