Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the Senate for Victoria 1987. Re-elected 1990, 1996 and 2001. Retired with the expiration of term 2008.

Parliamentary positions

• Temporary Chair of Committees from 1.5.1996 to 10.11.1998.

Ministerial appointments

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs from 21.10.1998 to 26.11.2001.
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 16.2.2000 to 26.11.2001.
• Minister for Health and Ageing from 26.11.2001 to 7.10.2003.
• Cabinet Minister from 26.11.2001 to 27.1.2006.
• Minister for Family and Community Services from 7.10.2003 to 27.1.2006.
• Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women from 7.10.2003 to 26.10.2004.
• Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues from 26.10.2004 to 27.1.2006.

Committee service

• Senate Estimates: Estimates Group C served from 24.8.1990 to 20.8.1992; Estimates Group E served as Substitute member from 21.2.1991 to 8.2.1993; Estimates Group D served as Substitute member from 20.8.1992 to 8.2.1993; Estimates Group C served from 6.5.1993 to 9.10.1994; Estimates Group F served as Substitute member from 8.2.1994 to 12.5.1994
• Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing: Employment, Education and Training served from 24.9.1987 to 14.2.1991; Community Affairs served from 5.10.1992 to 24.10.1992; Community Affairs served as Substitute member from 21.2.1994 to 6.12.1994; Community Affairs: Legislation served from 10.10.1994 to 1.7.1996; Community Affairs: References served from 10.10.1994 to 29.4.1996; Employment, Education and Training: References served from 2.5.1996 to 30.6.1996; Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts: Legislation served from 8.5.1996 to 19.5.1996; Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts: Legislation served as Chair from 20.5.1996 to 4.12.1996; Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts: Legislation served from 5.12.1996 to 5.12.1996; Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts: Legislation served as Chair from 4.2.1997 to 22.9.1997; Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts: Legislation served from 28.1.1998 to 4.2.1998; Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts: Legislation served as Chair from 5.2.1998 to 9.11.1998; Community Affairs: References served from 30.4.1998 to 3.12.1998; Community Affairs: Legislation served from 30.4.1998 to 14.5.1998; Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts: Legislation served from 7.2.2006 to 10.9.2006; Community Affairs served from 11.9.2006 to 11.2.2008
• Senate Standing: Scrutiny of Bills served from 24.9.1987 to 7.5.1990; Regulations and Ordinances served from 24.2.1988 to 18.8.1993; Regulations and Ordinances served from 8.5.1996 to 6.12.1996; Regulations and Ordinances served from 4.2.1997 to 22.9.1997; Regulations and Ordinances served from 28.1.1998 to 9.11.1998; Regulations and Ordinances served from 23.3.2007 to 11.2.2008

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Delegate, 3rd Commonwealth Conference on Delegated Legislation, London, November 1989.
• Parliamentary Adviser, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), New York, September-December 1997.
• Official visits to New Zealand, April 2000.
• Official visits to Papua New Guinea, April 2001.
• Official visits to Samoa, June-July 2001.
• Leader, Delegation to the World Conference Against Racism, Durban, South Africa, August-September 2001.
• Official visits to Indonesia, November 2002.
• Official visits to Vietnam, April-May 2004.
• Leader, Delegation to the 49th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, New York, February 2005.
• Attended OECD Social Policy Ministerial Meeting, Paris, March 2005.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway, April-May 2006.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Canada, Germany, Singapore and USA, April-May 2007.

Parliamentary party positions

• Liberal Party of Australia. Served: 11.07.1987 to 30.06.2008
• Shadow Minister for Senior Citizens and Aged Care from 7.4.1993 to 26.5.1994.
• Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader of the Opposition on Women's Affairs and the Arts from 7.4.1993 to 26.5.1994.
• Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Minister for Community Services, Senior Citizens and Aged Care from 26.5.1994 to 25.9.1994.
• Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Minister for Health and Human Services from 14.2.1995 to 11.3.1996.

Party positions

• Member of the Liberal Party State Council (Vic.) from 1985 to 1987.
• Membership Officer of the Liberal Party State Council (Vic.) from 1985 to 1987.
• Member of the Hawthorn and East Yarra Province State Electorate Conference (Vic.) from 1985 to 1987.
• Vice-President of the Liberal Party State Council (Vic.) from 1986 to 1987.

Other positions

• Member of the Australian Psychological Society.

Personal

• Born: 21.11.1944, Sydney, Australia
• Gender: Female

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• PhD (Monash University).
• DipEd (Monash University).
• BA(Hons) (University of Sydney).
• Small business secretary and office manager from 1961 to 1964.
• Tutor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney, 1970.
• Senior Tutor in the Psychology Department at Monash University from 1974 to 1976.
• Member of the State Council from 1974 to 1991.
• Member of the State Executive from 1974 to 1985.
• Lecturer in the School of Behavioural Sciences at the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences from 1977 to 1983. .
• Member of the Monash University Council from 1978 to 1999.
• Senior Lecturer in the School of Behavioural Sciences at the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences from 1983 to 1985.
• Kellogg Travelling and Visiting Fellow in the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan, 1983.
• Visiting Scholar in the Gerontology Center at Pennsylvania State University, 1985.
• Principal Lecturer and Chair of the School of Behavioural Sciences at the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences from 1986 to 1987.
• Member of the State Executive from 1988 to 1991.
• Member of the State Council from 1993.
• Life Member of Guides Victoria from 2002.

Honours

• Appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia, 13.6.2015.

Publications

• Differential hemispheric mediation of nonverbal visual stimuli, KCL Patterson, Melbourne: 1976.