31 Facts About Marion Scrymgour

Marion Scrymgour was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012, representing the electorate of Arafura.

Marion Scrymgour was the Labor Party Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from November 2007 until February 2009, and was the highest-ranked Indigenous Australian woman in government in Australia's history, as well as the first Indigenous deputy leader of an Australian government.

Marion Scrymgour was the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the Northern Territory legislature.

Marion Scrymgour had a controversial term as Education Minister under Henderson, and was shifted to the Attorney-General portfolio in February 2009, in a move widely seen as a demotion.

Marion Scrymgour remained on the Labor backbench until June 2009, when she resigned from the Labor Party over its stance on remote Indigenous communities.

Marion Scrymgour sat in the Legislative Assembly as an independent, and held the balance of power; Labor had held only a one-seat majority before her departure.

Marion Scrymgour was born on 13 September 1960 in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory.

Marion Scrymgour is the daughter of Claire and Jack Scrymgour.

Marion Scrymgour's mother was a Tiwi Islander, and her father had been forcibly removed as a child from his home in Central Australia.

Marion Scrymgour attended primary and secondary school in Darwin, but initially decided against tertiary education, working in several office administration positions.

Marion Scrymgour later undertook correspondence courses as a mature age student in book-keeping, accounting, administration and health economics.

Marion Scrymgour subsequently served as director of the Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Corporation, co-ordinated several trial community care programs around Katherine, and as Director of the Katherine West Health Board Aboriginal Corporation.

Marion Scrymgour was an active member of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union, and had represented the union at the national conference of the Australian Labor Party.

Marion Scrymgour contested and won Labor preselection for the Legislative Assembly seat of Arafura, after the retirement of Maurice Rioli.

Marion Scrymgour was promoted to the ministry under Clare Martin on 17 December 2003, as part of a reshuffle caused by the sacking of Health Minister Jane Aagaard.

Marion Scrymgour was assigned the portfolios of Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage, and in doing so, became Australia's first Aboriginal woman cabinet minister.

Marion Scrymgour chaired a select committee into substance abuse, and was the relevant minister during the roll-out of non-sniffable Opal fuel across remote Indigenous communities.

Marion Scrymgour was shifted to a new portfolio after the 2005 election, being appointed Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts.

Marion Scrymgour oversaw planned changes to the territory's heritage laws, which created a heritage council to protect important sites, as already exists in several states.

Marion Scrymgour developed a reputation for outspoken views on Indigenous issues during her second term.

Marion Scrymgour clashed with her own party on the issue of the MacArthur River Mine in 2006, and joined three other Indigenous MPs in crossing the floor to oppose the mine's expansion.

On 24 December 2007 Marion Scrymgour spent several hours at the emergency department of Royal Darwin Hospital undergoing treatment for "an emotional and physical collapse".

In January 2008 Marion Scrymgour was appointed Acting Chief Minister of the Northern Territory while the incumbent Paul Henderson was on holiday, becoming the first Aboriginal government leader in Australian history.

Marion Scrymgour had taken on the education portfolio upon her ascension to Deputy Chief Minister, but had been regularly criticised in the press for her performance, particularly after her controversial sacking of the head of the territory's Education Department in 2008.

On 1 June 2009, Marion Scrymgour publicly opposed the Government on its announced policy of concentrating Indigenous development in 20 larger communities and discouraging "homeland" or "outstation" settlement, which she labelled as insulting.

Marion Scrymgour said that she realised while recovering from surgery that she had lost touch with her constituents, and that "I feel strongly because we have lied to Aboriginal people".

On 4 August 2009, after the defection of another minister, Alison Anderson, Marion Scrymgour announced that she would rejoin the Labor Party.

In November 2013, Marion Scrymgour was awarded an honorary doctorate in Health Sciences by the University of Sydney, the first Aboriginal recipient of such an honour from the Faculty of Health Sciences.

In March 2019, Marion Scrymgour was appointed CEO of the Northern Land Council and became the first woman CEO of any land council in the Northern Territory.

In March 2021, Marion Scrymgour was preselected as the Labor candidate for the federal seat of Lingiari in the 2022 federal election after Labor incumbent Warren Snowdon announced he would not stand for re-election.

Marion Scrymgour won the seat by a narrow margin from Country Liberal candidate Damien Ryan.