Elaine Darling
Encyclopedia
Elaine Elizabeth Darling (born 6 June 1936) is a retired Australia
n politician. Born in Brisbane
, she attended the University of Queensland
before becoming a teacher, eventually rising to an assistant to the Director of the Brisbane Kindergarten Training College. In 1980, she was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
as the Labor
member for Lilley
, defeating the sitting Liberal
MP Kevin Cairns. She was the fifth woman elected to the House of Representatives, and the second female Labor member of that House (the first was Joan Child
). She held Lilley until her retirement in 1993.
was a long serving member of the Australian Labor Party
and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
. Her daughter, Vicky Darling
, is a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. Born in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, she attended the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
before becoming a teacher, eventually rising to an assistant to the Director of the Brisbane Kindergarten Training College. In 1980, she was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
as the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member for Lilley
Division of Lilley
The Division of Lilley is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was first proclaimed in 1913. The division is named after Sir Charles Lilley, a former Premier of Queensland and a former Chief Justice in the Supreme Court of Queensland....
, defeating the sitting Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
MP Kevin Cairns. She was the fifth woman elected to the House of Representatives, and the second female Labor member of that House (the first was Joan Child
Joan Child
Gloria Joan Liles Child AO is a former Australian politician. She was the first, and so far only, woman to be Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives....
). She held Lilley until her retirement in 1993.
Family political connections
Her father Jack MelloyJack Melloy
John Melloy was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party.-Personal life:...
was a long serving member of the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
. Her daughter, Vicky Darling
Vicky Darling
Vicky Elizabeth Darling is a Labor politician elected to the Queensland State Parliament in September 2006 as the member for the safe seat of Sandgate....
, is a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
.