Women in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

There have been 97 women in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since its establishment in 1856. Women have had the right to vote in the assembly since 1902 and the right to stand as a candidate since 1918.

The first successful candidate for the Legislative Assembly was Millicent Preston-Stanley, who was elected as a Nationalist representative for the multi-member electorate of Eastern Suburbs in 1925, but only lasted one term before being defeated. Fourteen years later, Mary Quirk held the seat of Balmain for Labor after the death of her husband, becoming the first Labor woman in the Assembly. However, successful women candidates in the Legislative Assembly remained few and far between until the 1980s.

In the early 1980s, women began to break through into senior positions in the state; Janice Crosio became the first woman to serve as a minister in state parliament, serving in the Wran Labor ministry, and she was followed on the conservative side of politics by Rosemary Foot, who served as the deputy leader of the Liberal Party for a time. In 1996, Liberal Kerry Chikarovski became the first woman to lead a major party in New South Wales, although she was deposed in 2003.

In 2009, Labor's Kristina Keneally became the first woman to serve as Premier of New South Wales. Both the offices of Premier and Deputy Premier were held by women from 2009 until 2011, the first in Australian history. In 2011, Shelley Hancock was elected as the first female Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. In 2017, Gladys Berejiklian became the first Liberal woman to be elected as Premier of New South Wales and first female Liberal premier of any Australian state.

While there had been a number of women elected to the Legislative Council throughout the middle of the twentieth century, it was only at the 1988 state election that numbers began to grow in the Legislative Assembly. Seven women had been elected in the previous 132 years; six more joined them the 1988 election. Numbers have improved substantially in recent years, with women now occupying 38 Assembly seats in the current parliament. Linda Burney is the only Indigenous Australian woman to have been elected to the New South Wales Parliament.

List of women in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

Names in bold indicate women who have been appointed as Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries during their time in Parliament. Names in italics indicate entry into Parliament through a by-election and * symbolises members that have sat as members in both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.

