Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Minister for Finance, Minister for Government Services) (09:46): I rise to remember the life of Yvonne Kernan. I first met Yve when I moved to Ascot Vale and I joined the Ascot Vale branch of the party. Yve was a passionate, committed community activist who always – always – put the community first. I found Yve to be worldly. She was thoughtful, she was considered, she was generous and she was kind. The celebration of Yve’s life was held at the Carlton Football Club. It is often the way that you just learn so much more about the many facets of a person’s life – a life which was well lived.

Yve’s family, while starting from humble beginnings, became quite affluent – her brother indicated he was a strong supporter of the Liberal Party – while Yve, who was a veteran of the Labor club at Monash in the 1960s, was anything but. One day, I think it was back in the 1990s, her brother saw Yve protesting by the Tullamarine Freeway, and I suspect it was probably about the Kennett government’s decision to put tolls on the freeway. Her brother rang her up and said, ‘Yve, where have you parked the Mercedes?’ But for Yve it was always about protecting the community from overdevelopment and from the destruction of heritage-listed homes and buildings, and it was about ensuring that community linkages and connections were at the core of what made us who we are. Her cousin Tony Isaacs talked about her passion for bluestone heritage homes and grey racehorses. Yve was just such a wonderful person. Her loss has impacted all of us, but we are all the better for knowing Yve. She was just such a wonderful person. Vale, Yve Kernan.