DEIRDRE GRUSOVIN, AM
Child safety activist
Deirdre Grusovin pauses when asked about her greatest achievement. It's a tough question for the 77-year-old, who has been made a Member of the Order of Australia in the general division for her service to social welfare after a 25-year career in state politics. 
A long-time figure in NSW Labor, Ms Grusovin's political run ended in 2002 after she lost preselection for the seat of Heffron to premier-to-be Kristina Keneally.
It was her work through the 1990s and 2000s highlighting child abuse in the ranks of the powerful, culminating with the child sex abuse royal commission, of which she is most proud. "It didn't make me popular at the time, but it's finally come to being," she said.
To young women entering politics, she says: "Become part of your community, understand local issues, gain local knowledge, and be in step with people in the community who are doing great things."