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A member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1983, June Craig became only the second woman (after Dame Florence Cardell-Oliver) to achieve Cabinet rank in Western Australia.

In 1987, asked about her time in government as only the fourth woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly, she said: “… there was no reason why more women should not be there, that we really had the same sort of capacities and abilities and that perhaps in many ways we had more common sense. I really saw those things as a challenge.”*

June's life has been one of continuously rising to the challenge. A state champion tennis player in her youth, she studied at the University of Western Australia and University of Melbourne before marrying Dardanup farmer, Frank Craig.  With three children, she was active in local organisations, school, church and tennis.

During her time in Parliament, Cabinet posts included Minister for Lands and Forests (1977-1978), Local Government (1978-1983), and Town Planning and Urban Development (1978-1983). When her seat of Wellington was abolished in a redistribution of electoral boundaries, she was defeated contesting the new seat of Mitchell.

After her parliamentary career, she continued to be actively involved in a wide variety of community organisations, including the role of Save the Children Fund State President and later, National President. In 1994, June was appointed a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for her long and distinguished parliamentary and community service.

Come along to hear from the Hon June Craig AM her lessons learnt.

Tuesday 9th October 2018, 7:30pm

Reid Library, Second Floor Conference Room

Doors open 7pm, talk commences 7:30pm Cost: $5 donation (Free for Friends of the Library Members)

RSVP:
Kathryn Maingard – [email protected] or 08 6488 2356
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lessons-learnt-by-the-hon-june-craig-am-tickets-50344276085

* June Craig interview by Ronda Jamieson, September to November 1987, Western Australian Parliamentary History Project, p. 82, cited in David Black and Harry Phillips, Making a Difference - A Frontier of Firsts: Women in the Western Australian Parliament 1921-2012 (West Perth, Parliament of Western Australia, 2012), 109.

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