Jenny Macklin

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Jenny Macklin

Jennifer Louise Macklin (born 29 December 1953), is an Australian politician. She has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Division of Jagajaga, Victoria.

Born in Brisbane, Queensland, Macklin grew up in country Victoria. She spent time in Japan as a student before graduating from the University of Melbourne with an honours degree in economics. A Marxist in her youth, she is a member of the Socialist Left faction of the Labor Party.

Macklin was a researcher at the Australian National University in 1976-78, an economics research specialist with the Parliamentary Library in Canberra 1978-81, Research Coordinator at the Labour Resource Centre in Melbourne 1981-85, an adviser to the Victorian Minister for Health 1985-88, director of the federal government's National Health Strategy 1990-93 and director of the Australian Urban and Regional Development Review 1993-95. She is one of the federal Parliament's most highly qualified members on matters of social policy.

On her election to Parliament Macklin was immediately elected a member of the Opposition Shadow Cabinet, where she served in a number of roles, including Shadow Minister for Aged Care, Social Security and the Status of Women. After the 1998 election, Macklin became Shadow Minister for Health. The Health Minister at the time, Dr Michael Wooldridge, complained of her "stupid, whining carping voice." Macklin began to gain a reputation as a solid parliamentary performer.

After the ALP's defeat at the 2001 election, Macklin was elected Deputy Leader to Simon Crean. She was the first woman to hold a leadership position in either Australian major party. She took on the position of Shadow Minister for Education. Following Crean's replacement as leader by Mark Latham in December 2003, and Latham's subsequent resignation in January 2005, Macklin retained her position. Remaining as deputy leader under Kim Beazley, Macklin became the first person to be deputy to three leaders of the ALP since Frank Forde. She is currently Shadow Minister for Families and Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation.

On 1 December 2006, Macklin's position as deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party came under threat after Kim Beazley called for a spill of all the leadership positions in a bid to end growing speculation over the issue. Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Kevin Rudd, and Shadow Minister for Health, Julia Gillard, announced their intentions to run against Beazley and Macklin as a team for the positions of leader and deputy leader respectively of the party. On the day of the ballot, Macklin effectively stepped down from the position, choosing not to contest the deputy leadership after Kevin Rudd was elected as the new party leader.