Margaret Guilfoyle

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Dame Margaret Georgina Constance Guilfoyle, AC, DBE (b. 15 May 1926) was a British-born Australian Senator for the state of Victoria from 1971 to 1987. She was the second woman to receive a federal ministerial portfolio, and the first woman to be a member of the Cabinet. Following her retirement she has continued to serve the Australian public through numerous boards and directorships.

Margaret Guilfoyle was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland as Margaret McCarthy. Her family migrated to Australia in 1928 and settled in Melbourne. She trained as an accountant, and later studied law at the Australian National University. She married Stanley Guilfoyle.

She joined the Young Liberals in 1949, and was active within the party from that point. In 1970, Guilfoyle was elected to the Senate for the Liberal Party in Victoria, her term beginning on 1 July 1971.

She served in the governments of Malcolm Fraser between 1975 and 1983, as minister, successively, for Education, Social Security and Finance. She retired from politics at the double dissolution of 5 June 1987.

[edit] Honours

She was appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in January 1980^[1], and a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in June 2005.

[edit] References

• National Archives of Australia

Political offices
Preceded by Kim Edward Beazley	Minister for Education 1975	Succeeded by John Carrick
Preceded by Don Chipp	Minister for Social Security 1975–1980	Succeeded by Fred Chaney
Preceded by Eric Robinson	Minister for Finance 1980–1983	Succeeded by John Dawkins