By Mrs Annette Carter, College Historian

Senator Susan Ryan AO was a trail-blazing parliamentarian. She was the first female senator for the ACT and the first female Federal Labour minister. On 1 August of this year, a new statue was unveiled in the Senate Rose Garden at Old Parliament House. It was unveiled on the 40^th anniversary of the Sex Discrimination Act, an Act which Senator Ryan was instrumental in steering through Parliament.

Senator Ryan is also intrinsically linked with Radford College. She was part of the Hawke Labour government that came into power on 5 March 1983. Three days prior, with the uncertainty about picket lines at the construction site and the debate over funding, Bob Hawke had stated that “We will ensure that the school is built. Decisions in regard to those matters will be made by government. Institutions, whether they be trade unions or others who want to talk to us about the areas of education or so on, will have the opportunity of speaking to us. They won’t be making the unilateral decisions about what happens in this country”.

When the government changed, Senator Ryan took up the Education Portfolio. With it, she inherited the complicated dispute between the unions and the supporters of Radford College. She managed to get the construction ban lifted after meeting with Trades and Labour Council and Australian Teachers Federation representatives and made assurances regarding resourcing, facilities, and funding for Government education in the ACT. This led to the establishment of a committee to review the development of Radford College and to advise, among other things, on how disruptive effects could be avoided. In May, Senator Ryan outlined the Labour government’s commitment to provide $803,000 for Stage One of Radford College, a sum that had been promised by the previous government. As a consequence of her involvement, T.B. Millar invited her to the laying of the foundation stone and to speak at the event.

Senator Susan Ryan's legacy has impacted both Australian politics and education. She played a pivotal role in establishing Radford College and her contribution to politics has now been recognised by the ACT Government in the recent installation of her sculpture.