Jeannette McHugh (; born 18 December 1934) is a former Australian politician who was the first woman from

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 ...

elected to

federal parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...

. She served in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from 1983 to 1996, representing the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(ALP), and was Minister for Consumer Affairs in the Keating Government from 1992 to 1996. She was a schoolteacher and political activist prior to entering parliament.

Early life and education

Born in

Kandos, New South Wales Kandos is a small town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, within Mid-Western Regional Council. The area is the traditional home of the Dabee tribe, of the Wiradjuri people. The town sits beneath Cumber Melon Mountain (from ...

, McHugh was educated at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, where she resided at the Women's College.

Career

Early career

She worked as a languages teacher and on social justice issues for many years through her involvement in housing, environment, anti-nuclear, peace and women's organisations before gaining ALP pre-selection for the Division of Phillip, a seat she won at the

1983 Australian federal election The 1983 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election, following a double dissolution. The incumbent Coalition government whi ...

, making her the first woman from New South Wales to sit in the federal parliament.

Parliamentary career

She was made Minister for Consumer Affairs in 1992, making her the first female federal minister from New South Wales. When the Division of Phillip was abolished after an electoral redistribution, it was arranged for McHugh to move to the

Division of Grayndler The Division of Grayndler is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Grayndler covers most of Sydney's newly formed Inner West Council. The electorate includes the suburbs of Balmain, Birchgrove, Rozelle, Leichhard ...

, as she was entitled to a seat as a minister. The sitting member

Leo McLeay Leo Boyce McLeay (born 4 October 1945) is a former Australian politician who served as a Labor Party member of the House of Representatives from June 1979 to October 2004. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives 1989–93. During 1992 h ...

agreed to move to the new neighbouring electorate of Watson. McHugh announced her retirement from parliament, to be effective at the time of the 1996 Australian federal election, at which the ALP lost government.

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parlia ...

won pre-selection for Grayndler, and retained the seat for Labor at the election. McHugh was a member of Labor's Left faction.

Post-parliamentary career

McHugh is Chair of the Jessie Street Trust, and was Secretary of the

Evatt Foundation The H.V. Evatt Memorial Foundation is an Australian think tank founded in memory of Australian politician, judge, historian and diplomat H. V. Evatt. It is based in Sydney, with members and supporters from around the world. It is a progressive o ...

until November 2006.

Personal life

Jeannette McHugh is married to former

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...

justice

Michael McHugh Michael Hudson McHugh (born 1 November 1935) is a former justice of the High Court of Australia; the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. Early years The son of a miner and steelworker, McHugh left school at 15 despite excelling ...

. Her parents were Charles Richard "Charlie" Goffet (1909–91), who taught French at

Newcastle Boys High School , motto_translation = With Oars and Sailsi.e. with all one's might , streetaddress = Turton Road, Waratah , city = Newcastle , state = New South Wales , postcode = 2298 , country ...

from 1942 to 1978, and Neta Jean Goffet (née Walsh) (1909–83). Her younger sister is former Labor and Independent local councillor and Mayor of Warringah, Julie Sutton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McHugh, Jeannette 1934 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Labor Left politicians Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Phillip Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Grayndler University of Sydney alumni Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Women government ministers of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians