Followed Father Into Politics

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31002, 7 March 1966, Page 2

Followed Father Into Politics

When you are the only child of politically and public-minded parents and brought up on a staple diet of politics and public affairs it is almost inevitable that you become an aiderman.

This has been the experience of Miss Nell Robinson, who for the last five years has been an aiderman on the Toowoomba City Council in Queensland. She is following her father, who served 16 years as Toowoomba's DeputyMayor.

Miss Robinson is one of a party of about 140 men and women on a Toowoomba goodwill tour of New Zealand. She is a member of the health, perks and gardens and general purpose committees. She feels that more women should go into local body government but says: “They must be good women, otherwise they would do more harm than good for the public will only accept a limited number of women.” . Although her civic duties are a full-time job she still finds time to run a business, a Four Square shop started by her father 52 years ago. This in itself is unusual as there are very few women in Toowoomba who operates their own concerns. Before going into local government, Miss Robinson taught speech which she studied in London. In addition, she was a radio announcer for about four years. She has found that this experience has stood her in good stead in her present position. Recently Miss Robinson had been asked and agreed to stand for nomination to the Australian Senate as a Country Party representative. She said that if she was nomin-

ated and then elected, she would retire from local body’ government. Miss Robinson has two favourite projects, a better deal for old-age pensioners and the reduction of death duties. “I want to see more assistance given to pensioners who only get ’1 dollars a week. They just can’t manage. 1 believe that pensioners should be allowed to earn as much as they can without it affecting their pension. 1 think it is very wrong to limit their earnings,” she said. She describes death duties as “iniquitous.” Of all her interests, Miss Robinson puts people at the top of the list. “I find people fascinating and I like working for and with them,” she said.