Ljiljanna Ravlich

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Ljiljanna Ravlich (born 1958) is a Western Australian politician. She is currently an Australian Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, and was most notable for being the Minister for Education during the debate over the introduction of outcomes-based education. Since finishing in that role in December 2006, she has been the state's Minister for Government Enterprises; Multicultural Interests and Citizenship; Youth; and Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure.

Born in Croatia in 1958, Ravlich lived in the small village of Kozica until the age of five, when her family emigrated to Perth, Western Australia. Her family initially lived in Midland, and Ravlich attended Governor Stirling High School. She continued her tertiary education at Curtin University of Technology where she completed a BA (SocSc) majoring in economics and also Graduate Diplomas in Education and Education Administration. From 1980, she worked as a high school teacher in Norseman, Kambalda, Northam and Morawa. Later she moved into education management before starting her own consulting company. She married in 1984, but the marriage lasted only two years.

Ravlich was elected to the Legislative Council in 1996, becoming the first woman born in a non-English speaking country to enter the Parliament of Western Australia. She is also thought to be the first Croatian-born woman elected to a parliament outside Croatia. When the Gallop Labor government was elected in 2001, she served as a parliamentary secretary until 2005, when she was appointed as Local Government Minister. Shortly afterwards she became the Minister for Education. Charged with the implementation of a controversial outcomes-based education policy, she held a high-profile portfolio and received much media coverage.

Following a cabinet reshuffle, Ravlich was dumped as Education minister and given a junior portfolio.

She lives in Cottesloe, and is currently dating state treasurer Eric Ripper.