Pamela Ann Buchanan (née Slocombe; 6 February 1937 – 31 March 1992) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly 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 ...

between 1983 and 1992. She represented the Labor Party for the majority of her time in parliament, and was a minister in the

Lawrence government Carmen Mary Lawrence (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian academic and former politician who was the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state. A member of the Labor Party, sh ...

, but resigned to sit as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

in 1991.

Biography

Buchanan 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 Doris May (née Brittain) and Walter Scott Slocombe. She attended Perth Girls' High School, and later went on to Perth Technical College. From 1967 to 1976, she was a preschool administrator in Roebourne, in the state's north-west, where she also ran an adult education centre for Aboriginals. A member of the Labor Party from 1976, from 1980 to 1982 Buchanan was an assistant in the Karratha office of

Peter Dowding Peter McCallum Dowding SC (born 6 October 1943) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who served as the 24th Premier of Western Australia, from 25 February 1988 until his forced resignation on 12 February 1990. He was a member of parli ...

, a member of the Legislative Council for North Province and also a future premier. Later president of the party's Wickham branch, she ran for the seat of Pilbara at the 1983 state election, winning with 58.77% of the vote. She replaced the retiring

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member, Brian Sodeman, who had held the seat since 1974. Buchanan increased her majority to 64.67% at the 1986 election, after which she was made a government whip. At the

1989 election The following elections occurred in the year 1989. Africa * 1989 Beninese parliamentary election * 1989 Botswana general election * 1989 Equatorial Guinean presidential election * 1989 People's Republic of the Congo parliamentary election * 19 ...

, Buchanan successfully transferred to the newly recreated seat of Ashburton, with her replacement in Pilbara, Larry Graham, retaining that seat for Labor.Black and Prescott (1997), p. 15. The re-elected Dowding government persisted only until February 1990, when it was replaced by the

following Dowding's forced resignation. New premier

Carmen Lawrence Carmen Mary Lawrence (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian academic and former politician who was the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state. A member of the Labor Party, sh ...

elevated Buchanan to the ministry as Minister for Works and Services and Minister for Regional Development. She was also made assistant minister to Lawrence in her capacity as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. However, the regional development portfolio was abolished in December 1990, and Buchanan lost her remaining portfolios in February 1991, as part of a ministerial reshuffle prompted by an internal spill motion. Jeff Carr and Gavan Troy were also removed as ministers, with Carr consequently resigning from parliament. Buchanan herself resigned to sit as an independent on 1 February 1991, before the new ministry was sworn in four days later. She consequently became the first woman in the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative ...

to sit as an independent.

Liz Constable Elizabeth Constable (born 2 December 1943) is a former Independent member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, firstly representing the seat of Floreat after winning it at a 1991 by-election following the resignation of Andrew Mens ...

was the first woman elected to parliament ''standing'' as an independent, winning a by-election in July 1991. Buchanan resigned due to ill health just over a year later, in March 1992, and died at the end of that month, aged 55. She had married George Maitland Buchanan in April 1957, with whom she had two daughters. Her resignation prompted a by-election in Ashburton, which was won by the Labor candidate Fred Riebeling.

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Pam 1937 births 1992 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Perth, Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians Women members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly