The Australian Women's Register

Angela Luvera is a committed socialist and activist. She represented the Democratic Socialist in the 1999 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Wollongong. Then in 2003 she stood for the Socialist Alliance party in the New South Wales Legislative Council.

Wendy Machin was the first woman National Party member of the Legislative assembly of New South Wales and is an outstanding figure in many fields. She has successfully contested the following elections:
New South Wales Legislative Assembly Gloucester, 1985
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Manning, 1988
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Port Macquarie, 1991, 1995 (resigned August 1996).

During her long period in politics Wendy was Chairman of Committees from 1989-93, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister assisting the Minister for Roads and Minister assisting the Minister for Transport 1993-95. Prior to entering state politics, she was Alderman of the North Sydney Municipal Council from 1983-85.

Ann Macken was well known at the time of her campaigns for the Democratic Labor Party but her involvement in politics was short lived. She contested only two elections: New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Manly in 1968 and Mosman in 1971. In her campaign for the seat of Mosman, Ann Macken was most vocally concerned with the problems facing women and their lack of representation in the parliamentary sphere. At the time, she was well known for her part in television debates on issues affecting women and her involvement in local school affairs. She was married to James Macken, and had six children at home.

Virginia Judge was a successful local and state ALP politician and was the first woman to be elected for the seat of Strathfield in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 2003. She was re-elected in 2007, but was defeated at the 2011 election.

She was a Councillor with the Strathfield Municipal Council from 1995-2004 and Mayor from 2001-03.

Ann Lawler was an active party member and candidate for the Citizens Electoral Council during the election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Maitland, in 1999. She was the Candidate for Hunter in the House of Representatives in 1998, 2001, 2004. In 2003 Lawler re-contested the seat of Maitland as an Independent candidate.

The Citizens Electoral Council of Australia was deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission on 27 December 2006 by the application of Schedule 3 of the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2006.

Julie Kanaghines was an ALP activist in the 90s, but was untraced in 2005. She ran in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for The Hills in 1991 and in the 1993 House of Representatives elections for Mitchell. Julie Kanaghines studied at Teachers’ College (grad 1966) and Arts part-time at Macquarie University, Sydney in 1990s.
She joined the ALP 1976, becoming Branch secretary and delegate to Mitchell Federal Electorate Council. She was also involved in Greenpeace.

She is married to Peter, and they have three children.

Soraya Kassim is a community activist who stood as an Australian Greens candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for SS Kogarah in 2003. She has worked in the area of crisis counselling, youth recreation development, migrant employment, cultural projects and women’s empowerment. Her campaign literature stressed the need to invest in public education, public health and public recreation facilities.

Nita Keig is a long time socialist and activist. As a member of the Socialist Workers Party she contested the following elections:
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Balmain 1976
She also contested in the following federal seats:
House of Representatives, Grayndler, 1979, by election
House of Representatives, Sydney, 1980
House of Representatives, Oxley, Queensland, 1983.

Active in student, religious and union affairs since 1990, Kristina Keneally was the first American born member of the N.S.W. Parliament. In 2003 she was an ALP candidate elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Heffron.

After being re-elected in 2007, she became the Minister for Ageing and Disability Services and was subsequently appointed Minister for Planning by incoming Premier Nathan Rees in September 2008. She held the position of the NSW Government’s Spokesperson for World Youth Day 2008.

On 3 December 2009 the Australian Labor Party caucus elected Keneally to replace Nathan Rees as leader of the parliamentary party. She was sworn in as Premier on 4 December, 2010. She led the Labor Government to defeat at the 2011 election and was replaced as Leader of the ALP by John Robertson in March 2011. She resigned from the Parliament on 29 June 2012.

Liz Kernohan represented the people of Camden on Camden council and in the New South Wales Parliament for more than 30 years. She was first elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Camden in 1991 when she stood as a Liberal Party candidate. Elizabeth gained re-election in 1995 and 1999. She was first appointed a Councillor of the Camden Municipal Council in March 1973 and was re-elected from 1974 -1991 and again in 2004. Liz Kernohan was also Deputy Mayor in 1974-1977 and 1981-1984, and Mayor in 1980 and 1985-1991. She died in October 2004.

Joan Kersey is a multi talented woman, passionately interested in politics and social justice. She was an Australia Party candidate in the 1973 New South Wales Legislative Assembly Armidale by-election. Then she represented the Australian Democrats in the House of Representatives elections for Wentworth in 1977, 1980 and 1981 (by-election).

Jan Kleinig was a once only candidate, but a successful local government councillor. She was Alderman of the Ashfield Municipal Council from 1984-92, making her the first woman to be elected to that council. In 1988 she stood as a Liberal Party candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Drummoyne. Her campaign for Drummoyne, though relatively low key, took the sitting Labor member to preferences. She was particularly concerned with the plight of the elderly and was in favour of encouraging the development of retirement villages in the electorate. At the time of her campaign, she was married and had two children. She was Vice President Liberal Party of NSW in 1990 and a founding member of the Haberfield Association.

Jeni Klugman, who came from a political family, is a distinguished international economist. She was an ALP candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Carlingford in 1988.

