Carmel Tebbutt

Carmel Tebbutt with Anthony Albanese

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Carmel Tebbutt (born 22 January 1964) is an Australian former politician. She was the Labor Party Member for the former seat of Marrickville in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly until the 2015 election and was Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 2008 to 2011. She was also Minister for Health in the Keneally Government.

She earned an Economics degree from the University of Sydney, graduating in 1986. She joined the Labor Party in 1985, as a member of its left-wing faction.

In 2000, Tebbutt married Anthony Albanese,later the leader of the Australian Labor Party and 31st prime minister of Australia. Her former state seat of Marrickville was contained almost entirely within Albanese's federal seat of Grayndler, leading the Greens to dub them the "King and Queen of Marrickville".

RADICALS Sydney Launch

May 20, 2021.

Despite a last-minute quasi-lockdown, a big mob of Sixties radicals and a bunch of their younger friends and supporters met at the Cypress Club on 6 May to celebrate RADICALS: Remembering the Sixties by Meredith Burgmann and Nadia Wheatley.

The book was launched by ‘Stompin at Maroubra’ Sixties icon Little Patty who said ‘The book is a mixed bag of great people – the best and the bravest – and they still have the fire in their bellies’.

That could also have described the assembled party-goers, who included three members of the 1965 Freedom Ride, four 78ers and many angry second wave feminists.

As well, there was Australia's first draft card burner Wayne Haylen QC (now a judge), the first woman elected to Federal Parliament from New South Wales, Jeannette McHugh, former Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt, and the first woman President of the Communist Party of Australia (in fact, first woman president of any political party in Australia) Judy Mundey. Also present was Jim Boyce, one of the seven Wallabies who refused to play the all-white, racially selected South African Springboks in 1971.

And let’s not forget Robbie Swan, Gary Williams, Jozefa Sobski, Bronwyn Penrith, Helen Voysey and John Derum, whose stories are told in the book.

Young Labor Left and Labor Left women

Young Labor Left - NSW · June 3, 2016 Sydney, NSW, Australia ·

Some Young Labor Left members spent tonight with an incredible group of Labor Left women: Linda Burney, Penny Sharpe MLC, Verity Firth, Meredith Burgmann, Jenny McAllister, Carmel Tebbutt and, of course, the newest Senator Malarndirri McCarthy! What an inspiration.

David Pink, Thomas Matthew, Casey Thompson, Shannen Potter, Oliver Plunkett.

Tribute to Joyce Stevens

Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT (Marrickville) [6.20 p.m.]:

I pay tribute to Joyce Stevens, a long-time resident of my electorate, who died on 6 May 2014 at the age of 87. I express my condolences to Joyce's children, Jennifer and James, her partner, Margo, and her family and friends. Joyce Stevens was a truly remarkable woman, who in 1996 was awarded an Order of Australia for service to social justice for women as an activist and a writer.

Joyce was born in Cullen Bullen in 1928. Her father was a railway fettler and a staunch unionist. Her mother was a nurse who was active in the Rail Union's Women's Auxiliary, the Communist Party of Australia and the Union of Australian Women. This was the Depression era; the family was desperately poor, like so many others, and Joyce absorbed her mother's progressive politics. At a young age Joyce developed a strong commitment to social justice and human rights. She was active in the Eureka Youth League and later, like her mother, joined the Communist Party of Australia. These are the historical facts of Joyce's life, but they in no way define the person who Joyce was.

I first met Joyce when I was a young woman involved in the union movement, and Joyce would give talks about the history of women's struggle for equal pay and justice. I remember her as a somewhat stern woman—she was a powerful speaker and what made her speeches come alive were her personal experiences of some of the best and worst times in our history. Joyce was active from the beginning of the women's liberation movement in Sydney in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as Judy Mundey said at her service:

At that time there was no sex discrimination or equal opportunity or sexual harassment legislation, there were no women's health centres or refuges, domestic violence was a taboo subject, abortion was illegal and women were paid less than men.

She describes Joyce's involvement as being:

… like a force of nature in this new movement for the liberation of women. She was enormously energetic, inspired and inspiring.

Joyce achieved much in this time—she was involved in the establishment of Women's Liberation House, she was instrumental in organising forums to advocate for women's needs such as women's refuges, and she was part of setting up Leichhardt Women's Health Centre. Joyce initiated a register of women in non-traditional jobs and was active in advocating on behalf of public housing tenants and for the expansion of public housing. Joyce was a gifted writer who helped produce the feminist newspapers MeJane and Scarlet Woman, and also wrote a number of books about the history of the women's movement. While she wrote a number of scholarly works, perhaps she is best known for penning "Because We're Women" for International Women's Day in 1975. It still resonates with women today.

