Elaine Darling

Elaine Elizabeth Darling (née Melloy; 6 June 1936 – 30 August 2019)[1] was an Australian politician. The Labor member for Lilley from 1980 to 1993, she was the first woman from Queensland to be elected to the House of Representatives.[2]

Elaine Darling
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Lilley
In office
18 October 1980 – 8 February 1993
Preceded byKevin Cairns
Succeeded byWayne Swan
Personal details
Born
Elaine Elizabeth Melloy

(1936-06-06)6 June 1936
Brisbane, Queensland
Died30 August 2019(2019-08-30) (aged 83)
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
NationalityAustralian
Political partyAustralian Labor Party
SpouseRobert Darling
ChildrenMark Darling

Russell Darling

Vicky Darling
OccupationTeacher

Early life

Born in Brisbane, Darling attended the University of Queensland before becoming a teacher, eventually rising to be an assistant to the director of the Brisbane Kindergarten Training College.[3]

Politics

In 1980, Darling was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor Party member for Lilley, defeating the sitting Liberal Party 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.[4]

From 2000 to 2004, she was a council member of the City of Caloundra.[5]

Family political connections

Darling’s father, Jack Melloy, was a long serving member of the Australian Labor Party and member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.[6] Her daughter, Vicky Darling, was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2006 to 2012.[7]

References
  1. "'Trailblazer': Female politician remembered for her fire". Sunshine Coast Daily. 31 August 2019. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
    - @SwannyQLD. "Very sad to hear that my predecessor and close colleague Elaine Darling passed away today. She was the first woman in House of Reps from Queensland, a trailblazer for women in our party. My thoughts are with her family". Twitter. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
    - @AnikaWells. "This morning we lost the first Queensland woman elected to the House of Representatives, the former Member for Lilley, Elaine Darling. A giant of the Northside and a warrior for us all - thank you and farewell to a formidable lady who paved the way. #auspol". Twitter. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
    - Farnsworth, Malcolm. "Who's Left: Surviving Members Of Every House Of Representatives Since 1949". AustralianPolitics.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. Wilson, Janet; Black, David. "Women parliamentarians in Australia 1921–2013". Parliamentary Library. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. "Biography for DARLING, Elaine Elizabeth". ParlInfo. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. "Darling, Elaine Elizabeth (1936–2019)". The Australian Women's Register. Australian Women's Archives Program. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. "The Melloy Family: a Labor Dynasty" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  6. "Melloy, John (Jack)". Members Biography. Queensland Parliament. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  7. "Darling, Vicky Elizabeth". Members Biography. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2019.




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