Margaret Mary Quirk was born on 26 June 1957 and is an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2025.
18 Facts About Margaret Quirk
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Margaret Quirk served as a minister in the governments of Geoff Gallop and Alan Carpenter between 2005 and 2008.
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Margaret Quirk went on to study law at the University of Adelaide, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1975.
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Margaret Quirk moved to Canberra after graduation, initially working for the administrative review section of the federal government's Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.
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Margaret Quirk later worked in the office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
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Margaret Quirk moved to Western Australia in 1988 to work as an adviser to the Labor government of Peter Dowding on energy and environmental issues.
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Margaret Quirk was employed by a commercial law from 1989 to 1991, and then worked for the National Crime Authority until her election to parliament.
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Margaret Quirk entered parliament at the 2001 state election, replacing the retiring Ted Cunningham in Girrawheen, a Labor safe seat.
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Margaret Quirk was made government whip shortly after her election, and made a parliamentary secretary in 2003.
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In November 2005, Margaret Quirk was elevated to the ministry, becoming Minister for Disability Services, Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, and Minister for Seniors and Volunteering.
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However, D'Orazio resigned from the ministry the following day, and Margaret Quirk regained her other positions for a brief period before eventually relinquishing them to Tony McRae.
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In November 2006, Margaret Quirk was appointed Minister for Small Business in place of Norm Marlborough, who had been expelled from the ministry.
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Margaret Quirk relinquished the women's interests portfolio to Sue Ellery in March 2007, but remained Minister for Corrective Services and Minister for Small Business until the Labor government's defeat at the 2008 state election.
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Margaret Quirk was retained in the shadow ministry under the new leader of the Labor Party, Eric Ripper, and continued on after Mark McGowan replaced Ripper as leader in January 2012.
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Margaret Quirk retained Girrawheen at the 2013 state election, despite an unfavourable redistribution which had made it a marginal seat.
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Margaret Quirk has been identified as a member of the Labor Right faction.
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On 2 April 2024, it was announced that Margaret Quirk would be retiring at the 2025 state election.
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Margaret Quirk was succeeded by Premier Roger Cook's chief of staff, Daniel Pastorelli.