Donna Evelyn Mary Faragher (née Taylor; born 12 September 1975) is an Australian politician who has been a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

member of the Legislative Council of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

since 2005, representing East Metropolitan Region. She became a minister in the government of

Colin Barnett Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is a former Australian politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other po ...

in 2008, becoming the youngest woman to hold ministerial office in Western Australia.

Early life

Faragher was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

to Joan Betty Light and Donald Franklin Taylor, both of whom were police officers. She attended primary school at

Guildford Grammar School Guildford Grammar School, informally known as Guildford Grammar, Guildford or GGS, is an independent Anglican coeducational primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in Guildford, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Initial ...

and secondary school at Perth College. Faragher then went on to the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany and various other facilitie ...

, graduating with an initial

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree and later completing a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

. She was federal secretary of the

Australian Liberal Students' Federation The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF) is an Australian students' political organisation. Founded in 1948, the ALSF carries similar ideology to the Liberal Party of Australia. The Federation works closely with the Liberal Party, howe ...

in 1997.Donna Evelyn Mary Faragher
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2016.

Politics

Prior to entering parliament, Faragher worked as a policy advisor for Senator Chris Ellison, a federal government minister under

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

. She was elected to the Legislative Council at the 2005 state election, running second behind

Helen Morton Helen Margaret Morton (born 30 September 1949) is an Australian politician. She was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 2005 to 2017, representing the region of East Metropolitan. On 14 December 2010, Morton ...

on the Liberal Party's ticket in East Metropolitan Region.Hon. Donna Evelyn Mary Faragher MLC JP; M.Ed(Hons); BA (Hons); Grad.Dip. Ed
– Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2016. Aged 29 at the time of her election, she became the youngest female MP for the Liberal Party (and the second-youngest overall, after

Bill Grayden William Leonard Grayden (born Wilbur Ives; 5 August 1920) is an Australian former politician. He was a member of parliament across six decades, serving in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (1947–1949, 1956–1993) and the Australian ...

), as well as the second-youngest woman ever elected to the Legislative Council (after the Labor Party's

Louise Pratt Louise Clare Pratt (born 18 April 1972) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Western Australia since 2016, and previously from 2008 to 2014. She is a member of the Labor Party, and served as a member of the Western Australian ...

). Shortly after her election, Faragher was added to the Liberal shadow ministry. She would serve under four leaders of the opposition (

Matt Birney Matthew John Birney (born 10 June 1969) was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008, serving as Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2006. Birney was born in Sydney but ...

Paul Omodei Paul Domenic Omodei (born 26 May 1950), Australian politician, was the leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia from 24 March 2006 until 17 January 2008. Background Omodei was born in Manjimup, a town in ...

Troy Buswell Troy Raymond Buswell (born 19 March 1966) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2014, representing the seat of Vasse. He was Treasurer of Western Australia in th ...

, and

. When the Liberal Party won victory at the 2008 state election, she was made Minister for the Environment and Minister for Youth in the new ministry formed by Colin Barnett. Aged 33, she became the youngest woman to serve as a government minister in Western Australia, and the fourth-youngest overall. In November 2010, Faragher resigned from the ministry in order to give birth to her first child."Donna Faragher quits as Environment Minister"
news.com.au, 22 November 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2016. She was instead made parliamentary secretary to the premier, and held that position until March 2016, when she re-entered the ministry as Minister for Planning and

Minister for Disability Services Minister for Disability Services is a position in the government of Western Australia, currently held by Stephen Dawson of the Labor Party. The position was first created in 1991, for the government of Carmen Lawrence, and has existed in every g ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Faragher, Donna 1975 births Living people Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People educated at Perth College (Western Australia) University of Western Australia alumni 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians Women members of the Western Australian Legislative Council

Early life

Politics

See also

References