Victorian Labor MP Jane Garrett has died of breast cancer at the age of 49.
The former minister of emergency services, deputy since 2010, was diagnosed with the disease in 2016 and announced late last year that she would not run for re-election in the 2022 state poll.
Garrett, who served as a member of Brunswick and East Victoria, left the cabinet in 2016 over a controversial fire union wage agreement.
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Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews spoke of Garrett’s sincere defense of workers and expanded the offer of a state funeral as a sign of his “important contribution to Victoria.”
His death Saturday evening was announced in a statement from his family, who praised his “contagious love for life and people.”
Former Victorian emergency services minister Jane Garrett has died at the age of 49. Credit: AAP
“We are devastated by the death this afternoon of our beloved mother, sister, daughter, dear friend Jane Garrett, after a long battle with cancer,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, Jane ‘s cancer recently returned after a time in remission and she was admitted to hospital earlier this week.
“We want to thank the staff of the Epworth Freemasons for their love and care for Jane over the past few years and in particular over the past week.
“We will always remember Jane for her contagious love for life and people; her intense compassion and drive that made her a very fierce defender of women and the most disadvantaged.
“His intellect, ingenuity and generosity are irreplaceable, and his loss leaves a great void in the Garrett family.”
He is survived by his three children, Molly, 19, Sasha, 15, and Max, 10.
“A passionate defender”
“I am saddened to learn of the death of the East Victoria MP, the Honorable Jane Garrett MP, after a long battle with cancer,” Andrews said in a statement on Saturday.
“On behalf of the Victorian government and the Parliamentary Labor Party, 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 his family, especially his three children, must feel at this incredibly difficult time: my thoughts are with them.”
Jane Garrett was sworn in at the Melbourne Government House in 2014. Credit: JULIAN SMITH / AAPIMAGE
Speaking of Garrett’s decade as a high-profile politician, Andrews said she was “a passionate advocate for workers’ rights and spent her career fighting for safer jobs.”
“His commitment to education, equality and social justice for all was clear,” he said.
“Jane lived a life of service to the labor movement, the Labor Party and our state.”
Former Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula, who resigned from the cabinet and announced his retirement from politics in late June, tweeted his condolences to Garrett’s family.
“I am very sorry to hear of the death of my dear friend Jane. Love and long live (husband) James, Sasha, Max and Molly,” she wrote.