29 Facts About Carmen Lawrence

Carmen Mary Lawrence was born on 2 March 1948 and is an Australian academic and former politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state.

Carmen Lawrence studied psychology at the University of Western Australia, obtaining a doctorate in 1983, and before entering politics worked as a lecturer and researcher.

Carmen Lawrence replaced Peter Dowding as premier in 1990, as Australia's second female head of government and first female state premier.

In 1994, Carmen Lawrence entered federal parliament through a by-election for the Division of Fremantle.

Carmen Lawrence was almost immediately appointed to cabinet by Paul Keating, serving as Minister for Human Services and Health and Minister for Women until the government's defeat in 1996.

Carmen Lawrence remained in parliament until the 2007 election, on the frontbench until 2002 and then as a backbencher.

Carmen Lawrence returned to academia after leaving politics, as a psychology professor at the University of Western Australia.

Carmen Lawrence was born in Northam, in the agricultural district of Western Australia and spent her early childhood in the towns of Gutha and Dongara.

Carmen Lawrence was one of seven children, six girls and a boy, born to Ernest Richard Lawrence, a farmer, and his wife Mary Norma.

In 1965, Carmen Lawrence enrolled at the University of Western Australia in Perth.

Carmen Lawrence tutored at the University of Melbourne in 1971 and 1972, tutored and lectured at the Western Australian Institute of Technology from 1973 to 1978 and was a lecturer with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Western Australia from 1979 until 1983.

From 1983 until her election to parliament in 1986, Carmen Lawrence was employed in the Research and Evaluation Unit of the Psychiatric Services Branch of the Department of Health of Western Australia.

Carmen Lawrence unsuccessfully contested the seat of East Melville at the 1983 election against sitting Liberal Party member Anthony Trethowan, but was more successful in 1986 when she won the seat of Subiaco following the retirement of long-serving Liberal-turned-independent Tom Dadour.

Carmen Lawrence, a prominent opponent within the Labor Party of Brian Burke's Right faction, of which Dowding was a member, replaced him as Premier on 12 February 1990, with Ian Taylor as her deputy.

Carmen Lawrence was the first female Premier of an Australian State.

On 19 November 1990, Carmen Lawrence called a Royal Commission into matters related to the WA Inc deals, after considerable public and media pressure.

The law turned out to be defective and Carmen Lawrence later declared it to have been a mistake.

Carmen Lawrence officially opened the line on 20 December 1992, with three stations on the line opening initially.

On 14 November 1995, the Royal Commission released a report which found that Carmen Lawrence had misled the Western Australian Parliament concerning her knowledge of and role in the tabling of the petition.

Carmen Lawrence was appointed to the Opposition frontbench as Shadow Environment Minister.

Carmen Lawrence stood down from the shadow ministry pending her trial.

Carmen Lawrence was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001.

Carmen Lawrence announced on 29 March 2007 that she would not recontest her seat in the Parliament at the 2007 Australian federal election.

Carmen Lawrence emerged as the candidate of the party's Left faction for the post, and the election took place in November 2003.

Carmen Lawrence used the position to campaign in favour of a policy of better treatment for asylum-seekers entering Australia.

Carmen Lawrence was succeeded as Member for Fremantle by Melissa Parke, of the ALP.

Carmen Lawrence's brief was to conduct collaborative research with a focus on the origins of fanaticism and extreme behaviour, including terrorism, under the auspices of the university's Institute of Advanced Studies.

In 2016 Carmen Lawrence became president of the Conservation Council of Western Australia, and has campaigned against continuing sponsorship of major sporting clubs by companies involved in fossil fuel extraction.

In 2022, Carmen Lawrence was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to the people and Parliaments of Australia and Western Australia, to conservation, and to arts administration".