In 2019, Klugman is a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government’s Women in Public Policy Program at Harvard University and Managing Director, Georgetown Institute for Women Peace and Security. She recently became VicHealth’s second leading thinker, together with Professor Iris Bohnet, under an initiative that aims to make behavioral insights practical and accessible for Victorian government, industry and not-for-profit organizations.

Previous positions she has held include Director of Gender and Development at the World Bank, and director and lead author of three global Human Development Reports published by the UNDP.

Klugman sits on several boards and panels, including for the World Economic Forum and the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Australian National University, and postgraduate degrees in both Law and Development Economics from the University of Oxford where she was a Rhodes Scholar.

Kris Klugman was a one-time candidate (New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Northcott, 1978), and has contributed to public and cultural life as a board member on numerous cultural and other institutions, as well as being a published economic historian. In 1987 she was appointed an OAM for service to education and to the social welfare of the community.

In 2003, and with her long time partner, Bill Rowlings, she co-founded and became inaugural President of Civil Liberties Australia, a national organisation started in Canberra ACT but with later strong local representation in Tasmania, WA, and NT particularly where earlier local civil liberties groups had collapsed. She and Rowlings co-authored an online history, Civil Liberties in Australia, published progressively in 2018-20 on the website www.cla.asn.au. Kris regards her work for civil liberties as the most important in her lifetime.

Meira Kurfurst was a once only parliamentary candidate, with local interests at heart. She was a Councillor with the Marrickville Municipal Council from 1984-87 and an Independent candidate in the 1995 New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Marrickville. At the time of her campaign, Meira Kurfurst had been a resident of Newtown for 16 years and was well known as a founding member of Concerned Citizens of Newtown and a member of the Cooks River Festival Committee from 1985-89. Her campaign leaflets stressed the urgent need to reduce aircraft noise in the area. She moved to Queensland in the 1990s where she is listed in the Multicultural Resource Directory as a teacher of Hebrew and as President of the Israelis & Friends Association. Meira has a Dip.Ed.

Keelah Lam is a committed and active environmentalist. She represented the Australian Greens in the House of Representatives elections for Warringah in 1998 and 2001and in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Manly in 2003.

Maureen Lane is an outstanding health worker and an active local politician. As a member of the ALP since 1976, she was their candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Ballina in 1991. That same year she was elected a Councillor of the Ballina Shire Council (1991-1992).

Margaret Johansen has been active in local social and environmental issues and was an Australian Greens candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Illawarra in 2003. She has been an active member of the Illawarra community for many years and in 2001 was the Convenor of the Wollongong City Council’s Neighbourhood Committee Eight, to raise community issues with Council members. She has been involved with the Dapto Organic Community Garden, and the Illawarra Waste Board.

Irene Langdon was a once only candidate who ran in the 1988 New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Bathurst as an Australian Democrats candidate. At the time of her campaign, Irene Langdon was living in Bathurst with her husband and four young sons. She was a part-time student. Being a country candidate, her leaflets stressed the problems faced by country people.

Sue Johnson is an active member of the Socialist Alliance. She was their candidate in the 2001 House of Representatives elections for Grayndler and in the 2003 New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Marrickville.

Patricia Ellen Langworthy contested the 1981 New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections in Manly. She was an Independent candidate who was unknown in the electorate at the time of her campaign. This was because she lived in Matraville, a suburb of Sydney far removed from Manly. Patricia Langworthy was a surprise candidate and despite her denials, was widely believed to represent the Melbourne-based organization, Pro-Life. Her campaign literature was described by her opponent, Nelson Meers, as “disgusting, sickening and in extremely bad taste” and he sought to distance himself from the fact that her preferences were directed to him. Her so-called “Dead Babies” leaflet became the subject of state-wide comment on news and talkback shows. According to Ernest Chaples she admitted knowing nothing about politics and only agreed to allow Pro-Life leaders to nominate her at her brother’s suggestion.
After the election, Langworthy disappeared and was unable to be located, even by the State Public Funding Authority.

Danielle Jones only ran once for election – that was in the 2003 New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Kiama. She still continues her interest and work in politics. In 2005 she was on the electorate staff of Joanna Gash, MHR. At the time of her campaign in 2003, she was studying Financial administration/Law, while running her Falls Café at Fitzroy Falls. She had previously managed Ranelagh House Guest House at Robertson for 10 years. Danielle Jones was educated at St Catherine’s College, Waverley and Frensham School, Mittagong. She holds an advertising/marketing diploma and a marketing certificate.

Kylie Laurence was appointed New South Wales State Coordinator for the Family First Party in 2005.

Judy Hopwood was successful at her first campaign where she was a Liberal Party candidate in the 2002 New South Wales Legislative Assembly Hornsby by-election. She was re-elected to the seat the following year during the full elections. She was re-elected again in 2007. She retired from Parliament at the 2011 election.

Jocelyn Howden is a dedicated Greens party member who stood for them in the following elections:
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Hawkesbury, 1999
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, The Hills 2003
House of Representatives, Greenway, 1998

A trade union and ALP stalwart, Veronica Husted contested the following elections:
House of Representatives, Dundas, 1987
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, South Coast 1991
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, South Coast 1995

Dorothy Hutton was a once only candidate for parliamentary election. That was in the 1999 New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Menai, where she stood as a One Nation Party candidate. Dorothy Hutton deplored the biased media reporting of her party’s policy, which she said, forced her not to display her posters for fear of being shunned by neighbours.