“We will always remember Jane for her contagious love for life and people; her intense compassion and drive that made her a very fierce advocate for women and the most disadvantaged. His intellect, ingenuity, and generosity are irreplaceable, and his loss leaves a great void in the Garrett family.
The Victorian government has offered a state funeral to mark its important contribution to Victoria.
“We will always remember Jane for her contagious love for life and people; her intense compassion and drive that made her a very fierce advocate for women and the most disadvantaged. “
– Statement from the Garrett family
“I offer our deepest condolences to Jane’s family, friends and colleagues, and to all those who knew and loved her. I can’t imagine the pain her family, especially her three children, must feel at this time. incredibly difficult: my thoughts are with them, “Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said in a statement Saturday night.
Garrett entered Parliament at the Brunswick lower house in 2010 and was promoted to cabinet in 2014 as a rising star, seen as a potential Labor leader, before being permanently abandoned in 2016.
She resigned as emergency services minister as a result of a bitter dispute with the firefighters’ union that pitted her against Andrews and union leader Peter Marshall.
After a strong preselection, Garrett moved to the upper house in 2018, representing East Victoria.
Jane Garrett (last) with Daniel Andrews in 2015 when he was minister. Credit: Simon O’Dwyer
In December, during an exclusive interview with The age in which he announced his decision to leave Victorian politics, Garrett said he was still the target of the United Firefighters ’harassment.
In May 2021, the Victorian government refused to publish a long-repressed report on sexism and intimidation in fire services, five years after Garrett commissioned it.
Close friend Luba Grigorovitch, the former secretary of state for the Tram and Bus Union, who is now vying for the Kororoit seat, said Garrett was a mentor to many young women.
“Jane was a wonderful person who was always very positive and an amazing mother to her three beautiful children.
“Jane would light up the room when she came in with her gregarious personality and charm and her many friends will miss her very much.”
– Luba Grigorovich
“Jane would light up the room when she came in with her gregarious personality and charm and her many friends will miss her very much.”
Labor MP Martin Pakula shared a photo of himself with Garrett on social media, and wrote that he was “very, very sorry to hear about the death of my dear friend Jane”.
Opposition leader Matthew Guy said her death was “immensely sad” and described her as “bold and brave”.
“She will not be forgotten. May she rest in peace.”
Friend and former Labor MP Philip Dalidakis said Garrett “was a remarkable person and a real talent”.
“Tonight we lost a good woman, but her family has lost a lot more,” he said.
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Liberal MP Tim Smith said he was “completely devastated” by his death. “Jane was one of the best people I’ve ever met.”
Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said her condolences were to Garrett’s family, loved ones and comrades.
Federal Commissioner for Sex Discrimination Kate Jenkins said Garrett served Victoria with integrity and commitment. “A loving, funny, affectionate and super smart person and lifelong bluebagger, taken too soon,” Jenkins said.
Garrett was a close friend of Fiona Richardson, a former Northcote MP who died of breast cancer in 2017 at the age of 50.
At Richardson’s funeral, Garrett paid an emotional tribute to the MP, Australia’s prime minister for the prevention of domestic violence, for her “fierce intellect, drive and sense of justice”.
-With Jackson Graham
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