Tribute to Sophie Trevitt

Today Abigail honoured the incredible advocacy of human rights lawyer Sophie Trevitt and paid tribute to the legacy that she leaves behind. 

Abigail moved:

(1)That this House notes with sadness the passing of human rights lawyer, Sophie Jessica Trevitt, on 27 July 2023, at the age of 32 after a nine month battle with brain cancer.

(2)That this House notes that Ms Trevitt:

(a)was the recipient of the 2023 Liberty Victoria's Voltaire Human Rights Award for her work on raising the age of criminal responsibility;

(b)was well known and admired for her work campaigning to keep First Nations children out of prison;

(c)had roles including civil solicitor at the Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in Alice Springs, executive officer of the Change the Record campaign, Australian Capital Territory Co-Chair of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, as well as roles within The Greens;

(d)authored "Homeward Bound - Social Security and Homelessness", a major project of the National Social Security Network and Canberra Community Law, which examined the experiences of people seeking legal assistance from Canberra Community Law on their Centrelink payments and the effect of Centrelink on their housing security; and

(e)was widely acknowledged and admired as a fearless social justice and climate campaigner who dedicated her life to making the world a better place.

(3)That this House acknowledges the profound impact that Sophie Trevitt's work has had on the lives of so many and passes on its deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Motion agreed to.

 

See Hansard for the full transcript.

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