John LISTER (Werribee) (10:08): On behalf of the Werribee electorate I would like to recognise the service to the nation and to our western suburbs by former Senator Trish Crossin AM. Trish had a humble start to life in Kensington, choosing to help others from an early age. She attended teachers college and went on to make the move to Arnhem Land with her husband. She took up a post as senior teacher at a bilingual school there, where she was well respected by the people she worked with. A true Labor champion and passionate unionist, she worked across the union movement in the Northern Territory. Like all of us in the Labor movement she was not afraid to get out into the community and confront the challenges she saw. Trish stood for a position as senator for the Northern Territory and was in that role from 1998 to 2013. Her career saw her stand up for social justice, from the rights of women to compensation for the stolen generations. I knew Trish in her later life, working as a passionate advocate for TAFE in Melbourne’s west. Her work as chair of the Gordon on rolling out more TAFE opportunities in Wyndham was important to making sure young people in my electorate had options for further education beyond what was traditionally offered out in our area. She was also a passionate lead in that group in expanding the Gordon’s footprint into the south-west rather than just having their heart in Geelong. While most of her life’s work was in the Territory, she brought that same passion for social justice to the west. Trish passed away not long after celebrating her 70th birthday. My thoughts are with Mark, her son Paul and her daughters Amanda, Melinda and Kate. Vale, Trish Crossin.