- Published:
- Thursday 21 September 2017
Marsha Thomson, Member for Footscray, informed me some time ago that this would be her last term in the Victorian Parliament.
She will be a great loss to the Parliamentary Labor Party and will be sorely missed.
In her inaugural speech to Parliament Marsha said, “Government is responsible for providing social cohesion where everyone feels they have a place within.”
As a Member, as a mentor, and as a Minister for seven years, she put these principles into practice and spoke up every day for the people who were denied their rightful voice within our society.
Marsha was Australia’s first female Jewish Minister, overseeing consumer affairs, small business, and information and communications technology. She was the first woman to serve in that role, too.
She helped make Victoria the leading state for IT and consumer protection, cracked down on shonky operators who exploited working people, and established the country’s first Small Business Commissioner.
As Member for Melbourne North Province, and then as the Member for Footscray since 2006, Marsha has been a powerful and constant voice within government for better schools, hospitals and services.
Recently, we can point to the Footscray Education Precinct, the new Footscray Hospital, the Sunshine College Master Plan, and the new Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Marsha has also worked with the Indian community in the western suburbs against the tragedy of family violence.
And, of course, Marsha’s tireless work with Victoria’s Jewish Community has made our state a more welcoming place for so many people.
On behalf of everyone, I want to thank Marsha for her dedicated service to our party, our parliament, our government and all the working people across this state.