A Greens MP Who Just Died Of Cancer Was Still Sticking It To Mike Baird On His Hospital Bed
Vale, John Kaye.
Last night, NSW Greens upper house MP John Kaye passed away in his home at the age of 60. Kaye was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in February, and his death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from politicians of all stripes, journalists, activists, public servants and unions who worked with him over many years.
Elected to NSW Parliament in 2007, Kaye established a reputation as a dogged defender of public education and animal rights. He fought furiously against proposed state government cuts to TAFE funding, pushed for much-needed overdue repairs to dilapidated public school buildings, and campaigned for an end to greyhound racing in NSW following revelations of widespread animal cruelty in the racing industry.
With John Kaye’s death we have lost an MP of enormous principle, energy and commitment. His colleagues have also lost a dear friend.
— David Shoebridge (@ShoebridgeMLC) May 2, 2016
Saddened to hear of @greensNSW John Kaye’s passing. A fierce advocate for public education. He will be missed. Thoughts with his family. — Adrian Piccoli (@PiccoliMp) May 3, 2016
Vale John Kaye of @GreensNSW, a strong supporter of #MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/FuUr6d5yXH
— AU Marriage Equality (@AMEQUALITY) May 3, 2016
John Kaye was a principled and effective member of parliament — the kind of representative we need more of in our parliaments, not less. — Clover Moore (@CloverMoore) May 2, 2016
Very sad to hear John Kaye has passed away. My thoughts are with his family + friends
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) May 2, 2016
So sorry to hear of the death of Greens MP John Kaye, he was a really decent and principled man @johnkgreens #nswpol — Kate McClymont (@Kate_McClymont) May 2, 2016
As condolences to John’s loved ones continue to come in, an anecdote that illustrates the kind of person he was is doing the rounds among those who knew him. This morning former Greens political staffer Osman Faruqi, who worked with Kaye for several years, shared a story about John’s time in hospital for cancer treatment earlier this year.
According to Faruqi and Kelly Marks, one of Kaye’s staffers, John had stern words for NSW Premier Mike Baird when the Premier called him to ask if he could be of any assistance. John’s response was to tell Baird he could “stop gutting TAFE” and reverse electricity privatisation.
When John was hospitalised Mike Baird rang him to ask if could assist in anyway.
John replied “Yeah mate you can stop gutting TAFE”.
— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) May 2, 2016
And reverse electricity privatisation https://t.co/lftYpQClHy
— Kelly Marks (@kelmarx83) May 3, 2016
Kaye’s commitment to the issues he fought for in Parliament, even as his health deteriorated, was also remembered by AAP reporter Sophie Tarr, who shared a story about Kaye’s message to well-wishers when he was first diagnosed, which included an expression of outrage at federal plans to privatise TAFE.
When John fell sick, his partner wrote back to those who’d been messaging him. This last par made me smile. #nswpol pic.twitter.com/IbvPIF3XRS — Sophie Tarr (@sktarr) May 2, 2016
When someone’s still holding Premiers and governments to account from their sick bed, you know they’re a rare breed. Vale, John Kaye.