Kathy Sullivan (Australian politician)

Kathryn Jean Martin Sullivan AM (born 8 March 1942), Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate from 1974 to 1984, representing Queensland, and a member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Moncrieff, Queensland, from 1984 to 2001.[1] She previously held the record for the longest service in the Australian Parliament for a woman, topping the record previously held by Dorothy Tangney. This record has since been surpassed by Bronwyn Bishop.[2] She was the first woman member of the parliament to have served in both houses.[3]

The Honourable

Kathy Sullivan

AM
Senator for Queensland
In office
18 May 1974 – 5 November 1984
Succeeded byWarwick Parer
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Moncrieff
In office
1 December 1984 – 8 October 2001
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded bySteven Ciobo
Personal details
Born
Kathryn Jean Martin

(1942-03-08) 8 March 1942
Brisbane, Queensland
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal Party of Australia
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationTeacher

Biography

Sullivan was born Kathryn Jean Martin in Brisbane, Queensland, and was educated at the University of Queensland, where she graduated in arts. She was a teacher, administrative officer and part-time lecturer before entering politics.[1]

She was elected to the Senate at the 1974 election, and sat as Senator Kathy Martin. She resigned from the Senate in 1984 in order to contest the newly created lower house seat of Moncrieff at the 1984 election. Soon after entering the House of Representatives she changed her name to Kathy Sullivan.

Sullivan was the first female Deputy Whip in the House of Representatives. She was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry (1983–84) and (1993–94). She was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs (1997–2000).[1]

She has been a vocal advocate for an increase in the number of women in parliament.[4]

Recognition

In 2003, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia, for service to the Parliament of Australia and to the community, particularly as an advocate for improved services and conditions affecting women.[5]

Sullivan was a relatively low-profile MP but in 1993 received national attention when ALP Treasurer John Dawkins taunted her by calling her "sweetheart" in Parliament, which outraged female MPs from Dawkins' own party.

References
  1. Parliamentary profile
  2. Wilson, Janet, & McCann, Dr Joy (9 July 2014). "Representation of women in Australian parliaments 2014". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  3. Dr Joy McCann and Janet Wilson (7 March 2012): Representation of women in Australian parliaments, Australian Parliamentary Library.
  4. Senate vacancy
  5. SULLIVAN, Kathy, It's an Honour, 2003.
Parliament of Australia
New division Member for Moncrieff
1984–2001		 Succeeded by
Steven Ciobo

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.