Tuesday, 16 June 2026

 Danny PEARSON (Essendon) (13:48): I rise today to pay tribute to Margaret Healy, a woman of extraordinary character, deep compassion and lifelong service to others. Margaret grew up in Essendon in a large, close-knit Irish Catholic family. It was those roots in community, faith and care for others that shaped everything she went on to do. She built a distinguished career as a social worker with the Department of Social Security and later Centrelink, rising to the position of national manager – social work. Her contribution to Brian Howe’s landmark review of social security in the 1980s earned her a public service medal, recognition she wore with characteristic modesty.

But Margaret’s commitment to social justice extended well beyond the office. She was a devoted member of the Essendon branch of the ALP, and I am proud to say she worked tirelessly on my own election campaigns alongside those of Judy Maddigan, Justin Madden and Bill Shorten. Her particular gift was organising the pre-polling rosters – methodical, reliable and always cheerful. She stood on the line across two decades of elections, sharing in our victories and our disappointments with equal grace. She was, right to the end, deeply engaged in the state of the labour movement, never short of frank and fearless advice for those who needed to hear it. What those who worked alongside Margaret remember most was not the role she held but the person she was: patient, kind, generous of spirit. She was someone who gathered the stories of people’s lives and made them feel seen and valued. She was a devoted mother to Anthony, Catherine and Elizabeth; a beloved grandmother to eight grandchildren; and a loving partner to her husband John. Margaret Healy believed that a life well lived was a life in service to others. By any measure, hers was exactly that. I offer my deepest condolences to John, to her children and grandchildren and to all those who had the privilege of knowing her.