Reba Meagher
Encyclopedia
Reba Paige Meagher is a former Australian politician
who was a member of the New South Wales
Legislative Assembly
, representing the electoral district of Cabramatta
. She was a minister in various portfolios from 2003 to 2008. On 6 September 2008 Meagher announced that she would not be seeking a ministerial appointment from new Premier Nathan Rees
. On 13 September 2008 she announced her retirement as a NSW MP. She formally resigned on 17 September 2008.
, the daughter of Les Meagher, a printer for the Sydney Morning Herald. She received her Higher School Certificate from Endeavour High School in 1985. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
from the University of Sydney
in 1989, and a Master of Labour Law and Relations in 1992.
was shot in front of his fiancee on 5 September 1994, the then Labor Party head (Now Labor MLC and former Health Minister) John Della Bosca
, offered the seat to Reba Meagher - confirming an offer he had first made hours before the killing.
Since entering Parliament, Meagher served in a number of ministerial and sub-ministerial positions:
She also served on a number of Parliamentary Committees:
, a location that has often been the subject of media criticism given its distance from her western Sydney electorate.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who was a member of the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
, representing the electoral district of Cabramatta
Electoral district of Cabramatta
Cabramatta is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a 19.82 km² urban electorate in Sydney's south-west, centred on the suburb of Cabramatta from which it takes its name. It also includes the suburbs of Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights,...
. She was a minister in various portfolios from 2003 to 2008. On 6 September 2008 Meagher announced that she would not be seeking a ministerial appointment from new Premier Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees MP, , an Australian politician, was the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales division of the Australian Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009...
. On 13 September 2008 she announced her retirement as a NSW MP. She formally resigned on 17 September 2008.
Early life
Meagher was born in 1967 in Caringbah, New South WalesCaringbah, New South Wales
Caringbah is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Caringbah is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Sutherland Shire...
, the daughter of Les Meagher, a printer for the Sydney Morning Herald. She received her Higher School Certificate from Endeavour High School in 1985. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1989, and a Master of Labour Law and Relations in 1992.
Political career
Meagher has declared on 7 November 2008 at an equiry that just over an hour after the Cabramatta MP John NewmanJohn Newman (Australian politician)
John Paul Newman was a member of the New South Wales state parliament and Member for the seat of Cabramatta. He was the first elected politician to be assassinated in Australia.-Early life:...
was shot in front of his fiancee on 5 September 1994, the then Labor Party head (Now Labor MLC and former Health Minister) John Della Bosca
John Della Bosca
John Joseph Della Bosca is a former Australian politician, representing the Australian Labor Party in the New South Wales Legislative Council...
, offered the seat to Reba Meagher - confirming an offer he had first made hours before the killing.
Since entering Parliament, Meagher served in a number of ministerial and sub-ministerial positions:
- Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Transport and Minister for Roads on matters concerning Roads (April 1999 to March 2002)
- Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Police (March 2003 to April 2003)
- Minister for Fair Trading (April 2003 to January 2005)
- Minister Assisting the Minister for Commerce (April 2003 to January 2005)
- Minister for Youth (January 2005 to April 2007)
- Minister for Community Services (January 2005 to April 2007)
- Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (November 2006 to April 2007)
- Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship (November 2006 to April 2007)
- Minister for Health (April 2007 to September 2008)
She also served on a number of Parliamentary Committees:
- Member, Committee on the Office of the Ombudsman and the Police Integrity Commission (May 1995 to April 1998)
- Member, Legislative Assembly Standing Ethics Committee (May 1995 to March 1999)
- Member, Committee on the Independent Commission Against Corruption (May 1995 to March 1999)
- Member, Joint Standing Committee upon Small Business (November 1996 to March 1999)
- Member, Joint Select Committee into Injecting Rooms (June 1997 to February 1998)
Personal life
Meagher lives in the eastern Sydney suburb of CoogeeCoogee, New South Wales
Coogee is a beachside suburb of local government area City of Randwick. It is located 8 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is also a part of the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney....
, a location that has often been the subject of media criticism given its distance from her western Sydney electorate.