The Australian Women's Register

Jennie Birch was a once only candidate for election and is well known in the developing olive oil industry in Australia. She represented the Australian Democrats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Barwon in 1991. She failed to be elected.

Anne Field was a once only candidate for Parliament (Independent candidate, New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Kogarah, 1988) and a successful local government councillor. She was elected to the Kogarah Municipal Council in 1999 and 2004.

Anna Garrett is a teacher, passionate about the importance of education. An Australian Democrats candidate she stood for election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Strathfield in 1999 and 2003, and to the House of Representatives for Lowe in 2001.

Carol Gaul has been a Councillor in the Blue Mountains City Council since 1991 and was appointed Deputy Mayor from 1991 to 1992. In 1995 she ran as an Independent candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Blue Mountains and was an Australian Greens candidate in the House of Representatives for Macquarie at 1996.

A belief that education can transform lives is central to Sanaa Ghabbar’s philosophy. She ran as an Australian Greens Party candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Bankstown in 2003.

Claire Douglas was a well known local candidate who nearly won the safe Liberal seat of Albury. She ran as an Independent candidate there for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1999 and 2003. Claire was successfully elected to the Albury City Council from 1999-2004.

Wilma Chinnock is a well known local activist who represented the ALP in the 2003 New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Bega.

Millicent Christian was a once-only candidate who was a lifetime activist for equality, peace and freedom. She ran for the Raleigh seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1947 as an Independent Labor candidate.

Anne Conlon was an outstanding activist and scholar whose career was cut short by her untimely death. She was an ALP candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Mosman by election in 1972.

Mari Coppolaro was a once only candidate who stood for election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (for East Hills) as an Earthsave Australia Party member in 1999.

Sue Dakin is a social and political activist, and successful local government councillor.

Olive Boundy is an activist in local government and politics. She is a member of the ALP and was a candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (Clarence seat) in 1991. She later was elected to the Ulmarra Shire Council from 1987 and later served on the Pristine Waters Council until 2004.

Elaine Battersby was a member of the Christian Democrat Party who ran as a candidate for Newcastle in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 2003.

A once-only candidate, Elizabeth Anne R. Bishop stood as an ALP candidate in the 1978 Lane Cove elections.

Suzanne Ashmore-Smith was a once-only candidate (ALP for Bligh in 1978), who later had a varied and successful career.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Glenyys Romanes was elected as the Member for Melbourne Province in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament in September 1999 and was re-elected in November 2002. She stood unsuccessfully for the Legislative Council Region of Eastern Victoria at the 2006 election, which was held on 25 November. Before entering Parliament she served as Councillor on the Brunswick City Council, 1991-94, as Mayor 1993-94, and as Councillor, Moreland City Council 1996-99.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Dympna Beard was elected as the Member for Kilsyth in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Victoria in 2002.She was defeated at the 2006 election, which was held on 25 November.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Helen Buckingham was elected as the Member for Koonung Province in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament in 2002. Before her election to parliament, she served on the Nunawading Council from 1997-2003, and as mayor from 1998-99. She retired from parliament in November 2006.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Anne Eckstein was elected as the Member for Ferntree Gully in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Victoria in 2002. She was defeated at the 2006 election, which was held on 25 November.

A member of the Australian Labor Party since 1975, Elaine Carbines stood unsuccessfully in the Legislative Assembly seat of Bellarine at the Victorian state election, which was held on 30 March 1996. She was successful at her second attempt. She was elected as the Member for Geelong Province in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament in 1999. She held the position of Parliamentary Secretary, Education and Training from March-December 2002, and was Parliamentary Secretary, Environment, from December 2002. She was an unsuccessful candidate at the November 2006 Victorian state election when the Legislative Council was re-organised into regions rather than provinces. She stood in the Western Victoria Region.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Helen Shardey was elected as the Member for Caulfield in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament in 1996. She was re-elected in 1999, 2002 and 2006. In 2002 she was appointed Shadow Minister for Community Services, and in 2005 became Shadow Minister for Health.
Before her election to the State Parliament, Helen Shardey was an unsuccessful candidate in the Legislative Assembly seat of Box Hill at the Victorian state election, which was held on 1 October 1988.

