- In full:
- Carmen Mary Lawrence
- Born:
- March 2, 1948, Northam, Western Australia, Australia (age 78)
- Title / Office:
- parliament (1986-1993), Western Australia
- Political Affiliation:
- Australian Labor Party
Carmen Lawrence
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Who is Carmen Lawrence?
Carmen Lawrence (born in Northam, Western Australia, on March 2, 1948) is an Australian politician prominent as the premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to hold that position.
A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), Lawrence was elected to the Western Australian Parliament in 1986. After the ALP lost the 1993 elections, she served as shadow treasurer and shadow minister for employment. In 1994, she entered the federal House of Representatives. As minister of health, it seemed she would become the country’s first female prime minister. However, a royal commission investigated her conduct regarding a tabled petition in 1992, leading to perjury charges in 1997, of which she was acquitted in 1999. Lawrence was the first female president of the ALP (2004–05) and retired from politics in 2007.
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What important political roles did Carmen Lawrence have in Australia?
Carmen Lawrence rose to prominence in Australian politics as the premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, becoming the first woman to hold such a position in any Australian state. During her tenure as premier, she also served as treasurer of Western Australia. In 1993, following the ALP's defeat, she transitioned to federal politics, representing Fremantle in the House of Representatives beginning in March 1994. Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Paul Keating appointed her to his cabinet. Later, from 2004–2005, she became the first female president of the ALP.
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Which state did Carmen Lawrence serve as Premier?
Carmen Lawrence served as the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, making her the first woman to hold that position in any Australian state. Later, she transitioned to federal politics as a member of the House of Representatives for Fremantle, Western Australia. In 1994, she joined the Australian cabinet as minister of health. Before entering politics, Lawrence studied psychology and taught at the University of Western Australia. She retired from politics in 2007.
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What was significant about Carmen Lawrence becoming the Premier of Western Australia?
Carmen Lawrence's rise to premier of Western Australia in 1990 was significant because she was the first woman to hold the position in any Australian state. Although she inherited the negative fallout from the WA Inc scandals, her appointment marked a shift in Western Australian politics. Before entering politics, Lawrence studied psychology and later lectured. In 1986, she was elected to the Western Australian Parliament as a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). After her term as premier, she transitioned to federal politics, but faced challenges and scrutiny that impacted her career. She later became the first female president of the ALP.
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What other roles did Carmen Lawrence have after serving as Premier?
After serving as Premier of Western Australia (1990-93), Carmen Lawrence held various significant roles. After a short time as shadow treasurer and shadow minister for employment, she entered the federal House of Representatives as the member from Fremantle, Western Australia, on March 12, 1994. Shortly after, she joined the Australian cabinet as minister of health on March 25, 1994. Lawrence remained in the cabinet until the fall of the Keating government in March 1996 and then held various shadow government portfolios. On February 21, 1997, the royal commission charged Lawrence with perjury, and she gave up her positions in the shadow government. After being acquitted in July 1999, she later served as the first female president of the ALP (2004–05). Lawrence retired from politics in 2007.
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How has Carmen Lawrence contributed to Australian society beyond her political offices?
Carmen Lawrence, beyond her roles as the Premier of Western Australia (1990-93) and in Paul Keating's cabinet, left significant marks on Australian society. As the first female premier of an Australian state, she paved the way for women in politics. Later in her career, Lawrence served as the first female president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2004 to 2005. Despite facing political challenges and a royal commission, she remained a prominent figure, advocating for social equity and human rights.
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Carmen Lawrence (born March 2, 1948, Northam, Western Australia, Australia) is an Australian politician who rose to prominence as premier of Western Australia (1990–93) and served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Paul Keating.
Lawrence was born to a wheat-farming family. She studied psychology at the University of Western Australia, graduating in 1968. She subsequently taught at several schools, and in 1983 she earned a Ph.D. at her alma mater. In 1986 she was elected to the Western Australian Parliament as a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and four years later she became premier; she was the first woman to serve as premier of an Australian state. She also held various other posts, including treasurer of Western Australia. In 1993, however, the ALP was defeated at the elections, and Lawrence left office. After a short stint in opposition as shadow treasurer and shadow minister for employment, she entered the federal House of Representatives as the member from Fremantle, Western Australia, on March 12, 1994. Prime Minister Keating put her on the fast track into the cabinet, but from that time forward she was under constant fire from her former political enemies in the west.
When Lawrence joined the Australian cabinet as minister of health on March 25, 1994, less than two weeks after she entered the federal Parliament, it seemed only a matter of time before she would become the country’s first female prime minister. Lawrence seized the opportunity to enter national politics at an unexpected by-election. The conservative (Liberal-National Party alliance) state government led by Premier Richard Court, however, pursued her from Perth to Canberra and set up a royal commission, which, many observers agreed, soon turned into a witch hunt intended to destroy Lawrence’s political career. Court instructed the royal commissioner to seek to establish the facts surrounding the tabling (formal submission) of a petition in the Western Australian Parliament in November 1992. This petition, which involved allegations of perjury against lawyer Penny Easton (who committed suicide a few days later), was the last salvo in an acrimonious divorce between Easton and her husband, Brian Easton, a state government official against whom she had brought unsuccessful charges of corruption and financial impropriety. The commission was ordered to investigate the tangled case to see if then-premier Lawrence had made improper use of executive power in the matter.
Before the royal commission began its hearings, Lawrence had a reputation for being “Teflon tough.” While public opinion was primarily concerned about the huge cost of her legal proceedings, Lawrence experienced it as an ordeal and was driven to the brink of resignation. As the only woman in Keating’s cabinet, Lawrence complained that she was “hot political property” and a clearly identifiable target for the opposition. “If you’re initially anointed with the saintly stereotype that I was,” she said, “only one course of action can follow—the halo will eventually become tarnished.”
Lawrence remained in the cabinet until the fall of the Keating government in March 1996. Over the next several years she held various shadow government portfolios. On February 21, 1997, the royal commission charged Lawrence with perjury. She gave up her positions in the shadow government until a verdict was rendered but continued to represent Fremantle in the House of Representatives. She was acquitted of the charges in July 1999. In 2004–05 she served as the first female president of the ALP. Lawrence retired from politics in 2007.