Victorians will have the chance to pay tribute to the Honourable Thomas Roper, his life and contributions to our state at a State Funeral Service.
Tom Roper was a Labor giant.
As a Minister and Treasurer he helped make Victoria a better place.
And after leaving Parliament he never stopped fighting for what’s right.
He was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1973 as the member for Brunswick West, moving to Brunswick in 1976.
During his 10 years as a senior Government Minister his portfolios included Treasury, Planning and Environment, Health, Transport, Aboriginal Affairs, and Employment and Higher Education. He was also the Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly.
However, it was Tom’s passion and advocacy for the environment that shone throughout his 21 years in Parliament.
Following his retirement from politics, Tom became involved in environmental policy at all levels – local to international. He spent time in Ottawa, London and New York fighting to get the world to wake up to climate change.
In 1994, Tom became an active board member of the Washington DC-based Climate Institute and led a team trying to find ways to rescue small island states from the threat of rising sea levels.
He remained a trusted advisor to government, business and NGOs on sustainability issues and was an Honorary Life Member of the Metropolis Association.
Tom was a Board member of Greenfleet – an NGO focused on protecting the climate by restoring native forests – for 21 years. In recognition of his contribution, Greenfleet presented Tom with 0.1 hectare Milestone Forest. ‘Tom’s Forest’ is planted at Ngulambarra in central Victoria.
In recognition of his work, Tom was appointed a Senior Fellow of Melbourne University’s Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society.
To Anita, and his children – I offer my deepest condolences.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet is working with the Roper family and state funeral details will be announced soon.
