Thursday, 4 June 2026

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Violence Reduction, Minister for Finance) (09:52): Today I rise to acknowledge a remarkable member of our Carrum community Mithrani De Abrew Mahadeva. I first met Mithrani in 2014, when they joined my very first campaign for the seat of Carrum. Since then they have been a constant source of support, encouragement and friendship. Through every campaign, challenge and milestone, Mithrani has been there with warmth, kindness and quiet determination. Mithrani was born in Sri Lanka and is a proud member of our multicultural community. In their 70s, they lived with mixed dementia, including Lewy body disease and Alzheimer’s disease. They also carry the impacts of a deeply difficult life, including PTSD and experiences of family violence, and they are an ovarian cancer survivor. Mithrani is also a proud member of the LGBTQI+ community and is connected with the Victorian Pride Centre. They have made an extraordinary contribution not only to their local community but to how we understand dementia across culture, identity and lived experience. Dementia is now the leading cause of death for Australian women and the leading cause of death overall, yet it remains widely misunderstood. Research also shows that older LGBTQI+ people are more likely to experience social isolation and barriers in care. Mithrani is helping to change that. They have chosen to share their story so that others feel less alone and so that our community better understands what it means to live with dementia. Thank you, Mithrani. You have made a profound difference to so many lives, including mine.