Katy Gallagher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katy Gallagher
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Official portrait, 2022
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| Minister for Government Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 20 January 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bill Shorten | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice-President of the Executive Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 23 May 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Simon Birmingham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for Finance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 23 May 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Simon Birmingham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for Women | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 23 May 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Marise Payne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for the Public Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 1 June 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ben Morton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager of Government Business in the Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 31 May 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Anne Ruston | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senator for the Australian Capital Territory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 21 May 2019 |
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| Preceded by | David Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 March 2015 – 9 May 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Kate Lundy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | David Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Katherine Ruth Gallagher
18 March 1970 Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
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| Citizenship |
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| Political party | Labor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residences | Canberra, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Australian National University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Community worker, union organiser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Katy Gallagher (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian politician. She is a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Since 2022, she has been a key minister in the Albanese government. Her roles include Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service, and Vice-President of the Executive Council. Since January 2025, she has also been the Minister for Government Services.
Before joining federal politics, Katy Gallagher was the 6th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory. She held this top job in the ACT from 2011 to 2014. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
Katy Gallagher grew up in Canberra. She worked as a social worker and a union organiser before becoming a politician. In 2001, she was elected to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. She became a minister in 2002 and Deputy Chief Minister in 2006. In 2011, she became Chief Minister after the previous leader retired. She led her party to win another election in 2012. She left her role in 2014 to try for a seat in the Senate.
In 2015, Katy Gallagher became a Senator. She was part of the opposition team. In 2018, a court ruled she was not eligible to be a Senator because of her British citizenship at the time of her election. She returned to the Senate after the 2019 federal election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Katy Gallagher was born Katherine Ruth Gallagher on 18 March 1970. She was born in Waramanga, a suburb of Canberra. Her father was from England and her mother from Ecuador. Both became Australian citizens after moving to Australia. She has an older sister and two younger adopted brothers.
She went to Duffy Primary School, Melrose High School, and Canberra College. In 1990, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Australian National University. She studied Political Science and Sociology.
Katy Gallagher also learned to play the cello. She played with the Canberra Youth Orchestra.
Starting Her Career
Katy Gallagher first worked as a social worker. She helped with a community project and worked with children with disabilities. From 1994 to 1997, she supported people with intellectual disabilities.
In 1997, her fiancé, Brett Seaman, died in a cycling accident. At that time, Katy Gallagher was pregnant with their first daughter. The union movement helped her during this difficult time.
After this, she started working at the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). Her fiancé had worked there too. This is where she became involved in the labour movement. She later became a national organiser for the union.
ACT Politics
First Steps in Politics
The support she received from the Labor Party and unions inspired Katy Gallagher to enter politics. In 2001, she ran for election in the ACT. She was elected to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. The Labor Party won the election, led by Jon Stanhope.
In 2002, Katy Gallagher became a minister. She was in charge of education, youth, family services, women, and industrial relations. In 2004, she was re-elected and became a very popular candidate in her area.
Becoming Deputy Chief Minister
In 2006, Katy Gallagher was promoted to Deputy Chief Minister. She was responsible for health, disability, community services, and women. Later, she also took on responsibility for children and young people.
She was re-elected again in 2008. She then became the Treasurer, managing the ACT's money. She also kept her roles in health and women's affairs.
Challenges in Health
During her time as Health Minister, there were some challenges at Canberra Hospital. There were concerns about staff and how the hospital was managed. Katy Gallagher worked to address these issues. She agreed to external reviews to improve things.
Leading the ACT as Chief Minister
On 16 May 2011, Katy Gallagher was elected by the Assembly as the ACT's 6th Chief Minister. She was the third woman to hold this position. In the 2012 election, her party won more seats. They stayed in government with the support of the ACT Greens.
Katy Gallagher supported same-sex marriage. In 2013, the ACT became the first place in Australia to pass a law allowing same-sex couples to marry. However, the High Court later ruled that only the national government could make such laws.
During her time as Chief Minister, she welcomed important visitors. These included The Queen in 2011 and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2014.
On 5 December 2014, Katy Gallagher announced she would step down as Chief Minister. She wanted to try for a seat in the Senate. Her deputy, Andrew Barr, took over as Chief Minister on 11 December 2014.
Federal Politics
In Opposition
Katy Gallagher became a Senator on 26 March 2015. She joined the Labor Party's team in opposition. She was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet in October 2015. She was the Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Housing and Homelessness, and helped the leader with state and territory relations. After the 2016 election, she became Shadow Minister for Small Business and Financial Services. She also became the Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.
In 2016, she was involved in a widely discussed moment during a Senate committee meeting. She accused another senator of "mansplaining" during a debate.
In 2017, there was a national issue about politicians' citizenship. Katy Gallagher asked the High Court to check if she was eligible to be a Senator. On 9 May 2018, the High Court ruled that she was not eligible. This was because she was still a British citizen when she nominated for the 2016 election. She had renounced her British citizenship, but it was not officially registered until after the nomination deadline.
Returning to Politics
After leaving the Senate, Katy Gallagher worked as a consultant. She also joined the board of the RSPCA ACT. In June 2018, she announced she would run for the Senate again. She was successfully re-elected in the 2019 federal election. She then became the Shadow Minister for Finance and the Public Service.
In April 2020, she became the head of a parliamentary committee. This committee looked into the government's response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The committee later suggested a major review of how the government handled the pandemic.
Katy Gallagher also introduced a bill to parliament. This bill aimed to improve how government grants were reported. This was in response to concerns about how some grants were being given out.
In the Albanese Government (2022–Present)
After the Labor Party won the federal election, Katy Gallagher became a minister. On 23 May 2022, she was sworn in as Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, and Minister for the Public Service. She also became the Manager of Government Business in the Senate.
In October 2022, she became Acting Treasurer when the Treasurer was overseas. She was only the second woman to hold this role.
Katy Gallagher had campaigned for changes to laws that affected the ACT and Northern Territory. These changes would allow territories to make their own laws about certain health matters. The bill was passed into law in December 2022, with Katy Gallagher leading the debate in the Senate.
In January 2025, Katy Gallagher also became the Minister for Government Services.
Personal Life
Katy Gallagher and her partner Dave Skinner are raising three children.
She is a vegetarian. She is also a classically trained cellist and used to play with the Canberra Youth Orchestra.
See also
- First Gallagher ministry
- Second Gallagher ministry
- Albanese ministry
- List of female heads of government in Australia
- List of the first women holders of political offices in Oceania
