Mary Delahunty
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Mary Elizabeth Delahunty (born 7 June 1951) is an Australian journalist and politician with the Labor Party.


Early life

Delahunty was born in the Victorian town of
Murtoa Murtoa is a wheat district town in Victoria, Australia, situated around Lake Marma on the Wimmera Highway, north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. The town is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area. At the , Murtoa had a popul ...
and educated at Loreto College in Ballarat.''Who's Who in Australia 2017'', ConnectWeb. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from
La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...
.


Media career

Delahunty was a news journalist for the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
from 1975 to 1996. She appeared in news and current affairs programs such as ''
Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...
'' and '' The 7.30 Report''. She received a
Gold Walkley The Gold Walkley is the major award of the Walkley Awards The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic ...
award for the story ''Aiding and Abetting'' which was shown and produced by ''Four Corners'' in 1983. ''Aiding and Abetting'' was about the improper use of Australian aid money in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. In the late 1980s, Delahunty, then the chief newsreader for the ABC in Victoria, was parodied by comedian
Jean Kittson Jean Kittson (born 1955) is an Australian performer, writer and comedian in theatre and print, on radio and television. She made her comedy debut at Melbourne's comedy venue Le Joke in a series of solo performances, and then in the stage ver ...
on ''
The Big Gig ''The Big Gig'' was a popular Australian television sketch comedy music/variety series based on the British TV series '' Saturday Live''. It was produced and broadcast on ABC TV in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was produced and directed by ...
'', where Kittson portrayed a snobbish, acid-tongued announcer called Veronica Glenhuntly (whose surname was taken from that of the elite Melbourne suburb). Delahunty was the weeknight presenter of '' ABC News Victoria'' from 1986 until 1990. She was replaced by
Sue McIntosh Sue McIntosh (née Menlove; born 1946) is an Australian television actress, presenter and journalist. Career During the 1960s and 1970s, McIntosh was an actress who worked in British and Australian television. Her early credits include a 19 ...
.


