Early Life

Patricia "Trish" Draper (born 1959) was born in Woodville, South Australia

Woodville, South Australia

Woodville is a suburb of Adelaide, situated about 8 kilometres northwest of the Central Business District of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt. The postcode of Woodville is 5011...

, the daughter of German migrants who came to Australia after W.W.2.

During her early teens she was a member of the Girl Guides and the RSPCA. Her early ambition was to become a High School Teacher, to teach Economics and History. However, influenced by her mother’s chosen career of Nursing, at the age of 19, Trish became a nurse.

She joined the Navy and completed her training as a Medic specialising in Surgical and Theatre Nursing. After leaving the Navy, she moved into the area of Aged Care Nursing, while completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of South Australia

University of South Australia

The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...

. In 1993 and 1994 Trish was elected as a Student Representative for the Salisbury Campus and Coordinator of the Save Salisbury Campus Campaign.

Parliamentary Career

Trish Draper joined the 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...

 Party in 1992 and subsequently stood for pre-selection for the Federal seat of Makin

Division of Makin

The Division of Makin is an electoral division for the Australian House of Representatives located in the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide. Established in 1984 and named after Norman Makin, a former MP and diplomat, it has been a marginal seat at most elections since...

 in November 1994. Draper went on to win the seat of Makin at the 1996 Federal Election.

Draper went on to win the former Labour seat of Makin over four consecutive elections from 1996, to 1998, 2001 and the 2004 Federal Election holding her 1% margin in the 1998 GST election.

Draper campaigned heavily on a diverse range of issues, including increases to aged pensions, veterans, increases for Medicare rebates for doctors, investing in our Schools Program, the Tough on Drugs Program as well as grants for sporting groups and community organisations. Private health insurance rebates, problem gambling, truth in sentencing laws for convicted child sex offenders and violence in the media were also issues Draper campaigned for.

One of Draper’s stands against violence and inappropriate material in the media included opposing the sale of “kick the baby“ t-shirts. The t-shirts were eventually withdrawn from sale from all shops in September 1998.

In 2000 Draper campaigned against continuing high petrol prices, calling on the Federal Government to freeze the proposed GST component of petrol excise indexation. The Prime Minister and Cabinet subsequently changed the policy to permanently abolish the GST component of petrol excise indexation.

In 2003, together with her colleague the Member for Canning Don Randall

Don Randall

Donald James Randall , Australian politician, is a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives. He represented the Division of Swan, Western Australia, 1996–98, and has represented the Division of Canning, Western Australia, since November 2001. He was born in Merredin, Western...

 MP, Trish Draper introduced a Private Members Bill, Protection of Australian Flags (Desecration of the Flag) Bill 2003 A Bill for an Act to amend the Flags Act 1953. However the bill lapsed, and did not become law.

On the 18th of September 2007 Draper was awarded the William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...

 Parliamentary Award.

The Australian columnist Glenn Milne

Glenn Milne

Glenn Milne is a Canberra journalist and political commentator. He currently works for News Limited as a columnist for The Australian newspaper....

 described Draper as, ”one of the government’s best local members”.

House of Representatives Standing Committees

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs 8.12.98 to 31.8.04. Family and Community Services 20.3.02 to 31.8.04. Library 20.3.02 to 31.8.04. Privileges 1.12.04 to 07. Procedures 1.12.04 to 07. Chairman of Publications 1.12.04 to 07.

Coalition Policy Committees

Education, Science and Training 1996 to 2007. Health and Ageing 1996 to 2007. Small Business and Tourism 1998 to 2007. Secretary Health and Ageing 1998 to 2001. Chairman Health and Ageing 2001 to 2004.

Retirement from Federal Parliament

In June 2006, after the death of long serving staff member, and the sudden illness of her husband, Draper retired from Federal politics. Although Prime Minister John Howard encouraged her to stay, Draper announced her intention to retire at the 2007 election on the 26th July 2006.

In the lead up to the 2010 State Election Trish Draper stood for pre-selection for the state seat of Newland. During the campaign Draper fought to save the Modbury Hospital from proposed cuts to essential services by the Labor Government.

Though Draper did not win the seat of Newland, policy commitments by both parties ensured that essential funding and services would continue to be provided at Modbury Hospital for the benefit of residents of both Newland and surrounding areas of the North Eastern suburbs.

Currently, Trish Draper continues to be a member of the Liberal Party, supporting the volunteers in the Newland and Makin branches, working and mentoring in the community and is still a passionate supporter of the Adelaide Crows

Adelaide Crows

The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....

.