Diana Muriel Warnock (''née'' Robinson; born 3 October 1940 in
Western Australia) is a former Western Australian radio broadcaster, women's rights activist and state politician.
Warnock worked as a journalist with the
Perth ''Daily News'', and as a radio broadcaster with
720 ABC Perth,
6PR and
6NR.
She was elected to the State Parliament as the
Member for Perth in 1993, succeeding Dr
Ian Alexander who had retired. She was re-elected in 1996 but did not contest the February 2001 election. Her political career was entirely from the opposition bench, during the
premiership of
Richard Court. Warnock served as Opposition
whip
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
, spokesperson for Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs and the Arts and spokesperson for Women's Interests and Racing & Gaming. She also served as President of the State Parliamentary
Labor Party.
In 1996, Warnock and
upper house MP
Cheryl Davenport steered a controversial pro-choice bill through the parliament—the "Acts Amendment (Abortion) Bill", which effectively decriminalised abortion and enabled women to access abortions of pregnancies up to 20 weeks on the basis of informed consent.
In 1999 she was named the Australian Humanist of the Year by the
Council of Australian Humanist Societies. , she is the current patron of the Friends of
Perth International Arts Festival
Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...
.
PIAF website
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Warnock was married to local novelist, playwright and arts patron Bill Warnock, who died in 2001.
References
1940 births
Living people
People from Perth, Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Australian radio personalities
Australian women radio presenters
Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia
21st-century Australian politicians
Women members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
21st-century Australian women politicians
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