Rosemary Anne Crowley (; born 30 July 1938) is a former Australian politician. She served as a Senator for

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

from 1983 to 2002, representing 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 t ...

(ALP). In the Keating Government she held ministerial office as Minister for Family Services (1993–1996) and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women (1993).

Early life and education

Crowley was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and educated at Kilmaire Brigidine Convent. She graduated from 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 no ...

in 1961 with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery.

Career

She then practiced as a doctor for several years at the

Clovelly Park Clovelly Park is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide in the local government area of the City of Marion. Before becoming an 'advanced' suburb, it was a farm and vineyard. The suburb is bordered by Daws Road to the north, South Road to the eas ...

Community Health Centre in

. She was a tutor at Flinders University, and lectured at the Mothers and Babies Health Association. Crowley was a founding member of the SA Mental Health Tribunal in 1973. Crowley joined the

in 1974 as the president of the

Mitcham Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It h ...

branch, and later of the

Unley Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullar ...

branch. She was also a member of the ALP's Women's Policy Committee from 1979 to 1983 and the SA Health Platform Committee from 1981 to 1983. Crowley entered the Senate in 1983, the first woman from the Australian Labor Party in South Australia to do so. During her term in the Senate, she held two ministerial positions: Minister for Family Services from 24 March 1993 to 11 March 1996, and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women from 24 March to 23 December 1993. The former was a junior ministry within the

Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services The Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services was an Australian government department that existed between March and December 1993. The Department was created when the local government functions of the Depart ...

. Crowley was passionate about health care, and contributed to Medicare reforms, as well as other legislation pertaining to child care, women and children, and sexual discrimination. After conducting an enquiry into ''Women, Sport, and the Media'', Crowley made progress in improving funding and recognition for women's sport, which was always less of a priority than men's sport. This led to the establishment of the Prime Minister's Cup for Netball and the South Australian Premier's Cup for Women's Sport. Crowley retired from politics at the end of her term in 2002.

Personal life

Crowley resides in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, and has three adult sons. She enjoys theatre and gardening, and is the Patron of the ''Handknitters Guild of South Australia''.

Awards and honours

At the 2015 Australia Day Honours, Crowley was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia as a Minister in the Commonwealth Government and Senator representing the people of South Australia, and as an advocate for promoting the status of women.

References

External links

Rosemary Crowley Archival Collection at the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial LibraryRosemary Crowley, Senate Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowley, Rosemary 1938 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Australian women medical doctors Australian medical doctors Women government ministers of Australia Medical doctors from Melbourne Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia Officers of the Order of Australia University of Melbourne alumni University of Melbourne women Women members of the Australian Senate 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Government ministers of Australia 20th-century Australian women politicians