Rosemary Varty (born 20 December 1933) is an Australian politician. She was a

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 ...

member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

from 1985 to 1999, representing

Nunawading Province Nunawading Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It was created in 1976, based in the outer eastern Melbourne suburbs including Nunawading. It was finally abolished 29 March 1996. Much of its area was replaced by Ko ...

(1985–1992) and Silvan Province (1992–1999). Varty was born in Lilydale, and was a financial controller and administration manager before entering

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

. She was a

City of Box Hill The City of Box Hill was a local government area about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1927 until 1994. History Box Hill was originally included in the Nunawading R ...

councillor from 1981 to 1984, and was a member of the Australian Local Government Women's Association from 1981 to 1993. A long-time member of the Liberal Party, she ran for Liberal preselection eight times before being ultimately successful in 1985. At the 1985 state election, Liberal candidate Varty and Labor Party candidate Bob Ives finished in a tied result for the seat of Nunawading Province, which ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' described as "the most sensational electoral finish in memory". The returning officer drew Ives' name out of a box and declared him elected, which gave Labor control of the Legislative Council. Varty successfully disputed the result in the Court of Disputed Returns and easily won a court-ordered August 1985 by-election. Her seat of Nunawading Province was abolished at the end of her first term in 1992, and she subsequently contested and won the new seat of Silvan Province. Varty was appointed secretary to the shadow cabinet in 1989, and continued as parliamentary secretary to the cabinet when the Liberal Party won government under

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...

in 1992. She remained in the role until her retirement at the 1999 election She later contested the 2000 local government elections for the

Shire of Yarra Ranges The Shire of Yarra Ranges, also known as Yarra Ranges Council, is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer eastern and northeastern suburbs of Melbourne extending into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. It has an ...

, but was unsuccessful. Varty was awarded the Medal 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 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for "service to the community, and to lawn bowls".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varty, Rosemary 1933 births Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Living people Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Women members of the Victorian Legislative Council People from Lilydale, Victoria