Dr Carmen Lawrence

Dr Carmen Lawrence’s parliamentary career began in State politics when in 1986 she won for the Australian Labor Party the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Subiaco, held by the Liberal Party for the previous 27 years. She was promoted to the State Government Ministry in 1988, in her first term of office, following two years as an active backbencher serving as Deputy Chairman of committees and taking part in government and parliamentary committees. As Minister for Education she helped steer Western Australia’s education system through a major overhaul. She was re-elected to Parliament in 1989, representing the seat of Glendalough which was created in a State-wide electoral redistribution. Following the State Labor government’s re-election her responsibilities were increased with the addition of the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio.

In a leadership change on 12 February 1990, Dr Lawrence made history by becoming Premier of Western Australia and Australia’s first woman Premier. Following Labor’s narrow defeat at the 6 February 1993 State election, Dr Lawrence became Western Australia’s first woman Opposition Leader. She also held the positions of Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Employment and Federal Affairs.

Dr Lawrence entered Federal politics by winning the Federal seat of Fremantle in a by-election on 12 March 1994, achieving an historic swing towards an incumbent Government. She was appointed Minister for Human Services and Health and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women on Friday 25 March 1994. Following the defeat of the Keating Government in the March 1996 general election, Dr Lawrence was appointed Shadow Minister for the Environment; the Arts; and Assistant to the Leader of the Opposition on the Status of Women, posts she held until April 1997.

Dr Lawrence is currently the  Shadow Minister for Industry, Technology and Innovation, and Shadow Minister for the Status of Women. Dr Lawrence was born Carmen Mary Lawrence on 2 March 1948, one of a family of seven children raised in the small wheatbelt town of Morawa, 365km north of Perth. Most of her schooling was completed in the country and she matriculated in 1964 with distinctions in six subjects, a General Exhibition for Academic Achievement and a Special Subject Exhibition in economics. She graduated from the University of Western Australia as a Bachelor of Psychology with First Class Honours in 1968, having won five prizes including the prize for the most outstanding graduate throughout the faculties of arts, economics and commerce, law, architecture and education. She was Senior Student of Saint Catherine’s College.

Dr Lawrence won two scholarships for Ph.D. studies in psychology and continued with post-graduate research, achieving the Doctorate of Philosophy in 1983. She tutored and lectured at the University of Western Australia, Curtin University and the University of Melbourne. She was the course controller in behavioural science applied to medicine at the University of Western Australia from 1980 - 1983, after which she became the research psychologist in the Health Department’s psychiatric services unit.

Dr Lawrence is single and has one son.

To view Dr Lawrence's Paper, "Renewing Democracy: Can Women Make a Difference?"  click here.

Interview with Dr Lawrence

What personal qualities did you draw upon when you became Premier of Western Australia and Australia's first woman Premier in 1990?

My determination to perform well and my belief that women can do anything.

In 1994, when you held the federal portfolio of Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women, what were some of the more significant issues affecting women that you became aware of, and have those issues been resolved for women today?

In the lead up to the UN Conference on the Status of Women held in Beijing in 1995, women themselves identified such issues as the prevention of violence, full participation in public life, equality in the workforce and the adequate provision of services such as child care, health and education as critical. These remain important today. In fact, there is evidence that cuts to funding for services such as child care, the weakening of centralised and collective bargaining in the workplace and threats to anti-discrimination laws have placed women everywhere in an even more precarious position.

As a High School student and a graduate, you attained a level of excellence that accrued scholarships and prizes. What motivated you to be a high achiever?

My parents were strongly committed to our education, but let us define our own interests and standards. They were quick to praise and were always pleased with our achievements, no matter how small. Both my parents worked (and played) hard and encouraged us to measure our achievements against our own standards: competing with ourselves, not against others. Using this yardstick, success was always possible.

In your address, "Renewing Democracy: Can Women Make a Difference?" at the Sydney Institute in August 2000, you have said, in relation to modifying democracy and qualitatively improving political life for women, that a detailed agenda based on an analysis of the deficiencies in the system is needed. How much hope do you have that this will take place in the next five years and do you feel that female politicians from all sides will be willing to work together to achieve this reformation?

I think it is critical for women to define their own agendas, both in policy and in parliamentary and electoral procedures. As I indicated in the address, transformation of our institutions and policies is not an inevitable consequence of having more women in public life. Clear analyses of deficiencies in the current system and well researched alternatives are required. On the basis of my experience to date, it would be foolish to expect bi-partisan support, although such support should be solicited.

How do you cope with your frustrations from working in a political environment that you see as lacking openness, accessibility and accountability?

I am an unbridled optimist, so I am never deterred by obvious shortcomings in the political environment. Besides, but I know of no instiution or area of work where similar frustrations do not apply. I try to use them as a spur to action.

What significance do you place on how the media portrays you and what strategies have you used to rectify its presentation of you to the community?

The media is obviously very influential, if fickle, in its presentation of women in politics, myself included. The antidote is spending as much time as possible in direct contact with people and seeking opportunities for extended conversations in the media, particularly on radio. The internet and e-mail now provide more direct and personal methods of contact with the community. We use my website - www.carmenlawrence.com  - as an adjunct to the more conventional methods of engaging in dialogue with my constituents.

How do you define leadership? Do you see yourself as a Leader?

I've always been unimpressed by attempts to define leadership: much depends on the circumstances in which leadership is required. In general, I am much more impressed by co-operative and collective action, with each person contributing his or her skills and insights. The celebrity treatment of "leaders" often misses the fact that most enterprises are collaborative.

What networks do you rely on for support in your personal and professional life?

Friends and family in both cases.

Who are your mentors or role-models, if any?

My parents and some of my teachers have been very influential. I 'm not sure I would describe them as mentors or role models. Those descriptions tend to make such relationships seem more clinical than they are. People have influenced me because there is mutual trust and affection.

What are your aspirations for the future?

For myseIf, I take one day at a time. For my community, I hope to convince as many people as possible that we live in a world where inequality and environmental damage threaten our collective well being and basic principles of justice. We need to inculcate an ethic of thoughtful care and stewardship for our fellow human beings and our environment.