Eva Dina Lawler is an Australian former politician who served as the 13th chief minister of the Northern Territory from 2023 to 2024, holding office as the leader of the Territory Labor Party.
19 Facts About Eva Lawler
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Eva Lawler was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Drysdale from 2016 until her defeat at the 2024 Northern Territory general election.
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Eva Lawler's family worked in trucking and earthmoving industries, servicing materials for government projects.
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Eva Lawler's father was an Italian immigrant who arrived in Australia in 1952 and moved to Darwin in the late 1950s.
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Eva Lawler became a pioneer of women's hockey in the NT, playing in a number of inaugural NT women's hockey teams, such as the first NT schools team in 1977, women's under-19 side and NT senior women's team in 1980.
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Eva Lawler completed a Bachelor of Education at the then Darwin Community College.
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Eva Lawler taught at Berry Springs Primary School, Gray Primary School and Humpty Doo Primary School all in the surrounds of Darwin.
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Eva Lawler was promoted to assistant principal, working at Anula Primary School and then Principal at Jingili Primary School.
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Eva Lawler later gained master's degrees in education and international management, a diploma in project management and a graduate diploma in public sector management from Charles Darwin University, before moving to politics.
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Eva Lawler seemingly faced long odds when she was nominated as Labor candidate in Drysdale for the 2016 election.
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On election night, the CLP's primary vote collapsed by over 20 percent, and Eva Lawler took the seat on a swing of over 16 percent.
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On 11 September 2016, Eva Lawler was named to cabinet as Minister for Education.
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Eva Lawler was re-elected in 2020 with a small swing in her favour, becoming the first Labor MP to win a second term in a Palmerston-based seat.
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On 20 December 2023, Eva Lawler was elected unopposed to succeed Natasha Fyles, who resigned after a controversy regarding undisclosed shares.
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In 2024, Eva Lawler announced the first of the 2024 Alice Springs curfews and the curfew legislation.
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Eva Lawler lost her seat to Country Liberal Party candidate Clinton Howe in the 2024 Northern Territory general election.
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Eva Lawler is the third Territory head of government to be rolled in their own seat.
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Eva Lawler had two children with her husband Thomas 'Tom' Eva Lawler, a professional firefighter.
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Eva Lawler's husband was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2006, which was attributed to carcinogens found in firefighting foams, and subsequently led a campaign for firefighters to receive compensation.