Reba Meagher

{{Short description|Australian politician (born 1967)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | office = Minister for Health | premier = Morris Iemma | term_start = 2 April 2007 | term_end = 5 September 2008 | predecessor = John Hatzistergos | successor = John Della Bosca | office1 = Minister for Community Services Minister for Youth | premier1 = Bob Carr Morris Iemma | term_start1 = 21 January 2005 | term_end1 = 2 April 2007 | predecessor1 = Carmel Tebbutt | successor1 = Kevin Greene (Community Services) Linda Burney (Youth) | office2 = Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship | premier2 = Morris Iemma | term_start2 = 8 November 2006 | term_end2 = 2 April 2007 | predecessor2 = Milton Orkopoulos | successor2 = Paul Lynch (Aboriginal Affairs) Graham West (Assisting on Citizenship) | office3 = Minister for Fair Trading Minister Assisting the Minister for Commerce | premier3 = Bob Carr | minister3 = John Della Bosca | term_start3 = 2 April 2003 | term_end3 = 21 January 2005 | predecessor3 = John Aquilina | successor3 = John Hatzistergos | constituency_AM10 = Cabramatta | assembly10 = New South Wales Legislative | term_start10 = 22 October 1994 | term_end10 = 17 September 2008 | predecessor10 = John Newman | successor10 = Nick Lalich | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1967|9|11}} | birth_place = Caringbah, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | party = Labor | alma_mater = University of Sydney | occupation = Trade unionist }} '''Reba Paige Meagher''' (born 11 September 1967) is an Australian former politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electoral district of Cabramatta. She was a minister in various portfolios from 2003 to 2008, including Minister for Health. On 6 September 2008 Meagher announced that she would not be seeking a ministerial appointment from new Premier Nathan Rees.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24304709-5001021,00.html|title=Doomed Reba Meagher quits|date=2008-09-06|publisher=news.com.au|access-date=2008-09-06}}</ref> On 13 September 2008 she announced her retirement from politics. She formally resigned on 17 September 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.smh.com.au/national/reba-meagher-formally-resigns-20080917-4if5.html|title=Reba Meagher formally resigns|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=2008-09-17}}</ref>

==Early life== Meagher was born in 1967 in Caringbah, New South Wales, the daughter of Les Meagher, a printer for the ''Sydney Morning Herald''.<ref>{{cite news| last =Murphy |first =Damien |author2=Robins, Brian |title =Now even Rees rues the Grim Reba | work =The Sydney Morning Herald | publisher =Fairfax Ltd | date =2008-09-16 | url =http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/now-even-rees-rues-the-grim-reba/2008/09/15/1221330747874.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 | access-date =2008-09-16 }}</ref> She received her Higher School Certificate from Endeavour High School in 1985. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney in 1989, and a Master of Labour Law and Relations in 1992.<ref name=aw>{{cite web | title =Meagher, Reba Paige | publisher =Australian Women | url =http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE1680b.htm | access-date = 2007-03-02 }}</ref><ref name="Reba Meagher NSW parl">{{cite NSW Parliament |title=The Hon. Reba Paige Meagher (1967- ) |id=2129 |former=Yes |access-date=13 May 2019}}</ref>

==Political career== Meagher declared on 7 November 2008 at an inquiry that, just over an hour after the Cabramatta MP John Newman had been shot in front of his fiancée on 5 September 1994, the then Labor Party head John Della Bosca, offered the seat to Reba Meagher, confirming an offer he had first made hours before the killing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/i-was-offered-seat-the-night-mp-was-shot-reba-meagher/2008/11/07/1225561135933.html|title=I was offered seat the night MP was shot: Reba Meagher|date=2008-11-08|access-date=5 July 2016}}</ref>

While in Parliament, Meagher served in a number of ministerial and sub-ministerial positions: *Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Transport and Minister for Roads on matters concerning Roads (April 1999 to March 2002) *Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Police (March 2003 to April 2003) *Minister for Fair Trading (April 2003 to January 2005) *Minister Assisting the Minister for Commerce (April 2003 to January 2005) *Minister for Youth (January 2005 to April 2007) *Minister for Community Services (January 2005 to April 2007) *Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (November 2006 to April 2007) *Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship (November 2006 to April 2007) *Minister for Health (April 2007 to September 2008)

She also served on a number of Parliamentary Committees: *Member, Committee on the Office of the Ombudsman and the Police Integrity Commission (May 1995 to April 1998) *Member, Legislative Assembly Standing Ethics Committee (May 1995 to March 1999) *Member, Committee on the Independent Commission Against Corruption (May 1995 to March 1999) *Member, Joint Standing Committee upon Small Business (November 1996 to March 1999) *Member, Joint Select Committee into Injecting Rooms (June 1997 to February 1998)

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == *[http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3HHBSpeaker?open&vwCat=Meagher,%20Ms%20Reba Speeches in Hansard by Reba Meagher]

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef |before= John Aquilina }} {{s-ttl |title= Minister for Fair Trading| years = 2003–2005 }} {{s-aft|after= John Hatzistergos |rows=2}} {{s-new}} {{s-ttl |title= Minister Assisting the Minister for Commerce| years = 2003–2005 }} {{s-bef |before= Carmel Tebbutt | rows=2}} {{s-ttl |title= Minister for Community Services| years = 2005–2007 }} {{s-aft|after= Kevin Greene }} {{s-ttl |title= Minister for Youth| years = 2005–2007 }} {{s-aft|after= Linda Burney }} {{s-bef |before= Milton Orkopoulos | rows=2}} {{s-ttl |title= Minister for Aboriginal Affairs| years = 2006–2007 }} {{s-aft|after= Paul Lynch }} {{s-ttl |title= Minister Assisting the Premier for Citizenship| years = 2006–2007 }} {{s-aft|after= Graham West }} {{s-bef |before= John Hatzistergos }} {{s-ttl |title= Minister for Health| years = 2007–2008 }} {{s-aft|after= John Della Bosca }} {{s-par|au-nsw-la}} {{succession box | title=Member for Cabramatta | before=John Newman | after=Nick Lalich | years=1994–2008}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}} {{Carr ministry}} {{Iemma-Rees-Keneally ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meagher, Reba}} Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:Labor Right politicians Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:Women members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:21st-century Australian women politicians Category:University of Sydney alumni Category:Ministers for aboriginal affairs and treaty Category:Ministers for better regulation and fair trading Category:Ministers for families and communities Category:Ministers for health (New South Wales)