Elaine Darling

Elaine Elizabeth Darling (née Melloy; 6 June 1936 – 30 August 2019)^[1] was an Australian politician. The Labor member for Lilley from 1980 to 1993, she was the first woman from Queensland to be elected to the House of Representatives.^[2]

Elaine Darling
Member of the Australian Parliament for Lilley
In office 18 October 1980 – 8 February 1993
Preceded by	Kevin Cairns
Succeeded by	Wayne Swan
Personal details
Born	Elaine Elizabeth Melloy (1936-06-06)6 June 1936 Brisbane, Queensland
Died	30 August 2019(2019-08-30) (aged 83) Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse	Robert Darling
Children	Mark Darling Russell Darling Vicky Darling
Occupation	Teacher

Early life

Born in Brisbane, Darling attended the University of Queensland before becoming a teacher, eventually rising to be an assistant to the director of the Brisbane Kindergarten Training College.^[3]

Politics

In 1980, Darling was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor Party member for Lilley, defeating the sitting Liberal Party MP Kevin Cairns. She was the fifth woman elected to the House of Representatives, and the second female Labor member of that house (the first was Joan Child). She held Lilley until her retirement in 1993.^[4]

From 2000 to 2004, she was a council member of the City of Caloundra.^[5]

Family political connections

Darling's father, Jack Melloy, was a long serving member of the Australian Labor Party and member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.^[6] Her daughter, Vicky Darling, was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2006 to 2012.^[7]