Marion Scrymgour facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marion Scrymgour MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Lingiari
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 May 2022
Preceded by	Warren Snowdon
Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
In office 26 November 2007 – 8 February 2009
Preceded by	Syd Stirling
Succeeded by	Delia Lawrie
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Arafura
In office 18 August 2001 – 6 August 2012
Preceded by	Maurice Rioli
Succeeded by	Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu
Personal details
Born	Marion Rose Scrymgour (1960-09-13) 13 September 1960 (age 64) Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Political party	Labor
Other political affiliations	Independent (2009)
Spouse	David Dalrymple

Marion Rose Scrymgour (born 13 September 1960) is an Australian politician. She is currently a member of parliament (MP) for the federal area of Lingiari.

Before this, she was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012. She represented the area called Arafura. From 2007 to 2009, she was the Labor Party Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. This made her the highest-ranked Indigenous Australian woman in government in Australia's history. She was also the first Indigenous deputy leader of an Australian government. Marion Scrymgour was also the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the Northern Territory legislature.

Her Early Life and Education

Marion Scrymgour was born on 13 September 1960 in Darwin. Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory. Her mother was from the Tiwi Islands, and her father was taken from his home in Central Australia as a child.

She went to primary and secondary school in Darwin. After school, she worked in office administration jobs. Later, she studied bookkeeping, accounting, administration, and health economics through courses.

Before becoming a politician, Marion worked in health and community services. She was a director at the Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Corporation. She also helped set up community care programs around Katherine. She was also a director for the Katherine West Health Board Aboriginal Corporation. Marion was also active in a union that represented workers in hospitality and other areas.

Becoming a Politician in the Northern Territory

Marion Scrymgour decided to run for a seat in the Legislative Assembly for the Arafura area. She won this election and became the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly.

In December 2003, she was promoted to a minister position. She was given the jobs of Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage. This made her Australia's first Aboriginal woman cabinet minister.

After the 2005 election, she became the Minister for Natural Resources, Environment, and the Arts. In 2007, she kept Arts and Museums, and also became Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister for Child Protection.

Marion Scrymgour was known for speaking her mind on Indigenous issues. For example, in 2006, she disagreed with her own party about the MacArthur River Mine. She joined three other Indigenous politicians in voting against the mine's expansion. In 2007, she spoke out against the federal government's plan for Indigenous communities. She called it "a vicious new McCarthyism."

Important Roles and Challenges

Marion Scrymgour in 2009

In November 2007, the Chief Minister, Clare Martin, stepped down. Paul Henderson took over and chose Marion Scrymgour as his deputy. This was a surprise choice at the time.

In January 2008, Marion Scrymgour became the Acting Chief Minister of the Northern Territory for two weeks. This happened while Paul Henderson was on holiday. She was the first Aboriginal government leader in Australian history to hold this role.

Marion Scrymgour was in charge of education when she became Deputy Chief Minister. In February 2009, she was moved to the Attorney-General role. The following week, she resigned from Cabinet and as Deputy Chief Minister due to personal reasons.

In June 2009, Marion Scrymgour disagreed with the government's plan for Indigenous communities. She felt it was insulting to Indigenous people. She then resigned from the Labor Party. This meant the Labor government no longer had a clear majority. However, on 4 August 2009, she decided to rejoin the Labor Party.

Other Important Work

After her time in the Northern Territory Parliament, Marion Scrymgour continued to work in important roles. From 2013 to 2014, she worked for the Australian Red Cross. She then returned to the Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Corporation as its CEO. In December 2013, she was chosen as the Chairperson of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory.

In November 2013, the University of Sydney gave her an honorary doctorate in Health Sciences. She was the first Aboriginal person to receive this honor from that faculty.

In March 2019, Marion Scrymgour became the CEO of the Northern Land Council. She was the first woman CEO of any land council in the Northern Territory.

Moving to Federal Politics

In March 2021, Marion Scrymgour was chosen to be the Labor candidate for the federal area of Division of Lingiari. This was for the 2022 Australian federal election. The previous Labor politician, Warren Snowdon, decided not to run again. Marion Scrymgour won the seat by a small number of votes.

See also

• List of Indigenous Australian politicians