By Liam McNally
Altona MP Jill Hennessy gave her final speech at the Victorian legislative assembly on Tuesday, September 20, after serving as the member for Altona for 13 years.
She told the assembly she started in politics when she joined the Labor party at just 15 years old.
“I got involved in the Labor Party, and it has been the most wonderful decision of my life, because that of course took me on a bit of a journey, and that journey involved ending up in what was a pretty crazy office, the office of Alan Griffin,” Ms Hennessy said
In her tenure at that office, she said she met the likes of Dave Leydon and Matt Norrey of the Australian Services Union, Senator Linda White as well as ministers Ingrid Stitt, Lily D’Ambrosio, Julian Hill, Richard Wyyne and Premier Dan Andrews.
“What my experience in that office did other than make me very resilient was bring me into connection with all of these extraordinary people,” Ms Hennessy said.
She has represented the Seat of Altona since the late Lynne Kosky retired in January 2010.
“I hope that we have honoured Lynne through the contribution that our government has made not only to Melbourne’s western suburbs but in respect of so many policy issues that I know she deeply cared about,” Ms Hennessy said.
She headed a range of portfolios in her career, including the health and ambulance services portfolios from 2014 to 2018 and the workplace safety porfolio from 2018 to 2020, as well as serving as the Co-ordination of Justice and Community Safety for COVID-19 from April to November in 2020.
Ms Hennessy also served as the Attorney-General from 2018 to 2020.
Ms Hennessy said she was proud of a number of policy changes she helped contributed to, including nurse-to-patient ratios, ‘no jab, no play’ laws, legalising medicinal cannabis, the country’s first wage theft law, workplace manslaughter laws, and establishing Safer Care Victoria.
She thanked Premier Andrews for his leadership of the state and the Victorian branch of the Labor Party in her speech.
“I am incredibly grateful for the leadership and the sacrifices of our Premier and those of his family and friends, who have to share him so generously,” Ms Hennessy said.
“This is a really special time in history.
“I cannot wait to see what this government continues to do.”
