Margaret Quirk
MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
of Western Australia
Assumed office
10 February 2001
Preceded byTed Cunningham
ConstituencyGirrawheen→Landsdale
Personal details
Born (1957-06-26) 26 June 1957
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Political partyLabor
Alma materUniversity of Adelaide
Murdoch University
Websitewww.margaretquirk.com

Margaret Mary Quirk (born 26 June 1957) is an Australian politician who has been a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia since 2001. She served as a minister in the governments of Geoff Gallop and Alan Carpenter between 2005 and 2008.

Early life

Quirk was born in Adelaide, South Australia, to Helen Marian Sykes and James Patrick Quirk. During her childhood, she lived for periods in Perth, Western Australia, and Oxford, England, but eventually returned to Adelaide, graduating from Unley High School. Quirk went on to study law at the University of Adelaide, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1975. She moved to Canberra after graduation, initially working for the administrative review section of the federal government's Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. She later worked in the office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. Quirk moved to Western Australia in 1988 to work as an adviser to the Labor government of Peter Dowding on energy and environmental issues. She was employed by a commercial law from 1989 to 1991, and then worked for the National Crime Authority until her election to parliament.[1]

Politics

Quirk entered parliament at the 2001 state election, replacing the retiring Ted Cunningham in Girrawheen, a Labor safe seat. She was made government whip shortly after her election, and made a parliamentary secretary in 2003.[2] That year, she also graduated from Murdoch University with a Master of Arts degree in public policy.[1] In November 2005, Quirk was elevated to the ministry, becoming Minister for Disability Services, Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, and Minister for Seniors and Volunteering. When Alan Carpenter replaced Geoff Gallop as premier in January 2006, she also became Minister for Women's Interests, but lost the seniors portfolio to David Templeman.[2] A few months later, on 8 May 2006, Quirk replaced John D'Orazio as Minister for Justice, with D'Orazio taking over her previous portfolios (excluding women's interests).[3][4] However, D'Orazio resigned from the ministry the following day, and Quirk regained her other positions for a brief period before eventually relinquishing them to Tony McRae.[5][6] In the same ministerial reshuffle, the position of Minister for Justice was abolished, with Quirk instead becoming Minister for Corrective Services.[2]

In November 2006, Quirk was appointed Minister for Small Business in place of Norm Marlborough, who had been expelled from the ministry.[7][8] She relinquished the women's interests portfolio to Sue Ellery in March 2007, but remained Minister for Corrective Services and Minister for Small Business until the Labor government's defeat at the 2008 state election.[2] Quirk was retained in the shadow ministry under the new leader of the Labor Party (and Leader of the Opposition), Eric Ripper, and continued on after Mark McGowan replaced Ripper as leader in January 2012.[2] She retained Girrawheen at the 2013 state election, despite an unfavourable redistribution which had made it a marginal seat. Quirk has been identified as a member of the Labor Right faction.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Margaret Mary Quirk – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ms Margaret Mary Quirk MLA LLB (Hons), MA – Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Police Minister loses portfolios over licence suspension". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 May 2006.
  4. ↑ "No. 78 (Special)—Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899—Reconstitution of the Ministry" (PDF). Western Australia Government Gazette. 8 May 2006. p. 2006:1751-1752.
  5. ↑ "D'Orazio resigns from Cabinet". ABC Online. 9 May 2006.
  6. ↑ "No.80 (Special)" (PDF). Western Australia Government Gazette. 9 May 2006. p. 2006:1773-1774.
  7. ↑ "Burke, Marlborough caught on tape". 7.30 Report (ABC). 9 November 2006.
  8. ↑ "No.188 (Special)" (PDF). Western Australia Government Gazette. 9 November 2006. p. 2006:4699-4700.
  9. ↑ William Bowe, Electorate: Girrawheen, WA Election: Seat by Seat Guide, Crikey. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Rebecca Carmody, "ALP powerbroker Joe Bullock quits right faction in disgust", ABC News, 9 November 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
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