Overview
- South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said Bolkus died peacefully on Christmas morning and offered condolences to his family.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Bolkus as one of Labor’s great sons who kept faith with his principles throughout a distinguished career.
- First elected to the Senate in 1980, Bolkus became one of South Australia’s longest‑serving senators and held portfolios in the Hawke and Keating governments.
- As immigration and ethnic affairs minister, he enabled thousands of Chinese nationals connected to the 1989 Tiananmen events to settle permanently in Australia.
- He is survived by his wife Mary and daughters Aria and Mikayla, with Aria standing as an SA Labor candidate, and he remained influential after 2005 through SA Progressive Business.