Remembering Susan Ryan

Susan Ryan, Australia's first female Labor Cabinet Minister and lifelong campaigner for equality was born in Camperdown, then a working-class suburb of Sydney on October 10th, 1942. A daughter of Florence and Francis, a sales assistant and a public servant, her Irish heritage can be traced in the main to County Wexford. Susan moved at a young age to Maroubra, where she was educated by the Brigidine nuns. She spoke of how her Catholic education lit in her the fires of feminism and social justice and she could appreciate that her nun teachers helped shape her future campaigning career, whilst being a staunch critic of the gender inequality of church institutions.

The first in her family and school to win a scholarship to the University of Sydney, she was forced to pay back the scholarship money in later years because she had married.  She moved to Canberra due to the career of her then husband, and it was there she became active in the Australian Labor Party.

Her talents were spotted early, and she was elected to the Australian Senate in 1975, under the campaign slogan ‘A Woman’s Place is in the Senate’. Her progress was quick, being appointed an opposition front bencher in 1977. On the election of the Hawke government in 1983, she was appointed Labor’s first woman cabinet minister, in the portfolio of education and the status of women. In her time as Minister, two achievements stand out - firstly, her policy to lift the rates of students going on to year 12, (equivalent to going beyond the Junior Cert), from three in 10 to nine in 10 by 1996, when Labor lost government.

Among her other significant achievements as a Cabinet Minister was the passing of the Sex Discrimination Act in 1984, which included outlawing sexual harassment, making Australia the first jurisdiction to do so.

After leaving elected politics in 1987, Ryan continued to campaign for equality. In later years she was appointed Australia's first age discrimination commissioner, also serving as disability discrimination commissioner.

Among the reasons for her success was her ability to marry principle and pragmatism, and she was prepared to roll up her sleeves to get the job done. She had an ability to walk the line between the different factions of the Australian Labor Party and was at ease being the only woman at a Trade Union meeting, (no doubt helped by having been for some time the only woman around the Cabinet table), as she was at feminist campaign meetings. Susan was a passionate defender of Australia’s world class statutory pension/superannuation scheme. She believed in social equality, but understood that financial stability, particularly for women, was a vital part of the struggle.

I was very fortunate to know Susan during my years in Sydney, where I worked for a Trade Union and for Amnesty International, both movements that had a special place in her heart. I shared stories of Susan this week with two of her friends - former Labor Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek MP, and Senator Deborah O’Neill, one of Australia’s most senior Irish Australian elected politicians.

What struck me most from our chats in the past number of days was how closely all three of us agreed when speaking of our friend. Both Deborah and Tanya spoke of what an incredible mentor Susan was to Labor women and spoke in particular of the practical advice she gave them in how to advance not just their careers, but their causes.

But what really stood out was our shared memories of her warmth and her sense of fun and mischief. At social events, she moved seamlessly from singing a hymn to singing The Internationale. She was a committed Australian republican and was also an Irish republican. Whenever we met, she would cheekily address me as “Comrade Ryan, my favourite Irish Unionist”, (her knowing full well that ‘Unionist’ has a very different meaning in Australia to Ireland). My own late Mother having shared her name, I would retort “Hello there - my 2nd favourite Susan Ryan”.

But her republicanism never swayed into narrow nationalism. She was a passionate campaigner for the rights of indigenous Australians and was critical of both sides of the political divide in Australia with regard to its record on refugee rights.

Susan Ryan, partner, Mother, Grandmother, politician, public servant, feminist, campaigner, comrade and friend, died unexpectedly on Sunday 27th September, having fallen ill after swimming the previous Friday. She is survived by her partner Rory Sutton, her two children and grandson.

ENDS

The Hon Susan Ryan AO. 10th October 1942 - 27th September 2020.