41 Facts About Katy Gallagher

Katherine Ruth Gallagher is an Australian politician who has been serving as the Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service and Vice-President of the Executive Council in the Albanese Government since 2022, and formerly served as the 6th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2011 to 2014.

Katy Gallagher has been a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory since the 2019 federal election, as a member of the Australian Labor Party.

Katy Gallagher previously served in the Senate from 2015 to 2018.

Katy Gallagher grew up in Canberra and was a social worker and union organiser with the Community and Public Sector Union before entering politics.

Katy Gallagher was elected to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly in 2001, representing the electorate of Molonglo.

Katy Gallagher was made a minister under Jon Stanhope in 2002, and appointed Deputy Chief Minister in 2006.

Katy Gallagher became Chief Minister in 2011 after Stanhope's retirement, and led her party to a fourth consecutive term at the 2012 general election.

Katy Gallagher resigned in 2014 to seek preselection to the Senate.

In March 2015, Katy Gallagher was appointed to fill the casual vacancy caused by the retirement of Senator Kate Lundy.

Katy Gallagher was appointed to Bill Shorten's shadow ministry later in the year, and elected to the Senate in her own right at the 2016 federal election.

Katy Gallagher was elected Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.

In December 2017, during the parliamentary eligibility crisis, Katy Gallagher was referred to the High Court.

Katy Gallagher returned to her previous Senate seat at the 2019 federal election.

Katy Gallagher was born and raised in Waramanga, a suburb in the Weston Creek district of Canberra to Betsy and Charles Katy Gallagher.

Katy Gallagher's father was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England in 1939 and her mother in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 1943.

Katy Gallagher has an elder sister, Clare, along with two younger brothers who were adopted, Richard and Matthew.

Katy Gallagher's father died in 1995 of lung cancer and her mother in 2005 with peritoneal cancer.

Katy Gallagher was initially employed as a social worker, assisting with a community life skills project and working with children with disabilities.

At the time, Katy Gallagher was 13 weeks pregnant with her first daughter.

Katy Gallagher left her previous employment and was offered an administrative job at the Community and Public Sector Union where Seaman had worked by Margaret Gillespie who later went on to become her chief of staff during her time as a politician.

Katy Gallagher was appointed to the second arrangement of the first Stanhope ministry on 23 December 2002, when she was given the portfolios of education, youth and family services; women; and industrial relations.

On 12 May 2011, while Katy Gallagher was deputy chief minister, the current chief minister at the time, Jon Stanhope, resigned.

On 16 May 2011, Katy Gallagher was elected by the Assembly as the ACT's 6th Chief Minister and 3rd female Chief Minister.

On 5 December 2014 Katy Gallagher announced that she would resign as chief minister to pursue the upcoming Senate vacancy left by the resignation of Kate Lundy.

Katy Gallagher resigned as Chief Minister and her deputy Andrew Barr was elected as her replacement on 11 December 2014.

Katy Gallagher was sworn in as a Senator on 26 March 2015 and on 25 September 2015 nominated to join the Shadow Ministry in the Labor Party Caucus.

Katy Gallagher was elected by the caucus alongside Jim Chalmers unopposed.

On 13 October 2015, Katy Gallagher was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet in the roles of Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on State and Territory Relations.

Katy Gallagher held those positions until 23 July 2016 when she was promoted to Shadow Minister for Small Business and Financial Services after the 2016 election.

On 12 September 2016, Katy Gallagher was appointed as Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.

In 2016, Katy Gallagher accused fellow senator Mitch Fifield of "mansplaining" during a debate in a Senate committee hearing regarding social services legislation, which subsequently went viral.

On 9 May 2018, in a unanimous decision, the full bench of the High Court of Australia found that Katy Gallagher was not eligible for election at the 2016 federal election given that she had still been a British citizen when nominating as a candidate on 31 May 2016 for the election which was held on 2 July 2016.

In June 2018, Katy Gallagher announced that she would seek nomination for an ACT seat in the Senate at the next federal election.

Katy Gallagher successfully sought re-election at the 2019 federal election and took on the role of Shadow Minister for Finance and the Public Service in the Albanese shadow ministry.

Katy Gallagher introduced a bill to parliament to amend the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 titled The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment Bill 2021, in response to the grant programs being administered by the Morrison government which had resulted in criticism from both the Productivity Commission and through various ANAO reports.

On 23 May 2022, after Labor's victory at the federal election, Katy Gallagher was sworn in as Minister for Finance, Minister for Health, Minister for Women, Minister for Social Services and Attorney-General.

Katy Gallagher is the only holder of the Attorney-General portfolio to have had no prior legal experience, as she was appointed on the basis of holding the office for an interim period and act to "take care" of issues.

Katy Gallagher was additionally appointed Manager of Government Business in the Senate.

In October 2022 with Jim Chalmers overseas for meetings, Katy Gallagher became Acting Treasurer, only the second woman to do so.

Katy Gallagher was previously engaged to Brett Seaman, who died in a road accident in 1997 when she was pregnant with her first child, Abigail.

Katy Gallagher is a vegetarian and is a classically trained cellist, who used to play with Canberra's Youth Orchestra.