Bill Shorten on Barry Cohen
Barry Cohen was a much-loved man who will be deeply missed and long remembered.
Labor leader Bill Shorten
Through 21 years in parliament he represented the people of the Central Coast with diligent fortitude and was always proud of his small business background.
Barry served in the famously talented Hawke Ministry, as Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment until 1984 and then as Minister for the Arts, Heritage and Environment until 1987. In that time he helped safeguard some of Australia’s greatest natural wonders for future generations, including Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu.
In politics, and after it, Barry was a prolific author and columnist. His words helped record the Labor story and through his deeds, he owns a proud chapter in it.
Barry Cohen – The Minister
Later in life, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Barry tackled it as a policy challenge, not a personal struggle. He did not go gentle in that good night, instead he took up the fight on behalf of every Australian living with dementia, urging politicians from all sides to deliver a better deal for older Australians.
Barry Cohen was a man of great honour, wonderful good-humour and deep passion. I count myself lucky to have shared his friendship and to have benefited from his generous and always-valuable counsel.
On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I offer our condolences and love to Barry’s family and friends. May he rest in eternal peace.
