Ann Barker
Encyclopedia
Ann Patricia Barker is an Australia
n politician. She has been an Australian Labor Party
member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
since 1999, representing the electorate of Oakleigh
. She previously represented the electorate of Bentleigh
from 1988 to 1992.
Barker was born in Tasmania
. She worked as an electorate officer to former federal MP Joan Child
before being elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly
seat of Bentleigh
at the 1988 state election, succeeding retiring ALP member Gordon Hockley. She was seen as a potential ministerial candidate towards the end of her first term, but was twice overlooked by then-Premier Joan Kirner
. These ambitions were to be short-lived, as she was one of many Labor members to be defeated amidst the party's landslide defeat at the 1992 state election, losing to Liberal Inga Peulich
.
After her 1992 election defeat, Barker was employed as an advisor to federal MP Simon Crean
, then a minister in the Keating
government. She left Crean's office in 1996 to work as an office manager with the Victorian Court Information and Welfare Network, but returned to Crean's office the following year. She was the Labor candidate for the seat of Oakleigh
at the 1996 election, but was very narrowly defeated by incumbent Liberal member Denise McGill
. She was again the Labor candidate for the seat at the 1999 election, having resisted pressure to stand aside for star candidate Mary Delahunty
, and amidst the party's statewide victory, succeeded in defeating McGill.
Barker was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Training and Higher Education after the party's victory at the 2002 election. A relatively low-profile MP, she spoke less than only one other member of either house of parliament in 2004. In 2006, she was a vocal supporter of Martin Pakula
's unsuccessful challenge to the preselection of her former employer, Simon Crean. She was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly after the 2006 election
.
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. She has been an 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...
member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
since 1999, representing the electorate of Oakleigh
Electoral district of Oakleigh
The Electoral district of Oakleigh is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers the suburbs of Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Oakleigh East, Oakleigh and parts of Chadstone, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Glen Huntly and Ormond.The seat is Labor Party...
. She previously represented the electorate of Bentleigh
Electoral district of Bentleigh
The Electoral district of Bentleigh is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is an inner-suburban seat based around the suburbs of Bentleigh, McKinnon and most of Moorabbin south east of Melbourne....
from 1988 to 1992.
Barker was born in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. She worked as an electorate officer to former federal MP 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....
before being elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
seat of Bentleigh
Electoral district of Bentleigh
The Electoral district of Bentleigh is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is an inner-suburban seat based around the suburbs of Bentleigh, McKinnon and most of Moorabbin south east of Melbourne....
at the 1988 state election, succeeding retiring ALP member Gordon Hockley. She was seen as a potential ministerial candidate towards the end of her first term, but was twice overlooked by then-Premier Joan Kirner
Joan Kirner
Joan Elizabeth Kirner AM , Australian politician, was the 42nd Premier of Victoria, the first woman to hold the position, which she held for two years prior to a landslide election defeat.-Biography:...
. These ambitions were to be short-lived, as she was one of many Labor members to be defeated amidst the party's landslide defeat at the 1992 state election, losing to Liberal Inga Peulich
Inga Peulich
Inga Peulich is an Australian politician. She is of Bosnian heritage, being born Inga Dosen in Bosnia and Herzegovina and migrated to Australia in 1967 with her family. Peulich has a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Education...
.
After her 1992 election defeat, Barker was employed as an advisor to federal MP Simon Crean
Simon Crean
Simon Findlay Crean is an Australian politician, and the current Minister for the Arts and Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government in the Australian Federal Government. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition at the Federal level,...
, then a minister in the Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
government. She left Crean's office in 1996 to work as an office manager with the Victorian Court Information and Welfare Network, but returned to Crean's office the following year. She was the Labor candidate for the seat of Oakleigh
Electoral district of Oakleigh
The Electoral district of Oakleigh is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers the suburbs of Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Oakleigh East, Oakleigh and parts of Chadstone, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Glen Huntly and Ormond.The seat is Labor Party...
at the 1996 election, but was very narrowly defeated by incumbent Liberal member Denise McGill
Denise McGill
Denise Frances McGill . McGill was a state politician for the Liberal Party of Australia who has held the seat of Oakleigh from October 1992 until August 1999. She is currently a councillor for Monash City Council. McGill was councillor of Oakleigh from 1987 until 1994 and in that time was mayor...
. She was again the Labor candidate for the seat at the 1999 election, having resisted pressure to stand aside for star candidate Mary Delahunty
Mary Delahunty
Mary Delahunty is an Australian journalist and retired politician with the Australian Labor Party.-Early life:Delahunty was born in Victoria, Australia and educated at Loreto College, in Victoria. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Latrobe University.-Media career:Delahunty...
, and amidst the party's statewide victory, succeeded in defeating McGill.
Barker was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Training and Higher Education after the party's victory at the 2002 election. A relatively low-profile MP, she spoke less than only one other member of either house of parliament in 2004. In 2006, she was a vocal supporter of Martin Pakula
Martin Pakula
Martin Philip Pakula is an Australian politician, and a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. He was Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Public Transport in the Labor Government of Premier John Brumby.-Early life:...
's unsuccessful challenge to the preselection of her former employer, Simon Crean. She was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly after the 2006 election
Victorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
.