Victorian Labor senator Linda White has passed away after battling health issues for several years, prompting a chorus of tributes from the Labor government, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying his heart was “broken” by the news.
While the cause of death has yet to be made public, Mr. Albanese told the ABC that Ms. White had been battling cancer.
First elected to the upper house at the 2022 federal election, Ms. White was the longest-ever serving female member on the national executive of the Australian Labor Party.
Before entering federal politics, she spent 10 years working as a solicitor. During this period, she also served as the assistant national secretary of the Australian Services Union from 1995 to 2020.
PM and Senators Paid Tributes
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said all of the Labor colleagues were saddened by the passing of Ms. White on the evening of Feb. 29.He described Ms. White as “a beloved friend, a valued colleague, a dedicated parliamentarian, and through all her efforts in the wider Labor movement, a devout supporter of working Australians.”
The PM said the Labor’s Victorian branch was hurting after the passing of Dunkley MP Peta Murphy in December, 2023.
“To lose two women in their prime within three months of each other is beyond belief, is so sad. Because Linda White had so much more to give,” he told reporters on March 1.
In a statement on the same day, he said Ms. White had made a “profound impact on matters as varied as the National Anti-corruption Commission and better access to superannuation for women.”
“When you look back at the ASU’s proud record, Linda’s legacy is everywhere,” he said.
“People joked that she may have been the most senior backbencher to have ever existed.
“On behalf of the Australian government and the Labor family, I offer my deepest condolences to Linda’s family and loved ones.”
He told the ABC, “It is just tragic news that Linda White has been taken from us, from the Labor family, taken from the people of Victoria, far too soon due to cancer.”
Workplace Minister Tony Burke paid tribute to Ms. White, saying she had left an extraordinary legacy.
“Linda campaigned for years in the union movement for paid family and domestic violence leave,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“As a senator, she helped make it law so no one would have to choose between safety and pay.”
Meanwhile, the opposition’s senate leader Simon Birmingham said the coalition also extended sympathies to the family and friends of Ms. White.
He said Ms. White was “never one to take a backwards step and was a determined advocate for her beliefs.”
“She campaigned across a wide range of areas reflecting her deep life-long commitment to social justice, especially for women,” he said.
“The Senate has lost a determined and passionate sitting senator far too soon. A senator who clearly had much more to contribute, but who will be remembered with respect by those who had the privilege to serve with her.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said in a statement that Ms. White “fought hard for good jobs—because she knew what they meant to working people.”
“Perhaps the most long-lasting of her legacies: elevating the worth of women’s work,” Ms. Allan wrote.
“Because of Linda, tens of thousands of Australian women are better paid. Because of Linda, their work is not only recognised but rewarded.”
Greens senator David Shoebridge said the upper house had lost a “fundamentally decent, honest, empathetic and intelligence force for good.”
“Right now, I’m remembering all the good she did, the principles she held and thinking of her family, friends and colleagues,” he said.
