White,elected to the upper house at the 2022 federal election,announced in February she would take leave from the Senate due to health issues.
“Linda was a dedicated parliamentarian and,through all her efforts in the wider labour movement,a devout supporter of working Australians,” Albanese said.
Linda White spent a decade working as a solicitor before entering politics.Trevor Collens
The prime minister said White had made powerful use of her relatively short time in parliament.
“Linda White was central to Labor’s affirmative action commitments,including,of course,the change that has led to my government being the first ever by a long way that has a majority of government caucus members being women,” he said.
“She had a profound impact on matters including … dealing with the legislation for the National Anti-Corruption Commission and better access for superannuation for women.
“She came into the Senate as someone who is a very significant person in that organisational wing of the Labor Party. She became an active voice in caucus and the parliament for agriculture in the regions. She loved the relationship that she was growing with her constituents.”
Before entering federal politics,White worked for 10 years as a solicitor. She served as assistant national secretary of the Australian Services Union from 1995 to 2020 and was vice president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions for a decade.
Her death comes just three months after.
Albanese visited White in hospital before she died.
“Linda was doing it tough,but in a fashion that’s reminiscent of the courage that Peta Murphy showed during her final weeks;she didn’t complain,she asked how the[Dunkley] byelection was going,she spoke about her love for Peta Murphy and the loss of Peta,she asked for nothing for herself,” he said.
“This will be particularly tough for the Victorian Labor family. To lose two women in their prime within three months of each other is beyond belief,[it] is just so sad because Linda White had so much more to give.”
Employment Minister Tony Burke said the senator left behind an “extraordinary legacy” for working Australians.
“Linda campaigned for years in the union movement for paid family and domestic violence leave,” he wrote on X.
“As a senator,she helped make it law so no one would have to choose between safety and pay.”
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham remembered White as a “determined and passionate” MP.
“In her first speech,Senator White made a promise that no one in the Senate would be left wondering what she thought;that people will always know where she stands and know that she’s not afraid of saying what’s on her mind.
“Senator White lived up to that promise,” he wrote in a statement.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus said White was a fierce advocate for working people,while the Australian Services Union said the organisation was grieving the loss of one of its “greatest warriors”.
“Linda’s influence extends to thousands if not millions of Australians who never had the privilege of knowing her,” the ASU said.
Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan said the senator devoted her days to pursuing justice.
“She was unafraid to take on her own party,too. That included her mission to achieve genuine gender representation in our movement – which,this year,saw Victoria reach 50:50 equality in our parliament,” Allan said in a statement.
Her long-lasting legacy was to elevate the worth of women’s work.
“Because of Linda,tens of thousands of Australian women are better paid. Because of Linda,their work is not only recognised but rewarded.”
White is survived by her brother,Michael.
with AAP
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