In this day and age when women have occupied the highest levels of political office, when the rights and needs of women are firmly part of the political agenda and when young women have opportunities almost unimaginable even 30 years ago, it is too easy to forget the heavy lifting of women such as Joyce Stevens to gain this progress. My aspirations, opportunities and life choices have been profoundly enhanced because of feminism and the women's movement. And while we have not achieved full equality, for most of my adult life I have benefited because others have fought for antidiscrimination legislation, equal employment opportunities, equal pay, quality child care and greater career opportunities for women.

Many women were a part of these campaigns, but Joyce Stevens was in the vanguard—in the early days agitating, educating and organising, helping set up the services women needed and then later mentoring other women and chronicling women's history through her written work. I pay tribute to Joyce Stevens—a feminist, a social justice campaigner, a writer, a mother and a grandmother. Joyce used her time on this planet to make a difference, to make the world a better place. She achieved that and I express my deep sympathy to her family and her friends. I pay tribute to this remarkable woman who was a long-time resident of my electorate. I recognise all her achievements in her remarkable life.

Whitington connection

Luke Whitington, Carmel Tebbutt, John Graham.

Executive Committee Members (1982-2019)

Evatt Foundation Executive Committee Members (1982-2019) Penelope Seidler, Justice Gerard Brennan, Justice Phil Evatt, Senator Doug McClelland, Alan Renouf, Jack Dusseldorp, Kim Williams, Jim Falk, Robin Gurr, the Hon. Andrew Refshauge, Bill Leslie, Tom Kelly, Charles Wright (Public Officer), Kerry Schott, Race Mathews, Leslie Fallick, Anna Booth, Chris Christodoulou, the Hon. Bob Debus, David Haynes, Stephen Mills, Senator Graham Maguire, Suzanne Jamieson, Tom McDonald, Victoria Rubensohn, John Langmore (Public Officer), Peter Robson, Wendy Caird, Senator George Campbell, Jenny Macklin MP, Pat Staunton, Jeannette McHugh, the Hon. Brian Howe, Sandra Moait, Sharan Burrow, Doug Cameron, Professor Roy Green, Professor Stuart MacIntyre, the Hon. Carmel Tebbutt, Julie Crane, Chris Gambian, Joanne Smith, Sue Tracy, Roberta Ryan, Richard Gartrell, Rae Cooper, Tony Moore, Professor Frank Stilwell, Rowanne Couch, Christopher Sheil, Tom Morton, Warwick McDonald, Mark McGrath, Fay Gervasoni, the Hon. Penny Sharpe, Mel Gatfield, Sian Ryan, Baden Kirgan, Geoff Derrick, Joanne Morris, Monika Wheeler, Barney Lewer, Anna York, the Hon. Peter Primrose, Rebecca Santos, Andrew Mack, Alison Rahill, Michael Vaughan, Erin Watt, Huw Phillips, the Hon. Sally Talbot, Eamon Waterford, Matt McGirr, Matt Pulford, Professor Danielle Celermajer, Clara Edwards, Eliot Olivier, Cecilia Anthony, Tina Zhou, Elly Howse, Evan Hughes, and Nicole D'Souza.

Pines Estate Heritage Conservation Area protest

More than 400 people marched on August 14 2010 in protest against plans to demolish residences in the heritage-listed Pines Estate Heritage Conservation Area in the inner-west suburb of Newtown.

RailCorp is considering a proposal to compulsorily takeover and demolish all the houses on Newtown’s Leamington Avenue, and others on Holdsworth and Pine Streets, to build a railway tunnel.

As well as destroying heritage homes built in 1887, the plan would result in the destruction of the iconic mural depicting the famous “Black power” salute by two medal winning African American athletes (supported by Australian athlete Peter Norman) at the Mexico 1968 Olympics.

The mural is painted on the side of 39 Pine Street with the slogan “Three Proud People”.

Marrickville deputy mayor and Greens candidate for the seat of Marrickville in the 2011 state election Fiona Byrne told the crowd the planned changes were unnecessary.

She said instead of building the tunnel, train speeds and timetables should be improved. Train times were slower today than in the 1940s, she said.

Local state Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt also addressed the crowd, but was heckled when she refused to rule out the planned demolitions, as was Gladys Bereklijan, NSW opposition transport spokesperson.

Jack Mundey, a former leader of the Builders’ Labourers’ Federation who helped organise “green bans” in the 1960s and ’70s that saved many heritage buildings, called for “extra-parliamentary action” to save the houses — including green bans by building workers.

The artist who painted the mural addressed the crowd, as did the late Norman’s nephew, Matt Norman.

A letter was read out from Tommy Smith, the gold-medal winning African American athlete who features in the mural, calling for it to be protected as symbol of peace and equality.

Burgmann connection

Sean Macken, Carmel Tebbutt, Meredith Burgmann, John Robertson.

LEAN National launch

Carmel Tebbutt addresses the LEAN national launch in Melbourne in August 2009.

