26 Facts About Clare Martin

Clare Majella Martin was born on 15 June 1952 and is a former Australian journalist and politician.

Clare Martin was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995.

Clare Martin was appointed Opposition Leader in 1999, and won a surprise victory at the 2001 territory election, becoming the first Labor Party and first female Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.

Clare Martin's parents were Catholics and Democratic Labor Party supporters.

Clare Martin's uncle, Kevin Cairns, was a Liberal minister and MP in the McMahon government, but the family was not inclined towards his conservative politics.

In February 1983, Clare Martin was then offered a six-month position presenting a morning radio show in Darwin for the ABC Radio station 5DR.

Clare Martin had little intention of staying there, and briefly returned to Canberra in May 1983, before being offered a job in Sydney.

However, at the same time, Clare Martin's partner was offered a partner's position at the law firm he had worked in Darwin.

Clare Martin liked living in Darwin and was keen to take up the position, so Martin agreed to decline the Sydney job and return to Darwin in May 1985 where she gained another position on an ABC Radio morning show.

In 1986, Clare Martin made the move to television, as the presenter of The 7.30 Report until 1988.

Clare Martin had been interested in political journalism for some years, although she was not a member of any party, believing that party affiliation compromises journalistic integrity.

Clare Martin soon resigned from the party and returned to journalism, but when former CLP Chief Minister Marshall Perron resigned from his Darwin seat of Fannie Bay, Martin opted to contest the ensuing by-election as the Labor candidate.

However, in a considerable upset, Clare Martin went on to win the seat by 69 votes, becoming one of only two ALP MLAs in Darwin.

Clare Martin worked hard to retain her seat at the 1997 election, and was successful, holding Fannie Bay despite a heavy defeat for the ALP.

Clare Martin subsequently served as Shadow Minister for Lands under then leader Maggie Hickey.

When Hickey unexpectedly resigned in February 1999, Clare Martin was in a position to succeed her, and was elected party leader, and hence Opposition Leader.

Clare Martin soon emerged as a vocal critic of the Burke government's policy of mandatory sentencing, and began preparing the ALP for the next election, which was then two years away.

Clare Martin faced her first electoral test as leader at the 2001 election.

However, the ALP was coming off a particularly successful eighteen months, and Clare Martin ran a skilled campaign.

Clare Martin herself was reelected with a healthy swing of 9.2 percent in Fannie Bay, turning it into a safe Labor seat in one stroke.

However, in 2006, Clare Martin rejected accusations by John Howard and Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mal Brough, that her government had been underfunding Aboriginal communities.

Clare Martin was critical of the Federal Government's intervention in Aboriginal communities as announced in 2007.

Clare Martin opposed certain aspects of the intervention such as removal of the permit system.

Clare Martin managed to markedly boost the ALP's standing among the electorate, as seen in the 2003 Katherine by-election, which saw a major swing to the party.

However, in a result that had not been predicted by any commentators or even the most optimistic Labor observers, Clare Martin led the ALP to a smashing victory.

In 2008, Clare Martin became chief executive officer of the Australian Council of Social Service, based in Sydney.