WA First Nations Senator Pat Dodson has announced he is quitting politics due to his health.
The 75-year-old said although his health is “slowly improving,” recent treatment for cancer has left him “physically unable to continue as a Senator”.
Senator Pat Dodson’s work
Dodson, a Yawuru Elder from Broome, has been called the ‘Father of Reconciliation’. Pat Dodson earned this in his work in promoting dialogue between First Nations communities and non-Indigenous Australians through his life work, including as a Senator.
In 2008, he won the Sydney International Peace Prize for his leadership on the reconciliation movement in Australia.
Response
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today’s announcement “fills me with sadness — but also gratitude”.
He commended Dodson for “championing justice and advancing reconciliation” throughout his life.
Albanese said since Dodson became a Labor Senator in 2016, he has “gifted every member of our Caucus his wisdom, his courage, his fearless conviction and his eternal good humour”.