Supporting the "New Theatre"

Legislative Assembly Hansard – 06 May 2008:

THE NEW THEATRE, NEWTOWN

Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT (Marrickville) [6.01 p.m.]: The New Theatre is an important part of the cultural landscape of my electorate. The New Theatre, located in King Street, Newtown, was founded in 1932 and is one of Australia's oldest continuously performing theatres, professional or amateur. In 1973 it moved to its present address, a former television picture tube factory. Ownership of these premises was made possible by a grant from the Whitlam Government. In 2007 the New Theatre was honoured by the National Institute of Dramatic Art for its contribution to the Australian Performing Arts and 75 years of continuous production. From its beginnings as a political workers theatre, it has become one of Sydney's leading independent theatre companies, creating high quality, diverse and challenging theatre.

The New Theatre's patron is former Federal Minister Tom Uren, who has done so much to support and revitalise creative life in the inner west. The New Theatre receives no ongoing funding or sponsorship and survives on the income it generates through its productions and the enormous efforts of its volunteer members. Recently it was established that the theatre had to undertake urgent building works to comply with the City of Sydney place of public entertainment licensing requirements. The cost of these works was $70,000 and through a tremendous fundraising effort the theatre raised $50,000. I was very pleased a few weeks ago to announce that the New South Wales Government also has provided a grant of $20,000 to meet the cost of the works.

I thank the Minister for the Arts, Frank Sartor, for his support of the performing arts in my electorate. I thank also Ruth Neave, his adviser, who was always available as we worked together on this issue. I pay tribute to Rosane McNamara, President of the New Theatre; Frank McNamara, President of the New Theatre Properties Limited Company; and the many supporters of the theatre, including Richard Walsham, who all worked so hard in both raising awareness of the theatre's plight and funds to address it. The high esteem in which the New Theatre is held is demonstrated by the strong community support for its fundraising efforts. Newtown is very fortunate to be home to such a celebrated theatre, which plays a critical role in nurturing new Australian writers, actors and practitioners.

The history of the New Theatre is of course fascinating and is well set out in "The New Years: The Plays, People and Events of 75 Years of Sydney's New Theatre." The social, political and economic environment of the 1930s when the theatre was formed was very different to that of today. They were times of acute financial depression. People's lives were tough and unemployment was rampant, with long dole queues common and evictions of families unable to pay the rent on substandard houses. It was against this background that the New Theatre movement was born in America. Following the American trend, amateur workers' theatre groups sprang up in Australia. In 1932 the Sydney Workers Art Club was established in a premises on Pitt Street. The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

A club has been established with the object of bringing within reach of the working classes various advantages in the way of lectures, musicals, recitals, art classes and the exhibition of pictures.

I was interested to read that the first real evidence of the dramatic aspect of the club's activities was the players group's first public performance of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists in 1933. A 1987 performance of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists was the first play I ever saw at the New Theatre. By 1936 the New Theatre in its Pitt Street premises already had produced a number of generally accepted plays by writers such as Bernard Shaw, Upton Sinclair and Muriel Box. The early 1960s saw a definite upswing in New Theatre's fortunes at three successive New South Wales Arts Council Drama Festivals, and in 1963 the Sydney Theatre moved to premises in St Peters Lane near Kings Cross. The 10 years spent there were marked by many successes. Needing more space for major productions, workshops and acting classes, children's theatre and street theatre rehearsals, Sydney New Theatre moved in 1973 to Newtown, where for the first time it owned its own building.

The New Theatre is unashamedly political and states in its constitution, "Theatre must be vital, dynamic and meaningful to its time." It has sought plays with social and political themes, and aims to produce theatre about people and experiences that are not always presented in the more mainstream, commercial theatres. On more than one occasion it has been the subject of censorship attempts. At the same time, the theatre has aimed for performance and production quality and to provide exposure for Australian writers, along with performances for children and rehearsed readings of school texts. It is an important training ground for Australian actors, production managers and light and sound operators, with many members going on to become professionals in all aspects of the Australian theatre, entertainment, film and television industries. Over seven decades the New Theatre has mounted 511 productions. In short, the New Theatre provides challenging theatre at affordable prices for the widest audiences. I am very pleased that the Government has seen fit to support the New Theatre.

Albanese protege

One of the things that arose out of this view of the world was his very early belief that women should be members of parliament. He was crucially important in organising women into seats from the early ‘90s onwards (well before quotas). He (Anthony Albanese) was instrumental in encouraging Janelle Saffin, Tanya Plibersek, Maggie Deahm, Linda Burney, Carmel Tebbutt, Penny Sharpe, Jo Haylen and many others to take on the role.

Young Labor

Carmel Tebbutt was a former Young Labor president, union official'

Broadside Weekly sponsors

Sponsors of the the Broadside Weekly listed in issue number 3, June 17, 1992, page 15 included Carmel Tebbutt.

Broad Left Weekly sponsors

160 people sponsored the Broad Left Weekly in a pamphlet published in the January 30 1991 Tribune - including Carmel Tebbutt.