Jann McFarlane

Australian politician

Jann McFarlane

Member of the Australian Parliament
for Stirling
In office
3 October 1998 – 9 October 2004
Preceded by| Eoin Cameron
Succeeded by| Michael Keenan
Personal details
Born|  (1944-05-22) 22 May 1944 (age 81)
Sydney, Australia
Political party| Labor
Alma mater| Macquarie University
Occupation| Community worker

Jann Sonya McFarlane (born 22 May 1944) is a former Australian politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2004, representing the Western Australian seat of Stirling for the Australian Labor Party (ALP).

## Early life

[edit]

McFarlane was born in Sydney on 22 May 1944.[1] Her father abandoned the family when she was a small child and her mother remarried in the early 1950s. She grew up in a rural area and her family "struggled with domestic violence, alcoholism and poverty".[2]

After leaving school McFarlane worked as a cleaner, secretary and clerk.[1] She later completed a Bachelor of Arts at Macquarie University as a mature-age student and began working in the community sector. Prior to her election to parliament she had worked at a community legal centre and welfare rights centre for six years.[2]

## Politics

[edit]

McFarlane joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in 1978. She was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1998 federal election, defeating the incumbent Liberal MP Eoin Cameron in the seat of Stirling.[1]

McFarlane was re-elected at the 2001 election but lost her seat to the Liberal candidate Michael Keenan at the 2004 election.[1] During the election campaign she attracted attention for a gaffe in which she implied that the ALP's tax policies announced by opposition leader Mark Latham would need to be "adjusted".[3][4] She subsequently released a statement retracting her comments.[5]

In 2006, McFarlane was investigated by the Department of Finance over allegations she had misused electoral entitlements to allow constituents to make long-distance calls. She stated that she "utterly denied and refuted the allegations".[3]

## Personal life

[edit]

McFarlane was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2004 and underwent surgery.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Ms Jann McFarlane". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
2. ^ a b "Maiden Speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 26 November 1998. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
3. ^ a b "Trouble calls again for WA's Jann McFarlane". Crikey. 9 January 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
4. ^ "It's all uphill for Latham". The Age. 18 September 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
5. ^ "Talkback tax critic connected to Liberals: ALP". ABC News. 14 September 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
6. ^ "Labor MP faces bowel cancer operation". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 March 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

Parliament of Australia

Preceded by

Eoin Cameron

|  Member for Stirling
1998–2004  | Succeeded by

Michael Keenan

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

People|

* Australian Women's Register
* Australian Parliament