#NamePartyElectoral districtPeriod of service1Millicent Preston-StanleyNationalistEastern Suburbs30 May 1925 – 7 September 1927 (defeated)2Mary QuirkLaborBalmain14 January 1939 – 22 May 1950 (defeated)3Lilian FowlerLang LaborNewtown27 May 1944 – 22 May 1950 (defeated)4Mary MeillonLiberalMurray10 October 1973 – 9 June 1980 (died)5Rosemary FootLiberalVaucluse7 October 1978 – 13 February 1986 (retired)6Janice CrosioLaborFairfield19 September 1981 – 16 February 1990 (resigned)7Wendy MachinNationalGloucesterManningPort Macquarie12 October 1985 – 28 August 1996 (resigned)8Pam AllanLaborWentworthvilleBlacktown19 March 1988 – 24 March 2007 (retired)Anne CohenLiberalMinchinburyBadgerys Creek19 March 1988 – 25 March 1995 (defeated)Dawn FraserIndependentBalmain19 March 1988 – 25 May 1991 (defeated)Clover MooreIndependentBlighSydney19 March 1988 – 20 September 2012 (resigned)Sandra NoriLaborMcKellPort Jackson19 March 1988 – 24 March 2007 (retired)13Robyn ReadIndependentNorth Shore5 November 1988 – 25 May 1991 (defeated)14Deirdre Grusovin *LaborHeffron23 June 1990 – 22 March 2003 (retired)15Kerry ChikarovskiLiberalLane Cove25 May 1991 – 22 March 2003 (retired)Liz KernohanLiberalCamden25 May 1991 – 22 March 2003 (retired)Faye Lo Po'LaborPenrith25 May 1991 – 22 March 2003 (retired)18Jillian SkinnerLiberalNorth Shore5 February 1994 – 20 February 2017 (resigned)19Gabrielle HarrisonLaborParramatta27 August 1994 – 22 March 2003 (retired)20Reba MeagherLaborCabramatta22 October 1994 – 17 September 2008 (resigned)21Marie AndrewsLaborPeatsGosford25 March 1995 – 26 March 2011 (retired)Diane BeamerLaborBadgerys CreekMulgoa25 March 1995 – 26 March 2011 (retired)Marie Ficarra*LiberalGeorges River25 March 1995 – 27 March 1999 (defeated)Jill HallLaborSwansea25 March 1995 – 1 September 1998 (resigned)25Peta SeatonLiberalSouthern Highlands25 May 1996 – 24 March 2007 (retired)26Lorna StoneLiberalSutherland20 December 1997 – 27 March 1999 (defeated)27Cherie BurtonLaborKogarah27 March 1999 – 28 March 2015 (retired)Katrina HodgkinsonNationalBurrinjuck Cootamundra27 March 1999 – 1 September 2017 (resigned)Alison MegarrityLaborMenai27 March 1999 – 26 March 2011 (retired)Marianne SalibaLaborIllawarra27 March 1999 – 24 March 2007 (retired)31Barbara PerryLaborAuburn8 September 2001 – 28 March 2015 (retired)32Judy HopwoodLiberalHornsby23 February 2002 – 26 March 2011 (retired)33Gladys BerejiklianLiberalWilloughby22 March 2003 – 30 December 2021 (resigned)Linda BurneyLaborCanterbury22 March 2003 – 6 May 2016 (resigned)Angela D'AmoreLaborDrummoyne22 March 2003 – 26 March 2011 (retired)Tanya GadielLaborParramatta22 March 2003 – 26 March 2011 (retired)Shelley HancockLiberalSouth Coast22 March 2003 – 25 March 2023 (retired)Noreen HayLaborWollongong22 March 2003 – 31 August 2016 (resigned)Virginia JudgeLaborStrathfield22 March 2003 – 26 March 2011 (defeated)Kristina KeneallyLaborHeffron22 March 2003 – 29 June 2012 (resigned)Karyn PaluzzanoLaborPenrith22 March 2003 – 7 May 2010 (resigned)42Dawn FardellIndependentDubbo20 November 2004 – 26 March 2011 (defeated)43Carmel Tebbutt*LaborMarrickville17 September 2005 – 28 March 2015 (retired)44Verity Firth LaborBalmain24 March 2007 – 26 March 2011 (defeated)Pru GowardLiberalGoulburn24 March 2007 – 23 March 2019 (retired)Sonia Hornery LaborWallsend24 March 2007 – Jodi McKay LaborNewcastle Strathfield24 March 2007 – 26 March 2011 (defeated) 28 March 2015 – 31 December 2021 (resigned)Lylea McMahon LaborShellharbour24 March 2007 – 26 March 2011 (retired)49Tanya DaviesLiberalMulgoaBadgerys Creek26 March 2011 – Melanie GibbonsLiberalMenai Holsworthy26 March 2011 – 25 March 2023 (lost renomination)Tania MihailukLaborBankstown26 March 2011 – 25 March 2023 (resigned to run for LC)Robyn Parker *LiberalMaitland26 March 2011 – 28 March 2015 (retired)Roza SageLiberalBlue Mountains26 March 2011 – 28 March 2015 (defeated)Gabrielle UptonLiberalVaucluse26 March 2011 – 25 March 2023 (retired)Anna WatsonLaborShellharbour26 March 2011 – Leslie WilliamsNational/LiberalPort Macquarie26 March 2011 – 31 January 2025 (resigned)57Jodie HarrisonLaborCharlestown26 October 2014 –58Jenny AitchisonMaitland28 March 2015 – Prue CarLondonderryYasmin CatleySwanseaTrish DoyleBlue MountainsJulia FinnGranvilleJo HaylenSummer HillJenny LeongGreensNewtownEleni PetinosLiberalMirandaMelinda Pavey*NationalOxley28 March 2015 – 25 March 2023 (retired)Kathy SmithLaborGosford28 March 2015 – 14 February 2017 (resigned)Tamara SmithGreensBallina28 March 2015 – Kate WashingtonLaborPort Stephens70Sophie Cotsis*Canterbury12 November 2016 – 71Liesl TeschGosford8 April 2017 –Felicity WilsonLiberalNorth Shore73Steph CookeNationalCootamundra14 October 2017 – 74Helen DaltonSFF/IndependentMurray23 March 2019 –Wendy LindsayLiberalEast Hills23 March 2019 – 25 March 2023 (defeated)Marjorie O'NeillLaborCoogee23 March 2019 –Robyn PrestonLiberalHawkesburyJanelle Saffin*LaborLismoreWendy TuckermanLiberalGoulburnLynda Voltz*LaborAuburn81Nichole OverallNationalMonaro12 February 2022 – 25 March 2023 (defeated)82Tina AyyadLiberalHolsworthy25 March 2023 –Liza ButlerLaborSouth CoastDonna DavisParramattaStephanie Di PasquaLiberalDrummoyneJudy HannanIndependentWollondillyCharishma KaliyandaLaborLiverpoolKaren McKeownPenrithSally QuinnellCamdenKobi ShettyGreensBalmainKellie SloaneLiberalVaucluseMaryanne StuartLaborHeathcoteTanya ThompsonNationalMyall LakesKylie WilkinsonLaborEast Hills95Jacqui ScrubyIndependentPittwater19 October 2024 –Monica TudehopeLiberalEpping97Katelin McInerneyLaborKiama13 September 2025 –

