Wendy Frances Fatin (born 10 April 1941) is a retired Australian politician. She was a member of 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 the first woman from

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 ...

elected to the House of Representatives, representing the division of

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

(1983–1984) and

Brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

(1984–96). She held ministerial office in the Hawke and Keating governments, serving as Minister for Local Government (1990–1991), Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women (1990–1993), and Minister for the Arts and

Territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

(1991–1993).

Early life

Fatin became a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

in 1962 and later attained a Bachelor of Applied Science (Nursing) from the

Western Australian Institute of Technology Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...

(WAIT). She was a strong advocate for women's issues and was one of the founders of the Women's Electoral Lobby in Western Australia. She served as a ministerial adviser to the Minister for Repatriation and Compensation and Minister for Social Security in 1974–1975.

Politics

At the 1983 election, Fatin was elected to the House of Representatives for the

Division of Canning The Division of Canning is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. History The division was created in 1949 and is named for Alfred Canning, the Western Australian government surveyor who surveyed the Canning Stock Route. It ...

, winning the seat from the Liberals'

Mel Bungey Melville Harold "Mel" Bungey (born 30 August 1934) is an Australian retired politician. Born in Gnowangerup, Western Australia, he was educated at Wesley College, Perth and the University of Western Australia before becoming a farmer. Later, he ...

on a 9.1% swing. She is notable as being the first Western Australian woman to win a seat in that House. Following an electoral redistribution, she won the new seat of

at the 1984 election, holding it until her retirement in 1996. In April 1990, Fatin was appointed to the Hawke ministry as Minister for Local Government and Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women. In December 1991, she left Local Government and was appointed Minister for the Arts and

, retaining her Status of Women role. She stepped down from the ministry after the 1993 election, and chose to retire from politics at the 1996 election, being succeeded in her seat by deputy prime minister

Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, having previously been a cabinet ...

, who had moved from the marginal seat of

Swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

Later life

Her advocacy work continued beyond her retirement from politics, and she is an honorary life member of the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance.

References

External links

Person notes
at National Archives of Australia {{DEFAULTSORT:Fatin, Wendy 1941 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Cabinet of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Canning Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Brand Members of the Australian House of Representatives Women members of the Australian House of Representatives People from Harvey, Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Women government ministers of Australia Australian women nurses Australian nurses Curtin University alumni 20th-century Australian women politicians Women's ministers of Australia