Janette Mary Kennedy
Lee TARLAMIS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:57): On 26 May 2023 we lost an extraordinary woman in Janette Mary Kennedy. Jan was many things to many people, including a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, former colleague, friend, comrade and mentor. Jan was wife to Cyril Kennedy, who was a former member and whip in this chamber. Many in this Parliament knew Jan as a longstanding ALP member, passionate trade unionist, social justice advocate and voice for the working class. Jan was an exceptional individual who touched the lives of many with her kindness and warmth and who cared deeply for her local community. Everyone who knew her would have their own personal story of the impact that she had on their lives. Jan was ardent in her belief of advancing women within the ALP and was a great supporter of community health. She spent her career devoted to helping people. Starting as a maternal and child health nurse in Melbourne’s east, she later founded Waverley Community Health Centre, providing support to those in the community who needed it most, a centre which later became Link Health and Community.
There was no-one more committed to the Labor cause than Jan, and she was an inspiration and mentor to many. I fondly remember the long chats I had with Jan. You could be assured that if she saw an injustice she would be first to step up, call it out and organise to do something about it. She joined the ALP at the age of 17 and was a constant force in her local branch, on policy committees and in the struggle for justice on so many issues. In 1992 Jan ran as a Labor candidate for Bennettswood and unfortunately was defeated. She would have been an excellent member of Parliament. Jan will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Her legacy will live on in her community and across the entirety of the Labor movement. Vale, Jan Kennedy.