Summary heading

Person notes

Career within Commonwealth

Senator Margaret Reynolds was born in Launceston, Tasmania on 19 July 1941 and educated at Melbourne and Launceston primary schools (!946-51), Launceston High School (1952-56) and the University of Tasmania (1958-59). She later received the awards of Diploma of Special Education, James Cook University of North Queensland (1976-78), Bachelor of Education, Double Major in Government (1978-81), Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Government (1980).

She became a teacher (primary and remedial) and spent five years tutoring at the James Cook University of North Queensland (1977-82) and was also senior tutor of curriculum studies at the Townsville College of Advanced Education (1978). While living in North Queensland (1965-99), Margaret Reynolds had experience in a variety of community and cultural organisations, including four years in local government as a member of the Townsville City Council (1979-83). She became a member of the Australian Labor Party in 1971.

Senator Reynolds was elected to the Senate in 1983, replacing Jim Keefe; her term deemed to have begun 1 July 1982. She was subsequently re-elected in 1984, 1987 and 1993. Her extensive Parliamentary Committee service included:

Senate Standing Committees: Library (1983-85), House (1985-87 and 1990-96), Publications (1990-95), Privileges (1993-96).

Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing Committees: Education and Arts (1983-87), Science, Technology and the Environment (1983-85), Finance and Government Operations (1985-87) Constitutional and Legal Affairs (1987), Community Affairs (1990-93), Rural and Regional Affairs (1991-93), Legal and Constitutional Affairs (1993-94), Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts: Legislation Committee (1994-96) and References Committee (1994-98), Community Affairs: Legislation Committee (1996-98), Finance and Public Administration: Legislation Committee (1996-98).

Senate Select Committees: Volatile Substances Fumes (1985), Community Standards Relevant to the Supply of Services Utilising Electronic Technologies (1991-97), Land Fund Bill (1994-95), Uranium Mining and Milling (1996-97), Information Technologies (1997-98).

Senate Estimates Committees: E (1983-85), D (1985-87 and 1993), F (1987), C (1990-94).

Joint Statutory Committees: Public Accounts (1983-84 and 1990-94), National Crime Authority (1990-91), Native Title (1994-95), Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund (1995-97 and 1998-99), Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (1995-96).

Joint Standing Committees: Australian Capital Territory (1983-84), New Parliament House (1985-87), Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (1993-99), Treaties (1998-99).

Joint Select Committee: Video Material (1985-87).

Other activities: Member of the Parliamentary Delegation to the European Parliamentary Institutions, Strasbourg and Berlin (September-October 1985); Ministerial visits to New Zealand (March 1989); Japan, Philippines and Indonesia (January 1990); Member 84^th IPU Conference, Punta del Este, Uruguay (October 1990); Adviser, UN Conference on Human Rights, Vienna (June 1993); Adviser, Australian Delegation, UN Conference on Population and Development, Cairo (September 1994); Member, Official Delegation to 40^th CPA Conference, Banff, Canada and bilateral visit to Mexico (September-October 1994); Adviser, Australian Delegation, UN 4^th World Conference on Women, Beijing (September 1995); Parliamentary Adviser, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), New York (September-December 1997).

She has also held several party positions: Member of the ALP Queensland State Council (1981-83), North Queensland ALP Organiser (1982-83), Member ALP National Platform Committees on Aboriginal and Islander Affairs (from 1983), Status of Women (1983), Foreign Policy (1986-87) and was Chair, ALP Caucus Status of Women Policy Committee (from 1995).

Senator Reynolds became Minister for Local Government in September 1987, following a brief period as the Minister’s Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government (July-September) and was also Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women (January 1988- April 1990). She was Temporary Chair of Senate Committees (1995-99), Representative on the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (1991-96) and a Member of the Parliamentary Education Office Advisory Committee.

Since her retirement from federal politics on 30 June 1999, Margaret Reynolds has been active in other positions, including as Chair, Commonwealth Human Rights International Advisory Commission (1998-    ), President, United Nations Association of Australia (1999-    ) and is a visiting Professor at the University of Queensland. She has returned to live in Launceston.

Publications

HERstory: Australian Labor Women in Federal, Sate and Territory Parliaments 1925-1994, Townsville, Queensland, 1994 (co-edited with Jean Willoughby).

The Last Bastion: Labor women working towards equality in the Parliaments of Australia, Business and Professional Publishing, Sydney, 1995.

Sources

Who's Who in Australia 2001

Parliament of Australia, Who's Who, downloaded 22 July 1999 from www.aph.gov.au/whoswho.htm