Timeline

Proportion of women in the Assembly Numbers and proportions are as they were directly after the relevant election and do not take into account by-elections, defections or other changes in membership. The Liberal column also includes that party's predecessors, the Nationalist, United Australia and Democratic parties.

TermLaborLiberalNationalOthersTotalWomenTotal%WomenTotal%WomenTotal%WomenTotal%WomenTotal%1925–19270 46 0.0%132 3.1%0 9 0.0%0 3 0.0%1 90 1.1%1927–19300 40 0.0%033 0.0%0 13 0.0%0 4 0.0%0 90 0.0%1930–19320 55 0.0%023 0.0%0 12 0.0%0 0 0.0%0 90 0.0%1932–19350 24 0.0%041 0.0%0 25 0.0%0 0 0.0%0 90 0.0%1935–19380 29 0.0%038 0.0%0 23 0.0%0 0 0.0%0 90 0.0%1938–19410 28 0.0%037 0.0%0 22 0.0%0 3 0.0%0 90 0.0%1941–19441 54 1.9%014 0.0%0 12 0.0%0 10 0.0%1 90 1.1%1944–19471 56 1.8%012 0.0%0 10 0.0%1 12 8.3%2 90 2.2%1947–19501 52 1.9%019 0.0%0 15 0.0%1 4 25.0%2 90 2.2%1950–19530 46 0.0%029 0.0%0 17 0.0%0 2 0.0%0 94 0.0%1953–19560 57 0.0%022 0.0%0 14 0.0%0 1 0.0%0 94 0.0%1956–19590 50 0.0%027 0.0%0 15 0.0%0 2 0.0%0 94 0.0%1959–19620 49 0.0%028 0.0%0 16 0.0%0 1 0.0%0 94 0.0%1962–19650 54 0.0%025 0.0%0 14 0.0%0 1 0.0%0 94 0.0%1965–19680 45 0.0%031 0.0%0 16 0.0%0 2 0.0%0 94 0.0%1968–19710 39 0.0%036 0.0%0 17 0.0%0 2 0.0%0 94 0.0%1971–19730 45 0.0%032 0.0%0 17 0.0%0 2 0.0%0 96 0.0%1973–19760 44 0.0%1 34 2.9%0 18 0.0%0 3 0.0%1 99 1.0%1976–19780 50 0.0%1 30 3.3%0 18 0.0%0 1 0.0%1 99 1.0%1978–19810 63 0.0%2 18 11.1%0 17 0.0%0 1 0.0%2 99 2.0%1981–19841 69 1.4%1 14 7.1%0 14 0.0%0 2 0.0%2 99 2.0%1984–19881 58 1.7%1 22 4.5%0 15 0.0%0 4 0.0%2 99 2.0%1988–19913 43 7.0%1 39 2.6%1 20 5.0%2 7 28.6%7 109 6.4%1991–19954 46 8.7%3 32 9.4%1 17 5.9%1 4 25.0%9 99 9.1%1995–19999 50 18.0%4 29 13.8%1 17 5.9%1 3 33.3%15 99 15.2%1999–200311 55 22.0%4 20 20.0%1 13 7.7%1 5 20.0%17 93 18.3%2003–200716 55 29.1%5 20 25.0%1 12 8.3%1 6 16.7%23 93 24.7%2007–201118 52 34.6%5 22 22.7%1 13 7.7%2 6 33.3%26 93 28.0%2011–20159 20 45.0%9 51 17.6%2 18 11.1%1 4 25.0%21 93 22.6%2015–201915 34 44.1%7 37 18.9%3 17 17.6%2 5 40.0%27 93 29.0%2019–202317 36 47.2%10 35 28.6%3 13 23.1%3 9 33.3%33 93 35.5%2023–202722 45 48.9%9 24 37.5%2 11 18.1%5 12 41.7%38 92 41.3%

References