‘Thank you for everything’: Tributes flow for ex-MP Katie Allen, who has died aged 59

Former member for Higgins and prominent paediatrician Katie Allen is being remembered for her passion, intelligence and kindness, after her family announced on Tuesday night that she had died.

Allen was 59.

The family posted on Instagram and Facebook that she had “spent her life caring for others as a mother, doctor, professor, MP and friend. She is deeply loved.

“She passed in peace surrounded by family and lived a full, beautiful life, all the way to the end.

“We love you so much.”

The family did not say when she died.

Allen was elected as Liberal member for the now-abolished seat of Higgins, in Melbourne’s inner south-east, in 2019.

She had previously sought the state seat of Prahran for the Liberals and unsuccessfully sought election for the party in the seat of Chisholm at this year’s federal election.

Politicians from across the ideological spectrum have been quick to show their appreciation for Allen.

“Katie believed deeply in serving her community, her nation and her fellow Australians,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on X. “She dedicated her life, her talents and her courage to making our nation a better place. May she rest in eternal peace.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said she was “deeply saddened” to learn of Allen’s passing, extending her condolences to the former MP’s family.

“Katie was a trailblazer in every sense. She did things differently, and she did them her way. You only had to be in a room with her to feel her passion. Passion for women, for medicine, for education, for the Liberal Party, and above all for people who needed a helping hand,” Ley said.

Victoria’s Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said she was heartbroken at the news.

“Katie was one of the strongest, most intelligent people I have ever known. She had such a warm heart and was dedicated to bettering our country, and her beloved local community, until the end,” Wilson said on Facebook.

Wilson’s predecessor Brad Battin wrote on Instagram: “Life isn’t fair for many. And for Katie – this was not fair.

“But the changes she made, the people she supported and the beliefs she lived, for many gave them the opportunity they may never have had. And with her support, life was more fair. Thank you, Katie, for everything.”

The woman who ended Allen’s political career also paid her respects.

Labor’s Michelle Ananda-Rajah took the seat of Higgins from Allen in 2022.

Now a senator, Ananda-Rajah said Allen “served with distinction as a doctor, medical researcher and parliamentarian”.

“My condolences to her family, who were a source of pride and strength to her.”

Allen’s death has come just seven months after she revealed her cancer diagnosis – cholangiocarcinoma, which affects the bile ducts.

Last month, she told this masthead of how her medical student daughter, Jemima, first alerted her to the symptoms.

Before her political career, Allen was a paediatrician by training, and served as the division head of population health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

She was also on the board of Cabrini Health, chair of Melbourne Girls Grammar School council and on the advisory board of several medical technology start-ups.

Her last public message came barely a week ago, praising daughter Jemima for earning her medical degrees.