Janice Ann Crosio (; born 3 January 1939) is an Australian politician from the Labor Party. She was a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

, and became the first woman Cabinet minister in New South Wales. Later she was a member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

, and a Parliamentary Secretary.

Early life

Crosio was born in the Sydney suburb of Granville and educated at Strathfield Girls High School. In 1957, she married Ivo Crosio and they have one son and twin daughters. She was an alderman of

Fairfield City Council The Fairfield City Council is a local government area in the west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was first incorporated as the "Municipal District of Smithfield and Fairfield" on 8 December 1888, and the cou ...

in suburban Sydney from 1971 to 1980 and Mayor from 1974 to 1975 and 1977 to 1980.

State politics

Crosio was the first woman elected to the

in thirty years, representing Fairfield from 1981 to 1988 and Smithfield from 1988 to 1990. She was the first woman Cabinet minister in New South Wales: Minister for Natural Resources 1984–86, Minister for Local Government 1986–88 and Minister for Water Resources 1986–88.

Federal politics

Crosio represented Prospect,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from March 1990 to October 2004. She was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Arts and Administrative Services in 1993, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Environment, Sport and Territories 1993–94 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Security 1994–96. Crosio was Chief Opposition Whip 2001–04. She retired at the 2004 election.

Honours

Crosio was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for services to local government and the community in 1978. She was made

Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

in 1980 for services to the Italian Community. In 2006 she was made a Member (AM) in the General Division of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in recognition of her service to the Parliaments of the Australian Commonwealth and of New South Wales, her service to her municipality and also for her pioneering of women's participation in politics.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Crosio, Janice 1939 births Living people Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Prospect Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Labor Right politicians Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales New South Wales local councillors Mayors of Fairfield, New South Wales Members of the Order of Australia Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Women members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Women mayors of places in New South Wales 20th-century Australian women politicians Women local councillors in Australia