Margaret Guilfoyle Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Dame Margaret Guilfoyle AC DBE


Minister for Finance
In office 3 November 1980 – 11 March 1983
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Eric Robinson
Succeeded by	John Dawkins
Minister for Social Security
In office 22 December 1975 – 3 November 1980
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Don Chipp
Succeeded by	Fred Chaney
Minister for Education
In office 11 November 1975 – 22 December 1975
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Kim Beazley (senior)
Succeeded by	John Carrick
Senator for Victoria
In office 1 July 1971 – 5 June 1987

Personal details
Born	Margaret Georgina Constance McCartney (1926-05-15)15 May 1926 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died	11 November 2020(2020-11-11) (aged 94)
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Stanley Guilfoyle (m. 1952)
Occupation	Accountant

Dame Margaret Guilfoyle (born Margaret Georgina Constance McCartney; 15 May 1926 – 11 November 2020) was an important Australian politician. She was a senator for the state of Victoria from 1971 to 1987. She belonged to the Liberal Party.

Margaret Guilfoyle made history as the first woman to hold a cabinet-level minister job in Australia. A cabinet minister is a senior member of the government who leads a specific department. She served as a minister for the entire time the Fraser Government was in power. She was the Minister for Education, then Minister for Social Security, and finally Minister for Finance. Before becoming a politician, she worked as an accountant.

Early life and education
Becoming a politician
- In the Senate
- Government minister
Later life
Personal life
Honours
See also

Early life and education

Margaret Georgina Constance McCartney was born on 15 May 1926 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was one of three children. Her father was a civil servant, and her mother was a schoolteacher.

Her family moved to Australia in 1928 and settled in Melbourne. When Margaret was 10, her father passed away. Her mother raised her and her siblings by herself. Margaret later said that her mother's experience taught her that "a woman must be capable of independence."

Margaret went to a local state school. Then she attended a business college until she was 15. She continued her education by taking night classes. She studied accounting at Taylors Institute and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. She became a qualified accountant. In 1947, she became the head accountant at an export company. Later, she started her own accounting business. This allowed her to spend more time with her family.

Becoming a politician

Margaret Guilfoyle joined the Liberal Party in the early 1950s. She was encouraged by other women politicians, like Elizabeth Couchman and Senator Ivy Wedgwood. They helped her take on leadership roles within the party.

In 1967, she became the head of the state women's section. She was also elected to the state executive, which is a key group in the party. When Senator Wedgwood decided to retire, she supported Margaret to take her place. Margaret won the Liberal Party's selection process for the Senate. She was chosen over 20 male candidates. She was elected as a senator for Victoria in 1970.

In the Senate

Margaret Guilfoyle started her first term as a senator on 1 July 1971. She was re-elected four more times. She retired from the Senate on 5 June 1987.

When she first joined parliament, she and Senator Nancy Buttfield were the only women there. There were no women in the House of Representatives at that time. Margaret was Australia's seventh female senator. Over her career, 19 more women were elected to the Senate.

Soon after joining, she became part of important committees. These included the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Government Operations. She also joined the Joint Committee on Prices. Newspapers sometimes called her "a housewife with a big say on prices." They said she would be "looked upon by Australian housewives as their special friend." However, Margaret wanted to be known for her professional skills, not just as a spokesperson for women. Her committee choices showed her interest in finance and government.

Government minister

In June 1974, Margaret Guilfoyle became a spokesperson for the media in the shadow ministry. A shadow ministry is a group of opposition politicians who watch over the government's ministers.

In March 1975, she supported Malcolm Fraser when he became the leader of the Liberal Party. When he became Prime Minister in November 1975, Margaret was appointed Minister for Education. This made her the first woman to hold a cabinet-level minister job in Australia. She was the second woman to be appointed to the cabinet, after Enid Lyons.

After the 1975 election, Margaret became Minister for Social Security. This job involved looking after welfare and support programs for Australians. She worked hard to make sure her department's budget was not cut. She believed that regular increases were needed to keep programs running. She also helped change the national child endowment scheme. This program gave direct cash payments to families, rather than tax rebates. She helped make it a permanent program, calling it the "family allowance."

Margaret also helped expand childcare services. She oversaw new funding for preschools, daycare, after-school care, and youth refuges.

After the 1980 election, Margaret Guilfoyle became Minister for Finance. In this role, she was like the country's chief accountant. She was a key member of a special committee called the "razor gang." This group's job was to find ways to cut government spending. The committee suggested getting rid of or reducing hundreds of government programs. Margaret remained Finance Minister until the government lost the election in 1983.

Later life

After leaving the Senate, Margaret Guilfoyle earned a law degree from the Australian National University. In 1990, she was part of a national inquiry into the human rights of people with mental illness. She also chaired the Judicial Remuneration Tribunal from 1995 to 2001.

She served on the boards of many non-profit groups. These included the Australian Children's Television Foundation and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. In 2001, she helped lead a campaign to get more women nominated for Australian honours. On 13 June 2005, she was given the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), which is a very high honour.

Margaret Guilfoyle stayed involved with the Liberal Party after leaving parliament. She helped encourage more women to run for political office.

Personal life

Margaret Guilfoyle married Stanley Guilfoyle on 20 November 1952. They had two daughters and one son. Her husband was also an accountant and was involved with the Liberal Party.

Margaret Guilfoyle passed away on 11 November 2020, at the age of 94.