Susan Davies served as the member for Gippsland West as an Independent in the Legislative Assembly in the Victorian Parliament from 1997-2002. She stood for re-election in 2002, but was unsuccessful. She had previously been a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and stood as the ALP candidate for Gippsland West in the 1996 state election, but resigned in January 1997. She rejoined the ALP to contest the federal election in 2004 for the seat of La Trobe, in which she was unsuccessful.

Although no longer involved in parliamentary politics, Susan remains active in the community that she served. In 2006 she was a Director of the Bass Coast Community Foundation, which she established in 2001, and in 2005 she initiated the Wonthaggi Energy Innovation Festival, which is an extension of the Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix (of which she is a Patron and Management Committee Member.)

Susan Davies was National Manager of HIPPY Australia (HIPPY= Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters), with the Brotherhood of St Laurence. HIPPY is an early childhood enrichment program which works with refugee, migrant, aboriginal and other families helping parents improve their children’s “school readiness” skills. She left that position in 2008.

Since that time she has been living full-time and working on her small beef farm in Outtrim (South Gippsland, Victoria), and has continued as a Director on several boards, including West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (Victorian Government appointment), South Gippsland General Practice Alliance (Independent appointment) and since 2009, as Chair of Energy Innovation Co-operative Ltd. Energy Innovation Co-op works within South Gippsland/ Bass Coast and Cardinia Shires, to achieve the vision of “Energy self-reliant and zero carbon emission local communities”.

She also belongs to “Grow Lightly”, a local food-producer’s network focusing on sustainable local food production and sale plus Korumburra Landcare group, participating in indigenous re-vegetation projects along local waterways.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Maree Luckins served as the member for Waverley in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament from 1996-2002. Before her election to the State Parliament in 1996, she was an unsuccessful candidate in the Legislative Assembly seat of Dandenong North at the election, which was held on 3 October 1992. She unsuccessfully contested the Legislative Assembly seat of Narre Warren in the Victorian state election, which was held on 30 November 2002.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Louise Asher held the Ministerial portfolios of Tourism and Small Business from 1996-99 in the Kennett Government, which was in power in Victoria from 1992-99. She served as the Member for Monash Province in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament from 1992-99 and moved to the Legislative Assembly as the Member for Brighton in 1999 and was re-elected in 2002 and 2006. She held the positions of Shadow Minister for Industry and Employment and Major Projects from January 2004 to December 2006 and was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Urban Water, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Shadow Minister for Tourism and Major Events from 2006-10. She was re-elected in 2010 and was appointed the Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business as well as Minister for Tourism and Major Events in the new Liberal Government. In addition she retained the position of Deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

On the defeat of the Liberal Government in November 2014, and Asher’s re-election, she resigned as deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Lorraine Elliott served as the member for Mooroolbark in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament from 1992-2002. She held the position of Victorian Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier for the Arts from 1996-99. She stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Liberal Party of Australia in the seat of Kilsyth at the 2002 state election, which was held on 30 November 2002.The seat of Mooroolbark was abolished in an electoral redistribution in 2001.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Inga Peulich served as the Member for Bentleigh in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament from 1992-2002. Before her election to the Victorian Parliament she was a Councillor for the City of Moorabbin from 1990-93. She re-established her parliamentary career when she was elected as Member for the new Legislative Council Region of South Eastern Metropolitan at the Victorian state election, which was held on 25 November 2006. She was re-elected in November 2010, when the Liberal Party won government and again in 2014, when the Labor Party regained power.
She served as Parliamentary secretary for Education from December 2010 to March 2014 and Cabinet secretary from March to December 2014 in the Liberal government. As a member of the Opposition she is now Shadow Minister for Cultural Affairs and Scrutiny of Government.

A member of the Australian Labor Party from 1971, Margaret Ray served as the member for Box Hill in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament from 1982-92. She was defeated at the state election, which was held on 3 October 1992.