{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Julia Irwin | honorific_suffix = | image = Julia Irwin MP 2005.jpg | caption = Irwin in 2005 | constituency_MP = Fowler | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = Ted Grace | successor = Chris Hayes | term_start = 3 October 1998 | term_end = 19 July 2010 | birth_name = Julia Claire Welsh | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1951|11|8}} | birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Geoff Irwin | party = Labor | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Politician | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Julia Claire Irwin''' ({{nee|'''Welsh'''}}; born 8 November 1951) is a former Australian politician. She represented the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2010, holding the New South Wales seat of Fowler.
==Early life== Irwin was born in Sydney on 8 November 1951.<ref name=aph>{{cite news|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=83Z|title=Mrs Julia Irwin MP|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=23 August 2020}}</ref> Her father Alan Welsh served on the Parramatta City Council and her mother Lois Welsh was the secretary of the New South Wales Labor Women's Committee. She joined the ALP at the age of 15 and began her involvement in the labour movement with the Sheet Metal Working Industrial Union. She was also involved in Young Labor where she met her future husband Geoff Irwin.<ref name=maidenspeech>{{cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2F1998-11-11%2F0006%22;src1=sm1|title=Maiden speech|work=Hansard|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=23 August 2020}}</ref>
In 1975, Irwin became the electorate secretary to Jack Ferguson, who became the Deputy Premier of New South Wales the following year. She later worked as a staffer for Richard Klugman, Ross Free, and Ted Grace.<ref name=maidenspeech/>
==Parliament== Following Ted Grace's retirement, Irwin won ALP preselection for his seat of Fowler. She retained the seat for Labor at the 1998 federal election, and was re-elected on three further occasions.<ref name=aph/>
In 2005 Irwin was involved in a controversy over comments she made about Israel. On 13 September she made a speech in parliament characterising Israel's policies as "ethnic cleansing" and Gaza as a "concentration camp".<ref>Hansard – House of Representatives, [http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr130905.pdf 13 September 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820075156/http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr130905.pdf |date=20 August 2006 }}, pp 95</ref> After criticism from Jewish groups and by members of both the Liberal and Labor parties, she issued an apology for her "offensive" language.<ref>Hansard – House of Representatives, [http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr150905.pdf 15 September 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820091708/http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr150905.pdf |date=20 August 2006 }}, pp 81</ref>
In October 2008 Irwin publicly criticised the Rudd Government's education policy, accusing it of "locking in the Coalition's favouritism of private schools".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it-old/gillard-defends-education-revolution/news-story/01c18c9338d638e9997e714f5416f796|title=Gillard defends education 'revolution'|newspaper=The Australian|date=22 October 2008|access-date=23 August 2020}}</ref>
Irwin announced in September 2009 that she would not recontest her seat at the 2010 federal election.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090922174003/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/14/2685827.htm Retiring MP takes aim at factional warlords: ABC News 14/9/2009]</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *Parliamentary Library – [https://archive.today/20121127074932/http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/TranslateWIPILink.aspx?Folder=BIOGS&Criteria=NAME_ID:83Z; Biography] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040322012537/http://www.juliairwin.org/ Personal website]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title=Member for Fowler | before=Ted Grace | after=Chris Hayes | years=1998–2010}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Julia}} Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Labor Right politicians Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Fowler Category:Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:21st-century Australian women politicians Category:20th-century Australian women politicians Category:Australian MPs 1998–2001 Category:Australian MPs 2001–2004 Category:Australian MPs 2004–2007 Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010