Political career

Delahunty was elected to the seat of Northcote in the
Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...
at a 1998 by-election. Her
maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...
was about the implications of the
Fitzgerald report The "Report of the Fact-Finding Mission to Lebanon inquiring into the causes, circumstances and consequences of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, 25 February - 24 March 2005", better known as the FitzGerald Report, is the o ...
for Victoria, especially in regard to police corruption. Delahunty was Minister for Education from 1999–2002, during the term of the first Bracks Government. She was the Minister for the Arts from 1999–2006, Minister for Women's Affairs from 2002–06, and Minister for Planning from 2002–05. As Minister for Planning, she was responsible for the media presentation of ''Melbourne 2030''. As Minister for Planning, Delahunty was criticized for the altering of the annual Surveyor-General's Report 2002–03, submitted by the
Surveyor-General of Victoria The Surveyor General of Victoria is the person nominally responsible for government surveying in Victoria, Australia. The original duties for the Surveyor General was to measure and determine land grants for settlers in Victoria. The position was cr ...
, Keith Clifford Bell. The acting Victorian Ombudsman announced in January 2004 that he would “investigate why the former Surveyor-General's final annual report was substantially altered before being tabled in State Parliament last November” He also announced he would investigate the misuse of the Surveyor-General’s electronic signature by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The Auditor-General confirmed it would keep a watching brief over the investigations. It was also confirmed that the government ignored the advice of the office of the Victorian Government Solicitor “to not interfere with the report”. Bell, himself had confirmed that the report had been altered. The complaint to the Ombudsman leading to the investigation had come from the then Opposition planning spokesman
Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of ...
Efforts to alter or block Bell’s reports, 1999-01 and 2000–01, had also occurred under the former Minister
Sherryl Garbutt Sherryl Maree Garbutt (born 5 May 1948) is a former Australian politician. Garbutt was awarded the Medal in the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. Early life Born in Melbourne, Victoria, she attended Oak Park High Scho ...
. Garbutt had made claims the reports were inaccurate, but were subsequently tabled without any alteration. The Ombudsman's investigation found substantial sections altered after Bell had finished his term as Surveyor-General. It also found that Bell's signature was assigned to the Annual Report 2002-03 of the Surveyors Board of Victoria, without his knowledge or consent. The government was directed to apologize to Bell. Shadow Planning Minister,
Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of ...
, in his statement to the Parliament on 9 April 2003 reported on the political interference at multiple levels, including the Planning Minister, in the performance of the responsibilities of the Surveyor-General. Bell was acknowledged as a competent, highly respected public servant and he was held in the highest esteem by both the surveying profession and the business sector. In a further statement to Parliament on 4 May 2005, Baillieu commented on the "doctoring" of Bell's report, which had been done at the Minister's direction. Baillieu further cited the Ombudsman's findings that the altering of the report was inappropriate and there were concerns regarding the adequacy of the investigations. It was claimed that then Planning Minister Delahunty had misled the Parliament. The tabled report bears the hand-written note signed by Bell's successor: “Amended by the direction of the Minister. John E.Tulloch Surveyor General of Victoria 19/4/2005”. Previously, in 2002, the Auditor-General reviewed the functions and responsibilities of the Surveyor-General and agreed with reports submitted by Bell. The Auditor-General identified the interference by Land Victoria in the performance of the Surveyor-General's responsibilities, including the wrongful transfer of the Surveyor-General's responsibilities to business units of Land Victoria outside of the Office of Surveyor-General. He confirmed that such responsibilities cannot be transferred without legislative mandate. The Auditor-General found that the transfer of the functions of the Surveyor-General had seen them delivered unsatisfactorily and did not meet the obligations of the legislation. The Opposition blamed Delahunty and her predecessor
Sherryl Garbutt Sherryl Maree Garbutt (born 5 May 1948) is a former Australian politician. Garbutt was awarded the Medal in the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. Early life Born in Melbourne, Victoria, she attended Oak Park High Scho ...
, for extreme political interference in the performance of the Surveyor-General's responsibilities. Such interference included: attempts to block or alter annual reports from Bell; affix his electronic signature without his knowledge or permission; threats and intimidation by the former Executive Director of Land Victoria
Elizabeth O'Keeffe Elizabeth O’Keeffe is a former senior public servant in the State Government of Victoria. She was Executive Director of Land Victoria from the early 1990s until 2002 and then the Chief Operating Officer of the National Gallery of Victoria unt ...
; hiring of private investigators to investigate Bell and his office; and efforts to interfere with his review of State electoral boundaries in his capacity as a Electoral Boundaries Commissioner. Notably, former Surveyor-General Bell was appointed as a
Member 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 the
2022 Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia) The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for Australia were announced on 13 June 2022 by the Governor-General, David Hurley. The Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours ...
for "significant service to surveying, to geospatial information, and to humanitarian operations." In January 2005 Bracks dumped Delahunty as Planning Minister.
Rob Hulls Rob Justin Hulls (born 23 January 1957) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2012, representing the electorate of Niddrie. As well as serving as the Deputy Premier of Victoria, ...
replaced Delahunty in what the media reported as an "increasingly controversial" ministerial portfolio. Delahunty commented in the media that in late February 2005 "she picked up The Sunday Age to read that members of the ruling Right faction of the ALP wanted her out of her safe seat." In October 2006, Delahunty advised that she would not contest the November 2006 election due to health and family reasons.


Personal life

Delahunty is the sister of Victorian National Party MP,
Hugh Delahunty Hugh Francis Delahunty (born 28 June 1949) is an Australian politician. He was a National Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorates of Wimmera (1999–2002) and Lowan (2002–2014). ...
, who is also a former
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
player, as is another brother,
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
. Her husband of 22 years, the journalist Jock Rankin, died in 2002. She has two children, Nicholas and Olivia. She was a guest on ''
Life Matters ''Life Matters'' is a radio program that has been broadcast on Radio National by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 1992. The first presenter was Geraldine Doogue, and Hilary Harper and Michael MacKenzie present the program. Histor ...
'' (ABC Radio National, 26 August 2010)''Life Matters'' episode on which Delahunty appeared
26 August 2010; accessed 3 December 2014.
on such topics as grief, parenting, civic participation and public life, and her memoir, ''Public Life, Private Grief''.


Bibliography


Non-fiction

*


Critical studies and reviews of Delahunty's work

* Review of ''Gravity''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delahunty, Mary 1951 births ABC News (Australia) presenters Australian television journalists Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Australian people of Irish descent Women members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Delegates to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1998 20th-century Australian politicians Walkley Award winners Living people Politicians from Melbourne Journalists from Melbourne Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians Australian women television journalists National Library of Australia Council members People educated at Loreto College, Victoria La Trobe University alumni