Marion Scrymgour facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marion Scrymgour MP
Scrymgour in 2009
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 on 13 September 1960, is an Australian politician. She is currently a member of parliament (MP) for the federal seat of Lingiari. She has held this role since 2022. Before that, she was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012. She represented the area called Arafura.

Ms. Scrymgour was the Labor Party Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from November 2007 to February 2009. She was the highest-ranked Indigenous Australian woman in government in Australia's history. She was also the first Indigenous deputy leader of an Australian government. She was also the first Indigenous woman elected to the Northern Territory legislature.

Who is Marion Scrymgour?

Marion Scrymgour quickly became an important figure in the Labor Party during the 2000s. She was a senior minister under former Chief Minister Clare Martin. She was known for speaking her mind on issues affecting Indigenous people. She became Deputy Chief Minister under Paul Henderson in 2007. This happened after the previous deputy, Syd Stirling, retired.

She faced challenges as Education Minister under Mr. Henderson. In February 2009, she moved to the Attorney-General role. A few days later, she resigned from her Cabinet position and as Deputy Chief Minister. She said it was for "health reasons." Ms. Scrymgour stayed as a Labor member in the Legislative Assembly until June 2009. She then left the Labor Party because of their views on remote Indigenous communities. She served as an independent member. This was important because Labor had only a small majority. On 4 August 2009, Ms. Scrymgour rejoined the Labor Party.

Early Life and Learning

Marion Scrymgour was born on 13 September 1960 in Darwin. Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory. Her mother, Claire, was a Tiwi Islander. Her father, Jack Scrymgour, was from Central Australia.

She went to primary and secondary school in Darwin. At first, she decided not to go to university. She worked in several office jobs. Later, as an adult, she took courses by mail. She studied bookkeeping, accounting, administration, and health economics.

She also worked as a director for the Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Corporation. She helped set up community care programs near Katherine. She was also a director for the Katherine West Health Board Aboriginal Corporation. Ms. Scrymgour was an active member of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union. She represented the union at the national conference of the Australian Labor Party.

Her Time in Northern Territory Politics

Ms. Scrymgour was chosen by the Labor Party to run for the Legislative Assembly seat of Arafura. She won the election after Maurice Rioli retired. This seat was usually won by Labor. She was re-elected, even with two well-known independent candidates running. By winning, she became the first Indigenous woman elected to the Legislative Assembly.

Becoming a Minister

On 17 December 2003, Ms. Scrymgour was promoted to a minister under Clare Martin. This happened after Health Minister Jane Aagaard left her role. Ms. Scrymgour was given the jobs of Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage. This made her Australia's first Aboriginal woman cabinet minister.

As Minister for Family and Community Services, Ms. Scrymgour worked on helping communities with important social issues. She led a committee looking into these issues. She was also the minister when non-sniffable Opal fuel was introduced in remote Indigenous communities. After the 2005 election, she moved to a new role. She became Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts. In August 2007, she kept Arts and Museums. She also got back Family and Community Services and became Minister for Child Protection. She also helped with changes to the territory's heritage laws. These laws created a heritage council to protect important sites.

Ms. Scrymgour became known for her strong opinions on Indigenous issues during her second term. In 2006, she disagreed with her own party about the MacArthur River Mine. She and three other Indigenous MPs voted against the mine's expansion. In late 2007, she spoke out against the federal government's plan for Indigenous communities. She called it "a vicious new McCarthyism."

Deputy Chief Minister and Beyond

Scrymgour in 2009

Chief Minister Clare Martin resigned in November 2007. She was replaced by Paul Henderson. Mr. Henderson chose Ms. Scrymgour as his deputy. This was a surprise choice at the time. On 24 December 2007, Ms. Scrymgour received treatment at Royal Darwin Hospital for "an emotional and physical collapse." In January 2008, Ms. Scrymgour became Acting Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. This happened while Paul Henderson was on holiday. She was the first Aboriginal government leader in Australian history. She served for two weeks.

Ms. Scrymgour took on the education role when she became Deputy Chief Minister. However, she was often criticized in the news for her work. This led to Mr. Henderson moving her from the education role in February 2009. She was given the Attorney-General role, which was less politically challenging. The next week, Ms. Scrymgour resigned from Cabinet and as Deputy Chief Minister. She said it was due to health reasons.

On 1 June 2009, Ms. Scrymgour publicly disagreed with the government's plan. This plan was to focus Indigenous development in 20 larger communities. It discouraged "homeland" or "outstation" settlements. She called this plan insulting. She said she realized she had lost touch with her community. She felt strongly that "we have lied to Aboriginal people." On 4 June, she resigned from the Labor Party. This meant the Labor government no longer had a majority.

On 4 August 2009, after another minister, Alison Anderson, left the party, Ms. Scrymgour announced she would rejoin the Labor Party.

Other Important Roles

After working for the Australian Red Cross in 2013–2014, Ms. Scrymgour returned to the Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Corporation as its CEO. In December 2013, she was chosen as Chairperson of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory.

In November 2013, Ms. Scrymgour received an honorary doctorate in Health Sciences from the University of Sydney. She was the first Aboriginal person to receive such an honor from that faculty.

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

Her Role in Federal Politics

In March 2021, Ms. Scrymgour was chosen as the Labor candidate for the federal seat of Lingiari. This was for the 2022 federal election. The previous Labor member, Warren Snowdon, decided not to run again. She won the seat by a small number of votes against Country Liberal candidate Damien Ryan.

After the Labor government was re-elected in the 2025 Australian federal election, Ms. Scrymgour was named Special Envoy for Remote Communities. This was part of the second Albanese ministry.

See also

• List of Indigenous Australian politicians