Margaret McAleer (16 February 1930 – 30 March 1999) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

from 1974 to 1993. The daughter of former

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

mayor James McAleer, Margaret 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 is ...

, and educated in Geraldton and Perth before studying at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, from which she graduated with a

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 years ...

. In 1961 she began farming at

Arrino Arrino is a small town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The town is located between Mingenew and Three Springs on the Midlands Road. The name of the town is Aboriginal in origin; it is the name of the local springs, thought to me ...

, and was elected to Three Springs Shire Council in 1967. She became active in the

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 ...

as a member of the Rural Committee from 1968, President of the

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

Central Division from 1970 and State Vice President in 1973. McAleer was elected to the

in 1974, representing

Upper West Province The Upper West Province was a two-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the Mid West region of the state. It was one of several rural seats created following the enactment of the ''Constitution Acts A ...

; she was the first non-Labor woman to win a seat in the Council. She was the Government Whip from 1980 and Opposition Whip from 1983 until her retirement in 1993, as well as Shadow Minister for Women's Interests from 1990 to 1992. McAleer died in 1999.

References

1930 births 1999 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Politicians from Perth, Western Australia University of Melbourne alumni Western Australian local councillors 20th-century Australian politicians Women members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Women local councillors in Australia 20th-century Australian women politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub